Commercial Lines

While insurance agencies in most parts of the country are enduring mighty tough times, some producers in North Dakota are so busy they have to turn away new business.

An increasing emphasis on enterprise-risk management in the corporate world is reflected in the higher-education sector, with more courses and research exploring the concept at universities with established RM programs.

Progressive Corp. reports a 14 percent decrease in 2011 fourth-quarter net income and a 32 percent drop in December, compared to the same periods the year prior.

Although property and casualty insurers will benefit from rising prices in 2012, economic, regulatory and other challenges mean carriers will have to find other ways to generate growth during the year, according to a Deloitte report.

Aon Benfield says the fourth quarter proved to be another active one for catastrophe bond transactions despite the size of the transactions slightly being off from the previous year.

Countries prone to earthquakes, especially Japan, remain underinsured, reveals a new report from Swiss Re.