Publication Date: October 28, 2006Advisen -- PropertySource: The Huntsville Times (Huntsville, AL)"Despite canceled coverage and rate increases along the Gulf Coast, North Alabama property insurance rates haven't been affected by last year's hurricanes, according to the state's Insurance Department..."
Publication Date: October 26, 2006Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: Daytona Beach News Journal"DAYTONA BEACH - Florida's property insurance crunch has started to ease slightly, but market conditions remain "very, very difficult," the chairman of the Brown & Brown agency told investment analysts Tuesday..."
Publication Date: October 25, 2006
Source: Advisen -- Medical Malpractice
"Joint Study with Zurich’s Healthcare Team Provides Important Insight For Risk Managers and Underwriters"
"New York, Oct. 23, 2006 – Advisen Ltd., the leading provider of analytics, benchmarking and market information to the global commercial insurance industry, today announced the results of the first phase of its recent hospital professional liability claims study done in cooperation with the healthcare team at Zurich, an insurance-based financial services provider. The research was conducted using one of the largest databases of hospital professional liability claims and is the first report focused on the findings of a long term project to identify and quantify leading indicators of these claims. The full results of the study will be released at the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) Annual Conference & Exhibition being held October 29 – November 1, 2006 in San Diego..."
Publication Date: October 23, 2006
Advisen -- Medical Malpractice
Source: AHC Newsletters
"Hospital not liable for sleep-deprived intern's motor vehicle crash"
By Robert A. Bitterman, MD, JD, FACEP, Contributing Editor
"In the case of Brewster v Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center,1 the appellate court of Illinois had to decide whether a hospital owes a duty to a person injured by an off-duty intern suffering from sleep deprivation due to the hospital's policy on working hours..."
Publication Date: October 16, 2006Advisen -- PropertySource: BestWire Services"The 6.6 magnitude earthquake that shook Hawaii's Big Island is a notice that earthquakes are a serious threat beyond the boundaries of California, experts said..."
Publication Date: October 17, 2006Advisen -- PropertySource: UPI Top Stories"The strong earthquake that struck Hawaii Sunday caused at least $40 million in damage just on the Big Island, with seven schools suffering major damage..."
October 16, 2006The Insurance Journal"In 2005, medical malpractice insurers in Missouri recorded a positive underwriting result for the second consecutive year and the highest recorded number of new claims filed, according to the 2005 Medical Malpractice Insurance Report's findings..."
Publication Date: October 16, 2006Advisen -- PropertySource: BestWire Services"The earthquake that shook Hawaii early on Oct. 15 delivered a clear reminder of the array of places where the ground can move with catastrophic consequences. It also came 17 years, almost to the day, after the nationally televised Loma Prieta quake that postponed Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants..."
Publication Date: October 16, 2006Advisen -- PropertySource: Chicago Tribune"When the strongest earthquake to hit Hawaii in 20 years jolted people awake Sunday, damaging roads and buildings, it turned a paradise dream vacation into a nightmare for many..."
Publication Date: October 16, 2006Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Toronto Star Opinion"Courtesy of the U.S. media, we hear many horror stories about medical malpractice doctors ordering unneeded tests and procedures, astronomical jury awards, and doctors in high-risk specialties unable to pay insurance premiums..."
Publication Date: October 12, 2006Advisen -- CasualtySource: Chicago Tribune"For property/casualty insurers and reinsurers, the third quarter can be summed up in two words: no hurricanes..."
Publication Date: October 10, 2006Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: BestWire Services"The climate phenomenon El Nino made an unexpected return this year, and its influence on world weather patterns could have an impact on the property/casualty insurance industry -- including fewer hurricanes for the rest of the 2006 season..."
Publication Date: October 10, 2006Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: BestWire Services"The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded an underwriting profit of $15.1 billion during the first six months of 2006, a 31.8% increase from the first six months of 2005. Despite continued price softening, the improvement in the industry's results was attributable largely to a moderately light period of catastrophe losses, loss frequency trends and favorable loss-reserve development through the first six months of the year, according to a special report from A.M. Best Co..."
Publication Date: October 3, 2006Advisen -- Insurance MarketSource: BestWire Services"A veteran congressional adviser who helped draft the original Terrorism Risk Insurance Act blasted a recent presidential report on the state of the terrorism insurance market as a "farce" designed to arrive at the preconceived conclusion that the federal reinsurance backstop ought not to be extended..."
Publication Date: October 4, 2006Source: Advisen -- Insurance Market"Key Points: Skyrocketing property insurance premiums in Florida and other hurricane-exposed areas have been widely reported in the media. However, risk managers are keenly aware that it is not only coastal exposures that are being hit with higher premiums and reduced capacity. Premiums for California earthquake coverage also are rising sharply, despite the fact that there has not been a major California earthquake in over a decade. Factors driving the premium hikes are higher loss projections from recently revised catastrophe models, and higher minimum capital requirements now being imposed by rating agencies..."
Publication Date: October 2, 2006Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: The National Law Journal"The number of doctors and hospitals making virtual house calls has exploded in recent years, which has lawyers cautioning the medical community about the legal dangers of treating and monitoring patients via the Internet..."
Publication Date: October 2, 2006Advisen -- ReinsuranceSource: BestWire Services"The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act effectively stabilized the insurance industry in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the federal backstop's continued presence may 'negatively affect the emergence of private reinsurance capacity because it dilutes demand for private sector reinsurance,' according to a new report from the President's Working Group on Financial Markets..."
Publication Date: October 1, 2006Advisen -- Medical MalpracticeSource: Belleville News-Democrat"A year after Illinois' law to ease the medical malpractice crisis took effect, fewer lawsuits are being filed and some physicians are paying lower insurance bills..."
