Breaking News: Shake-Up at AIG's Chartis: Moor Out, Hancock In as CEO

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March 31, 2011 Breaking News Alert Shake-Up at AIG's Chartis: Moor Out, Hancock In as CEO American International Group, Inc. (AIG) today announced a reorganization of Chartis, its global property/casualty business, and named a new management team, including a new chief executive officer, Peter D. Hancock, currently AIG executive vice president for Finance, Risk and Investments. Read the full story Send to a Friend Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2011 by Wells Publishing, Inc.

What Your Agency Must do to Avoid E&O from COIs

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly.   What Your Agency Must do to Avoid E&O from COIs Live online training plus Q&A session Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET Since Certificates of Insurance are becoming a major expense and a major E&O exposure which generates no revenue for the agency, managing this exposure effectively and efficiently is becoming increasingly important. Register today and save $25 on your registration! What you will learn: The REAL difference between Certificates of Insurance, Binders and Evidences of Property Insurance How each of these three forms are to be used What must an agency do to avoid the E&O exposure that comes with issuing Certificates of Insurance The proper use of COI's When you register, you get: Access to the live training (Wednesday at 1:30PM EDT) Video and Audio recordings, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Register today and save $25 on your registration! Reserve your seat   Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2011 by Wells Publishing, Inc.

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, March 28, 2011

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March 28, 2011 Top 10 for the Past Week 1. Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson File Lawsuit Against Former Insurance Broker Mar 23, 2011 -- Actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, have filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from their former insurance broker. According to celebrity gossip Web site TMZ, which discovered the lawsuit, Hanks and Wilson previously worked with the ... 2. Injured Cyclist’s Family Sues Car Driver for $10M Mar 24, 2011 -- The family of a comatose cyclist is suing for $10 million the driver of the car that struck him in Maryland. Lawyers in the lawsuit filed Monday allege that 83-year-old Jeanette Marie Walke violated traffic laws on Feb. 26 when she turned into the ... 3. AIG Estimates $1 Billion in Q1 Catastrophe Losses, Most from Japan Mar 20, 2011 -- American International Group Inc. said it would post an estimated $1 billion in pre-tax catastrophe losses in the first quarter, mostly from exposure to the March 11 earthquake in Japan. AIG said its exposure would be about $900 million after-tax. ... 4. Insurers, Brokers Settle Spitzer-Era Bid-Rigging Case for $37 Million Mar 23, 2011 -- Lawyers for a majority of the 15 insurance company and broker defendants in a long-running suit accusing them of bid-rigging are scheduled to be in court today outlining a proposed settlement that will cost them about $36.7 million. The antitrust ... 5. Happy 100th Birthday Workers' Compensation: The Great Tradeoff! Mar 23, 2011 -- Happy 100th Birthday Workers' Compensation: Now What ? This year marks the 100th anniversary of the workers' compensation system in the U.S. As Christopher Boggs, director of Education for Insurance Journal's Academy of Insurance, writes in ... 6. U.S. P/C Insurers’ Results for 2010 Get ‘Mixed Review’ from A.M. Best Mar 24, 2011 -- The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry's financial results for 2010 represented a mixed bag, with some good results and some that are of concern, according to a leading rating organization. A.M. Best Co. reported that property/casualty ... 7. Ratings: Berkshire Hathaway/Lubrizol; First Mercury, Mennonite Mar 21, 2011 -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has stated that the ratings on "Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK; AA+/Stable/A-1+) and its insurance subsidiaries are unaffected by BRK's announcement that it has agreed to acquire specialty chemical manufacturer ... 8. Supreme Court Makes It Easier to Sue Businesses Mar 23, 2011 -- The Supreme Court made it easier to haul businesses into court, ruling this week that investors can sue them for purposefully withholding damaging information about a product and that employees can sue them for retaliation without having to make a ... 9. Former New York Lawmaker Faces Prison for Insurance Fraud Mar 21, 2011 -- A former Long Island lawmaker faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced today in a Hamptons fraud case. George Guldi was convicted last month of grand larceny and insurance fraud involving the reconstruction of his Westhampton Beach home. ... 10. Virginia Man Wins $25M in Lawsuit Against Exxon Mar 21, 2011 -- A jury awarded a former shipyard employee $25 million Thursday in his lawsuit against Exxon for asbestos-related medical problems. The verdict, which followed a two-week Circuit Court trial, was one of the largest jury verdicts ever handed down in ... Popular Videos Mortgage Brokers' E&O in the Spotlight Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail

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(Almost) Everything You Need to Know About OCIPs

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. (Almost) Everything You Need to Know About OCIPs Do you know how such programs affect your insured? Part One: Thursday, March 24, 2011 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET Part Two: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET Many large construction projects are insured through an OCIP. This course will explain how OCIPs can provide owners, brokers and general contractors cost savings and enhanced loss control. We will also discuss why OCIPs make sense even now, in a down economy. Even if you aren't setting up the OCIP, you must know how to arrange your insured's insurance protection to coincide and fit into the OCIP. You can protect your insured AND save them money. Anyone involved in financing, broking or insuring ANY party involved in an OCIP will benefit from these sessions. Special pricing until March 24! Register today for this two-part series and get an extra $30 savings. What you will learn in this two-part course: Understanding the concept of an OCIP. How an OCIP differs from a conventional construction insurance program. The roles of each party involved. How the concept can save money. The insurance coverage structure of single project vs. a multi project OCIP. Who is insured; who is not - And why? What insurance coverages are included. How can an OCIP enhance the Loss Control and Claims Management functions on a construction project. Register for this two-part series and save an extra $30. When you register, you get: Access to all two live trainings (March 24 & 29) Video and Audio recordings of both sessions, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Register for both sessions!   New Webinar Two-part training series Part 1: Thursday, March 24 Part 2: Tuesday, March 29 Each session begins at 1:30PM ET / 10:30AM PT Duration: 1 hour Special Pricing Today! Instructor: Bob Titus Claims Manager at Academic Risk Resources & Insurance, LLC

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, March 21, 2011

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March 21, 2011 Top 10 for the Past Week 1. MetLife Auto & Home Launches Combo Package Policy in 28 States Mar 18, 2011 -- MetLife Auto & Home has will roll out its personal lines "combo" policy into 28 new states over the course of 2011. The policy combines multiple insurance products into one package with one bill and one renewal date. The new offering ... 2. Worker at Rhode Island Business Dies Mar 17, 2011 -- Authorities say they are investigating the death of a worker at a North Kingstown company. Police say the 26-year-old man was moving equipment at Composite Rigging Co. on Tuesday when a cable snapped and hit him in the head. He was pronounced dead ... 3. Dad of Gas-Soaked Stun Gun Victim Sues Pennsylvania Police Mar 17, 2011 -- The father of a Pennsylvania man who had soaked himself in gasoline during a domestic dispute is suing the Pennsylvania State Police because his son caught fire and died when a trooper used a stun gun to subdue him. Shawn Mohney's federal civil ... 4. U.S. Western Tsunami Losses Climb Mar 16, 2011 -- As states in the West clean up tsunami damage, loss estimates are climbing, according to local officials. In Hawaii, the estimate — tallied by Gov. Neil Abercrombie's office to be in the millions — combines damage to homes, businesses, hotels, ... 5. Arkansas Earthquakes Decline After Injection Well Closures Mar 16, 2011 -- The number and strength of earthquakes in central Arkansas have noticeably dropped since the shutdown of two injection wells in the area, although a state researcher says it's too early to draw any conclusions. "We have definitely noticed a ... 6. Many Unemployed Rejected by Individual Health Insurance Market: Study Mar 16, 2011 -- Of the 43 million working-age adults who lost jobs during the recession in the past two years, about nine million, or 20 percent, ended up without insurance, according to a new study. The nine million left without insurance represented 57 percent of ... 7. Debate Begins: Will Japan Disaster Raise Insurance Rates? Mar 16, 2011 -- Losses from the Japanese earthquake will reduce insurers' capital reserves, insurance brokers said Tuesday, as sector shares continued their sharp declines on fears the disaster's size could grow. Ace, a leading insurer and reinsurer, warned the ... 8. Jury: North Minneapolis Blogger Must Pay $60K in Damages Mar 15, 2011 -- A jury says a north Minneapolis, Minn., blogger must pay $60,000 in damages to a community leader who was fired from the University of Minnesota after a blog post. The Hennepin County civil jury found that an "Adventures of Johnny Northside" ... 9. Western U.S. Tsunami Damage Exceeds $50 Million Mar 14, 2011 -- Tsunami waves following Japan's massive earthquake are estimated to have caused more than $50 million in damage in the Western United States, according to local officials. In Hawaii, Gov. Neil Abercrombie issued an emergency proclamation that will ... 10. Progressive Goes National with Usage-Based ‘Snapshot’ Car Insurance Program Mar 14, 2011 -- Progressive has begun national advertising for its "Pay-As-You-Drive" program, Snapshot, which offers drivers discounts of as much as 30 percent based on real-time analysis of their driving habits. Over the past few years Progressive has been ... Popular Videos Mortgage Brokers' E&O in the Spotlight Gridlock in a Divided Congress? Maybe Not. Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail

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Tomorrow: Advanced Personal Injury Protection

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. Advanced Personal Injury Protection Brand-new training Thursday, March 17 Starts at: 1:30PM ET / 10:30AM PT Duration: one hour Special pricing today! Register today for this Thursday's live webinar training and get an extra $25 savings. When you register, you get: Access to the live training (March 17) Video and Audio recordings, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download What you will learn: A state-by-state review of the various statutory schemes. The law of PIP subrogation. The interplay between Personal Injury Protection coverage and other insurance such as workers' compensation and health insurance. The resolution of PIP Disputes. Save $25 when you register today! Access to the live class Recordings of all sessions Starts THURSDAY March 17 Any Questions? If you need help or would like to submit a question to the instructors before the webcast, send an email to webcasts@insurancejournal.com. Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2011 by Wells Publishing, Inc.

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, March 14, 2011

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March 14, 2011 Top 10 for the Past Week 1. Michigan Court Orders Insurer to Pay Mother Who Saw Son Die in Crash Mar 11, 2011 -- An Ohio insurance company must pay benefits to a Detroit-area woman who suffers from witnessing the death of her son on a motorcycle. The Michigan appeals court said Gale Boertmann of Clinton Township can collect on her auto policy because ... 2. UPDATE-2 Huge Quake Triggered Tsunami Kills 100′s in Japan; Pacific on Alert Mar 11, 2011 -- The biggest earthquake on record to hit Japan rocked its northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-meter |33 foot] tsunami that killed hundreds of people and swept away everything in its path. Thousands of residents near a nuclear plant in ... 3. Soft Market Is Ending, Really It Is, Says SNL Financial Mar 10, 2011 -- Could the soft market finally be over? A new analysis concludes that insurance prices are rising and the prolonged soft market is ending, contrary to earlier reports from other analysts. Virginia-based SNL Financial says personal lines pricing is ... 4. Ex-AIG CEO Greenberg: Judge in New York AG Case Biased Mar 10, 2011 -- Maurice "Hank'' Greenberg, the former American International Group Inc. chief executive, said the judge overseeing a New York attorney general lawsuit against him should be removed from the case because he is biased. In a court filing, Greenberg ... 5. Texas Lawmakers Want to End Driver Surcharges Mar 9, 2011 -- Texas lawmakers are considering eliminating a program that requires those charged with offenses including driving while intoxicated and failure to have insurance to pay state surcharges. Nearly 60 percent of those with the surcharges - about 1.2 ... 6. Young Agents: What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Survey Mar 9, 2011 -- Young property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across the U.S. are being called upon to answer some questions ... and have some fun. Gen X, Gen Y agents: who are you? What do you really think about your career? About your industry? About the ... 7. AIG Repays $6.9 Billion More to Taxpayers Mar 8, 2011 -- American International Group repaid another $6.9 billion of its bailout Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury said. With that payment, the Treasury said it has now recovered 70 percent of the $411 billion distributed under the crisis-era Troubled Asset Relief ... 8. Florida Lawmakers Aim to Shrink State Insurer Citizens Mar 8, 2011 -- Florida lawmakers are looking to cut the state's largest property insurer down in size. The plan is to reduce the number of properties insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. by allowing it to raise its rates by as much as 25 percent a year ... 9. Progressive Extends Pet Injury Coverage to Commercial Auto Customers’ Pets Mar 8, 2011 -- Business owners can now protect their dogs and cats with Progressive's free Pet Injury coverage. How it works: If a dog or cat is hurt in a vehicle accident, Progressive will pay vet bills up to $1,000. Key Points: Free if with collision coverage; ... 10. Republican Flood Insurance Bill Gets Positive Initial Reception Mar 8, 2011 -- A Republican draft of legislation to reform the federal flood insurance program would renew the program for five years, phase out most rate subsidies, tie coverage limits to the rate of inflation, vary the deductible by how subsidized the premium ... Popular Videos Email Marketing Maximizing Niche Marketing in a Digital Age Mortgage Brokers' E&O in the Spotlight Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail

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Insurance and Contracts Triple-Pack

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly.   Webcast Triple-Pack: How Contracts Impact Insurance Contracts are a fact of life for many of your clients, especially those in the construction industry. Our job as insurance professionals is to understand how the insurance coverage we provide our clients affects and is affected by the contracts our clients sign. Now available for immediate access. $317 of training for only $149 Three sessions previously conducted by the Academy of Insurance combine to give a much clearer picture of how insurance and contracts interact: The Basics of Contractual Risk Transfer; (overview) Who Is an "Insured" - Commercial Lines; (overview) and The Real Effects of Granting Additional Insured Status. (overview) Topics covered include: Learn who qualifies as an "Insured" in the commercial general liability policy; Why the legal set up of the business matters; What contractual risk transfer is; What can be transferred via contract; How the insurance policy responds in the face of a contract; and how the presence of an additional insured affects coverage. Special package pricing! Purchased individually, your total investment for these classes is more than $300. But as part of this special package, you get all three classes PLUS all supporting documents for only $149. This is a limited time offer; this package offer ends on March 24. You have just two weeks to take advantage of this special offer. Access three, one-hour webcasts about insurance contracts. * limited time pricing until March 24 $317 of training for only $149 Any Questions? If you need help or would like to submit a question to the instructors before the webcast, Contact Adam Dunford at (800) 897-9965 x144 or send an email to webcasts@insurancejournal.com.   Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2011 by Wells Publishing, Inc.

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, March 7, 2011

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March 7, 2011 Top 10 for the Past Week 1. Republicans to Re-launch U.S. Flood Insurance Overhaul Mar 4, 2011 -- Draft legislation to overhaul the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program will be unveiled next week, said the Republican chairman of a congressional insurance oversight panel Thursday. Representative Judy Biggert told Reuters she will present the ... 2. Florida Announces 17 Arrests in Largest-ever PIP Bust Mar 3, 2011 -- Florida's "Operation Deep Horizon" has netted 17 arrests — including a clinic owner, doctors, clinic employees and staged recruiters — in the state's largest-ever auto personal injury protection (PIP) insurance bust . Chief Financial ... 3. Ohio Casualty Targets Small Commercial Growth Mar 3, 2011 -- Ohio Casualty, a Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. regional company, announced the expansion of its small commercial appetite with the addition of more than 60 business classes to its Commercial Protector BOP product. The majority of the additional ... 4. State Farm Posts $1.8 Billion Net Income for 2010 Despite Underwriting Losses Mar 3, 2011 -- State Farm reported $1.8 billion in after-tax net income in 2010, compared with $800 million in 2009.  The improvement "was driven by the P-C companies' improved results," said the bulletin, which also explained that the "P-C companies reported a ... 5. Certificate of Insurance Bill Makes Headway in Georgia Mar 2, 2011 -- Agents in Georgia are urging their representatives to support a bill that would clarify the use of certificates of insurance issued to policyholders. Among other things, the bill would require certificate forms to be filed and approved by the ... 6. NFL Players’ Agents Calling Insurance Plays as Lockout Looms Mar 2, 2011 -- Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett promises to be ready for the start of next season -- whenever it is. He also wants to be smart in these uncertain times. Indianapolis' 30-year-old defensive captain, like his NFL brethren, is preparing for ... 7. President Obama Backs Flexibility for States on Healthcare Law Mar 1, 2011 -- President Barack Obama extended an olive branch on Monday to U.S. states struggling to implement his healthcare law, offering support for a proposal that would give them some flexibility in carrying out its key parts. Obama's signature healthcare ... 8. Texas Regulators Move to Take Over Windstorm Insurance Association Feb 28, 2011 -- The Texas Department of Insurance has informed the director of the state's property insurance company of last resort for wind in the state's coastal counties that it is placing the organization under TDI's administrative oversight. In a Feb. 28, ... 9. Industry Files Dog Exclusions for Homeowners Policies Feb 28, 2011 -- A national insurance advisory organization is filing three endorsements to allow insurers to exclude personal and umbrella liability coverage for injury or damage arising from dogs. The American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) develops ... 10. Crump Reaches Standstill Agreement with Former Employee, R-T Specialty Feb 28, 2011 -- Dallas-based Crump's Property & Casualty Insurance Services Division (Crump P&C), which is part of insurance wholesaler Crump Group Inc., announced that it has reached a standstill agreement with a former employee and his new employer, R-T ... Popular Videos Gridlock in a Divided Congress? Maybe Not. Email Marketing Getting to the Root of 'Green' Construction Claims Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail

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How Can Your Clients Benefit from No-Fault Coverage?

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. Do you know how to maximize the benefit your insureds receive from Personal Injury Protection (aka No-Fault) coverage? PIP coverage is included in the insured's Personal Automobile Policy. This line of coverage is costly for insurers to provide. Do you know how to help your insureds take advantage of the valuable benefits this coverage provides? Learn the "ins and outs" of this coverage in this two-part class. Special pricing today! Register today for this two part series and get an extra $30 savings. You can also register individually for just part one or just part two for an extra $25 savings. What you will learn in Session 1: What is Personal Injury Protection Coverage? What are the various statutory schemes for PIP? What are the common PIP benefits? What are the typical basis for PIP eligibility and exclusions? Register for Session 1 Now! or register for both and save an extra $30. What you will learn in Session 2: A state-by-state review of the various statutory schemes; The law of PIP subrogation; The interplay between Personal Injury Protection coverage and other insurance such as workers' compensation and health insurance; and The resolution of PIP Disputes. Register for Session 2 Now! or register for both and save an extra $30. When you register, you get: Access to all two live trainings (March 10 & 17) Video and Audio recordings of both sessions, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Register for both sessions!   New Webinar Two-part training series Session 1: Thursday, March 10 Session 2: Thursday, March 17 Webcast begins at 1:30PM ET / 10:30AM PT Duration: 1 hour Special Pricing Today!

Is 'No-Fault' the Best Answer

Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. Often referred to as "No Fault" coverage, Personal Injury Protection coverage (PIP), provides valuable benefits to insureds. Learn the "ins and outs" of this coverage in this two-part class. PIP is a costly line of coverage for insurers to provide. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the common benefits, typical basis for eligibility and exclusions so that you can maximize your clients protection. What you will learn in Session 1: What is Personal Injury Protection Coverage? What are the various statutory schemes for PIP? What are the common PIP benefits? What are the typical basis for PIP eligibility and exclusions? Register for the Webinar Now! What you will learn in Session 2: A state-by-state review of the various statutory schemes; The law of PIP subrogation; The interplay between Personal Injury Protection coverage and other insurance such as workers' compensation and health insurance; and The resolution of PIP Disputes. Space is Limited! Register for the Webinar Now! When you register, you get: Access to all two live trainings (March 10 & 17) Video and Audio recordings of both sessions, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download   Date/Time Thursday March 10, 2011 and Thursday March 17, 2011 1:30PM ET / 10:30AM PT Duration: 1 hour Space is Limited!