Within the industry, two of the worlds largest insurance brokerage firms, New York City's Marsh and McLennan Companies, and Chicago-based Aon were the hardest hit. Between them, more than 500 people are reported missing. In addition, a couple of employees were on board the highjacked planes.

Dealing with the attack, both brokerage firms put on their risk manager caps and put their disaster plans to work, moving the more than 2,700 employees who worked in the twin towers to new locations throughout the New York and New Jersey region.

Data needed to be recovered, phone lines hooked up, computer systems established. The business of working with customers–both with claims from the attack and business unrelated to the tragedy–needed to continue.

Notices went out to clients through e-mail, over the brokerages' Web sites and in newspapers, reassuring them that business would continue. And the families and colleagues of those lost needed to be cared for as well.

“This is a terrible time for all of us,” said Jeffrey W. Greenberg, MMCs chairman, in a statement. “Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with all of those who are lost or are suffering.”

“Our first concern has been, and continues to be, for the well-being of our employees,” echoed Patrick G. Ryan, Aons chairman and chief executive officer.

However, the damage was not limited to those in the World Trade Center. The attack closed down offices nearby, including the downtown New York offices of London-headquartered Willis, a few short blocks from “Ground Zero.”

No one from the firm was lost or injured, but employees and functions needed to be moved to offices in New Jersey after the disaster area was shut down. The firm did not speculate on when it would be moving back to lower Manhattan.

While buildings and data are the tangible elements that can eventually be quantified and replaced or repaired, the loss of life is another matter–especially in the closely-knit brokerage community, despite its competitive nature.

“A lot of us have been affected by this,” observed Kenneth Sciara, president of Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton of New York, whose midtown Manhattan offices were not directly affected by the disaster. “[Insurance brokers] are a close-knit group. We lost a lot of friends and former employees.”

Insurance brokerages are reaching out to one another, offering help in whatever way they can–for example, in some cases offering office space to those displaced by the terrorist attacks.

“We are usually very strong competitors, but this is a time to get together and help,” Mr. Sciara said. “New York brokers are sticking together and no one is trying to take advantage of the others. We are sensitive to how Aon and Marsh have been hit by this.”

Liz Cougot, assistant vice president and director of corporate communications for Glen Allen, Va.-based Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton, said the brokerage has offered to help Marsh, Aon, and Frenkel & Company (a New York regional broker) with office space, claim service and “whatever else they need from us.”

Executives at San Francisco-based USI Insurance Services were meeting in New York and witnessed the attack, including Bernard H. Mizel, chairman and chief executive officer for the firm, said Thomas ONeil, chief executive officer of USI's Northeast region.

USI's New York offices of 140 employees at Park Ave. and 32nd Street were temporarily moved out of the city to surrounding suburbs after communication lines were disrupted. It took a couple of days to reroute traffic, said Mr. ONeil, but the infrastructure remains in good shape. Employees have since returned to their offices after communication lines were restored.

However, of bigger concern is for employees who have lost friends and associates they had worked closely with in the World Trade Center, Mr. ONeil noted.

Both Marsh and Aon have established centers for family and employees to go for help, including psychological support to cope with the situation.

The grief is no less at other brokerage firms, and executives at Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton and USI said counselors have been brought in to help.

“This will be a long and protracted cleanup and rebuilding,” according to Mr. O'Neil, who said that people will need emotional support throughout the process of mourning and rebuilding.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, October 8, 2001. Copyright 2001 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.

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