The ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," never resonated more within the property-casualty industry than it did in 2008, when the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis nearly destroyed the nation's highest-profile carrier, seriously undermined the balance sheets of nearly everyone else, and set the stage for the worst economy since The Great Depression.

The accompanying list of top stories for 2008 is totally subjective. These are the developments I felt were the most interesting of the year, based on my personal opinion and the feedback I received when commenting on these particular subjects in my column and blog.

Indeed, if you feel I've overlooked a key event, write and tell me so at [email protected], or post a comment to this introduction on my Dec. 19 blog entry at nusamsoapbox.com.