Published: March 2008

Growing Green

Insurers meet environmental concerns with eco-friendly products and policies.

The Green Wave
Insurers are rolling out new products that tap into the growing - and potentially profitable - environmental movement. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 32.

Green Programs
What is LEED? What is the Green Globe Standard? What is the Energy Star Program By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 33.

Insurers Take Action
In addition tl responding to the green movement by looking at new products, insurers are looking at their own impact on the environment. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 36.

A.M. Best's View on Insurers and Green Issues
Any benefit to the Financial Strength Rating from this type of issue would be through business profile and would be driven by market forces. By Meg Green. Property/Casualty. Page 38.

Why Going Green Matters
An environmental expert says insurers see business opportunities in the environmental market and intolerable losses if climate change is ignored. By Lynna Goch. Property/Casualty. Page 41.

The Green Agent
Transforming your agency into a clean, green insurance machine can help save the planet and grow your bottom line. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Agent/Broker. Page 42.

Building Business
Agents and brokers have a role in making the government more energy efficient. By Homer Sandridge. Agent/Broker. Page 44.

Greening Health Care
A growing number of health plans are helping preserve the environment and create eco-friendly workplaces. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 46.

Green Patrol
Health plan employees are becoming green crusaders By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 47.

Taking the LEED
A growing number of health plans are designing LEED-ceertified buildings By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 49.

Saving Their Energy
Large insurers have found energy conservation to be good for business. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 53.

Unnatural Disaster
Insurers are taking climate solutions seriously, but so far it's a lonely job. By Dennis Gorski. Regulatory/Law. Page 56.

Clear Skies
The dawn of carbon credit trading is opening the door for new insurance and capital products By Meg Green. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 60.

What Is a Carbon Credit, and How Do You Trade It?
The idea of creating a carbon credit and trading it first got off the ground under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gases. By Meg Green. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 61.

Backs to the Wind
For prudent insurers, climate change means greater risks and bigger opportunities By Stephen Packard. Property/Casualty. Page 64.

Into the Black by Going Green
How should insurers respond to the challenges of climate change? By Stephen Packard. Property/Casualty. Page 65.

A New Commitment
Insurers can cut operational costs with green computing. By Lynna Goch. Technology. Page 69.

Accustomed cycles
Reinsurers feel the soft-market squeeze. By Marc Jones. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 73.

Motivating The Middle Market
Life insurers large and small have begun to crack the code on how to reach middle-income customers. By Ron Panko. Life. Page 75.

Think Inside the Distribution Box
Insurers are struggling to find their footing on a constantly changing field. By Robert W. MacDonald. Life. Page 80.

Rethinking Portable Group Life Benefits
Insurers should be cautious about requests for higher benefit amounts and waived age-reduction schedules. By John Ghilardi, Carol Muncil. Life. Page 82.

Quant Loves Data
Enterprise Risk Management works best when insurers look for information in all the right places. By Dale Strobel. Technology. Page 84.

Stable for Now
The upcoming presidential election will bring some changes in the next few years, but 2008 should be quiet for Medicare. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 86.

Filling a Need
As seniors' needs change, so do Medicare product offerings. By Lori Chordas. Health/Employee Benefits. Page 88.

Captives in Paradise
Regulators in the Aloha State are touting Hawaii's ultimate destination package: Insurance haven. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 91.

Captive Tax Laws: Good News, Bad News
Two new captive tax laws - one enacted, one pending - could change the face of Hawaii's captive culture and affect its standing as a major captive player. By Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh. Property/Casualty. Page 92.

Captive Domiciles
Captive domiciles are usually formed through enabling legislation and must be prepared to take on the tasks of oversight and regulation. By Staff. Property/Casualty. Page 94.

Big Results Possible With Small Agencies
Smaller agencies have something that larger agencies don't -- the drive to stay alive. By Lance Ewing. Property/Casualty. Page 97.

Agents Are Customers, Too
Insurers should provide their field forces with the same top-notch service as their policyholders. By Steve Callahan. Agent/Broker. Page 98.

Gearing Up For Cleantech
Environment-friendly technology is making its way into the insurance mainstream. By Jonathan Bennett. Property/Casualty. Page 102.

Top of Mind
Best's Review's survey reveals taxes, health care and retirement are key issues for the industry in this year's presidential election. By R. J. Lehmann. Regulatory/Law. Page 104.

Speaking Out on National Election Issues
Insurance professionals surveyed about this year's national elections said the positions that presidential candidates take on tax policy, health care and retirement security are among the factors most likely to influence their vote. By R. J. Lehmann. Regulatory/Law. Page 205.

Presidential Candidates on Health Care
Voters in 24 states - including the delegate-rich states of California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona, Tennessee and Missouri - headed to the polls Feb. 5 in the largest By R. J. Lehmann. Regulatory/Law. Page 106.

Conviction Not Required
A felonious act, even where the insured has not been charged, may still be considered a felony for insurance purposes. By Frank N. Darras. Regulatory/Law. Page 108.

Staying for a Little While Longer
Dutch insurers step in to help spare the life of a historic tree. By Lori Chordas. The Last Word. Page 112.

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