Commercial Lines

The primary goal of the broker is to listen and understand the business objectives and strains that each risk manager faces. That means understanding the business they are in; the factors driving their risk decisions; the resources they have available; and how they are judged by their superiors.

Property and casualty mergers and acquisitions activity is expected to be slow in 2012, as low valuations and reserve concerns impact dealmaking, but activity among agents and brokers is expected to remain strong, according to Deloitte.

Mining is viewed as a high-risk industry, but mining in North America is safer than some other industries, such as agriculture and lumber, in terms of the number of claims, say experts.

Agent satisfaction with their carrier partners shows little change from last year and regional carriers would appear to be doing a better job with agents than the national carriers, according to an agents association survey.

Fourth-quarter profit at Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway was down 30 percent on investment and derivative valuations.

Sovereign wealth funds could yet turn out to be a terrific alternative source of capital for primary insurers and reinsurers around the globe.