ExpertSource:

TOPIC: The Washington Post has reported that "ironically, the property and casualty sector of the insurance industry is in much better fiscal shape than its life-insurance counterpart." This is good news at the start of hurricane season. The article explains that property insurers, anticipating the need for quick pay-outs at any time, tend to invest in shorter term investments than their life insurance counterparts. These investments, mostly in the fixed-income sector, proved safer and thus property carriers are in better financial shape. Technically, then, the property and casualty insurance industry can handle even a storm larger than Katrina--but it's not clear what happens next. While it's evident that something needs to be done, some experts believe that government needs to be involved as a formal insurer, others favor an end to rate caps and no government involvement.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Arnold Mascali, managing director of Aon's Rapid Response practice, is available to discuss the challenges faced this hurricane season, including why some offshore energy companies are choosing to self-insure vs. buy windstorm insurance. He can also discuss:

• Improved disaster recovery plans to minimize potential loss of revenue/business interruption
• The effect of the economic downturn on the insurance industry
• Increased attention to risk control and loss mitigation plans
• Loss mitigation checklist to prepare for hurricane season

Please contact Allyson Marcus at 312.755.3592 or allyson.marcus@kemperlesnik.com to connect with Arnold.

Ms. Karen Pauli is a Research Director in the insurance practice at TowerGroup. She covers a wide range of topics in property and casualty insurance, specializing in distribution, underwriting, claims, predictive analytics, core systems, and business optimization. Before joining TowerGroup, Karen was assistant vice president at OneBeacon Insurance, formerly Commercial Union. Besides directing development projects involving automated underwriting, predictive technologies, and agency point-of-sale functionality, she led product development projects, legislative compliance efforts, and underwriter training. Previously she headed the underwriting audit function in the home office of Crum & Forester, establishing measures and conducting field reviews. Her first assignment at that company was a regional underwriting manager, responsible for profit and loss in 12 states and a staff of 100; she also was involved in the development of agency management tools and served as a claims technical consultant. She began her career in insurance at Safeco in personal lines underwriting, managing a team of underwriting professionals and responsible for territorial profitability. Karen is a frequent speaker at insurance industry conferences and is regularly featured in industry periodicals. A graduate of Bradley University, she has a B.S. in history.

Contact information:

Name: Ms. Karen Pauli

Title: Research Director, Insurance

Email: kpauli@towergroup.com

Telephone: 781-292-5200

ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue.

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