Claims

A casual observer might never have noticed that the Property Loss Research Bureau has just gone through a dramatic change. In January 2004, the PLRB was spun off by the Alliance of American Insurers,

AutoOne Insurance Co., of Melville, N.Y., has donated two recording and monitoring devices to the NICB for use by detectives in the New York City Police Department's Fraudulent Accident Investigation

Although damage from August's Hurricane Charley was still being assessed when this issue of Claims went to press, preliminary estimates of insured losses were just over $7 billion, making it the

"The findings of this year's survey indicate that the insurance industry still is increasingly vulnerable to fraud," said Michael A. Lucarini, a partner in Accentor's Insurance practice. "Insurance

More states urgently need to pass targeted laws to uncover and disband widespread staged-accident rings, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud recently told the National Conference of Insurance

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has drafted a model act that is designed to provide states with the ability to collect fingerprints of insurance employees and submit the

In early August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a revised forecast for the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, indicating a 45 percent probability of above-normal activity.

Although the official end of hurricane season is in sight, September is, historically, the deadliest and most expensive month for tropical storms. Eight of the 10 costliest hurricanes to strike the