Commercial Lines

What is NU's Next Question of Ethics? Dr. Peter R. Kensicki invites readers to weigh in.

In spite of competitive conditions in the specialty program business segment, an insurance industry analyst doesn't see any flashing red alerts signaling major troubles ahead for program carriers so far in 2011.

Aon Benfield launched what it says is the first storm-surge model for Germany to help reinsurers and insurers quantify risk in an "underdeveloped line of coverage."

Even when insurance policies clearly instruct otherwise, insureds often contact their agents instead of the carrier to report a claim. Attorney Matthew Marrone provides tips on how agents should respond to this tricky and delicate situation—to avoid their own E&O situations down the road.

As agencies focus on survival, they often overlook critical aspects of their own businesses, potentially placing themselves in a vulnerable spot. Agencies need to evaluate their own professional liability insurance coverage to be sure they are properly protected, according to Burns & Wilcox's Rochelle Elliott.

For the agents and brokers writing commercial-lines insurance for Main Street clients, business remains tough—but some tepid signs of improvement have begun, tentatively, to appear.