The Issues and Answers Podcast

As a real-time collaborator and adviser, Insight Catastrophe Group provides advanced and cost-effective risk management tools.

Hank Haldeman, president of NAPSLO, spoke about career opportunities for young talent in E&S insurance.

Anita Bourke, executive vice president of The Institutes, spoke about how professionals should determine what courses could help fast-track their career.

Scott Bayer, SVP of Tokio Marine Specialty discusses the company's MELC product whcih stands for multi line environmental coverage, a combined GL and environmental form.

Daniel Epstein, the CEO of ReSource Pro, says there’s been a relative neglect of looking at insurance operations as a driver of profitable growth.

Mark Dutton, CEO of FJA, and Truman Esmond, vice president of customer engagement for AAIS, spoke with Best’s Review about their strategic partnership to create the AAIS Underwriting Platform.

Chuck Johnson, chief marketing officer for EIS Group, said the question is going to become: Where does an Apple Watch or Google Glass fit into the customer’s arrangement with their insurance company?

Greg Wright, SVP agency management systems for Vertafore, said today’s modern producer needs to have the right content and solutions at their finger tips, anytime, anywhere, using any device.

David Lupica, Division President, ACE Commercial Risk Services, works with brokers every day who tell him they are looking for ways to improve their transactions and margins on small accounts.

John Merchant, AVP Cyber and Professional Liability, Freedom Specialty Insurance Company said that agents should be aware that most cyber products are much more than just a policy.

Alex Tsetsenekos, Chief Strategy Officer for IDT911 said that cyber insurance in many ways is traditional insurance, in terms of your first and third party coverages.

Ethan Allen, Executive for AIG Programs said the company offers products both on admitted and non-admitted paper and in terms of transacting business.

NAPSLO Vice President Hank Haldeman said that under his leadership the organization will have a two-pronged approach to legislative advocacy.

Ziad Kubursi, SVP, head of the management and professional liability division for Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), said the company’s specialty lines unit has always prided itself on being mainly a small- to medium-size enterprise operation.

Heather Jordan, Senior Director of Programs for Scottsdale Insurance, said that Programs have become one of the fastest growing segments of commercial insurance

Paul Bunce, senior director of personal lines for Western Heritage Insurance, said that from an automation standpoint the industry has done a good job of advancing the use of technology for rating and issuance of personal lines.

Rob Walling, principal and consulting actuary for Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, explains that actuaries, because of their experience with both the structures of captives and the coverages that are being provided, can offer insights that the captive manager might not have the same perspective on.

David Kennerud, principal and consulting actuary for Milliman, discusses how the Arius system is designed to customize workflow so that you can work the way you want to.

Sanford Saito, captive insurance administrator for Hawaii, explains why 17 new captives were formed in the domicile in 2013 and what makes Hawaii an attractive domicile.

Steve Kinion, Director of the Delaware Bureau of Captives and Financial Insurance Products, explains how the state is always looking at new innnovations for capties as alternative risk transfere vehicles.

Rob Leadbetter, Chairman of the Insurance Managers Association of Cayman, said there are over 5,000 captives globally and Cayman remains the second-largest domicile in the industry.

Jake Diner, CEO of Driveway Software says the UBI market has forever changed with the introduction of Driveway’s smartphone-deployed, cloud-based UBI Platform.

Lexington Insurance President and CEO Jeremy Johnson said industries like energy, construction and transportation have all been improving, and the improved exposure bases within these segments are driving premium growth in the E&S sector.

NAPSLO Executive Director Brady Kelley said retail agents and insurance buyers can rely on wholesalers in their professional and expert approach to finding the right solution for their clients.

Scott Bayer, senior vice president of Tokio Marine Specialty Insurance Company, says the company differentiates itself by product offering.

Roosevelt Mosley, Principal and Consulting Actuary for Pinnacle Actuarial Resources Inc., says the ultimate goal with predictive analytics is to better understand the data and the information at hand.

Bill Reid, VP in Product Management for Vertafore, said that for 30 years the company has been building software so the independent insurance agents can manage their business by easily connecting to the carriers so both sides can grow their business.

Dan Bergman, Senior Director for Garage at Western Heritage, says garage business has been a cornerstone for the company for many years. Its focus regarding underwriting and claims helps set the company apart from the competition.

Ethan Allen of Lexington Insurance Company, says "with regard to providing insurance, we continue our quest to understand the evolving needs of the segments we serve."

Ziad Kubursi, Senior Vice President and Head of the Management & Professional Liability Division of Philadelphia Insurance Companies, says "we listen to our customers and gauge their responses to better understand their needs."

Joseph Werner of Freedom Specialty said that despite recent Supreme Court decisions that appear favorable for employers, employers still need to be on guard for the possibility of significant employment claims.

David Bresnahan and Vince Pugliese of Lexington Insurance discuss what continues to make their company a dominant force in the E&S business.

John Goodloe, senior vice president of brokerage at Scottsdale Insurance Company, explains that leadership is the reason Scottsdale Insurance Company is successful.

Christopher Timm, president of Century Surety Company, explains the changing environment that impacts insurance transactions.

David French, president of Starr Marine, explains how the full marine line insurer is able to standout in today's competitive marketplace.

Conning's Steve Sonlin explains how risk and capital management has always been an important part of insurance companies' operations and Conning understands the importance of that role.

Kim Gilbertson, director of corporate operations for CT Corporation, said the insurance industry continues to be among the largest targets of civil action in the country.

Meryl Golden, general manager for North America operations for Earnix, said companies that adopt price optimization realize substantial financial benefits.

Bob Emery of GR-NEAM explains how the CARA® toolset is GR-NEAM's proprietary capital and risk analytic platform, and is an integral component of the investment technology solutions.

Kurtis Suhs, vice president at Ironshore Insurance Services®, said privacy and network security coverage is changing all the time as new data security threats, litigation and privacy regulations evolve.

Robert Curry, assistant vice president and actuary at ISO, discusses how advanced analytics play a role in homeowners underwriting and ratings.

MSB Vice President Jerry Fox explores the biggest challenges the independent agency market faces in writing homeowners business and how his company is addressing those needs.

Eric Rea, president of se2, explains why insurers are looking more toward the annuity market these days and how technology can help capture that market.

Tom Burns, managing director for North America for Ultimate Risk Solutions, explains why dynamic financial analysis technology is important to insurers.

Bruce Winterburn, vice president of industry relations for Vertafore, said agencies have to rethink their way of doing business and explains how his company can help do so.

Ethan Allen, senior vice president and program division executive for Lexington Insurance and David Hampson, president and CEO of Willis Program, discuss the program market.

John Merchant of Freedom Specialty Insurance said that for anyone in business, security is a top priority. The data that companies hold should be recognized as an extremely valuable asset.

Tom Herendeen of Philadelphia Insurance said that today's business environment is more challenging and changes faster than ever when it comes to matching up risks with the right products.

Rob Walling of Pinnacle Actuarial Resources explains the important role the actuary plays for the captive.

Paul Struzzieri of Milliman explains that actuaries play an important role in the formation of a captive.