IASA Expands Scholarship Program

Applications Must be Postmarked by March 1
By Staff Writer  January 17, 2012

The Insurance Accounting & Systems Association Inc. (IASA) is accepting applications for the Insurance Industry Scholarship Program, which has been expanded for 2012 to include a new scholarship, and a total of $10,000 in awards.  read more..

S&P Warns of Downgrades for Workers Comp Insurers

By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com

NU Online News Service, Jan. 23, 3:05 p.m. EST

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services warns that signs are pointing to more unprofitable years for the U.S.workers’ compensation insurance market and downgrades could be in the future if there is no improvement.  read more..

Opinion: Improving Claims Processes, Adding Revenue

Policyholder Retention and the Bottom LineBy Jamie Gladman  January 10, 2012

Claims are typically viewed as an expenditure, outflow, and a deficit. They are a point of contention that can often result in conflict with a loyal customer. In many respects, claims are where the battle for retention is won or lost. At their very best, claims are certainly not a celebrated moment in the customer relationship management lifecycle.   read more..

Opioid Use a Growing Epidemic in Workers’ Comp

By Sherri Hickey  January 13, 2012

Unless you are living with your head in the sand, you are keenly aware that opioid misuse and abuse is a mammoth problem in the workers’ compensation field, contributing to an increase in deaths and medical costs.  read more..

Nonprofit Question: Are Volunteers "Workers"?

By William R. Henry Jr.  January 16, 2012

Although volunteers might not be paid, from a workers' compensation perspective they might be better called “workers.” State laws vary widely on the insurability of volunteers under workers’ compensation. Some states do not allow it, while others specify that certain types of volunteers must be covered and others may be covered at the option of the organization for which they volunteer.  read more..

Reinsurers Advise Against Protectionist Regulation

By Arthur D. Postal, PropertyCasualty360.com
January 17, 2012  NU Online News Service, Jan. 17, 2:16 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON—A coalition of reinsurance trade groups are warning that protectionist policies by governments on global reinsurers will ultimately backfire because of the important role global risk distribution via reinsurance plays.  read more..

Buckle Up Bowzer

By Christine G. Barlow  January 13, 2012


It's long been said that “dog is man's best friend,” and many people feel that way about their family pets. They are so attached to their pets, in fact, that they frequently take them along with them in the car—and it's not just a ride to the vet. They're taking dogs to dog parks, day care and even play dates with other dogs. This is all well and good, until one thinks about the distraction that having a dog in the car brings.  read more..

4 Trends That Can Put Restaurants at Risk

By Bill Shea  January 12, 2012


The recession may be over, but restaurants are still finding it tough to bring back customers in the numbers they saw during boom times. Many are turning to innovations to grow their business. While that can be a plus for their balance sheets, it can also open the door to unexpected liabilities that their insurance policies were not designed to cover.  read more..

Get a Jumpstart on Compliance This Year

A slew of proposed bills in 2012 affect commercial lines underwriting, claimsBy Kathy Donovan  January 9, 2012

Looking ahead is what we do with the start of a new year; it provides a sort of jumpstart to our expectation of new opportunities, milestones, and challenges. Whether we are considering personal resolutions related to our own physical fitness or awaiting spring 2012 graduations from preschool all the way to college commencements, anticipating and planning for this fresh new beginning is ingrained in our nature. 

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Poll: Most U.S. Adults Support Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving

By Staff Writer  January 4, 2012

NU Online News Service, Jan. 4, 1:21 p.m. EST

Most U.S. adults support a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones while driving, according to a new IBOPE Zogby poll.  read more..

Risk Management in 2012

ERM programs, cyber risk, accessing the C-suite top the list of concerns, opportunities
By Caroline McDonald, PropertyCasualty360.com  January 6, 2012


With the New Year upon us, NU spoke with some of the top players in risk management to discover where the greatest challenges and opportunities are in 2012. Some common themes that emerged: the increasing attention being paid to cyber liability; the ever-growing importance of developing, or further refining, an enterprise risk management [ERM] program; and the need for risk managers to position themselves not as insurance buyers—but as strategic, value-creating assets who can respond to the broader business concerns of their organization’s C-suite leaders.  read more..

16 New Year's Resolutions for Claims Professionals

Charting Success in 2012By Kevin Quinley, CPCU  January 2, 2012

This time of year offers a great opportunity for claims professionals to sit back, reflect on the past 12 months, and plan for the year ahead. In the context of goal-setting, it is important to take this time to ponder what you want to do professionally with your claims career in 2012.  read more..

Intelligent Application of Automated Workflows

Managing Claims, Litigation TasksBy Hans Bengard, Keith Brown  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

It is no surprise to find that, in most lines of business, claims managers are assuming heavier caseloads. With 250 or more open files to manage, mastering the multitude of timelines involved with litigated claims drains precious time.  read more..

Claims Auditing 101: Part 1

Macro Audits: What the Data SaysBy Ken Brownlee, CPCU  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

Some may call it “counting beans,” whereas others suggest that statistics are never a true guide about what is really happening. Reality lies somewhere in the middle of any audit process. When a railroad looks solely at costs and statistics, key workers get laid off, and car, locomotive, and track maintenance are postponed. This causes cars to derail, creating delays around the system, and the operating ratio climbs astronomically. The same is true for an insurance company or a self-funding commercial entity, be it a corporation, a governmental agency or an institution. Numbers and bottom lines tell only part of the story.  read more..

Raising the Roof on Wind-Resistant Technology

Understanding Building Codes and DesignBy David P. Amori, PE, RRC  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), roof cover damage continues to be the largest, most frequent source of non-surge related failures related to hurricanes1. In response, roof covering manufacturers have provided a multitude of products that have demonstrated through independent testing to be able to withstand design event forces.  read more..

Loss-Cost Impact of Aging Workforce May Not Be as Severe as Once Thought

By Phil Gusman, PropertyCasualty360.com
January 6, 2012  NU Online News Service, Jan. 6, 1:39 p.m. EST

The workforce is aging, but the impact this will have on loss costs may not be as negative as originally thought, according to new NCCI Holdings research.  read more..

Power Outages and Catastrophes

Evaluating Utility Services ExclusionsBy Susan Massmann  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

From a record outbreak of tornadoes in April to a pre-Halloween snowstorm in the Northeast, 2011 saw its share of catastrophic weather events. The year also broke the record for billion-dollar disasters, a title previously held by 2008 with nine; 2011 brought twelve.  read more..

The Modern-Day Catastrophe Adjuster

Tools of the TradeBy Tina Lehman  January 2, 2012

Those who have been CAT adjusting for many years likely remember the olden days of the paper files, landlines, Polaroids and handwritten estimates. My, how far we’ve come!read more..

The Science Behind Stopping Power

Brake Failure InvestigationsBy Ryan L. Devine, Gregory J. Quan  December 16, 2011

Many drivers can recall a near miss saved by the quick application of brakes, while a smaller number remembers pounding the brake pedal too late and crashing. What does this subset have in common? Significant numbers of them will blame their accidents on brake failure. Most of them will be wrong. 

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The Problem with Tired Tires

Addressing Lax Regulations and Auto Accident LiabilityBy Gregory J. Quan  December 19, 2011

Back in the day, tires typically would wear out before they got too old. Thinning treads is the consumer indicator that a tire needed to be replaced and, 30 to 40 years ago, that was probably around the 20 to 30,000-mile usage marker.  read more..

Automotive Break Failures

Analyzing the Cause and ConsequenceBy By Charles C. Roberts, Jr. Ph.D., P.E.  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

Many claims these days suggest that automotive brake failure directly contributed to an accident. For those losses where brake malfunction is a suspected cause, the claims investigator is obliged to look into the existence of evidence of brake failure.  read more..

A Predictive Analytics Arsenal

Data Best Practices to Build Better Claims HandlingBy Patrick Sugent  From the January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine

A typical auto claim process starts with a phone call from a policyholder who has just been in a car accident. The carrier representative collects details about the accident, and the claims processing system passes information to a claims adjuster’s queue. The claims adjuster then starts the investigation and may order incremental data that he or she thinks is most appropriate for each case. However, this process is labor-intensive. It may take 45 days or more to close the claim.  read more..

FIO Hears Industry Arguments For and Against State-Based Regulation

By Arthur D. Postal, PropertyCasualty360.com
December 21, 2011  NU Online News Service, Dec. 21, 2:48 p.m. EST

Comments provided to the Federal Insurance Office on how insurance should be regulated in the future ranged from strong support of the current state-regulatory system to calls for the federal government to play a lead role “if uniformity and consistency of regulation is to be achieved.”  read more..

Risk Managers Favor Banning Cellphone Use in Autos

By Caroline McDonald, PropertyCasualty360.com
January 2, 2012  NU Online News Service, Jan. 2, 1:07 p.m. EST

Even though the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation that all cellphone use be banned in automobiles has been nixed by theU.S.transportation secretary, the suggestion is applauded by some corporate and public-entity risk managers.  read more..

Can Claims Professionals Execute Better Than Fifth Graders?

Basic Blocking and Tackling Are Keys to Success

By Christopher Tidball  December 19, 2011

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the key to successful execution in any organization is basic blocking and tackling. Why do so many business professionals struggle with this? Arguably, this is a question pondered by millions in every industry across the globe.  read more..

Building a Champion ERM Risk Committee

Following the Plays of the 'Pros'By Denise Tessier  December 20, 2011

Insurers like to win. Highly competitive in their markets, they are constantly looking for new techniques to get an edge over rivals, while adjusting to the rough consumer and regulatory turf. Toughening up for the future, insurers are developing enterprise risk management (ERM) programs to strengthen their operations against financial blows.  read more..

Supreme Court Will Examine Healthcare Law in March

By Arthur D. Postal, PropertyCasualty360.com  December 20, 2011

NU Online News Service, Dec. 20, 3:01 p.m. EST

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law and other issues pertaining to it for three days starting March 26.  Analysts and lawyers do not expect a decision in the case until late June.  read more..

What Tim Tebow Can Mean to Claims Organizations

By Christopher Tidball  December 8, 2011

There may be no player in the NFL with more detractors than Tim Tebow. Make no mistake; he has a big following. There is, however, a contingent, including many sports analysts, who have questioned Tebow’s abilities from the time the Denver Broncos traded up to draft the quirky young quarterback from Florida.

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