Commercial Lines

Another chapter has closed on the contingent commission kickback saga with an agreement reached between nine insurers and insurance brokers and clients who alleged the industry tried to manipulate the business.

In the wake of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, with insured-loss estimates reaching as high as $35 billion, analysts and rating agencies fell on either side of the debate about whether the event will cause a turn in the long-running soft-market cycle.

Merger and acquisition activity for property and casualty insurers, agents and brokers heated up in 2010, as insurers sought to improve their strategic standing within the industry, according to a report from Conning Research & Consulting.

No matter where one stands on the issue of global warming, there are practical reasons for producers to embrace the environmental revolution—not least of which is the chance to grow their books.

Power companies and their insurers face an emerging threat, according to William F. Stewart, a coverage attorney. A climate nuisance liability case to be heard by the Supreme Court in April may be the environmental case of the decade, he says in an article that details the implications of Conn....

As demonstrated by the case of Lilly Ledbetter, which spawned the Fair Pay Restoration Act of 2009, what appears a non-issue today might not be tomorrow, which makes the purchase of employment practices insurance vital for small and midsize businesses, according to Burns & Wilcox Manager Dick Weaver.