National
Under writer
Risk Managers ‘Pleasantly Surprised’
With Jan. 1 Negotiations
Page 22
TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK CARRIERS TRUGGLE TO RAISE RATES ■ Opposing Forces
Illustration by Paul Vismara/Corbis
Industry Loses Thousands
of Jobs in Two Months
The insurance business lost more than
7,000 jobs from August to September,
but that may have more to do with the
time of year than the economy.
E Page 7
P&C Pricing May Be on Rise,
But Equity Returns Poor
Property and casualty rates are
increasing, says Keefe, Bruyette and
Woods, but returns on equity appear
to be worsening as the industry faces
continuing headwinds. E Page 7
Will Reserve-Release Decline
Spur Rate Increases?
Insurers have long used reserve releases
to cushion the blow from the soft
market, but new analysis shows those
reserve releases are beginning to slow.
E Page 8
State of the Energy Market:
In a Word, ‘Harft’
A new report from Marsh coins the
term to describe an energy market
that is definitively neither hard nor
soft. E Page 8
While Losses, Low Yields Cry Out for Price
Increases, Buyers Are Pushing Back—Aided
by Healthy Surpluses, Capacity
See page 14
THE BRITISH ARE COMING (BACK)
Despite 2011 Cat Losses, Robust Risk
Appetite Re-Emerging in London Market
Page 28
