E&S/Specialty

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.

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.

Although Bermuda insurers and reinsurers were hit with more than $3.5 billion in catastrophe losses from worldwide disasters in 2010, roughly $2.7 billion in favorable prior-year loss development helped cushion the blow, according to NU tallies.

Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited is positioning its U.S. specialty insurance operation for an inevitable market turn by hiring experienced professionals, according to CEO John Cavoores. Mario Vitale, an alumnus of Zurich and Willis, joined the leader board as president last week, bearing the battle scars of prior soft markets.