Atlanta, Ga. — Key issues of interest to the property and casualty insurance industry were explored in depth in 50 different seminars during the four-day Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Annual Meeting held in Atlanta Oct. 22-25. With topics as varied as women's issues and fraud in personal line claims, more than 100 nationally known speakers led more than 1,000 attendees, including hundreds of new CPCU designees, in the quest for professionalism in the industry.

In opening remarks by 2004-2005 CPCU Society President Donald J. Hurzeler and Executive Vice President James R. Marks, attendees were encouraged to continue their professional development through society activities and continuing education, including local CPCU-sponsored symposia and membership in the growing number of specialty section groups.

The keynote address was a one-hour presentation by CNN's Lou Dobbs, a Harvard-trained economist and television journalist. Dobbs examined the benefits and dangers of globalization, including the outsourcing of the American economy. "We import electronics and computers, and export scrap metal and soybeans," he noted, adding that 90 percent of our clothing is now foreign-made, along with nearly 20 percent of our food.