Monthly Archives: <span>December 2005</span>

Best Rates U.K.’s Hiscox, Lloyd’s Syndicate, Bermuda Start-Up

A.M. Best Co. has announced its credit ratings on U.K. specialist and Lloyd’s insurer Hiscox plc. and its operating entities. It affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A-” (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Hiscox …

Bright Faces Trial for Fraud over Independent Collapse

Former U.K. insurance magnate Michael Bright appeared in court in London on Friday, Dec. 16 in connection with the 2001 collapse of Independent Insurance. He was granted bail, and a preliminary hearing was set for March 24, 2006. Bright founded …

Best Affirms Beazley Group plc, Lloyd’s Syndicates 623/2623 Ratings

A.M. Best Co. announced that it has affirmed its Syndicate Rating of “A” (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 623 and Lloyd’s Syndicate 2623 (collectively referred to as syndicate 623/2623), which are both managed …

Best Rates Harbor Point Re ‘A’

A.M. Best Co. announced that it has assigned a financial strength rating (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” to the newly created Bermuda-based reinsurer Harbor Point Re Limited, with a stable outlook. Harbor Point …

A Katrina Diary: On the Road to Recovery

A co-worker and I journeyed to the Gulf Coast region to document the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. What follows are some notes from our five days in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama filming and talking with people who lost so much …

Historic Hurricane Year Puts the Spotlight on Federal Flood Insurance

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected the Gulf Coast as some of the strongest storms to hit the United States during the last 100 years, causing widespread devastation and flooding. In mid-January the country saw more than $150 million in damages …

By Dave Thomas

Residents in many areas of the Gulf Coast watched their lives change forever on Aug. 29, 2005. When all was said and done, Hurricane Katrina went in the record books as the country’s worst natural disaster, leaving a large swath …

Turn Routine Office Documents into Moneymaking Tools

Before you get too comfortable, take a second. Slide out of your office chair and look around the agency at the many printed forms that you use each day. Nearly every one can serve a need beyond its original intended …

New Markets

Tomorrow’s Insurance Products Are Being Developed Today Hurricanes, Capital, Agents and Technology Feed the Product Process Looking for a new market? Most people in the industry are, including those who get paid to come up with new insurance products. According …

Update from the Gulf Coast: A Policyholder’s Perspective Which Came First: the Chicken, the Egg

While debates wax and wane in newspaper headlines, the harsh reality for thousands of policyholders in the wake of Hurricane Katrina centers around an age-old issue: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or in this case, is it …