S&P Lowers International Indemnity Co. Rating to 'Bpi.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's today lowered its financial strength rating on International Indemnity Co. (International Indemnity) to single-'Bpi' from double-'Bpi'. The rating action reflects a writedown of assets by the parent, Queensway Financial Holdings, Ltd. (Queensway) of Toronto, Canada, producing...

Producer's Forum Eyes Crystal Ball On Pricing.
No matter which side of the transaction you're on--buyer or seller--the issue of the ongoing soft market in commercial insurance prices is of constant interest. While some industry leaders are certain that prices are firming up across all lines (see "Citizen Iordanou," on page 22), other experts hedge about...

Standard & Poor's Lowers Condor Insurance Co. Rating to 'CCCpi'.
NEW YORK, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's today lowered its financial strength rating on Condor Insurance Co. to triple-'Cpi' from double-'Bpi'. This rating action is based on the company's severe surplus deterioration, resulting in a risk-based capitalization level considered very weak. Further, the...

An unholy alliance: perceptions of influence in insurance fraud prosecutions and the need for real safeguards.
I. INTRODUCTION For the past three decades, most state legislatures (1) have enacted (2) criminal statutes specifically targeted at deterring insurance fraud. (3) Unlike most criminal statutes, these insurance fraud laws not only delineate the unlawful conduct sought to be deterred, but also generally restrict the scope...

Commerce Banc Insurance Services Adds Another Web-Based Customer Convenience.
CHERRY HILL, N.J., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Commerce Banc Insurance Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Commerce Bancorp, Inc. , announced today that a new service is now available to customers via Commerce Bank's web site at http://www.commerceonline.com/. Now customers can get instant automobile insurance rate quotes and initiate...

Do you have the right business insurance? Personal auto and homeowner's policies will not cover your business. A needs assessment will be worth the time and effort.
Whether you are a seasoned operator or new vending, the vending business carries a certain amount of liability that operators need to protect themselves against. Operators can be properly insured without overspending if they are reasonably informed about what coverages they need. First and foremost, operators must...

Camp Insurance 101.
Understanding the fundamentals of a camp insurance program Camp directors may not always be aware of all the exposures their businesses face. Working with children presents unmatched rewards, but also creates unique risks from the insurance perspective. While camp directors or owners should consult with qualified insurance...

Vermont captives fill serious voids in today's markeplace: Vermont had its most successful year in 2002. (Special Supplement: Vermont Captives).
Despite recent calls from London and elsewhere for the insurance business to shed its cyclical tendencies, few doubt that boom-to-bust, hard- to soft-market insurance scenarios will linger. That's good news for the captive insurance business. Historically, hard markets like the one the insurance business fell into two...

S&P Rates Mercury General Corp.; Outlook Stable.
NEW YORK, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's today assigned its preliminary single-'A' issuer credit rating to Mercury General Corp. (Mercury). The outlook is stable. At the same time, Standard & Poor's assigned its preliminary single-'A' rating to up to $150 million of senior debt to...

Shopping the Cyberspace Insurance Market.
Online P&C marketplaces are a barely noticeable blip on the monitors of risk managers. Lack of face-to-face contact and fears that funding fur these online ventures will dry up are why risk managers are heading to their offline brokers. The online insurance markets that offer one-stop insurance...