Published: January 2008

Behind the Ad Surge

A new generation of marketers leads the way as insurance advertising hits record levels.

Behind the Ad Surge
A new generation of marketers leads the way as insurance advertising hits record levels. By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 26.

IMAS Session Highlights
A roundup of highlights, insights and results from the 2007 Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit. By Staff. Marketing. Page 33.

Going Up
Insurers are reaching middle-income Americans with new term life products that have sent sales soaring. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 34.

Shake It Up
How a snow-globe approach could help the life insurance industry. By Ronald D. Verzone. Life. Page 40.

Best's Review's Top News Stories of 2007
Events and trends over the past 12 months have set the stage for insurers in the coming year. By Staff. The Year Ahead. Page 42.

Exporting Growth Strategies
To successfully recruit agents and customers in India and China, U.S. insurers must adapt their domestic strategies. By Sam Radwan. Life. Page 48.

Debunking Myths Concerning Savings
Saving for retirement: Is it a higher priority than saving for a child's college education? By Robert A. Fishbein. Life. Page 51.

Plan for a Disaster, Or Face a Calamity
'At the scene' is the wrong time to start training your responders. By Ray Stone. Agent/Broker. Page 52.

Opening the Pipeline
Bottled up by subprime worries last year, life insurance securitizations should flow in 2008. By Meg Green. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 53.

A New Frontier
Information security is a big task, and insurers are only beginning to provide specific coverage and risk-mitigation advice. By Ron Panko. Technology. Page 56.

Is Insurance Talent Unique?
Insurers concentrate on existing insurance talent for experienced hires. By Steven Landberg. Technology. Page 60.

The British Invasion
Some of the hottest new American insurance products are already run-of-the-mill in England, where they've been popular with policyholders for "yonks" (quite a while). By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 61.

Getting a Company Started on ERM
The first steps toward Enterprise Risk Management are easier than you might think. By William H. Panning. Property/Casualty. Page 65.

Crowning Glory
As employers reduce retiree benefits, more seniors are losing their prized dental coverage. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 66.

20 Questions
Audit committees can improve their understanding of the loss-reserving process by talking to actuaries. By Marc Oberholtzer. Regulatory/Law. Page 70.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 15 Audit Firms - P/C Only By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 72.

Rising Tide
Professional liability writers wonder when the subprime mortgage crisis will crest - and how high the waters will rise. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 76.

Getting a Watertight Policy
How can insureds, their brokers and carriers ensure that the warranty endorsements on their builder's risk policies are fair and enforceable? By Jeffrey J. Asperger. Property/Casualty. Page 82.

Individual Skills Help Team Succeed
Like baseball, insurance requires team spirit, key players, dedication and professionalism. By Lance Ewing. Property/Casualty. Page 84.

Reaching for the Middle
Cigna Corp.'s planned purchase of Great-West Healthcare strengthens its position in the national and middle-market employer segments. By Fran Matso Lysiak. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 85.

Banking on Insurance & Annuities
In the decade since the Supreme Court ruled in their favor, banks steadily have increased insurance sales. By Michael D. White. Regulatory/Law. Page 86.

Sticks Down! Avoid a Penalty
A hockey fight redefines the meaning of the word "accident." By Alan S. Rutkin. Regulatory/Law. Page 89.

The Law of Attraction
New rules regarding deferred compensation plans may help attract young talent. By Andrew Sforzini. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 90.

Index to 2007 Best's Review Articles
Articles that ran in in the 2007 editions of Best's Review magazine, arranged by category. By Staff. Index. Page 93.

Behind the Spotlight
How an independent filmmaker found his niche as an insurance broker. By Meg Green. The Last Word. Page 104.

Behind the Ad Surge: Siobhan McNulty, Old Mutual
In its Native South Africa, Old Mutual plc's brand recognition is second only to Coca-Cola. But when the 160-year-old company entered the United States in 2000, creating high recognition for the virtually unrecognizable company was another story. By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 27.

Behind the Ad Surge: Trish Robinson, MassMutual Financial Group
When MassMutual Financial Group wanted to create new ways to educate consumers about retirement planning, it went back to its motto, "We'll help you get there." By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 28.

Behind the Ad Surge: Luis Sahagun, Farmers Insurance Group
After noticing the rapid growth of the multicultural market, the Farmers Insurance Group chose to become the leader of this segment, said Luis Sahagun, manager of emerging markets advertising and marketing. By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 30.

Behind the Ad Surge: Donna Wares, Hagerty Insurance Agency
Better understanding its clients and integrating their needs into all of its marketing efforts has always been the main focus for Hagerty Insurance Agency, said Donna Wares, vice president of agent and affinity marketing. By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 31.

Behind the Ad Surge: Steve Sullivan, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
What does it take to transform a "solid, if somewhat sleepy brand?" For Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., it meant uncovering a specific sociological trend, said Steve Sullivan, senior vice president, communications. By Lori Chordas. Marketing. Page 32.

Going Up: A Textbook Example of Handling Risk
The idea of buying several level-premium term life policies, each to eliminate a financial risk, is a strategy not often presented to clients but it has merit, said Edward Graves, professor of insurance at The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 36.

Opening the Pipeline: Capital Seeks New Arenas
On the property/casualty side, investors have focused on infusing new startups or sidecars post-Hurricane Katrina, as the continuing hard market made investing in insurance look promising, said William H. Eyre Jr., principal of Towers Perrin and managing director of the reinsurance business. By Meg Green. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 54.

A New Frontier: The Enemy Within
Statistics show that more than half of information technology security breaches are inside jobs, said Jim Grogan, vice president of consulting product development at SunGard Availability Services in Wayne, Pa. By Ron Panko. Technology. Page 57.

The British Invasion: Critical Coverage
AmWINS Group Benefits of Warwick, R.K., plans to launch an impaired risk annuity overseas in 2008, said company President and Chief Executive Officer Sam Fleet. It's been "quite popular" in England and is slowing making its way here, he said. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 62.

The British Invasion: Insuring the Intangible
A growing number of Britain's P/C insurers are including personal downloaded data in their homeowners policies, following the launch of such coverage by Nationwide in 2006. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 63.

The British Invasion: Going Mobile
Insurers in the United Kingdom protect mobile communications devices with individual policies that replace a stolen, lost or damaged iPod, MP3 player, cell phone or laptop. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 64.

Crowning Glory: New Options
Another option retirees may choose is discount dental plans. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 67.

Crowning Glory: Bridging the Gap
Dental benefits have seen little substantial change over the past 50 years. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 68.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 35 Audit Firms by NPW - Total Industry By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 71.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 35 Actuarial Firms by NPW - Total Industry By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 71.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 15 Audit firms - L/H Only By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 72.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 15 Actuarial Firms - P/C Only By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 73.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
Table: Top 15 Actuarial Firms - L/H Only By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 73.

Insurance Auditors and Actuaries of North America - 2008
A.M. Best Special Report: The big get bigger in already top-heavy markets By Stephen Brown Klinger. Regulatory/Law. Page 75.

Role Change
An Arizona Court clarifies inland marine's growing influence in builder's risk. By Jeffrey J. Asperger. Property/Casualty. Page 81.

Rising Tide: Getting Hit From Both Sides
Insurers are likely to be tangled up in the subprime meltdown in several ways. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 78.

A Textbook Example of Handling Risk
The idea of buying several level-premium term life policies, each to eliminate a financial risk, is a strategy not often presented to clients, but it has merit, said Edward Graves, professor of insurance at The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 36.

Capital Seeks New Arenas
On the property/casualty side, investors have focused on infusing new start-ups or sidecars post-Hurricane Katrina, as the continuing hard market made investing in insurance look promising. By Meg Green. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 54.

Bridging the Gap
Dental benefits have seen little substantial change over the past 50 years. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 68.

Getting Hit From Both Sides
Insurers are likely to be tangled up in the subprime meltdown in several ways. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 78.

Role Change
An Arizona court clarifies inland marine's growing influence in guilder's risk. By Jeffrey J. Asperger. Property/Casualty. Page 81.

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