Personal Lines

If Hartford Financial were to split in two the outcome would have positive credit implications for the property and casualty (P&C) insurance group and negative credit implications for the life insurance group. The main reason for the difference, according to Moodys Weekly Credit Outlook is that the life group depends...

Nationwide Insurance ended the year by turning a profit in the fourth quarter, although net income for the period was down 87 percent compared to 2010.

If the Hartford decides to split its property and casualty and life operations, as proposed by a hedge fund manager who owns an 8.4 percent stake in the company, insurer financial strength ratings could be affected depending on how each entity holds up to an analysis, says Fitch Ratings.

Negotiations between Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and plaintiffs attorneys over more than $100 million are off to a rocky start following a U.S. Supreme Court decision to not delay the execution of the class-action judgment against the last-resort insurer.

As the economy shows signs of improvement in the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, insurance executives say high-net-worth clients are beginning to spend againand it remains an underserved market that independent agents should be taking advantage of.

Progressive Corp. says its January net income is down 33 percent compared to January 2011 as total pretax net realized gains on securities fell 63 percent to $11.9 million.