Commercial Lines

The Massachusetts Department of Insurance says it has a data call out to the insurance industry in order draft a report on the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon.

U.S. questionable claims increased 16 percent in 2012, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. had its credit rating cut one notch by Standard & Poor's, which cited a new methodology for evaluating insurers and Berkshire's dependence on its insurance business for dividend income.

American International Group Inc. has lost another leading executive, this time to a social business platform to help brokers and carriers manage commercial insurance.

A series of car recalls to hit the automotive industry this spring, including investigations of models created by Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet and Toyota, is unlikely to impact auto manufacturers insurance rates.

A survey of independent agents representing four states in the Northeast says the combination of escalating rates and stricter underwriting forced 93 percent to increase their remarketing efforts over last year.