The Leaders Issue

The Leaders Issue How global expansion and demutualization strategies helped six insurers plan for the future. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 12.

A New Direction Economical Insurance is in the process of demutualizing to fund growth. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 14.

Going Strong Fairfax Financial's combination of disciplined underwriting and asset investment sets it apart from its peers By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 16.

Near and Afar Mapfre S.A. is expanding its geographic spread in Latin America, the United States and other global markets. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 17.

A Legend Lives On Meiji Yasuda Life finds success in expanding into international markets. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 18.

Securing the 'Sweet Spot' Prudential plc is furthering its presence in the 'vast and diverse' Asian market. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 20.

Road to Prosperity Prudential remains a life insurance market front runner. By Lori Chordas. Cover Feature. Page 21.

Top 200 U.S. Property/Casualty Writers By Staff. Property/ Casualty. Page 22.

Top 200 U.S. Life/Health Writers By Staff. Life/Health. Page 26.

Top 51 Global Reinsurance Groups Ranked by gross premium written in 2011. By Staff. Reinsurance. Page 30.

Top Auditors, Actuaries for 2011 Methodology By John H. Lafayette. Methodology. Page 31.

Top Global Insurers Ranked by Non-Ban king Assets and by Net Premiums Written By Staff. Cover Feature. Page 34.

Top 75 North American Public Insurers Ranked by 2012 Assets By Staff. Cover Feature. Page 37.

Top 75 North American Public Insurers Ranked b y 2012 Revenues By Staff. Cover Feature. Page 39.

Top Global Insurance Brokers Top 20 Global Brokers Raned by 2012 Total Revenues By Staff. Cover Feature. Page 42.

Standing the Test of Time Sixty property/casualty insurers and 11 life/health insurers have maintained a Best;s Financial Strength Rating of A or higher for at least 75 years. By Staff. Standing the Test of Time. Page 48.

A Creative Touch Acuity's annual reports break from the norm with innovation, creativity and uniqueness that mimic the company's culture. By Lori Chordas. Property/ Casualty. Page 54.

Lack of Turbulence With low losses, aviation insurance and reinsurance is profitable, but shrinking premium is not seen as sustainable. By Ron Panko. Reinsurance/Capital Markets. Page 58.

Vanishing Act TRIPRA's uncertain future has impacted property/casualty renewals and will pressure some regional insurers. By Emil Metropoulos. Regulatory/Law. Page 61.

Northern Exposure Canada's Manulife sees future sales growth in Asia's growing middle class. By Fran Matso Lysiak. Life. Page 64.

Shifting Investment Gears For insurance asset managers investing new money, what once looked safe seems riskier now, and what looked riskier seems safer. By Ron Panko. Asset Management. Page 66.

Complex Decisions On Critical Illness Insight: Deciding to enter the group voluntary CI market requires many careful considerations By Mary Johnson. Life Underwriting. Page 70.

Top-End Concentration Although premium penetration is just 1.6%, Peru remains a tough sell for many insurance products. By Kate Smith. Feature. Page 71.

The Industry Bytes Back Data analytics can provide powerful new ways to prevent insurance fraud. By Robert Clint. Technology. Page 73.

Wanted: Tomorrow's Workforce In an award-winning study, St. John's University professor Dr. Jean Kwon examines the talent gap and how to solve it. By Dennis Gorski. Property/ Casualty. Page 75.

Clearing the Digital Hurdles Tech-savvy customers want channels to be convenient and seamless. Can insurers meet the challenge? By Henrik Naujoks, Bodo von Huelsen, Gunther Schwarz, Stephen Phillips. Technology. Page 77.

Questions For Quants Insight: How to tell whether your risk models reflect all your firm's risks. By William H. Panning. Property/Casualty Loss/Risk Management. Page 79.

Ground Control Kidnap and ransom clients seek insurers with top-flight response firms to protect key personnel. By Jeremy Lang. Property/ Casualty. Page 80.

Analytics and Innovation Insight: Today's pools of data most likely will be oceans. By Scott Stephenson. Property/Casualty Underwriting. Page 82.

Agentina: Investors Wanted The country hinders its growth with politically driven policies. By Kate Smith. Regulatory/Law. Page 83.

Fly Away With Me Insight: An Arizona court orders a health insurer to pay for a patient's airlift home. By Frank N. Darras. Regulatory/Law. Page 86.

Just for Fun Specialty producer First Flight Insurance Group covers amusing land, air and water risks. By Dennis Gorski. Agent/Broker. Page 88.

Covering Cat Risks Insight: In-depth market knowledge is a key ingredient to writing property-catastrophe coverage. By David Pagoumian. Agent/Broker Selling. Page 90.

Keep Danger Out Managing risk in a balanced way is the most effective means to harness the benefits of information technology. By Joshua Schmidt. Technology. Page 91.

Tackling Big Data Insight: Carriers need to think supply chain, not warehouse, when it comes to data. By Michael Costonis. Technology. Page 93.

Credit Rating Actions By Staff. Ratings. Page 94.

A Perfect Union The founders of Soderberg Insurance Services have more than a century of combined service in insurance. By Lori Chordas. The Last Word. Page 104.