Spend a few hours with crisis management consultants Terra Firma, the firm retained by XL Insurance as part of their suite of coverage for kidnap, ransom, extortion and other crisis events, and you learn a few surprising things about how ransom situations can be handled.
“Can” is the key word here, for no two incidents are the same: every kidnapping case is different. One thing they all have in common, however, is they are always carried out by desperate people. Even the most organized crime syndicates or kidnapping networks are all driven by greed, and fear—and fear is the one weapon they wield most forcefully when they hold someone’s loved one captive. When someone close to you disappears, you’ll do anything to get them back, and kidnappers prey on that desperate sense of urgency.
Kidnap for ransom doesn’t have to end badly, and in the great majority of cases, concludes with the hostage’s safe release. During a recent visit to XL’s downtown Manhattan offices, National Underwriter P&C received a crash course in some of the strategies employed in the long, painful process of getting your loved ones home safely.
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Shawn Moynihan
Shawn Moynihan is Editor-in-Chief of National Underwriter Property & Casualty. A St. John’s University alum, Moynihan has earned 11 Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Pulitzers of the business press; seven Azbee Awards, from the American Society of Business Press Editors; two Folio Awards; and a SABEW award, from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers. Prior to joining ALM, he served as Managing Editor/Online Editor of journalism institution Editor & Publisher, the trade bible of the newspaper industry. Moynihan also has held editorial positions with AOL, Metro New York, and Newhouse Newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected].
