Published: February 2008

What's Your Agency Worth?

The changing market for acquisitions has agencies, banks, insurers and others employing new benchmarks.

What's Your Agency Worth?
The changing market for acquisitions has agencies, banks, insurers and others employing new benchmarks. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Agent/Broker. Page 28.

Survival Skills
Remember the lessons of the last soft cycle, but don't go overboard chasing business. By Tom Motamed. Agent/Broker. Page 36.

Memory Losses
With Alzheimer's disease rising and no cure in sight, insurers sense a growing threat to their financial health. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 38.

Getting the Facts Straight
Several misconceptions surround Alzheimer's disease. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 40.

Paying Now or Paying Later
As if the disease isn't terrible enough, trying for years to care for a patient with advancing Alzheimer's can overwhelm even the most loving and dedicated families. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 42.

The Need For Speed
Insurers are trying new ways to catch claims earlier. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 44.

Predicting Claims
Insurers are applying the lessons they've learned from segmenting risk on the front end to help deal with claims. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 45.

Seeing Infrared
Agents and brokers gain by using insurers' high-tech loss control programs. By Scott Spencer. Property/Casualty. Page 48.

Europe's Hidden Danger
Potential quake losses climb beyond what most European governments can afford. By Staff. Property/Casualty. Page 50.

U.S. Property Coverage Declines
Earthquakes have caused insured property losses in every U.S. state and each Canadian province and territory during the past 100 years. By Staff. Property/Casualty. Page 51.

Food for Thought
From injuries to food-borne illnesses, the restaurant industry is ripe for insurance products and risk mitigation services. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 52.

Burger or Filet Mignon?
Coverage needs for a chain -- such as the McDonald's Corp.'s 30,000 plus restaurant franchises -- are different from those required by a single-location restaurant such as the mom-and-pop deli down the street, or the Four Seasons in Manhattan. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 56.

Forensic Falls
From a forensic point of view in a liability claim, there are five ways an employee or customer can fall: Slip, trip, stumble, tumble and crumble, said Robert A. Dwyre, national marketing director at Forcon International Corp. of Brandon, Flaa. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 58.

Where the Buck Stops
Facing lawsuits, unhappy customers and bad press, annuity writers revamp how, and to whom, they issue policies. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 60.

Looking Ahead
Even affluent women worry about the cost of long-term care. By George I. Connolly. Life. Page 64.

Regulator Yearbook
The 2008 Insurance Commissioners By Staff. Regulatory/Law. Page 66.

Fair Conduct Laws Are Anything But
Washington becomes the newest state where insurers stand to be fleeced. By Michael D. Handler. Regulatory/Law. Page 76.

Get the Message
Several insurers are moving slowly to text messaging to communicate with customers and employees. By Lori Chordas. Technology. Page 77.

Here's 2 UR Health
One sector of the insurance industry that may find value in text messages is health plans, said Jeff Goldberg, a senior analyst in Celent's insurance practice. By Lori Chordas. Technology. Page 80.

Metrics Management
To improve performance in a soft market, smart insurers are measuring what matters. By Pat Saporito. Technology. Page 82.

Leaders of the PAC
Clinton and Romney lead their parties in industry contributions. By R. J. Lehmann. Regulatory/Law. Page 83.

Bridging the Generation Gap
Voluntary benefits and supplemental plans are replacing one-size-fits-all group coverage in America's multigenerational workplaces. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 86.

The Whole Truth Concerning ERM
A holistic approach matches underwriting risk with financial and operational strategies. By Frank J. Coyne. Property/Casualty. Page 90.

Better Visibility
Predictive modeling helps to steady medical malpractice underwriting. By Chad C. Karls, Paul D. Anderson. Property/Casualty. Page 91.

Doing the Math
The subject of this Milliman Inc. client case study is a large, provider-owned, medical professional liability specialty company. By Chad C. Karls, Paul D. Anderson. Property/Casualty. Page 92.

The No Churn Zone
The bad news: Technology lets customers leave at a moment's notice. The good news: They really don't want to say goodbye. By Steve Phillips. Technology. Page 94.

Shelter from the Storm
Derivative strategies can balance volatile investments. By Evan M. Koster, Eugenia Zakharchenko. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 96.

Value Judgments
Can insurers avoid the same traps that led to the subprime market crash? By Robert Stein. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 100.

Thinking Ahead
A long-term-care insurer hopes a computer-based program helps outsmart dementia and Alzheimer's. By Lori Chordas. The Last Word. Page 104.

2006 Acquisition and Merger Activity
Agency for Sale/Why Sell? By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Agent/Broker. Page 29.

The Ups and Downs of Indexed Annuities
Indexed annuities have an undeniable allure to people in their 50s, 60s or in retirement. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 61.

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