Publication Date: November 29, 2005Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: PR Newswire"HARTFORD, Conn., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- "Convergence products" will play a critical part in the competitive landscape of the property-casualty industry in coming years despite being a relatively small segment, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting, Inc..."
Jeff Simonds, Assistant Vice President of AVRECO’s Healthcare Division, joined AVRECO in October of this year in order to focus on the expansion of AVRECO’s national presence in the medical professional liability marketplace.Mr. Simonds has twenty years experience in the insurance industry, the last 7 of which have been spent in the field of medical malpractice. Prior to joining AVRECO, Mr. Simonds worked as a medical malpractice risk consultant for Behnke & Company, based out of Decatur, IL. Other experience includes his work as the Chicago Brokerage Manager for the individual products division at The Principal Financial Group. Mr. Simonds is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Business Administration and also attained the rank of Captain as a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
The Associated PressPublished: November 29th, 2005 02:30 AMFound in theNewsTribune.com"Attorney General Rob McKenna is planning legislation that would protect Washington from lawsuits where a third party is responsible for the alleged wrongdoing. Attorney General Rob McKenna wants to make the state immune from some lawsuits, a move he says could spare taxpayers costly court judgments..."
John Kennedy | Tallahassee Bureau ChiefOrlando SentinelPosted November 29, 2005"TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Republicans have begun advancing a move to "scrub" or "purify" the state constitution by revisiting several ballot initiatives carved into the document by voters in recent years..."
November 28, 2005The Insurance Journal"Piles of snow and icy roads definitely were not what most Thanksgiving travelers wanted to deal with on their way home from the long holiday weekend. Meantime, tornadoes tore through several states damaging properties..."
www.MSNBC.com
By Jeff BlumenthalPhiladelphia Business JournalUpdated: 7:00 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2005"Two years after the introduction of new laws from the Pennsylvania state legislature and new mandates from the state Supreme Court, there has been a sharp decline in medical malpractice case filings across the state and in Philadelphia. And the fallout for plaintiffs personal injury lawyers has been significant..."
Publication Date: November 22, 2005Advisen -- RegulationSource: BestWire Services"Protracted debates over data security, terrorism insurance and this year's hurricanes may have completely exhausted the supply of insurance "oxygen" on Capitol Hill in 2005, but major regulatory reform proposals will return to the halls of Congress in 2006, supporters of the proposals told the National Conference of Insurance Legislators..."
Publication Date: 11/21/2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Associated Press Alert"WASHINGTON_Some potentially explosive lawmaking got off to a mellow start Monday, as the City Council's health committee heard testimony on a bill that seeks to reduce incidents of medical malpractice and bring down malpractice insurance premiums..."
Publication Date: 11/21/2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Watertown Daily Times (NY) (KRT)"Nov. 21--CANTON -- An insurance company has been relieved of responsibility for defending Massena Memorial Hospital and the town of Massena in a federal lawsuit filed by a doctor who alleges he was driven out of Massena by other doctors..."
By Mark E. Ruquet
National Underwriter P&C
"Industry representatives say insurers have no intention of settling a suit by the Mississippi attorney general and making payments to homeowners’ policyholders who did not purchase flood coverage..."
Publication Date: November 17, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: World Disease Weekly"Governor Edward G. Rendell said that Pennsylvania is succeeding in controlling medical malpractice costs and that the reforms that have been implemented are working..."
November 17, 2005The Insurance Journal"The Illinois Supreme Court today ruled that a lawsuit brought in Illinois by a Louisiana plaintiff did not belong in an Illinois state court..."
Publication Date: November 17, 2005Advisen -- CasualtySource: PR Newswire Europe (inc. UK Disclose)"CHICAGO, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Several Illinois counties have become magnets for large civil lawsuits, according to a new study released today before an Illinois Senate hearing. Advocates of court reform say the findings point to the need for action by the General Assembly..."
November 18, 2005The Insurance Journal"Moving just days after committees in the House and Senate advanced terrorism insurance bills, the full U.S. Senate today passed its version of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (S. 467)..."
November 16, 2005Advisen -- RegulationSource: DOW JONES NEWSWIRESBy Lavonne KuykendallOf DOW JONES NEWSWIRES"CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Four state insurance commissioners leading the push for government-run catastrophe insurance funds gave a few details Wednesday on their plan to spread catastrophe risk among renters and homeowners across the country..."
November 16, 2005Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: Bestwire Service"WASHINGTON (BestWire) - An extension to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act appears imminent under legislation pending before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and the U.S. Senate Banking Committee..."
November 15, 2005The Insurance Journal"The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big "I") said it strongly supports H.R. 4314, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision Act, introduced late Monday by Subcommittee Chairman Richard Baker (R-La.)..."
November 15, 2005The Insurance Journal"Insurance adjustors surveying damage from Saturday's tornadoes in central Iowa say the devastation equals that of Hurricane Andrew that hit Florida in 1992, according to Associated Press..."
Publication Date: November 14, 2005Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: Bestwire Service"WASHINGTON (BestWire) - In the coming days, U.S. lawmakers are expected to hash out the details of the latest proposal to extend federal involvement in terrorism reinsurance, which would continue such involvement for two more years while a longer-term pooling arrangement is sought to lessen the government's role..."
Publication Date: November 14, 2005Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: PR Newswire Europe (inc. UK Disclose)"WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) is asking its members around the country to contact their members of Congress and urge them to extend the borrowing authority for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)..."
Publication Date: November 11, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Business Insurance"SAN ANTONIO-Final regulations and guidelines for a federal law that protects the rights of emergency room patients could create significant liability problems for hospitals, according to an attorney who also is an emergency room physician..."
Publication Date: November 12, 2005Advisen -- PropertySource: The Times (London, UK)"A NEW breed of heavily armed, financially astute pirate has forced Lloyd's of London to make a significant change to the shipping policies honed during its 317-year history as a marine insurer, The Times has learnt..."
November 15, 2005The Insurance Journal"The Association of Lloyd's Brokers has named Linda Deiss, vice president and underwriting manager of AVRECO, chairperson of the association..."
At the annual luncheon meeting of the Association of 
Lloyd's Brokers this past Tuesday, November 8, 2005, Linda Deiss was voted by the Board of Directors to be Chairperson of the Association of Lloyds' Brokers. The position is for one year, with appointment to the board for three years. Click HERE to see pictures from the annual meeting. Congratulations, Linda!!
By Andrew G. Simpson, Jr.Insurance JournalNovember 10, 2005"New York officials are not planning to ban contingent commissions for agents and brokers but will issue regulations requiring them to disclose their compensation to clients..."
Publication Date: November 10, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: World Disease Weekly"A comprehensive financial analysis of the medical liability insurance industry found no evidence that medical liability insurance is overpriced, or that insurance companies are to blame for a health care liability..."
Publication Date: November 10, 2005Advisen --PropertySource: Bestwire Service"WASHINGTON (BestWire) - Policyholder groups and the nation's governors are among those making a final press for extension of the federal terrorism insurance backstop in the final weeks before Congress recesses..."
Publication Date: November 10, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Associated Press Alert"OLYMPIA, Wash._Voters who pulled the plug on dueling medical-malpractice initiatives may finally prod lawmakers to change the system, officials say..."
November 9, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Business Insurance"SAN ANTONIO-Hospital-run insurance programs for physicians can benefit hospitals and doctors in several ways, but the anticipated and actual benefits often differ, according to a panel of experts..."
Publication Date: November 9, 2005Advisen --PropertySource: Evening Standard"US OIL giants Chevron and Dominion have lodged the biggest claims at the Lloyd's insurance market from this year's unprecedented hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico..."
November 9, 2005Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: BestWire Services"A bill that would return caps on noneconomic damages for medical-malpractice cases to Wisconsin has passed the state Senate and now heads to Gov. Jim Doyle's desk..."
November 9, 2005The Insurance Journal"The Wisconsin legislature passed Assembly Bill 766, which restores caps on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases..."
National Underwriter P&CNU Online News Service, Nov. 7, 3:04 p.m. EST"Two insurance trade groups said they are opposing a portion of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ proposed 2006 budget that would fund storage of industry members’ fingerprints..."
By Matt BradyNational Underwriter P&CNU Online News Service, Nov. 7, 12:45 p.m. EST"Three of the states in the major storm zone area hit by Hurricane Katrina lack comprehensive building codes that could have prevented major damage, Congress was told last week..."
November 07, 2005Advisen -- Management LiabilitySource: Corporate Counsel"Caveat Directors and officers. In the name of cooperation, corporations are increasingly bowing to government pressure and forcing directors, officers, and employees to pay their own legal fees from government investigations. Executives are also being asked to pay settlements, fines, and penalties out of their own pockets, too..."
By Andrew G. Simpson, Jr.The Insurance JournalNovember 7, 2005"Not many people think of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as funny but last night he showed he might have a future in comedy if his campaign for governor falters..."
"Moves to limit gun, fast food liability will certainly help, but volatile line still carries some big risks, including asbestos and medical devices"By Susanne SclafaneNational Underwriter P&C"When federal legislators put limits on gun liability and moved to curb lawsuits against fast-food joints serving up super-sized portions on the same day last month, insurance experts saw positive signs ahead for products liability insurers..."
November 3, 2005The Insurance Journal"Repeating failed efforts in other states such as Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois and the District of Columbia, trial lawyer and former Missouri Insurance Commissioner Jay Angoff has reportedly issued another intentionally misleading report - this time in Washington State, according to the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA)..."
November 3, 2005The Insurance Journal"Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention..."
November 3, 2005The Insurance Journal"Property casualty insurance industry results should be relatively strong from 2005 through 2007, despite 2005's hurricane activity and an increasingly competitive market, according to a new report by Conning Research and Consulting, Inc..."
Publication Date: November 2, 2005Source: Advisen -- Risk Management"At the one year anniversary of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s suit against Marsh Inc. alleging bid rigging in the insurance placement process, respondents to Advisen’s latest survey of corporate insurance buyers: - Are more proactive in managing the insurance placement process, and
- Are still contemplating whether they should replace their current broker, but
- Are satisfied that broker compensation and compensation disclosure issues have been addressed..."
November 3, 2005ProgramBusinessSee AVRECO's own Ted Baran, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, speak at the upcoming Peak Performance Insurance Ski Conference 25-28 January 2006 in Vail, CO. Among others, Mr. Baran shares the podium with Andrew Cutler, London's foremost underwriter of EPLI, who recently spoke at AVRECO's EPLI Seminar in Chicago on 27 September.
Posted on Nov. 01, 2005 11:26 AM CSTBusiness Insurance"WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. Rep. Michael Oxley, chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee and an Ohio Republican, said Tuesday he would not seek re-election in 2006 after serving 25 years in Congress..."
BY Arthur D. PostalNational Underwriter P&CNU Online News Service, Oct. 31, 4:05 p.m. EST"Washington —The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) late last week asked Congress to 'pass a clean, short-term' extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act before it expires Dec. 31..."
NU Online News Service, Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m. EDTNational Underwriter P&C"A new marketing partnership has been created to provide risk managers with survey data on health care insurance pricing and loss trends, Advisen Ltd. announced..."
October 31, 2005The Insurance Journal"The CPCU Society has announced its new officers and governors, effective immediately."The following officers have been officially elected:"The CPCU Society’s incoming president, Millicent W. Workman, CPCU, CPIW, is a Risk Management Consultant based in Memphis, Tenn..."
Publication Date: October 31, 2005Source: Advisen -- People on the MoveAVRECO Excerpts:"Charles Becker has joined AVRECO in Chicago as Assistant Vice President and part of the Healthcare staff. He is responsible for the marketing and sales of AVRECO’s specialty health care products. He was most recently with Classic Insurance Services, where he specialized in the placement of medical malpractice for doctors and small group practices for the past six years. Reach Charlie at 312.294.6311 or cbecker@avreco.com.""Greg Schrom has joined AVRECO as a Vice President. He will be responsible for the development of all lines of business in California and the Southwest market, with the specific objective of opening an AVRECO office in San Diego, CA. He will initially focus on brokering medical and non-medical professional liability and using his binding authority for small package business. Originally trained in general commercial P&C Underwriting at The Hartford, Greg was most recently at Fireman’s Fund Specialty for nine years where he was a Marketing Manager and Program Manager for various professional liability products. Reach Greg at 312.529.5546 or gschrom@avreco.com."
