Facing the Business Challenges Through IT

Your IT should be a source of profit, not a center of cost. Are you ensuring that you’re not on the losing end?By Rajesh Desingu  February 23, 2012

The insurance industry in theU.S.has evolved significantly. One of the major reasons for the industry’s tremendous evolution and growth is that theU.S.is one of the most litigious countries in the world. But rapid growth hasn’t helped companies tackle the three biggest challenges facing the industry today.  read more..

The Use and Usefulness of Social Media Content

Parameters for Responsible Claims InvestigationsBy Roy A. Mura, Esq.  February 14, 2012

When J.A. Barnes, a social anthropologist, studied a Norwegian fishing village and coined the term “social network” in the 1950s, few could have imagined that the advent of personal computers in the 1970s and the Internet in the 1980s would spawn the social networking services that today connect nearly half of the world’s population.  read more..

Biomechanics and Bodily Injury Claims

Head Injury Causation and PreventionBy Alyssa L. DeMarco, John C. Gardiner, PhD, PE, Dennis D. Chimich  February 14, 2012

Did the claimant sustain a head injury in the incident? Would the diagnosed head injury have been prevented if the claimant was using a protective device such as a helmet, a seat belt or an airbag?  read more..

Accounting for Business Income Loss

Financial Accounting Fundamentals for Claims ProsBy Bruce D. Smith, CPA, CFF, CFE  February 13, 2012

All parties involved in a business income (BI) loss claim, adjusters especially, must have a basic command of financial accounting concepts to ensure that the policyholder is properly indemnified for his or her loss.  read more..

CFOs Ask Risk Managers to Address New Business Risks

By Kerstin Braun, Executive V.P, Coface N.A.  February 16, 2012

There was a time when the risks faced by risk managers were pretty straightforward—property, casualty, liability and workers’ comp, but times are changing.  read more..

Record Retention

When litigation is pending or foreseeable, create a litigation hold memorandumBy Matthew S. Marrone, Esq., Daniel Strick  February 1, 2012

Insurance brokers cannot always "avoid E&O," and often are faced with the separate but related decision of how best to "defend E&O." This process typically begins as soon as the broker reasonably believes an E&O claim might be asserted. This month we address the importance of litigation hold memoranda and retaining records, both electronic and paper, when litigation is pending or foreseeable.  read more..

Faulty Workmanship: A Legislative Issue?

By David D. Thamann  February 16, 2012

There is a continuing dispute over insurance coverage for damage claims arising out of defective construction. Courts around the country have offered decisions about coverage or the lack thereof; insurers have denied coverage and granted coverage; and agents have had to explain to insureds why the claim is not covered or have tried to convince insurers that coverage exists.  read more..