INSURANCE NEWSCAST

"Headlines Only Edition" for: Thursday, 03/22/07

2007-03-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

1) Big "I" Sends Letter to US Chamber of Commerce on Optional Federal
Charters - The Big "I" was disappointed to learn that The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Optional Federal Charters/Regulation.
Below is a letter to the President of the Chamber from Bob Rusbuldt, CEO
of the Big "I". Bob Rusbuldt and Charles Symington, senior vice
president for government affairs and federal relations are available for
comment. If you would like to arrange an interview, please email me at
katie.butler@iiaba.net.

2) AIA APPLAUDS U.S. CHAMBER’S CALL FOR INSURANCE OPTIONAL FEDERAL
CHARTER - WASHINGTON, D.C., March 15, 2007– The American Insurance
Association (AIA) today commended a report released by the National
Chamber Foundation, which calls for Congress to enact optional federal
charter (OFC) legislation for insurers as one of its recommendations for
modernizing financial services regulation and keeping U.S. capital
markets globally competitive.

3) TSR Raises Forecast for 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season - London,
20 March 2007 - Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), the award-winning consortium
of experts on insurance, risk management and seasonal climate
forecasting led by the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre at University
College London, today increased its forecast for Atlantic hurricane
activity in 2007. Based on current and projected climate signals, TSR’s
March forecast predicts Atlantic basin and US landfalling hurricane
activity to be about 75% above the 1950-2006 norm in 2007, rising from
60% above norm (TSR long-range forecast issued December 2006). This is
the highest March forecast for activity in any year since the TSR
replicated real-time forecasts started in 1984.

4) Bush's health care plan not most effective: study - Mon Mar 19,
2007 4:32pm ET - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least two of the health care
proposals being presented to Congress would cover all or nearly all of
the Americans who lack health insurance, and many would lower spending,
too, according to an independent report released on Monday. - Many of
the plans would do more to cover uninsured Americans and lower costs
than President George W. Bush's proposals, said the nonprofit
Commonwealth Fund, which studies health care issues.

5) American Consumer Institute Finds Consumers Are Not Helped by
Redundant and Costly State Insurance Regulations - RESTON, Va.,
March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Consumer Institute has
completed a report on insurance regulation and finds that consumers are
not helped by duplicative and unnecessary state-level regulations that
clearly increase premiums, reduce competition and discourage service
innovation. Instead, state insurance regulations commonly redistribute
insurance costs among consumers, effectively raising premiums for some
consumers in order to subsidize high risk, and sometimes wealthy,
consumers.

6) Health Care Administration Consumes Nearly One-Third of Health Care
Costs, Say Hospitals and Insurance Companies - PITTSBURGH, March 20
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Administration associated with health care
claims and billing accounts for nearly one out of every three dollars
that patients spend on health care, according to a nationwide survey of
executives from hospitals and insurance companies. -- The health care
industry survey of 200 hospital and insurance company executives and
1,000 U.S. consumers was commissioned by The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., (NYSE: PNC) (http://www.pnc.com) and conducted by the
independent research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey.

7) New Analysis: Congressional Health Care Proposals Would Cover All
Uninsured, and Reduce Total U.S. Health Spending by Up to $61 Billion -
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new analysis of health reform bills in
Congress prepared for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High
Performance Health System shows that many current Congressional health
care proposals could significantly reduce the number of uninsured
Americans and also decrease overall health care expenditures including
those for insurance administration and prescription drugs. The analysis
finds that while the plans put forth in Congress vary greatly in their
scope, many of them would do more to cover uninsured Americans than the
current Administration proposal.

8) Bank of America CEO gets $92 mln from stock,options - Mon Mar 19,
2007 3:24PM EDT - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N:
Quote, Profile, Research) Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis posted a $91.58
million gain from the exercise of options and vesting of stock awards in
2006, in addition to a obtaining a $22.85 million compensation package,
as the No. 2 U.S. bank's profit rose 28 percent to a record.

9) AMA Asks Justice Department to Block Takeover of Sierra Health
Services - WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
American Medical Association (AMA) today asked the Department of Justice
to block the proposed acquisition of Sierra Health Services by United
HealthGroup, and outlined its strong opposition to the merger in a
letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The AMA has deep
reservations about United's goal of dominating the Nevada health
insurance market, and in particular the Las Vegas market, by purchasing
the state's largest insurer.

10) Where did all the money go? Not to safety - Tue Mar 20, 2007
7:56AM EDT - By Jeremy Gaunt, European Investment Correspondent - LONDON
(Reuters) - While investors have rattled and stock markets rolled over
the past few weeks, safe-haven assets haven't had as much to show for it
as might be expected. -- The implication may be that a wholesale shift
in investment trends has not taken place and what seemed like a severe
bout of risk aversion may only have been a fleeting moment of doubt.

11) U.S. court overturns class status in Enron suit - HOUSTON,
March 19 (Reuters) - A federal appeals panel in New Orleans said on
Monday that a lower court judge improperly granted class-action status
in a $40 billion lawsuit by Enron Corp. investors, a big victory for the
investment banks Merrill Lynch and Co Inc. (MER.N: Quote, Profile,
Research) and Credit Suisse Group (CSGN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research)
that sought to have the ruling overturned.

12) UK's Prudential up on renewed AIG bid talk –traders - LONDON,
March 20 (Reuters) - Shares in UK insurer Prudential Plc (PRU.L: Quote,
Profile, Research) rose 3 percent on Tuesday to lead gainers on
Britain's FTSE 100 on renewed market talk that U.S. rival AIG (AIG.N:
Quote, Profile, Research) was planning a bid for the company at 850
pence, traders said. - At 0832 GMT, Prudential's stock was up 3 percent
at 730 pence, outpacing a 0.1-percent rise in the FTSE 100 (.FTSE:
Quote, Profile, Research). Prudential declined to comment.

13) Pennsylvania Insurance Department Shuts Down Illegal Insurance
Network, Recovers $1 Million in Unpaid Claims - HARRISBURG, Pa.,
March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Through a unique collaboration
between state and federal regulators, the Pennsylvania Insurance
Department has helped to recover approximately $1 million in unpaid
health claims for Pennsylvania policyholders, Acting Insurance
Commissioner Randy Rohrbaugh announced today.

14) Americans Say a Secure Retirement Not Possible for Mid-Income
Families - BLOOMINGTON, Ill., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half
of Americans don't believe it's possible for middle-income families to
save for a secure retirement. Another 17 percent aren't sure, leaving
only 37 percent believing middle-income families can save enough to live
comfortably in retirement. That's according to a new survey by COUNTRY
Insurance & Financial Services.

15) State Laws Continue to Get in the Way of Health Savings Accounts
- ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Some states
have insurance laws that conflict with the requirements for Health
Savings Accounts (HSAs) and hinder insurers' ability to offer
HSA-compatible policies. Some of these laws include mandating coverage
of certain benefits below the deductible amounts specified in HSA rules
and not exempting the money deposited in HSAs from state taxes.

16) Aon Acquires Valley Oak Systems - CHICAGO, March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Aon Corporation (NYSE: AOC) today announced it has completed the
acquisition of Valley Oak Systems of San Ramon, California. The terms of
the transaction were not disclosed. -- Valley Oak Systems (VOS), a
leader in claims management software, services, and support for the
insurance industry, will operate under the Aon eSolutions Group as an
independent subsidiary. Its flagship product, iVOS, the "one-system"
claims management solution, will integrate with RiskConsole, Aon's risk
management information system (RMIS), to share information and provide
a comprehensive analysis of claims, policy, and exposure data.

17) Chubb Offers Ethics Training to Agents - WARREN, N.J., March
19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has developed
an ethics training program for its independent agents and brokers. The
program consists of a half-day ethics workshop and a quarterly
newsletter. -- To help reinforce the workshop's teachings, Chubb has
created an ethics and compliance newsletter. The quarterly online
publication, which will be distributed to 30,000 agents at 5,000 U.S.
agencies, will include articles by Schmidt and others, links to recent
insurance regulations and news items, and discussions of hypothetical
ethical dilemmas.

18) A.M. Best Methodology: Understanding Universal BCAR — A.M. Best’s
Capital Adequacy Ratio for Insurers - OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--The purpose of this report is to document the existing criteria
and methodology related to the Universal Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio
(BCAR) model, which is used on those companies that do not file United
States or Canadian statutory statements. -- The objective of A.M. Best’s
rating system is to provide an opinion of an insurer’s financial
strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to policyholders.

19) Good News about Retirement Savings - DES MOINES,
Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The results are in. Do-it-for-me retirement
savings tools work. The Total View from the Principal Financial Group®,
the nation’s 401(k) leader1 and total retirement solutions innovator,
reports that the growing popularity of “do it for me” retirement plan
tools like automatic enrollment, automatic deferral increases and
lifecycle investment options are making a measurable difference in
participation and savings. -- One of the most comprehensive reports on
retirement plan trends, The Total View also shows more employers
embracing simplicity. A rapidly growing number of plan sponsors are
saving time and money by consolidating retirement plans with a single
provider as a total retirement solution.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) Phillip Roy Financial Services Announces New White Paper on
Annuities - SARASOTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phil Wasserman,
president of Phillip Roy Financial Services, a leading retirement income
planning firm, has announced a new research paper on annuities.
"Annuities are an area of great interest to the boomer generation and
retirees in general," says Wasserman, "and this new research paper helps
explain them in plain English."

22) The Standard Opens New Retirement Plans Office in New York -
PORTLAND, Ore. — March 20, 2007 — The Standard is pleased to announce
the opening of a new Retirement Plans sales office in New York City. --
The new sales office will serve retirement plan sponsors, advisors and
other plan intermediaries throughout the state of New York as well as
northern New Jersey. Gian (“John”) Bernardi will serve as pension
consultant in the New York office.

23) DocuDent Accident Documentation Kit Proves Ideal Vehicle To
Protect Drivers & Insurance Companies From Accident Fraud - LOS
ANGELES, CA., MARCH 19, 2007 – Anyone who’s ever been in a car accident
knows first-hand that the minutes just following a collision are
invariably filled with distress, anxiety, anger, fear and perhaps
physical trauma. In other words, the worst possible time for the parties
involved to accurately document what took place, how bad the damage is,
and which person is to blame.

24) Esurance & W!LDBRAIN Showcase First Long-Form Adventure on FX -
SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the
direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, discussed its plans
for "Carbon Copy," the company's first long-form adventure featuring the
company's animated "spokesperson" and special agent, Erin Esurance.
Esurance's ongoing animation and creative partner, the award-winning
studio, W!LDBRAIN, produced the short feature, a three-minute tale of
clones, robotized plants and mad scientists.

25) Agent’s Sales Journal to Introduce New Cover Design, Launch
Improved Web Site - CLEARWATER, FL (March 16, 2007) – The Agent’s
Sales Journal has launched an expanded and redesigned Web site,
www.AgentsSalesJournal.com, which boasts new Web-exclusive articles and
a slate of other interactive and educational features. The magazine is
also unveiling a new look in April that will make the insurance
industry’s No. 1 how-to publication more modern and easier to navigate.

26) HR411™ begins series of human resource podcasts - SHELTON,
Conn. -- HR411™ created a series of EduCasts©—audio training and
educational programs —on a variety of human resource practices.
EduCast©s can be downloaded and played directly on a computer, digital
audio player or other compatible device. -- The first EduCast, entitled
The Hiring Process, covers the entire hiring and recruitment life
cycle. Future EduCasts© in this series will cover: Orientation and
On-boarding, Employment Law, Performance Management, Employee
Compensation, Discipline and Termination, and a Summary Module.

27) Rosenfeld Einstein Seminar to Address Solutions to Workers Comp
Crisis - GREENVILLE, SC – March 19, 2007 – Upstate-based Rosenfeld
Einstein, a major regional insurance agent/broker, has announced plans
to host a complimentary seminar, “Managing Your Insurance Costs and
Risk,” on April 12 in Greenville designed to offer organizations with
100+ employees an intelligent alternative to escalating and
unpredictable Workers Compensation costs.

28) Employer Survey Points to Need For Health Management, Including
Incentives for Employees - Washington, DC – March 19, 2007 Companies
that combine “consumer-directed health plans” with other health-related
tactics are more effective than others at controlling health care costs,
according to a recent independent survey. Officials from IncentOne, a
consultive technology company specializing in incentives-based health
and productivity administration solutions, praised the findings.

29) Converium further substantiates medium-term 14% ROE target,
highlighting undervaluation of current SCOR offer - ALERT - Zug,
Switzerland - March 19, 2007 - We would like to alert you to a
presentation by Converium's CFO, Paolo De Martin, on March 19 and March
20 with sell-side analysts in Zurich and London. -- The CFO will provide
further details on Converium's road map towards a sustainable 14% ROE by
2009, backed by management's strong and successful track record in
turning Converium around. With regards to SCOR's unsolicited offer,
Paolo De Martin will specifically highlight Scor's current
undervaluation of Converium; the weak acquisition currency of the
bidder; and the major execution risks arising from the hostility of the
proposed transaction.

30) KBC Iberica implements FinArch's Financial Studio compliance
solutions - Ghent/Madrid - 20 March 2007 - Financial Architects (FinArch),
international provider of a Finance Resource Planning (FRP) platform for
the finance industry, today announced that KBC Bank NV, Sucursal en
España (KBC Iberica), the Spanish branch of KBC Group, selected the
Financial Studio solution to comply with regulatory reporting
requirements in Spain.

"Headlines Only Edition" for: Tuesday, 03/20/07

2007-03-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

1) The following is an open letter to the Congress of the United States
& the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the insurance
industry and insurance industry media. - From: Clark Sitzes,
executive vice president of the PIA Western Alliance - This letter has
been faxed to the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House as well as to
individuals on a number of key congressional committees. It has also
been sent to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the
commissioners of the nine PIA Western Alliance states.

2) Triad agrees to $5.1 billion Community health offer - Mon Mar 19,
2007 11:16AM EDT - CHICAGO (Reuters) - Triad Hospitals Inc. (TRI.N:
Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it agreed to be bought by
Community Health Systems Inc. (CYH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for $5.1
billion, which Community said would create the biggest publicly traded
U.S. hospital chain.

3) Gadfly asks Goldman investors to end stock options - NEW YORK,
March 19 (Reuters) - Gadfly shareholder Evelyn Davis, who has railed
against excessive executive compensation for decades, wants shareholders
to bar Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) from
ever again granting stock options to its executives. - Davis' proposal,
included in an amended shareholder proxy filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on Monday, urges Goldman shareholders to approve a
proposal "so that no future new stock options are awarded to anyone." It
also seeks to bar renewing or re-pricing current stock options, unless
called for under an existing contract.

4) Conning Research: M&A Transactions Up in 2006; Values Expected to
Rise in 2007-2008 - HARTFORD, Conn., March 19 /PRNewswire/ --
Insurance industry mergers and acquisitions transactions increased in
2006 to the highest level since 2001 and may foreshadow an acceleration
of activity into 2007-2008, according to a new study by Conning Research
and Consulting, Inc.

5) Insurance.com announces Cristina Basaran promoted to
President. Twinsburg, OH -

Cristina Basaran grew up in central Ohio and graduated from Kent State
University with a degree in Education. Upon graduation, Cristina has
been involved in training, education, and volunteer work. -

Since joining Insurance.com Cristina has been extensively
involved in all the company processes and procedures.

6) Employer Survey Points to Need for Health Management, Including
Incentives for Employees - WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire/ --
Companies that combine "consumer- directed health plans" with other
health-related tactics are more effective than others at controlling
health care costs, according to a recent independent survey. Officials
from IncentOne, a consultive technology company specializing in
incentives-based health and productivity administration solutions,
praised the findings.

7) BestWeek: UnitedHealth’s $2.6 Billion Buyout of Las Vegas-Based
Sierra Health a Good Bet - OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--UnitedHealth Group’s pending $2.6 billion acquisition of the Las
Vegas-based Sierra Health Services is a strategic move affording it
access to among the fastest-growing markets in the United States. In an
exclusive article in this week’s BestWeek, industry observers speculate
about more managed-care mergers ahead and note the smaller Sierra offers
UnitedHealth a business model the other large publicly traded companies
may find hard to match.

8) Fitch: Insurance Criteria Reports Provide Insights into Rating
Methodology - CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has issued a
series of criteria reports for the Life, Non-Life, Reinsurance, Title,
and U.S. Health sectors, with each report outlining the rating
methodology used by Fitch to analyze the credit quality and financial
strength of these rated entities. The methodology directly supports
Fitch's assignment of Insurer Financial Strength (IFS), Issuer Default
Ratings (IDRs), and debt/issue ratings.

9) XL Insurance (Bermuda) Ltd Announces Enhanced Broad Form D&O Policy -
HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XL Insurance
(Bermuda) Ltd, a subsidiary of XL Capital Ltd (NYSE: XL) ("XL"), today
announced that its professional lines operation has enhanced its
existing directors and officers (D&O) insurance policy specifically
tailored for U.S. publicly traded companies with worldwide exposures. -
The revised policy, known as "A PLUS D&O Advantage", was launched today
at an XL broker reception in Bermuda. It is a further development of the
"A PLUS D&O" product line which launched in November 2004.

10) Securities Fraud Attorney Urges Elderly Investors to Beware
Aggressive Brokers Bearing Mortgage Backed Securities - FORT
LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Securities Fraud Attorney
Mark Tepper who represents investors deceived by abusive broker sales
practices, says shareholders should be wary of brokers who sell
financial products known as Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMOs),
some of which are volatile and unsuitable for unsuspecting investors.
AAA ratings or government guarantees do not protect these securities
against interest rate risk.

11) New Survey Reveals That Marketers are Overlooking the Missing
Link -- Boomer-To-Friend (B2F) Connections - NEW YORK, March 19
/PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations firm Weber Shandwick released a
new study today revealing that companies can gain a significant
competitive advantage by creating marketing programs that target baby
boomers' expansive relationship networks. The survey, conducted with KRC
Research, found that Boomer-to-Friend (B2F) communications are untapped
in their potential to influence purchasing decisions for products and
services.

12) Salesforce.com Unveils Spring '07 Featuring AppSpace, a New Model
for Enterprises to Engage Customers On-Demand - LONDON, March 19
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) , the market and
technology leader in on-demand business services, today announced the
release of Salesforce Spring '07, its 22nd generation release. Spring
'07 features AppSpace, a new product which enables companies to engage
with customers using Salesforce and AppExchange applications inside a
secure, branded online environment. AppSpace is scheduled to be made a
part of Spring '07 in April. In addition, Spring '07 dramatically
advances every component of salesforce.com's Circle of Success,
including the Salesforce CRM applications and the Apex platform.

13) INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles - Recent articles added to
INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise intelligence
database of over 27,000 articles including interviews, uniquely analysed
by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT topics. Please click
here for a content overview and a 15-day free review.

14)The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the following reports,
testimony, and correspondence:

1. "Fiscal, Retirement, and Health Care Challenges" by David M. Walker,
comptroller general of the United States, before the Securities Industry
and Financial Markets Association's 2007 savings and retirement
symposium, in Washington. GAO-07-544CG, March 1.

2. "Fiscal and Health Care Challenges" by David M. Walker, comptroller
general of the United States, before the Federation of American
Hospitals' annual public policy conference, in Washington.
GAO-07-577CG, March 5.

15) BANK INSURANCE NEWS IN BRIEF - MARCH 19, 2007

16) Hylant Financial Services Consolidates to Form Growing Division
Within Hylant Group - TOLEDO, Ohio, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In
early January of 2007, Hylant Financial Services (HFS), led by President
Paul Abendroth, consolidated its talented investment advisory staff of
Hylant Group, Inc., into its own division. -- With more than 635
professionals, the firm is positioned to serve a wide variety of clients
locally, nationally and internationally. A member of the Worldwide
Broker Network, Hylant offers complete risk management services,
employee benefits consultation, loss control, 401(k) and financial
services, healthcare management and insurance for businesses and
individuals.

17) Michigan Chamber and Insurance Institute Comment on House Passage
of No-Fault Related Bill; Urge Senators to Reject It - LANSING,
Mich., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement was
issued today by Wendy Block, Director of Health Policy and Human
Resources for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and Peter Kuhnmuench,
Executive Director of the Insurance Institute of Michigan, in response
to recent passage of legislation in the State House to make it easier
for personal injury attorneys to sue for non-economic damages under the
state's no-fault automobile insurance system (HB 4301, Rep. Condino).

18) JPMorgan Global E-Tax System Expanded - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--JPMorgan Worldwide Securities Services today announced an
expansion of JPMorgan E-Tax, an Internet-based, patent-pending, tax
service providing institutional investors with global tax intelligence,
rates and breaking news. -- The latest version of JPMorgan E-Tax offers
detailed tax profiles that are updated daily in more than 90 markets
providing in-depth tax information including statutory exemptions, tax
procedures and reclaim forms worldwide. The service is designed for
global investors looking for breaking international tax news, updates on
tax industry developments, trends, policies and treaties; reports on tax
rates, exemptions, capital gains, and the latest tax forms necessary.

19) Evolution Benefits Receives Patent for Advanced
Auto-Substantiation Technologies that Power Benefits Cards for Flexible
Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) -
AVON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has
granted Evolution Benefits (EB) an important patent for its breakthrough
technology used in the substantiation of health benefits debit card
transactions. The company’s patent, U.S. Patent 7,174,302 titled “System
and Method for Processing Flexible Spending Account Transactions,”
refers to the system and method EB developed for real time
substantiation of card transactions prior to authorizing payment. This
patented process ensures that payment is made only for qualified items
and eliminates the need to request documentation from the cardholder.
The system is widely used by EB’s clients and permits 100 percent
electronic substantiation of transactions like prescription drug claims.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) AIG Global Investment Group Closes the Acquisition of P&O’s U.S.
Marine Terminal Operations from DP World - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--AIG Global Investment Group (“AIGGIG”) announced that it has
completed the purchase of 100% of the stock P&O Ports North America
(“POPNA”) from P&O Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of global
marine terminal operator, DP World. Following the closing of the
transaction, the company will operate as Ports America, Inc. This
transaction was previously announced on December 11, 2006.

22) Survey Data Reveal Stunning Lack of Awareness of Retirement
``Saver's Credit'' LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to recent
survey data, very few American adults are aware of an existing tax
credit designed to help low- to middle-income Americans build their
retirement nest eggs. The survey, commissioned by the Transamerica
Center for Retirement Studies (“The Center”), found that only 9 percent
of American adults who fall within the credit’s income eligibility
requirements are familiar with it. With regard to the adults overall in
the American public, only 16 percent are familiar with it.

23) Alfa Corporation Estimates Recent Storm Losses - MONTGOMERY,
Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Alfa Insurance Group and Alfa Corporation
(NASDAQ:ALFA) today announced a preliminary estimate of losses in
Alabama stemming from a series of storms that occurred in February and
March. These storms produced tornadoes, wind, and hail, which caused
damage to both automobiles and homes. Combined, these events generated
claims that are estimated to be between $30 million to $40 million for
the Alfa Group. The impact of these claims on Alfa Corporation’s first
quarter earnings, after reinsurance and taxes, is estimated to be $0.11
per diluted share.

24) MassMutual Launches New Advertising Campaign to Inspire Consumers
to Take a Step Toward Meeting Life Insurance, Retirement Needs -
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- MassMutual Financial Group
today announced the launch of an innovative new advertising campaign,
"Front of the Mind," that helps consumers move beyond just thinking
about their financial future and actually taking action to begin meeting
their financial goals.

25) Flagship Global Health Partners With ArmadaCare Executive Health
to Offer Next Generation Executive Health Plan - NEW YORK, March 19
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Flagship Global Health, Inc. (OTC: FGHH), an
international health assurance organization, has partnered with
ArmadaCare Executive Health of Maryland, to offer a new executive health
plan that gives corporations the opportunity to provide key employees
with enhanced medical benefits.

26) Country Hedging Introduces Grain Contract With Health Savings
Account (HSA) Funding - ST. PAUL, Minn., March 16 /PRNewswire/ --
Country Hedging Inc has launched a new grain contract, CHI Health Fund
Plus(TM), which is a traditional grain marketing commitment at a maximum
fixed strike price but with an untraditional benefit: It sets up and
funds a health savings account (HSA) for the farmer customer.

27) White Mountains Re Group, Ltd. to Offer $400 Million of its
Senior Notes Due 2017 - HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE:WTM) ("White Mountains")
announced today that White Mountains' wholly-owned subsidiary, White
Mountains Re Group, Ltd. ("White Mountains Re"), intends to offer and
sell approximately $400 million of its senior notes due 2017 (the
"Notes") in an offering exempt from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").

28) Merrill Lynch gets Russia brokerage license - Wed Mar 14,
2007 7:40am ET - MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Merrill Lynch (MER.N: Quote,
Profile , Research) has received a brokerage and dealing license in
Russia, the country's market regulator said on Wednesday amidst a race
among investment banks to capitalize on the Russian boom. - The Russian
Federal Financial Markets Service said in a brief statement that the
license had been granted to Merrill Lynch Securities, the bank's Russian
subsidiary.

29) Encompass Insurance: How to Insure Your Good Name -
NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--You work hard to make sure your
credit rating is high. You pay your bills on time, pay down your debt
and stay within your budget. Then one day your mail arrives with bills
from credit card and utility companies. Someone has stolen your identity
– and has built up debt in your name.

30) John Hancock Patriot Closed-End Funds Seek Shareholder Approval
of Reorganizations - BOSTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As
announced on December 6, 2006, the board of trustees of each of four
Patriot closed-end funds sponsored by John Hancock Advisers, LLC
approved their reorganization into a fifth John Hancock closed-end fund,
the John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II (NYSE:PDT) . Today,
John Hancock Advisers announced the notice of shareholder meetings to
seek approval of each reorganization and the mailing to shareholders of
a prospectus/proxy statement relating to such reorganizations.

31) Travelers Calls Convertible Junior Subordinated Notes for
Redemption - SAINT PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Travelers
Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) has called for redemption all of its
outstanding 4.50% Convertible Junior Subordinated Notes due 2032 (the
“Notes”). The Notes [CUSIP 89420G307] trade on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol “TPK”. The Notes were originally issued by
Travelers Property Casualty Corp. The Travelers Companies, Inc. assumed
certain obligations relating to the Notes pursuant to a Second
Supplemental Indenture dated April 1, 2004. Each Note has a principal
amount of $25.00. The redemption date will be April 18, 2007, and the
redemption price for each Note will be $25.5625 plus $0.009375 of
accrued and unpaid interest.

32) Willis Group Holdings Limited Announces Accelerated Share
Repurchase of $50 Million of Common Shares - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Willis Group Holdings Limited (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance
broker, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to
purchase approximately 1.25 million shares of its common stock from
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods using an accelerated stock repurchase program
for an initial purchase price of approximately $50 million. This
repurchase is part of Willis’ previously announced stock repurchase
program.

33) AIG Financial Products Corp. Launches New Partnership with
Tenaska Energy - WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIG Financial
Products Corp. (AIG-FP), a member company of American International
Group, Inc. (AIG), today announced that it has signed an agreement to
purchase a 50 percent partnership interest in Tenaska Energy’s (Tenaska)
natural gas marketing companies Tenaska Marketing Ventures, Tenaska
Marketing Canada, and Tenaska Gas Storage (collectively TMV). -
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

34) Delta Financial Announces Securitization Backed by $950 Million
in Mortgage Loans - WOODBURY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Delta Financial
Corporation (Amex: DFC) today announced it has securitized $950 million
of mortgage loans through its subsidiary, Renaissance Mortgage
Acceptance Corp. - the Renaissance Home Equity Loan Trust 2007-1. --
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Services, Inc.
rated the securities. The securitization was co-lead managed by
Citigroup and Banc of America Securities LLC and co-managed by RBS
Greenwich Capital, JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank Securities.

35) White Mountains Re Group, Ltd. Prices $400 Million Of 6.375%
Senior Notes Due 2017 - HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM) announced today
that its wholly-owned subsidiary, White Mountains Re Group, Ltd. ("White
Mountains Re"), has entered into an agreement to sell $400 million of
6.375% senior notes due 2017 (the "Notes") in an offering exempt from
the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "Securities Act").

36) XL Capital Ltd Announces Plans To Issue Preference Ordinary
Shares - HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XL
Capital Ltd ("XL" or the "Company") (NYSE: XL) announced today that it
currently intends to raise approximately $1.0 billion from an offering
of Fixed/Floating Series E Perpetual Non-Cumulative Preference Ordinary
Shares (the "Series E Preference Shares") pursuant to XL's currently
effective shelf registration statement. The Series E Preference Shares
offered will not be exchangeable for or convertible into ordinary shares
of XL.

Headlines Only Edition:

2007-03-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick look at the stories that will be in Friday's INSURANCE NEWSCAST.

1) Hub International to Acquire One of the Largest Arizona-Based
Insurance Brokers - CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hub International
Limited (NYSE:HBG) (TSX:HBG) announced today that it has agreed to
acquire substantially all of the assets of BNC Insurance Services, Inc.,
one of the largest Arizona-based insurance brokers. The brokerage, which
does business as Milne & BNC Insurance Services, has approximately $19
million in revenue. This operation will become a new regional platform
(hub) doing business as Hub International Milne (HUB Milne).

2) C. V. Starr & Co., Inc., Announces the Creation of Starr Global
Accident & Health Insurance Agency, LLC - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Complementing its existing areas of industry leading specialty
businesses, C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. has organized a company specializing
in the delivery of insurance solutions to the global accident and health
market. - To be headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, Starr Global
Accident & Health Insurance Agency, LLC (Starr Global Accident & Health)
has established a strategic relationship with The Chubb Corporation.
Through a network of program managers, Starr Global Accident & Health
will underwrite employer stop loss insurance on behalf of the Chubb
Group of Insurance Companies.

3) Chubb to Offer Employer Stop Loss Insurance through C.V. Starr Unit -
WARREN, N.J., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Starr Global Accident &
Health Insurance Agency, LLC, through a network of program managers,
will underwrite employer stop loss insurance on behalf of the Chubb
Group of Insurance Companies. -- Chubb will continue to write employer
stop loss insurance through its independent agents and brokers. The
coverage helps protect self-insured employers from absorbing all the
costs associated with catastrophic medical claims and high utilization
rates.

4) Argonaut Group, Inc. and PXRE Group Ltd. to Merge, New Entity Will Be
Named Argo Group - SAN ANTONIO & HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Argonaut Group, Inc. (NasdaqGS: AGII), a specialty underwriter,
and PXRE Group Ltd. (NYSE:PXT), a Bermuda-based property reinsurer,
announced today they have signed a definitive merger agreement and that
the combined entity will do business as Argo Group International
Holdings Limited (“Argo Group”). Argo Group will become the Bermuda
holding company for PXRE’s existing insurance subsidiaries, Argonaut
Group’s U.S. operations, and a newly formed Bermuda reinsurer named
Peleus Reinsurance Ltd. Argo Group will trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market
under Argonaut Group Inc.’s existing ticker symbol AGII.

5) Rubicon Financial Incorporated Announces Acquisition of Its First
Financial Services Subsidiary - IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Rubicon Financial Incorporated (OTCBB:RBCF) today announced that
on February 1, 2007 it closed on the acquisition of Rubicon Financial
Insurance Services, Inc., RBCF’s first financial service company
acquisition. - Rubicon Insurance is a full service insurance agency
offering personal and commercial lines, health and life insurance
products to individuals and companies. Rubicon Insurance is currently
licensed to do business in California and intends to expand to other
states on the West Coast over the next two years.

6) AEGON Strengthens Group Pension Business With Acquisition of OPTAS
N.V. - THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
AEGON has reached an agreement to acquire Rotterdam-based OPTAS N.V., a
Dutch life insurance company specializing in employee benefit products
and services with a top ten position in the group pension market. The
net consideration for AEGON of this transaction is approximately EUR 100
million. -- Upon completion of the transaction, OPTAS N.V. will become
a subsidiary of AEGON The Netherlands. The transaction is not
anticipated to lead to forced redundancies.

7) BNCCORP Announces Definitive Agreement for Sale of Insurance
Subsidiary - BISMARCK, N.D., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
BNCCORP, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNCC), which operates community banking,
insurance and wealth management businesses in Arizona, Minnesota, North
Dakota, Colorado and Nevada, today announced a definitive agreement to
sell substantially all of the assets of its insurance agency operation,
BNC Insurance Services, Inc., to a subsidiary of Hub International
Limited (NYSE: HBG) (TSX: HBG) for a purchase price of approximately $37
million.

8) Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires The Producer's Choice, Inc. -
ITASCA, Ill., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher &
Co. today announced the acquisition of The Producer's Choice, Inc. of
Coral Springs, Florida. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

9) Bay Area Man Sentenced To Ten Years In Prison For Selling Fake
Insurance Policies - SAN FRANCISCO – Insurance Commissioner Steve
Poizner announced today the sentencing of a former insurance
broker/agent to 10 years in prison for the sale of approximately $6
million worth of fake insurance policies the broker falsely claimed were
underwritten by Lloyd’s of London (Lloyd’s). -- According to California
Department of Insurance (CDI) investigators, Richard W. Peterson (also
known as Robert James), 66, of San Francisco, operated an insurance
brokerage firm that claimed to specialize in the placement of commercial
liability insurance for restaurants and bars.

10) U.S. Rep questions Wal-Mart banking plans: report - Thu Mar
15, 2007 1:34AM EDT - Analyst Research Email This Article | Print This
Article | Reprints[-] Text [+] NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Ohio
representative is planning to release information on Thursday that
suggests Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
ambitions into consumer banking may extend beyond what the retail giant
had previously disclosed, The New York Times reported.

11) Corporate Insight Finds Deficiencies in Annuity Account Opening
Process - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corporate Insight, the leader
in providing competitive intelligence, analysis, and consulting services
to the financial services industry recently examined the account opening
process for annuities at fifteen firms. The research found five key
deficiencies that hinder the process. Specifically they are: Lack of
communication between advisors and firms, Formatting and/or malfunction
issues with online forms, Failure of firms to offer online guidance,
Discrepancies in account forms, Outdated product information on firms’
websites.

12) RFROC ANSWERS ‘When Will the Baby Boomers Really Retire?’ -
LUTZ, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Retirement Financial Readiness Opinion
Council's (RFROC) latest study entitled ‘When Will the Baby Boomers
Really Retire?’, answers this question on many levels. Older Baby
Boomers have told us that they have been saving for their retirement for
forty years. “They are about to shift and begin taking distributions to
live their retirement dreams,” stated Bruce Hurwitz, RFROC President,
who goes on the say, “It is critically important for financial services
companies to understand the coming retirement account outflow
phenomenon, and to develop plans for attracting new sources of
investment assets.”

13) Uncover What Business Owners Want with a Three Step Guide from
Pacific Life - NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sometimes,
the hardest part of a financial advisor’s job is simply uncovering what
their clients want. To help, Pacific Life Insurance Company introduced a
new guide called, “What They Want” that provides an overview of how life
insurance can help business owners achieve a variety of goals.

14) YourRxCard.com: Unfilled Prescriptions Contribute to Health
System Woes - BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--High prescription
drug costs for the uninsured and underinsured lead to countless unfilled
prescriptions. Those unfilled prescriptions cost the nation billions of
dollars, damage the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of
Americans and, as a cruel irony, drive up prices even more.

15) California Supports National Initiative for Better Health at
Lower Cost - WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
State of California today joined the nationwide initiative on
value-driven health care, joining major private employers who have
expressed support since the effort was launched by HHS Secretary Mike
Leavitt in November. California joins a growing list of states that have
committed to the initiative since Secretary Leavitt's appeal to public
sector employers Nov. 28.

16) Important Update Regarding the Alleged Loss of a CD Containing
Member Personal Health and Identity Information - NEW YORK, March 14
/PRNewswire/ -- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield was just informed that
Magellan Behavioral Health Services has located the CD sent via UPS by
Health Data Management Solutions (HDMS), a third party vendor to
Magellan, an Empire benefit program administrator, that included some
members' personal health information. The CD was lost in transit and was
located this afternoon.

17) Small Business Health Insurance is Priority for Realtors(R) and
Should be for Congress, Says NAR - WASHINGTON, March 14
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Realtors(R) told
a congressional panel today that finding a solution to the health
insurance access and affordability issue facing small businesses and the
self-employed is a priority for REALTORS(R).

18) HHS Secretary, California Governor to Discuss Providing Health
Care at Better Quality and Lower Costs - HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt
and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss the four
"cornerstones" of value-driven health care: interoperable health IT;
transparency of quality; transparency of price; and incentives for
high-value health care. Earlier in the week, more than 60 California
employers in Mountain View and Los Angeles pledged to support the
initiative. More than 15.4 million will benefit by implementation of the
initiative in California.

19) Ignagni Testifies on Capitol Hill Regarding Health Care Options
for Small Businesses - WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans
(AHIP) testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business today
regarding health insurance coverage for small businesses. Ignagni
presented an overview of the small group health insurance market and
discussed different policy options to help small businesses offer
quality, affordable health insurance coverage to their employees.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of the Day”

21) Current Issues Surrounding the Pension Protection Act of 2006 to
be Examined at the Retirement Industry Conference - ATLANTA,
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. and WINDSOR, Conn., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Pension Protection Act of 2006 was the most sweeping reform of America's
pension laws in over thirty years. However, many issues are still in
flux and regulators are continually working out the legal details. - The
latest information on the Act will be presented at the Retirement
Industry Conference, April 18-20, 2007 in Atlanta, GA. The conference
will also offer numerous sessions covering issues such as asset
retention at the plan level, annuities in 401(k) plans, designing and
implementing winning sales processes and much more.

22) Product Development Trends and Challenges at Life Insurance
Conference - ATLANTA, SCHAUMBURG, Ill., WASHINGTON, and WINDSOR,
Conn., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Trends in life insurance product design,
speed to market, and individual life and health combination products are
just some of the product development issues to be discussed at the Life
Insurance Conference, April 16- 18, 2007 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza
in Atlanta, GA.

23) ICE bids for CBOT, challenging CME deal - Thu Mar 15, 2007
8:27am ET - BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Electronic exchange
IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE.N: Quote, Profile , Research) on
Thursday offered to buy options market CBOT Holdings Inc. (BOT.N: Quote,
Profile , Research), challenging an existing bid by Chicago Mercantile
Exchange Holdings Inc. (CME.N: Quote, Profile , Research). -- The
surprise bid comes at a time when CBOT is thought to be in the final
stages of combining with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME.N: Quote,
Profile , Research), the largest U.S. futures exchange.

24) Deadline to Apply for Physical Disaster Loans Approaching -
ORLANDO, Fla., March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) is reminding homeowners, renters,
non-profit organizations and businesses that one month remains to submit
disaster loan applications for damage caused by severe storms and
tornadoes on February 1 - 2, 2007. The deadline to file an application
for physical damage is April 4, 2007. Homeowners, renters, non-profit
organizations and businesses that sustained physical damage in Lake,
Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties in the state of Florida are
eligible to apply.

25) Federal Court Denies Effort by Tata America International to
Dismiss Class Action Lawsuit against Tata for Requiring Workers to Hand
over Federal and State Tax Refunds - SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Class counsel announced that District Court Judge Vaughn Walker
yesterday denied the motion of Tata America International Corporation
and its parent corporations Tata Consultancy Services, Ltd., and Tata
Sons, Ltd. (collectively referred to as "Tata") to compel arbitration in
India and dismiss the nationwide class action lawsuit in United States
court. The complaint, brought in Federal court in San Francisco by Gopi
Vedachalam, an employee of Tata America International Corporation,
alleges Tata unjustly enriched itself by requiring all of its
non-U.S.-citizen employees to endorse and sign over their federal and
state tax refund checks to Tata.

26) Benepath Launches New Insurance Website - NEWTOWN SQUARE,
Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Benepath, Inc., a leading health insurance
provider in the mid-Atlantic region, announced today the launch of its
new website, http://www.benepath.com. The site provides online health
insurance quotes and plan comparisons for businesses and individuals.

27) Multicultural Agents Launch ``One Voice Insurance Services'' to
Give Minorities Easy Access to Health, Life Insurance in California -
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A former industry executive and a
network of leading multicultural agents later this week will launch One
Voice Insurance Services, an online portal designed to provide minority
consumers and business owners with in-language and culturally relevant
information about health and life insurance products in California.

28) NAMIC Urges Lawmakers to Reject Provisions in Small Business
Legislation - WASHINGTON (March 14, 2007) - Two sections of
legislation being considered today by the House Ways and Means Committee
would unnecessarily increase business costs for insurers, resulting in
higher premiums for policyholders, according to the National Association
of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC). The provisions would prevent
companies from deducting the cost of settlement agreements and limit the
deductibility of punitive damages.

29) More Companies Offering Consumer-Directed Health Plans, Watson
Wyatt/National Business Group On Health Survey Finds - WASHINGTON,
March 15, 2007 – The number of employers offering consumer-directed
health plans continues to grow. However, those companies that are most
effective at controlling health care costs are combining these plans
with other health-related tactics. Those are among the major findings
in an annual survey conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide and the National
Business Group on Health.

30) HealthPass Surpasses Enrollment Milestone - More than 10,000
Employees Participating in Small Employer Health Insurance Plans -
NEW YORK, March 14, 2007 – HealthPass, a New York City-based non-profit
group which offers cost-effective health insurance solutions to small
employers, announced today that more than 10,000 employees are now
enrolled in its programs.

31) Fireman’s Fund Introduces Data Compromise Coverage - NOVATO,
CA – Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has introduced Data Compromise, a
coverage and service solution for businesses that provides legal
consulting, customer notification services and credit monitoring as well
as identity restoration for customers, employees and others affected by
a data breach. -- Fireman’s Fund’s Data Compromise coverage helps
businesses respond quickly and effectively to a data breach, covering
the costs to notify affected individuals and providing a suite of
services, from credit report monitoring to identity theft restoration
case management.

32) CPCU Society National Leadership Institute Courses Coming To
Pittsburgh - MALVERN, PA, MARCH 15, 2007—On March 21, the CPCU
Society and the Society’s Allegheny Chapter will be hosting two CPCU
Society National Leadership Institute (NLI) courses: Leadership and
Ethics: The Power to Succeed and Developing Resilience in a Rapidly
Changing World. -- Leadership and Ethics: The Power to Succeed has been
approved for four continuing education credits in Delaware, Maryland,
and Pennsylvania. A continental breakfast and course materials will be
included.

33) Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner Issues Cease And Desist
Order Against Richmond Title For Conducting Business In The State
Without Proper Insurance License - SACRAMENTO – Insurance
Commissioner Steve Poizner issued a Cease and Desist Order today to
Richmond Title Services, L.P., to stop conducting title insurance
business in California. The Tennessee company has conducted more than
$13 million in title insurance business in California without a proper
license from the California Department of Insurance (CDI.) An
investigation by CDI revealed that between March 2005 and January 31,
2007 Richmond Title Services, L.P. repeatedly violated California’s
insurance code by operating as an underwritten title company without
holding a license from the California Insurance Commissioner. The order
also requires Stewart Title, which is licensed in California, to stop
funneling business to Richmond Title via a “work charge agreement,” and
to stop aiding and abetting Richmond Title.

34) Prudential slims down in UK, buys Equitable book - Thu Mar
15, 2007 3:52AM EDT - LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Britain's Prudential
(PRU.L: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to focus its underperforming UK
division on its profitable products like annuities, buying Equitable
Life's 1.8 billion pound with-profits annuity portfolio to boost its
clout. - In a keenly awaited review of its domestic business a year
after it fought off a merger approach from rival Aviva (AV.L: Quote,
Profile, Research), Prudential raised its UK cost cutting target to 195
million pounds ($375 million) from 115 million pounds. The savings will
be achieved through internal cost saving and the offshoring or
outsourcing of more jobs. Prudential said 3,000 of its staff will be
affected and it is consulting with unions about the plan.

35) Boomers Beware: Calculating Your Retirement Nest Egg May No
Longer Be Easy - By Harry Steinman, Certified Senior Advisor
President and Founder of Foundation Financial - WINTHROP, Mass., March
14 /PRNewswire/ -- Boomers face bigger challenges than their parents did
when it comes to calculating how much money they need to cover
retirement expenses. Fewer employers offer the generous pensions for
lifetime employees, and post-retirement medical benefits are largely a
relic of an earlier era.

36) Investor Alert: Update on Proposed Acquisition of Sierra Health
Services, Inc. - SIE - DALLAS, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 12,
2007, Sierra Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:SIE) entered into a definitive
merger agreement with UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) whereby UnitedHealth
will acquire all outstanding Sierra Health shares for $43.50 per share.
The price per share offered by UnitedHealth is 12.24% more than the
stock's closing price prior to the deal's announcement. - If the
proposed merger is finalized, Sierra Health will no longer be a publicly
traded company. While Sierra Health and UnitedHealth have announced they
expect the merger to close prior to the end of 2007, shareholder
approval is required before the acquisition can be completed.

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition"

2007-03-13T21:04:00.001-07:00

1) New Century says it understated debt; faces probes - Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:20AM EDT By Dan Wilchins - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Century Financial Corp. (NEW.N: ) said on Tuesday it underestimated its debt to Credit Suisse by $500 million, the latest snafu for a company under investigation by U.S. securities regulators and facing delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. Analysts said New Century, the largest U.S. independent subprime lender, is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy as defaults among borrowers with poor credit surge. - A spokeswoman for New Century was not immediately available for comment.

2) Accredited Home sinks 54 pct as cash falls short - Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:50AM EDT - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. (LEND.O: ), a U.S. subprime mortgage lender, said on Tuesday it needed to raise cash after paying $190 million demanded by its lenders, sending its shares down as much as 53.5 percent to a record low. The San Diego-based company said it also will cut jobs and seek other ways to cut costs. It also said it is seeking waivers of some financial covenants from its lenders, and is "exploring various strategic options."

3) Subprime woes "well contained" in market: Treasury - Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:08PM EDT - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury's financial markets chief said on Tuesday that subprime mortgage problems appeared to be "fairly well contained" within the U.S. mortgage market.

4) Citigroup raises offer for Japan's Nikko by 26 pct - Nikko shares jump 6 pct on listing reprieve - By Jonathan Soble - TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - Shares in Japan's Nikko Cordial Corp. (8603.T: ) rose 6.1 percent on Tuesday after the Tokyo Stock Exchange decided not to revoke the brokerage's share listing over an accounting scandal, a surprise move that could force Citigroup (C.N: ) to sweeten its $10.8 billion buyout offer. -- After the exchange's decision on Monday, Citigroup reiterated its intention to launch a tender bid for Nikko and said it would not change its offer of 1,350 yen a share. It had initially set a target of Tuesday to formally initiate the bid.

5) Viacom Files Federal Copyright Infringement Complaint Against YouTube and Google - NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:and VIA.B) today announced that it has sued YouTube and Google in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for massive intentional copyright infringement of Viacom's entertainment properties. The suit seeks more than $1 billion in damages, as well as an injunction prohibiting Google and YouTube from further copyright infringement. The complaint contends that almost 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom's programming have been available on YouTube and that these clips had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

6) Aon Consulting Acquires London-based Market Intelligence Firm Z/Yen Limited - CHICAGO, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aon Consulting, the human capital consulting organization of Aon Corporation (NYSE: AOC), announced today that its subsidiary, McLagan Partners, has completed the acquisition of Z/Yen Limited, a London-based market intelligence firm. Z/Yen Limited is a subsidiary of the Z/Yen Group, and all other work undertaken by the Z/Yen Group such as management consultancy, research and predictive software, are unaffected by this change. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

7) Beazley Strengthens Presence in U.S. Healthcare Professional Liability Market - LONDON, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beazley Group (BEZ.L) has agreed to acquire Sapphire Blue, an agency specializing in professional liability insurance for U.S. healthcare institutions, particularly long term care facilities. The transaction significantly strengthens Beazley's presence in this market.

8) Guy Carpenter Introduces SelectCat™, Creating Access to New Market Capacity for Reinsurers Seeking to Hedge Property Catastrophe Exposures Strikes Right Balance between Indemnity and Transparency for both Reinsurance and Capital Markets* - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global risk and reinsurance specialist and part of the Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), today announced the launch of SelectCat™, an innovative, index-based product that provides reinsurers with much needed capacity, flexibility and rational pricing for managing their property catastrophe risks. SelectCat’s unique pricing and loss index is developed from a synthetic layer, structured for a basket of programs selected to act as a proxy for the portfolio that a reinsurer wants to protect.

9) Symetra Helps Customers Avoid Renewal Rate Roulette: - Bellevue, Wash. — (March 12, 2007) — Symetra Life Insurance Company is pioneering a new approach to interest rate renewals on fixed annuities. The Symetra Custom Fixed Annuity now guarantees that, throughout the annuity’s entire surrender period, the annual interest rate on the annuity will never be less than half a percentage point (50 basis points) below the first year’s base rate at purchase.

10) 2006 Limra Survey Reports Strong Customer Service Ratings For The Second Straight Year For Colonial - COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 12, 2007) — After a second year of conducting quarterly customer satisfaction surveys, LIMRA International reports Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company continues to receive strong ratings for customer service. During 2006, customer survey ratings show sustained high scores from the following two customer groups surveyed:

11) EZ Meds USA Announces National RX Plan for Expensive Name Brand Drugs - Scottsdale Arizona, - March 12, 2007, 2007 EZ Meds USA, a Scottsdale company providing a simple and affordable solution for individuals to obtain costly prescription medications, announced that it has developed a stand alone RX Plan covering over 3,000 name brand drugs. EZMEDS works directly with the pharmaceutical companies to get the drugs for free – after members pay a one-time enrollment fee and an additional $97 monthly medication fee. With no limit to the number of drugs being used by the patient, EZMeds will determine the patient eligibility for these prescription programs, process the necessary paperwork needed to be signed by physician, and send it directly to the pharmaceutical company.

12) Fidelity Life Association Adds Return of Premium to its Revolutionary Rapid Decision Term Product - Oak Brook, IL, March 12, 2007—Fidelity Life Association today announced the introduction of a Return of Premium rider to its Rapid Decision Term product. Available in 15, 20 or 30-year terms, the Return of Premium Rider allows customers to receive a percentage of their premium back—grading up to 100% at the end of a full policy term.

13) OneBeacon Offering New Disaster-Recovery Tool - BOSTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OneBeacon Insurance is making a powerful new resource available to help its smaller business customers survive natural and man-made disasters. - Open for Business(sm), a free Web-based disaster-recovery and risk assessment tool developed by the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), enables OneBeacon's smaller commercial customers to perform the kinds of disaster analysis and recovery planning normally limited to much larger organizations.

14) CIGNA Government Services Invites Applicants to Nashville Job Fairs to Fill More Than 200 Open Positions - NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 12, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA Government Services, LLC (CGS), a major employer in Nashville with nearly 500 employees, will hold three job fairs this week to fill more than 200 open positions in its Nashville Metro Center operations. -- Job fairs are scheduled at the Sheraton Music City, 777 McGavock Pike, Nashville, from 2 to 9 p.m. March 14 and 15 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 17 to fill a variety of openings.

15) Many Salespeople 'Exaggerate'; They Think Doing So Sells More, Experts Tell Sales Profession - WACO, Texas, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Many salespeople 'exaggerate' when pitching their products and services. They think they'll sell more by "growing hair" on their presentations, according to two Baylor University marketing professors and a noted behavioral scientist. - Professors Larry Chonko and Jeff Tanner and behavior researcher George W. Dudley, in remarks prepared for the National Sales Conference on Sales Management in Irvine, Calif., (March 29-31) cited research that found 51% of salespeople still sometimes stretch the truth but insisted it isn't typical of the profession.

16) Independent Insurance Agents, Brokers of NY Offers Information on New York State Workers’ Comp Reform Bill - (DeWitt, New York, March 13, 2007) — As New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s signature sets into motion workers’ compensation reform, a brighter economic landscape is expected. The historic measure will reduce costs to business while increasing injured workers’ weekly benefits.

17) Teaming Up to Protect Tow Truck Operators - Overland Park, KS and Melbourne FL – March 13, 2007 – Swiss Re’s Commercial Insurance and BISYS today announced the launch of an insurance program for tow truck operators. Backed by the world-class financial strength of Swiss Re and the transportation expertise of BISYS, this program offers peace of mind and security to tow truck operators who meet underwriting guidelines. --- An added benefit of this new program is a paperless submission process that allows agents to utilize electronic, fillable applications, and all submission requirements and applications are available online at www.BISYSPC.com.

18) SellingLTC.com Develops LTCI Financial Calculators - ATLANTA, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- SellingLTC.com, LLC, the leader in providing long-term care insurance sales, marketing and presentation solutions for insurance sales professionals, today announced the release of their LTCI Financial Calculators, designed to assist insurance sales professionals in overcoming complex financial objections.

19) Validus Holdings, Ltd. Announces $700 Million Syndicated Credit Agreements - HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Validus Holdings, Ltd. ("Validus" or "the Company") announced today that it had entered into credit agreements aggregating $700 million with a syndicate of lenders, consisting of a $500 million Five-Year Secured Letter of Credit Facility and a $200 million Three-Year Unsecured Letter of Credit Facility. The Five-Year Secured Letter of Credit Facility is secured by cash and eligible securities of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Three-Year Unsecured Letter of Credit Facility also allows the Company to borrow up to the full amount of the facility as revolving loans for general corporate purposes.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) Humana's Partnership With Business Health Care Group Of Southeastern Wisconsin Proves Successful - NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care industry intelligence, reports the partnership between Humana and the Business Health Care Group of Southeastern Wisconsin is touting impressive new numbers pointing to its first-year success in controlling costs and gaining members. According to the latest Wisconsin Health Plan Analysis, numbers released by the insurer show solid growth in Humana's book of business, especially as it goes up against UnitedHealthcare and the Wisconsin Blues in a battle for market share.

22) Kaplan Financial and Delia Passi Target Women's Market - CHICAGO, March 12, 2007 -- While 43% of Americans with investment assets of $500,000 or more are women, many financial advisors don't understand the difference between the investment styles of women and men, according to Delia Passi and Kaplan Financial. Passi is the pioneer in creating and delivering selling-to-women training to the leading financial services corporations, and Kaplan Financial (www.kaplanfinancial.com) is a leading source of education and compliance solutions for insurance and financial services institutions and individuals. The two have partnered to offer a series of workshops for financial and insurance advisors to help them better understand the women's market.

23) Verdasys Publishes New Whitepaper by Dan Geer on Data Loss Prevention - WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verdasys, Inc., the leader in business process integrity solutions for data loss prevention, corporate compliance and data security announced today the availability of a new whitepaper by Dr. Daniel E. Geer, Jr., ScD. The paper entitled, Data Loss Prevention, takes an in-depth look at the increase in victims of information leakage and asserts the risks businesses face when not taking the initiative to adequately prevent their data from loss or misuse as well as what actions companies can take to secure their corporate data.

24) MCOL Releases 2007 Editions of Consumer Driven Care Guidebook and Training Kit CD-ROM – Includes Company Specific Enrollment and Premium Research - MODESTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MCOL, the premiere business-to-business publisher of health management and managed care resources, has released the Consumer Driven Care Guidebook 2007 edition, and version 6.0 of its popular Consumer Driven Care Training Kit CD-ROM. Detailed information for both of these new Consumer Driven Care resources is available on-line at https://www.managedcarestore.com (under featured products) or by calling 209.577.4888.

25) Resources for Caregivers 2007 Available Free from the MetLife Mature Market Institute® - WESTPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving, in cooperation with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4A), have released a publication aimed at making life a little easier for the legions of Americans caring for a sick or disabled friend or relative. - The 38-page booklet, Resources for Caregivers 2007, is available free to the public by calling 203-221-6580, via e-mail to maturemarketinstitute@metlife.com, or by download at www.maturemarketinstitute.com under ‘What’s New.’

26) Swedish Covenant Hospital Enhances Strategic HR after Switching to Ultimate Software’s UltiPro - WESTON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ultimate Software (Nasdaq:ULTI), a leading provider of end-to-end strategic human resources, payroll, and talent management solutions, announced today that Swedish Covenant Hospital, a nonprofit facility with more than 2,000 employees that has served the residents of Chicago’s north and northwestern communities for nearly 120 years, has increased the strategic contributions of its human resources team with Ultimate Software’s UltiPro.

27) Centene Corporation Announces Texas Foster Care Contract Award - ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced that its Texas subsidiary, Superior HealthPlan Network (Superior Network), finalized the contractual terms of the Comprehensive Health Care for Children in Foster Care program award with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). This statewide program will provide managed care services to participants in the Texas foster care program.

28) Federal Government and California Healthcare Organizations Partner to Promote Better Physician Performance - SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California Cooperative Healthcare Reporting Initiative (CCHRI), a statewide collaborative representing physician groups, health plans, and health care purchasers, announced entering a subcontract agreement with the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, one of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) quality improvement organizations, to be one of six sites around the country, as part of the Better Quality Information to Improve Care for Medicare Beneficiaries (BQI) Project. The project is aimed at compiling and communicating information to Medicare beneficiaries on doctors’ performance.

29) RenaissanceRe Executives Adopt Rule 10b5-1 Plans - PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR) announced today that three of its senior executives have adopted prearranged trading plans in accordance with guidelines specified by Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Company's policies with respect to insider sales. The executives are William I. Riker, President; John D. Nichols, Executive Vice President and President of RenaissanceRe Ventures Ltd. and Renaissance Underwriting Managers Ltd.; and Kevin J. O'Donnell, President of Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd.

30) New APHA Report Urges Expanded Health Coverage for Children - WASHINGTON, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Public Health Association (APHA) today released its recommendations for expanding health coverage to uninsured children through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a successful federal and state joint program that is set to be reauthorized this year.

31) Humana's Partnership With Business Health Care Group Of Southeastern Wisconsin Proves Successful - NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care industry intelligence, reports the partnership between Humana and the Business Health Care Group of Southeastern Wisconsin is touting impressive new numbers pointing to its first-year success in controlling costs and gaining members. According to the latest Wisconsin Health Plan Analysis, numbers released by the insurer show solid growth in Humana's book of business, especially as it goes up against UnitedHealthcare and the Wisconsin Blues in a battle for market share.

32) Aon Applauds Illinois Governor's Health Care Efforts - CHICAGO, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A statement from Aon Corp.: Aon applauds Governor Rod Blagojevich's efforts to craft a health care plan that would provide affordable coverage options to the uninsured and underinsured, and address catastrophic illness and injury. Aon's own Health Care Trend survey warns about the impact of double-digit health care rate increases.

33) New England Financial of North Jersey Offers Venture Capital Market Innovative Insurance Plan - FAIRFIELD, N.J., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Venture Capital (VC2) Protection Plus is an innovative and effective plan for any parties involved in Venture Capital. The formula behind VC2 helps protect venture capitalists, angel investors and private equity firms in the event of death, disability or severance of key players. "Through underwriting, we also assist in the due diligence process by assessing the insurance risk of the key players," says Ed Barrett, Managing Partner.

34) Blue Shield of California Is First U.S. Health Care Plan to Cover Photochromic Lenses in All New Vision Plans - SAN FRANCISCO, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California and Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company are making it easier for consumers to obtain quality vision care, becoming the first health plans to offer coverage of photochromic lenses in all new vision plans. Members will receive coverage of up to $200 with a $130 eyeglass frame allowance for photochromic lenses, including brands such as Transitions(R) lenses.

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition"

2007-03-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

1) Benfield reaches 9.5 mln stg deal with Aon,ex-staff - LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - UK reinsurance broker Benfield (BFD.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it had reached a 9.5 million pound settlement with rival Aon (AOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and former members of its Facultative Solutions team after a months-long legal dispute. Benfield was forced to issue a profit warning in October after 20 members of the Facultative Solutions team's approximately 110 staff quit, prompting it to start legal action to protect its business. The division's head and most of the other departing employees joined Aon.

2) UnitedHealth to buy Sierra Health for $2.4 bln - By Lewis Krauskopf - NEW YORK, March 12 (Reuters) - Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it will acquire Sierra Health Services Inc. (SIE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for more than $2.4 billion to expand in the fast-growing Las Vegas area and boost its Medicare business. - The deal shows UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer by market value, is continuing to broaden its reach by gobbling up rivals.

3) ProAssurance Announces Settlement in Florida Malpractice Verdict - BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ProAssurance Corporation (NYSE:PRA) said today that a confidential settlement will end all litigation and appeals stemming from, and related to, a $217 million malpractice verdict against insureds of one of its subsidiaries. The verdict was rendered in Tampa in October 2006. The settlement is subject to final court approval, which is anticipated by all parties. ProAssurance currently believes there will be no material adverse effect on first quarter results because of this settlement.

4) Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP Announces $17 Million Jury Verdict Against American Family Mutual Insurance Co. in Auto Parts Case - SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A jury in Kansas City, MO awarded more than $17 million to a group of policyholders in a class action lawsuit against American Family Mutual Insurance Co. regarding the company’s policy of specifying after-market auto parts and omitting certain repair procedures in its repair estimates, according to Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP, counsel for the plaintiffs.

5) Statement From Aon Regarding Benfield Litigation - CHICAGO, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aon Re Global, the world's largest provider of reinsurance brokerage services and integrated capital solutions, today announced it has reached a global and comprehensive settlement with Benfield Group of all of the litigation relating to former Benfield facultative reinsurance employees who recently resigned from Benfield and will be joining Aon on April 1.

6) Workers and Retirees Tighten Their Belts, According to Latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index - DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the clock ticking before the April 17th tax filing deadline, a majority of workers say they are counting on receiving a federal or state tax refund for 2006, according to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM. Among those who have a feeling for whether or not they will receive a federal or state tax refund for 2006, over three quarters of workers (83 percent) and less than half of retirees (40 percent) are expecting a refund this year

7) Americans Spend Less Time Reviewing Employee Benefits Than Managing Their Taxes and Preparing for the Holidays - NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- According to research released today by The Guardian Life Insurance Company (Guardian), almost half of working Americans spend either no time or less than an hour reviewing their benefits each year. The study, Benefits and Behavior: Spotlight on Group Life and Disability Insurance, also revealed widespread misunderstandings about workplace benefits, particularly about the underwriting and cost of group benefits.

8) BestWeek: NAIC Model Laws Face Tough Climb to Legislative Success - OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In 2007, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners expects to spend $1.94 million in meeting registration fees, which include four quarterly gatherings in cities across the United States, according to an exclusive article in this week's BestWeek.

9) INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles - Recent articles added to INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise intelligence database of over 27,000 articles including interviews, uniquely analysed by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT topics. Please click here for a content overview and a 15-day free review.

10) BANK INSURANCE NEWS IN BRIEF - MARCH 12, 2007

11) National Benefit Partners (NBP) Second Annual Meeting - NBP held its second annual meeting last week in San Antonio, Texas. - NBP is the first of it kind producer owned Distributor Company focusing on Worksite Marketing. Member distributor organizations are among the top Worksite Marketing firms in the country and earn equity in NBP based on sales through NBP’s Carrier alliances.

12) The Hartford Announces Sale of Medical Stop Loss Insurance Business to National Benefit Resources, Inc. - SIMSBURY, Conn. – The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), one of the nation’s largest financial services and insurance companies, announced today that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its medical stop loss insurance business to National Benefit Resources, Inc. (NBR), a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (NYSE: UNH). The transaction is expected to close in early April. The terms were not disclosed.

13) Iowa Businesses Commit to National Initiative for Improving Quality and Value in Health Care - DES MOINES, Iowa, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today in Des Moines with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, executives from area businesses signed statements of support for a national initiative aimed at improving health care quality, information and cost-effectiveness for employees and their families.

14) Lack of Transparency in Health Care Heightens Costs, Retards Innovation - DALLAS, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While business and government leaders complain about the lack of price and quality information in health care and pursue government-based health reforms to increase access and set prices, a new study from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) says the complainers are causing the problems they are so vexed about. Unlike other markets, prices for health care are difficult to obtain and often meaningless when they are disclosed. The study notes the only area of the health care marketplace where price and quality information is freely available is where patients pay for the services themselves.

15) Partnership for Prescription Assistance Continues Growth; Helps 3.5 Million Patients Across United States - WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reaching a new milestone, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) today announced that more than 3.5 million Americans nationwide have been helped by programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The PPA, sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research companies, is the largest private-sector effort that helps low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients obtain their medicines through more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.

16) GlobalOptions Group Joins Forces with Midwest Insurance Company to Combat Insurance Fraud - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GlobalOptions Group, Inc. (OTCBB: GOPG), a leading provider of domestic and international risk management services, today announced that it has entered into a formal agreement to serve as the special investigative unit (SIU) provider to the Midwest Insurance Company. GlobalOptions Fraud & SIU division will perform the services, handling vendor management and regulatory compliance along with fraud training and reporting.

16) Fireman’s Fund® Introduces Data Compromise Coverage for Business Customers - NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has introduced Data Compromise, a coverage and service solution for businesses that provides legal consulting, customer notification services and credit monitoring as well as identity restoration for customers, employees and others affected by a data breach. -- Fireman’s Fund’s Data Compromise coverage provides professional assistance and consulting for the business affected as well as for their valued customers.

17) Bank of America, Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Unveil $5 Million Program to Improve Access to Quality Health Care - Governor Deval L. Patrick, Legislative Leadership Support Program - BOSTON, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America, Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers today announced a $5 million program to improve access to quality health care for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The $5 million in funding will be provided by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

18) HessMorganHouse, LLC. Announces Formation of HMH Communications - PRINCETON, N.J., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- HessMorganHouse, LLC., the strategic advisory firm to corporations, life insurers and high net worth individuals with respect to specialized applications of life insurance, announced today that it has formed HMH Communications, a communications consulting company. In addition, Andrea L. Katz has joined HessMorganHouse as a principal and will assume leadership of the communications consulting firm in her role as president of HMH Communications.

19) Hetrick & Associates Insurance named 2006 Rough Notes Magazine’s Marketing Agency of the Year - Carmel, IN – March 8, 2007 -- Hetrick & Associates Insurance, an independent insurance agency based in Marquette, Michigan, has been named Rough Notes Magazine’s Marketing Agency of the Year for 2006. Rough Notes Editor-in-Chief Tom McCoy presented the award to Hetrick owners at a recognition dinner in Indianapolis March 5th.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) NYC MEETING MOVES INSURANCE COMPACT CLOSER TO START–UP OF FILING OPERATIONS - NEW YORK (March 9, 2007) — Building on the momentum from last year’s successes, the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (IIPRC) continues to make great progress toward meeting its operational goals for receiving its first product filings by June 2007.

22) MARYLAND AND PUERTO RICO INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS SELECT STATE BASED SYSTEMS - NEW YORK (March 10, 2007) — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), in conjunction with the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Puerto Rico Office of the Insurance Commissioner, announced today that both regulatory agencies have selected State Based Systems (SBS) to meet their back–office processing needs.

23) NAIC TRACKS TOP CONSUMER COMPLAINTS - KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 10, 2007) — Recent statistics show that while consumer complaints decreased for the third consecutive year, the reasons behind those complaints have remained relatively the same for the past five years. -- the top three reasons consumers filed formal complaints against their insurance companies in 2006 were delays, denials of claims and unsatisfactory settlement offers. Rounding out the top five sources of consumer complaints were policy cancellations and premiums/insurance rating issues.

24) STATE REGULATORS WORK TO AMEND U.S. REINSURANCE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK - NEW YORK (March 12, 2007) — The Financial Condition (E) Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has referred two charges to the Reinsurance Task Force for further development. -- For purposes of collateral recalibration, one charge requested that the Reinsurance Task Force continue work on technical details within the Reinsurance Evaluation Office (REO) Proposal. The charge also requested for the Task Force to report back to the Committee at the NAIC’s 2007 Summer National Meeting in June regarding the feasibility that such work be completed by the following National Meeting in the fall.

25) NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE LICENSES STATE BASED SYSTEMS - NEW YORK (March 10, 2007) — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today announced that the North Carolina Department of Insurance has signed a licensing agreement to implement State Based Systems (SBS). -- Designed to cater to the unique needs and best interests of each state insurance department, SBS is offered to the departments as a benefit of their NAIC membership in an effort to simplify and enhance state insurance regulation processes. The NAIC builds and maintains SBS, provides technical support and system training, and hosts the SBS application and database for each licensed state.

26) INTERNET FILING THROUGH NAIC CONTINUES TO BENEFIT USERS - NEW YORK (March 10, 2006) — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today announced that electronic filing of its 2006 annual company financial statements increased more than 23 percent in the past five years and continues to benefit users through increased speed, simplicity and efficiency.

27) Advance directives may improve end-of-life care - Fri Mar 9, 2007 2:44pm ET By Amy Norton - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Families of patients who completed advance directives before their deaths tend to feel their loved ones received somewhat better end-of-life care, according to a new study. Nonetheless, there's still room for improvement. -- Advance directives, in the form of a "living will" or medical power of attorney, are legal documents that allow people to state their wishes for end-of-life care ahead of time, in the event that they become too sick to make their own medical decisions.

28) More Than 143 Million Americans Are Concerned That Personal and Financial Information Will Not Be Kept Private and Secure on the Internet - BETHESDA, Md., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 143 million Americans -- or two thirds of all adults 18 years or older -- are concerned that their personal and financial information would not be kept private and secure if they prepared state and federal tax returns on the Internet, according to a new national poll. A poll ten years ago found that 83 percent of Americans had similar concerns.

29) Wachovia Launches New Online Pension Protection Act Resource Center for Retirement Clients - CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wachovia Retirement Services (WRS) announces the launch of a new online service to provide plan sponsors with clarity and direction around the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) and its effect on the retirement services offered to plan participants. -

30) Blue Shield of California Is First U.S. Health Care Plan to Cover Photochromic Lenses in All New Vision Plans - SAN FRANCISCO, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California and Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company are making it easier for consumers to obtain quality vision care, becoming the first health plans to offer coverage of photochromic lenses in all new vision plans. Members will receive coverage of up to $200 with a $130 eyeglass frame allowance for photochromic lenses, including brands such as Transitions(R) lenses.

31) Statement From Mark Iwry and David C. John of the Retirement Security Project on the Capital Markets Commission's Proposal to Require Employers to Provide Automatic Payroll Deductions - WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mark Iwry and David C. John, Principals of the Retirement Security Project, released the following statement today commending the Commission on the Regulation of U.S. Capital Markets in the 21st Century, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on its recommendation of proposals to enhance retirement savings.

Headlines Only Edition

2007-03-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

1) Guy Carpenter Publishes Enterprise Risk
Analysis for Property & Liability Insurance Companies - NEW
YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global
risk and reinsurance specialist and part of the Marsh & McLennan
Companies (NYSE: MMC), today announced that it has published Enterprise
Risk Analysis for Property & Liability Insurance Companies, a
comprehensive, practical enterprise risk management (ERM) guide. The
book equips insurance executives, risk managers, actuaries, academics
and others with the latest strategies and applications in ERM, from the
field’s leading specialists and practitioners.

2) Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Releases 2007 Medical Cost Reference Guide - CHICAGO, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today announced
the release of the 2007 Medical Cost Reference Guide (MCRG). Now in its
fifth publication, the guide is one of the most comprehensive
collections of data available from government, academic, and business
sources, as well as from BCBSA. The guide is searchable online at
http://www.bcbs.com/betterknowledge/mcrg/. For a hard copy of the guide,
please e-mail: Resources@bcbsa.com

3) Swiss Re sigma Report - Although last
year was a relatively quiet one for major catastrophes, no one is
falling asleep at the switch. Too many factors indicate we live in
volatile times and the next big one could be just around the corner.
Swiss Re is pleased to send you its latest sigma report, focusing on
natural catastrophes. In it you'll find everything from a discussion of
the low frequency year to the innovative ways hurricane and earthquake
risks are being spread

4) Shift Toward Public Ownership In The
Financial Guaranty Industry Continues, Says Report - NEW YORK Feb.
14, 2007—Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it is seeing a greater
shift toward more public ownership among financial guaranty insurance
industry holding companies as some investor circumstances have changed,
some newer companies have matured, and financial investors implement
their exit strategies. In a report released today titled "Public
Ownership In The Financial Guaranty Insurance Industry Is Increasing,"
Standard & Poor's said that it feels this trend toward more public
ownership will continue.

5) U.S. Insurer Failures Continue To Fall In
2006, Report Says - NEW YORK Feb. 14, 2007-Standard & Poor's Ratings
Services has published its U.S. Insurer Failures article for 2006, which
states that the number companies placed under regulatory supervision
fell to 11, reaching low levels not seen in the past decade. - The
article, titled "U.S. Insurer Failures Maintain Downward Trend In 2006,"
says several factors contributed to the decline in failures. The
property/casualty (P/C) sector has prospered with improved earnings
leading to stronger balance sheets, lower levels of net loss reserve
deficiencies, and continued focus on enterprise risk management (ERM)
enhancements.

6) SEC struggling with options penalties – WSJ -
Thu Mar 8, 2007 12:39am ET - NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission is struggling to answer how much
companies and their shareholders were hurt when executives' stock
options were backdated, The Wall Street Journal reported. SEC Chairman
Christopher Cox and his four fellow commissioners are wrestling with the
issue as they try to figure out whether and how harshly to penalize
companies where backdating occurred, the Journal said

7) State Regulators “On The Ground” Helping
Consumers - WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 7, 2007) — National Association
of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) President and Alabama Insurance
Commissioner Walter Bell today told an insurance reform summit that
state insurance officials are on the ground protecting consumers every
day, and efforts to modernize insurance regulation must “enhance rather
than supplant” effective state consumer protections

8) NAIC Testifies Before Senate Committee On
Mccarran–Ferguson Exemption - WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 7, 2007) —
Speaking on behalf of the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners (NAIC), Iowa Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss testified
today before the Senate Judiciary Committee on consumer protection and
the McCarran–Ferguson exemption. - During her testimony, Voss delivered
the message that the NAIC supports the intent of Congress to protect
consumers by enabling federal investigation and prosecution of bad
actors that use the McCarran–Ferguson Act’s limited exemption for
insurance as a shield from federal antitrust law.

9) Smaller hedge funds may fade away when
markets turn - Thu Mar 8, 2007 8:50AM EST - By Elena Moya - LONDON
(Reuters) - Dozens of small hedge funds that have proliferated in London
over the past four years are in danger of disappearing because of
falling returns, growing competition and a possible change in the
economic cycle. - Though more than 450 hedge funds are now based in
London, which has become the industry's hot spot surpassing New York,
bankers, lawyers and accountants are already seeing the start of another
wave of change

10) 7 different Web Conferences with Bill Harris
and 7 presidents. - On March 13 and 14th, W.V.H., Inc. will have 7
different 30 minute web conferences that could change how other web
conferences in the industry are measured. During the first 15 minutes of
each web conference, a President of an insurance company or the
President of leading marketing organization will share how their company
can help financial professionals build their business. During the
remaining 15 minutes, Bill Harris, President of W.V.H., Inc. will unveil
different proven sales ideas at each conference

11) California Healthcare Institute Launches
Final Podcast Episode on Dangers of a Cost-based U.S. Healthcare System
- LA JOLLA, Calif., March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
California Healthcare Institute (CHI) today launched the final episode
of the podcast series, Cost Over Care: The Dangers of Bureaucratic
Medicine. As state and federal legislators design their healthcare
proposals, this podcast aims to educate policymakers about the dangers
of cost-based healthcare initiatives. The five-part podcast series can
be found on the California Healthcare Institute Web site,
http://www.chi.org, and is accessible on iTunes and other podcast
directories.

12) 2007's LONG-TERM CARE AWARENESS WEEK TO
FOCUS ON BABY BOOMERS - First Week In November Dedicated To Creating
Awareness Of Risk and Available Solutions For Pre-Retirement Consumers.
- The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), the
national trade organization serving insurance and financial
professionals who market long-term care financial solutions, has
established November 4 – 10, 2007 as Long-Term Care Awareness Week.

13) Historic Work Comp Reform First Step to
Improving State Economy, Says Independent Insurance Agents, Brokers of
NY - (DeWitt, New York, March 7, 2007) — With lightning speed, a
unified New York State Legislature passed a workers’ compensation bill
to reform a system that has weighed heavily on business, offered little
compensation to injured workers and contributed to jobs leaving the
Empire State. “This is a remarkable win-win situation for both workers
and employers,” said Gov. Eliot Spitzer during last week’s announcement
of the reform agreement between his office and key legislators.

14) Anticipating Growth in Shipping, Chubb
Unveils New Online Portal and Insurance Policy - WARREN, N.J., March
7 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses of all sizes are now looking overseas to
buy and sell products. To help its commercial customers manage the
shipment of goods around the world, the Chubb Group of Insurance
Companies has released a new ocean cargo policy and launched CargoPort,
an online system that enables businesses to view their policies, submit
claims and monitor shipping activities.

15) GlobalOptions Group Executive James Lee
Witt to Testify at House Small Business Committee in Washington Today -
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GlobalOptions Group, Inc. (OTCBB: GOPG),
a leading provider of domestic and international risk management
services, today announced that James Lee Witt, Former Director of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and CEO and Chairman of
GlobalOptions’ James Lee Witt Associates unit, a public safety and
crisis management consulting firm, will testify at a hearing of the
House Small Business Committee on behalf of the Small Business
Administration in Washington on Thursday, March 8, 2007.

16) HSB’s New Tax Interruption Coverage Helps
Towns Collect Revenue Lost Due to Property Damage - HARTFORD,
Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Towns, school districts and other municipalities
can recover tax revenue lost when a fire or other insured accident
destroys residential or commercial property with new coverage from The
Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company (HSB), the
specialty carrier announced today.

17) Flexpoint Partners Announces Acquisition of
Norwich Group, Inc. and Its Affiliated Companies - CHICAGO, March 7
/PRNewswire/ -- Flexpoint Partners, LLC announced today that it has
acquired a majority interest in Rosemont, PA-based Norwich Group, Inc.
and its affiliated companies via a newly formed holding company. Norwich
is a specialist in the development, implementation and administration of
commercial insurance products targeted to narrowly-defined industry
segments. In connection with the acquisition, Flexpoint will provide
capital to Norwich to support the company's plan to increase its
underwriting participation in the insurance programs it manages. The
company's co-founders, Kirby Hill and William McPherson, will continue
to serve as Chief Executive Officer and President, respectively, and
will maintain minority equity ownership in the company.

18) Castle, Petersen & Krause, LLP Announces
That a Notice of Collective Action Was Mailed Today to over Ten Thousand
Police Officers Eligible to Join an FLSA Overtime Lawsuit Filed against
the City of Los Angeles - NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Castle, Petersen & Krause, LLP announced that Notices of
Collective Action and Consent to Join Forms were mailed today to 10,670
Los Angeles Police Officers, including, but not limited to Lieutenants,
Sergeants, Detectives and Patrol Officers (“Officers”) who are eligible
to join the Alaniz, et al. v. City of Los Angeles (“Alaniz”) lawsuit.
Approximately six hundred Officers have already joined the Alaniz
Lawsuit, with approximately 75 Officers joining the case each week based
solely on word of mouth discussions and prior to receiving notice from
the court.

19) Fortis Invests Tax Equity in Iberdrola's
First Wholly Owned, Developed and Operating U.S. Wind Farm - NEW
YORK, March 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fortis (Euronext Amsterdam: FORA
/ Brussels: FORB), an international financial services provider engaged
in banking and insurance, announced today that it has closed and funded
a $26 million equity investment in Iberdrola's 26-megawatt Locust Ridge
wind farm located in Mahoney city in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania.
Fortis Capital, a division of Fortis, is the sole tax equity provider in
this project. Iberdrola is the world's leading owner and operator of
renewable energy facilities, with an installed capacity of 4,500 MW
worldwide.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) FBL Financial Group Announces Pricing of
Debt Offering - WEST DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FBL
Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:FFG) today announced the pricing of its
offering of $100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 5 7/8% Senior
Notes due 2017. The offering will be made to certain initial purchasers
pursuant to a private placement. The initial purchasers have informed
FBL that they will sell or offer the notes within the United States to
qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the
Securities Act of 1933 and to persons outside the United States in
compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. FBL Financial
Group plans to use the proceeds primarily for capital contributions to
its subsidiary, EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and for general
corporate purposes.

22) Wisconsin Businesses Commit to National
Initiative for Improving Quality and Value in Health Care -
MILWAUKEE, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today in
Milwaukee with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, executives from area
businesses signed statements of support for a national initiative aimed
at improving health care quality, information and cost-effectiveness for
employees and their families. The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare
Quality was recognized as a pilot site to pioneer new methods of
reporting on quality of care.

23) Indiana Businesses Commit to National
Initiative for Improving Quality and Value in Health Care -
INDIANAPOLIS, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today in
Indianapolis with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Governor Mitch Daniels,
executives from area businesses signed statements of support for a
national initiative aimed at improving health care quality, information
and cost- effectiveness for employees and their families. Governor Mitch
Daniels also agreed to support the effort, signing an Executive Order
committing the State of Indiana to this initiative for the State's
30,000 employees. The Indiana Health Information Exchange was recognized
as a pilot site to pioneer new methods of reporting on quality of care.

24) Proformance Insurance Launches Low-Cost
BlueStar Car Insurance (SM) - FREEHOLD, N.J., March 7 /PRNewswire/
-- The Proformance Insurance Company, a provider of specialized
property-casualty insurance products based in Freehold, N.J., today
announced the launch of BlueStar Car Insurance (SM), a new low-cost car
insurance policy designed to provide value, service and convenience to a
broad spectrum of New Jersey drivers.

25) Guardian Launches Coverage for Zila
Pharmaceutical's ViziLite(R) Plus Technology to Improve Oral Cancer
Screening - NEW YORK, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of
mounting evidence about the connection between oral health and overall
health, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) today
announced that it will offer coverage for ViziLite(R) Plus with
TBlue630(TM), an oral cancer screening technology that can detect early
signs of oral cancer. ViziLite Plus with TBlue630 can dramatically
increase chances of survival. Guardian is one of the first benefits
providers to offer ViziLite Plus coverage nationally through a dental
PPO network.

26) Beyond Mourning - Widows Who Embrace Life -
BLOOMINGTON, Ill., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year, more than
800,000 women are widowed in the United States(1). Many are left with
uncertain circumstances around their family, emotions and/or financial
future. Yet some women find extraordinary strength to overcome these
circumstances and persevere -- going beyond their grief to inspire
others. State Farm Life Insurance Company is looking to celebrate
personal achievements and share the life lessons of five of these women
during its 2007 Embrace Life Awards. Honorees will receive a $10,000
cash award and recognition at the Embrace Life Awards event in New York
City on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007.

27) Allstate Named Top Company for Executive
Women Fifth Year in a Row - NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Allstate is one of the top 10 best companies for executive women
in the country according to The National Association of Female
Executives (NAFE). Thirty companies were named to this list recognizing
companies for their exemplary programs that promote the advancement of
women in leadership positions. Allstate is the only Illinois-based
company to be recognized with this distinction.

28) Prudential Annuities Announces Enhancements
to Highest Daily Lifetime Fivesm - NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Prudential Annuities, the domestic annuity business for
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) today announced enhancements to
Highest Daily Lifetime Five, a variable annuity optional living benefit
that guarantees, subject to the program rules, a five percent income
stream every year for life based on the highest of each daily account
value grown at five percent annual compounded growth to the date of the
first withdrawal.

29) Aetna, WorkingRx Share Information to Help
Employers Reduce Workers’ Comp Pharmacy Costs - HARTFORD,
Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna Workers’ Comp Access® (AWCA) and
WorkingRx™ have signed an agreement that gives AWCA pharmacy customers
unique cost-saving advantages. Under the agreement AWCA and WorkingRx
will share information so that prescriptions for eligible injured
workers, especially those who may not yet be enrolled in AWCA’s pharmacy
benefit management (PBM) program, can be matched to the program and
their corresponding formulary significantly faster -- often once the
first prescription is processed.

30) Global Finance Leaders Tackle Regulatory
Compliance Issues at 2007 Mantas User Conference - NEW
YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mantas Inc., a business of i-flex® solutions and
a provider of regulatory compliance, loss prevention and revenue
generation solutions, reports another constructive and informative user
group conference, held this year at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in
Miami, Florida. Over 200 participants from around the world and all
sectors of the financial services industry attended the event to discuss
today’s challenges in regulatory compliance.

31) Parameds.com (PDC) Presents Industry Study
Mapping the Growth and Future of “Remote Underwriting” to the Society of
Actuaries - (March 8, 2007) Kew Gardens, NY— Eli Rowe, CEO of
Parameds.com, a PDC company, addressed the current state of remote
underwriting at the Third Annual SOA Tele-Underwriting Seminar hosted by
the Society of Actuaries in Phoenix, Arizona today. The focus of the
presentation was on PDC’s recently released comprehensive study
analyzing the growing use of remote underwriters in Life, Disability,
Long-Term Care, and Health insurance risk management.

32) AIA To Focus On Reinsurance, Catastrophe
Issues, And Modernizing Personal Lines Regulation At NAIC Meeting -
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 8, 2007– The American Insurance Association (AIA)
supports a broad-based evaluation of the U.S. reinsurance regulatory
system, but remains opposed to the Reinsurance Evaluation Office (REO)
proposal that state insurance regulators will continue to discuss during
the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) meeting,
March 9-12, in New York

33) The Parker Group, Inc. Enters New Financial
Era - Lubbock, TX (March 7, 2007) - The Parker Group, Inc., a
leading, integrated health care services company headquartered in
Lubbock, Texas, BMO Capital Markets and Ares Capital, announced today
the successful completion of the company’s refinancing efforts
establishing a stable, long-term capital structure and positioning the
organization for another strong growth period

34) "Who Says I'm Not Disabled?" New Writing
Seminar Targets Disability Claims Professionals - MARCH 15, 2007.
PORT WASHINGTON, NY - When a claims professional tries to explain to
policyholders that they are not entitled to disability insurance, there
may be hundreds of thousands of dollars riding on how clearly and
concisely the letter makes its case. - Now, there's a claims writing
seminar aimed solely at disability professionals who require the special
blend of medical knowledge, persuasive skills, and clear phrasing to
make policyholders understand and accept difficult disability decisions.

Headlines Only Edition

2007-03-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

1) State Regulation Costly and Inefficient, According to NAILBA Survey - Small Businesses Pay an Average of $12,600 Annually to Comply with State Regulations - March 7, 2007 - It is the responsibility of wholesale independent brokerage agencies to ensure that consumers are offered the best product at the best price by their life insurance agent. -- However, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA), over 89% of survey respondents, who reach approximately 125,000 life insurance agents, indicated that they have been unable to offer the same products from one state to another, due to the inefficiencies of today’s regulatory environment.

2) BIG “I” SAYS INSURANCE ANTITRUST EXEMPTION IMPORTANT TO POLICYHOLDERS - WASHINGTON, D.C., March 7, 2007—The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) today urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to retain the McCarran-Ferguson limited antitrust exemption for the business of insurance. The Big “I”, the nation’s largest insurance association with 300,000 members, argued that repeal of the exemption could have negative implications for insurance consumers.

3) NAMIC Warns Congress of Unintended Consequences - WASHINGTON (March 7, 2007) — The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) today urged Congress to reject attempts to repeal the limited antitrust exemptions allowed for insurance companies. Such action could reduce competition, increase insurance costs, and reduce availability for some high-risk coverages, NAMIC said in a written statement submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel held a hearing on efforts to repeal the McCarran Ferguson Act.

4) AIA President: Repeal Of Mccarran Would Be Harmful To Insurance Regulation And Consumers - WASHINGTON, D.C, March 7, 2007 – Gov. Marc Racicot, president of the American Insurance Association (AIA), told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today that repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act would destroy the balance between insurance regulation and antitrust litigation. - Racicot testified during the committee’s hearing on "The McCarran-Ferguson Act and Antitrust Immunity: Good for Consumers?" about the scope of McCarran’s limited protection from federal antitrust laws, and the negative consequences of repealing McCarran, as proposed in Senate legislation introduced this year (S. 618).

5) PIA hails WC victory as bill heads to Governor - PIANY legislative update Workers’ compensation reform heads to Governor; PIANY hails victory. A historic workers’ compensation reform bill, based on an agreement announced last week, was fast-tracked for speedy action this week. It has passed both the Assembly and the Senate unanimously today (March 6).

6) John Hancock Ranks Number One in Life Insurance Sales in 2006 - BOSTON, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock led the industry in total individual life insurance sales in 2006, according to a recent survey of 78 major life insurers by LIMRA International (LIMRA). - According to LIMRA, John Hancock's sales reached $735 million in total annualized premium in 2006, an increase of almost 20 percent in 2006, while industry sales grew 6.6 percent. John Hancock moved into the top spot in 2006 after finishing at number 3 in 2005 and number 5 in 2004.

7) Conning Announces its Enterprise Risk Management Initiative for Property-Casualty Insurers - HARTFORD, Conn., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Conning today announced its initiative in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) for property-casualty insurers, including the release of its AFFIRM(TM) Enterprise Risk Management software solution. -- "This unique ERM solution achieves the dual objectives of allowing management to stress-test its annual business plan and provide simplified ERM on a true calendar/accident year basis. Our resulting ERM software model -- AFFIRM(TM) -- captures the benefits of ERM in a practical system that reduces resource requirements and eliminates steep learning curves."

8) Scruggs Katrina Group Responds to Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Dale's Agreement with State Farm - OXFORD, Miss., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Insurance Commissioner Dale held a press conference this afternoon to announce he reached an agreement with State Farm that required the company to reopen only "slab" cases. - Richard "Dickie" Scruggs responded by saying, "Been there done that. The Dale 'agreement' merely requires State Farm to do what the law has always required them to do. It is clearly an election year illusion by State Farm to help its favorite commissioner."

9) Aon Consulting Adds E-Discovery Experts Throughout U.S. - CHICAGO, March 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aon Consulting, the human capital consulting organization of Aon Corporation (NYSE: AOC), announced today that Daniel Junk, Lela Laurent and Clifford Shnier have joined the Electronic Discovery unit of its IT Risk Consulting group. This group is part of the company's Financial Advisory and Litigation Consulting Services practice. -- Aon's Electronic Discovery unit provides clients worldwide with customized solutions that include data collection, preservation, conversion, processing and hosting; digital data management; large-scale data warehousing; data mining and analytics; relationship/pattern identification and analysis; and multiple web-based tools to facilitate document review and production.

10) Most Workers Underestimate Chances, Impact of Disability, Survey Shows - PORTLAND, Maine, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A growing number of American workers are forecasted to experience a disability -- an accident or illness that will keep them out of work at least three months – during their career. But the majority of workers in a new survey said they were not concerned about the possibility of becoming disabled. In fact, more than 80 percent of workers said they believe their chances of becoming disabled are far lower than actual statistics report, according to the 2007 Disability Awareness Survey, released today by the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA).

11) Indiana Businesses Commit to National Initiative for Improving Quality and Value in Health Care - INDIANAPOLIS, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today in Indianapolis with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Governor Mitch Daniels, executives from area businesses signed statements of support for a national initiative aimed at improving health care quality, information and cost- effectiveness for employees and their families. Governor Mitch Daniels also agreed to support the effort, signing an Executive Order committing the State of Indiana to this initiative for the State's 30,000 employees. The Indiana Health Information Exchange was recognized as a pilot site to pioneer new methods of reporting on quality of care.

12) Aegon gets more than 90 pct of Clark shares in offer - AMSTERDAM, March 7 (Reuters) - Dutch insurer Aegon NV (AEGN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research)(AEG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that its tender offer for executive benefits company Clark Inc. (CLK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) had expired with more than 90 percent of the shares tendered.

13) Report Examines Structural Factors Affecting Health Care Coverage of Small Firm Workers - WASHINGTON, March 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A report issued today by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration examines structural factors affecting health care coverage of small firm workers. Unlike most previous efforts of analysis, the study focuses on state and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) factors that influence employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) coverage rates and per capita health care expenditures.

14) Lawyers Win With Expanded Coverage From Swiss Re - OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss Re's Commercial Insurance today announced the launch of its excess layer coverage for law firms, complementing its highly-regarded first layer product, which has been available for more than 30 years. - Brokers will benefit from the ease of implementation of Swiss Re lawyers excess product. It is designed to follow the form of the underlying policy, features a broad range of attachment points and is available in all 50 states.

15) New York Life Contributes $2 Million to Establish Center for Retirement Income at The American College - The American College announced today that New York Life Insurance Company is donating $2 million to establish the New York Life Center for Retirement Income to help address the demand for sound retirement income solutions among retired Americans. The gift, to the nation’s leading non-profit educator of insurance and financial professionals, will provide permanent support for programming and research at The College.

16) Xactware Releases 2006 Property Report - Orem, Utah, March 7, 2007 — Xactware recently released its 2006 Property Report, which highlights and analyzes industry trends from the past year. “The 2006 Property Report not only provides insights about what happened in the property industry in 2006, it also helps indicate what to expect in 2007,” said Jim Loveland, Xactware president and CEO.

17) Work & Family Benefits, Inc. Introduces Web-based Benefits "Command and Communications" Hub - Parsippany, NJ -- February 28, 2007 -- Work & Family Benefits, Inc. (WFB), the nation's largest provider of dependent care resources and referral services to employer clients, today introduces My Benefits, a Web-enabled communications portal that provides small and medium-sized business (SMBs) with a flexible, ready-to-deploy solution that integrates the full continuum of benefits with custom communications that promote "informed utilization."

18) PIANJ: Agents will investigate ways to save money, become more efficient at “Get Real-Time” symposium - TRENTON, N.J.—Insurance agencies looking to save time and money need to attend the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey Inc.’s “Get Real-Time” symposium, Tuesday, April 17, 2007, at the Clarion Hotel & Towers, Edison, N.J., from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- Moderated by Steve Anderson, creator of The Automated Agency Report, the event will feature demonstrations of real-time transactions showing actual inquiry/response transactions and real-time, multiple carrier rating. Speakers will include Carolyn J. Durland, CPCU, AUGIE facilitator and manager; Dave Acker, senior vice president and Nellie Massoni, integration product specialist for AMS Services; and Doug Johnston, executive vice president, Interface Services for Applied Systems.

19) New Asset Liability Management Master Class And Seminar Series To Debut This Year - TORONTO—March 5, 2007—The Society of Actuaries and Nexus Risk Management Inc. announce the launch of a new master class and seminar series on asset liability management that will focus on pensions, as well as two stand-alone classes on dynamic hedging and interest rate models. - The new series will be conducted in Europe, Asia and North America and will build on the internationally acclaimed course Asset Liability Management Techniques and Practices for Insurance Companies.

20 ) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of the Day”

21) The American College Center For Ethics In Financial Services Urges Financial Service Companies To “Get Active” In Ethics Awareness Month - BRYN MAWR, PA – March 2, 2007 – The American College Center for Ethics in Financial Services, the only endowed collegiate center devoted exclusively to the study of values and good business practices for the financial services industry, today called on the industry to actively participate in Ethics Awareness Month activities during the month of March. To aid professionals and their organizations in reinforcing the importance of sound ethical business practices, The American College is sponsoring a variety of activities and information tools.

22) Primerica Life, National Benefit Life Renew Qualification In IMSA, Ethical Standards Organization - Bethesda, MD (March 5, 2007) – Primerica Life Insurance Company, Duluth, GA, and its subsidiary, National Benefit Life Insurance Company, New York, NY, have qualified to renew their membership in the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), the premier standards-setting organization for the life insurance marketplace.

23) John M.Word III Addresses Orange County Association of Health Underwriters on the State of “Consumer Choice in Healthcare” - (ORANGE, CA – February 27, 2007) — John M. Word III, co-founder of The Word & Brown Companies and a leading expert on Employee Choice health benefit programs, was a featured speaker on the topic “Consumer Choice in Healthcare and Its Dynamic Effects in the Marketplace” at the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters (OCAHU) sales symposium February l3 in Anaheim. OCAHU is the local chapter of the National Association of Health Underwriters, a nationwide trade association representing more than 20,000 health insurance agents, brokers, consultants and professionals who serve employers and individual consumers in accessing and purchasing affordable health insurance and related products.

24) SNL Financial Now Provides Research Reports From MarshBerry - Charlottesville, VA (February 27, 2007) - SNL Financial, the leading sector-focused provider of essential business intelligence to investment banks, money managers and corporations, today announced the immediate availability of equity research reports from MarshBerry via SNL's online information service. -- Marsh, Berry & Company, Inc., founded in 1981, is a specialized consulting firm dedicated to helping shareholders within various insurance distribution channels maximize the value of their organization as well as their return on equity through proven growth strategies, enhanced operating efficiencies, access to proprietary information, learning and sharing opportunities, and the diminution of risk. Services include agency valuations, perpetuation planning, compensation strategies, financial management, strategic planning, and mergers & acquisitions.

28) NEW EXPERT COMMENTARY FROM IRMI.COM - There are now over 800 risk management and insurance articles on IRMI.com. Below you'll find summaries of some recent additions with links to the articles.

29) INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles - Recent articles added to INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise intelligence database of over 27,000 articles including interviews, uniquely analysed by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT topics. Please click here for a content overview and a 15-day free review.

30) NAMIC Urges Lawmakers to Take a Balanced View of Insurance Issues - WASHINGTON (Feb. 28, 2007) – Federal lawmakers should reject calls to revamp or further regulate the insurance industry and instead allow the system to function as it’s currently designed, according to the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC). Insurers, regulators, and policymakers need to collaborate to find ways to reduce property risks to homeowners in states vulnerable to catastrophic storms. The comments came as members of a congressional panel were set to question insurers’ actions after the 2005 hurricane season.

31) ABA INSURANCE PROGRAM OFFERS $5 MILLION STAMP SIGNATURE GUARANTEE BOND FOR COMMUNITY BANKS - WASHINGTON, March 6 – The American Bankers Association today announced that the ABA-sponsored insurance program, underwritten by Progressive Casualty Insurance Co., will now provide limits up to $5 million on STAMP Signature Guaranty Bonds for community banks.

32) NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp Helps Arizona Seniors Find Benefits - WASHINGTON, DC, February 28, 2007 -- Though many programs exist to help older Americans with limited means, millions of dollars go unclaimed each year because seniors don’t know about them. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) developed BenefitsCheckUp®, an online service, to helps seniors, family members and organizations identify benefits for which they are eligible.

33) Over 100 Companies, 8,000 Employees Register for FreeTotalCompStatements.com ROCKLIN, CA / February 27, 2007 – FreeTotalCompStatements.com (www.FreeTCS.com) -- the first free, on-demand total compensation statement software -- has registered over 100 companies representing more than 8,000 benefit-eligible employees in its first 60 days of operation. Clients that have signed up for the statement software range across all industries, including banking, insurance, manufacturing, non-profit, education and technology. The rapid growth reflects a growing trend in compensation package reporting, according to Ray O’Donnell, President of TotalRewards Software, Inc., the developer of FreeTCS.com.

34) Consumer-based Alternatives to Federal Prescription Drug Price Negotiations Hold Promise - Baton Rouge, LA (PRWEB) February 26, 2007 -- A recent AARP poll shows a whopping 85% of all Americans supporting federal price negotiations with pharmaceutical companies as a way to lower prescription drug prices. The House of Representatives recently passed HR-4, paving the way for Medicare to look for bargains. The current climate may lead you to think that a solution to high-priced medication is on the horizon. Many experts, however, warn that may not be the case.

35) U.S. Business Bankruptcies To Increase By 12% In 2007 - February 28, 2007 (OWINGS MILLS, MD) – The nation's continued economic slowdown – coupled with increased costs of doing business – will cause the number of American business bankruptcies to rise this year. Following a business failures rate in 2006 that was the nations lowest since 1980, the number should rise by approximately 12% in 2007 according to analysis from global trade credit insurer and accounts receivable management service provider Euler Hermes ACI.

36) “Best Insurers of Russia" - Moscow, 28 February 2007 - In the Reactions Magazine issue of February 2007 (top rate international financial magazine on insurance and reinsurance) revealed the results of their research named “Best Insurers of Russia". The research was conducted in the end of 2006. The respondents (top management of the leading insurance industry enterprises) were not restricted to a list of companies to choose from — they could vote for whichever firms they wanted.

37) AIG Offers 50 Full Scholarships to Gifted Summer Program - STAMFORD, Conn., March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) today announced that American International Group, Inc. (AIG) will provide 50 full scholarships to academically advanced students in grades four through 11 from families with limited incomes to attend a three- week SIG program in 2007.

38) NFCC Teams with MSN Money to Reach Millions of Consumers with Financial Education - March 6, 2007 - The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) has joined forces with MSN Money (http://money.msn.com) to directly assist consumers with financial education in 2007. - The MSN Money and NFCC relationship offers a unique opportunity to provide direct personal financial assistance from certified credit counselors to consumers through the MSN Money Web site. It is an unprecedented relationship for both MSN Money and the NFCC, taking advantage of the power of each entity's brand to reach millions of consumers in need of assistance annually.

39) PIACT voices concern over bills on coverage for coastal areas - HARTFORD, CONN.—The Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut Inc., in written testimony submitted to the Insurance & Real Estate Committee, voiced concerns over raised House Bill 7059; proposed House Bill 5673; and proposed House Bill 6667. Each bill stems from the outcry caused last summer by one insurance company’s decision to require its coastal policyholders to install permanent hurricane shutters on their homes. PIACT is concerned about the precedent these bills could create and commented that they might be unnecessary, given the market options available to policyholders.

40) Two of the Most Successful P&C Seminars on Product Management and Pricing/Rate Making to be Held in Chicago, Las Vegas and Boston - BEACHWOOD, Ohio, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Dorman Consulting Associates' two highly successful product related seminars for the Property & Casualty industry have each been scheduled in Chicago, Las Vegas and Boston this Spring. More than 7000 employees from over 725 P&C companies and Managing General Agencies have already attended these two seminars. The popularity of both seminars is verified by more than 97% of attendees saying they would recommend the program to others in their company. Both seminars are designed for anyone involved with the underwriting, development, design, pricing, management or marketing of any P&C product in both Personal and Commercial Lines.

Headlines Only Edition

2007-03-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

1) UnitedHealth completes 12-yr options
restatement - By Lewis Krauskopf - NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) -
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on
Tuesday it completed an earnings restatement of up to $1.5 billion tied
to its stock options accounting, sending its shares up as much as 3
percent on hopes an end to the scandal was in sight.

2) Axa bids 1.1 bln euro for MPS Vita
stake-sources - Tue Mar 6, 2007 11:10AM EST By Stefano Bernabei and
Mathieu Robbins - ROME/LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - French insurer Axa (AXAF.PA:
Quote, Profile, Research) is offering to pay about 1.1 billion euros
($1.44 billion) for the 50 percent stake in the life insurance business
of Italian bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena it is in exclusive talks
to buy, sources familiar with the matter said. - The French insurer
would pay cash and may contribute some assets or sign contracts with MPS
as part of the payment, the sources said on Tuesday.

3) Citigroup bids $10.8 bln for broker Nikko
Cordial - Tue Mar 6, 2007 9:55AM EST By Jonathan Soble - TOKYO
(Reuters) - Citigroup bid $10.8 billion for Japan's scandal-hit Nikko
Cordial Corp. on Tuesday, hoping to secure its biggest Asian deal and
mark its resurgence in the world's second-biggest economy. - Citigroup,
the largest U.S. bank but a small player in Japan outside of corporate
investment banking, is making a broader effort to revamp its business in
Japan, the scene of some of its most painful missteps in recent years.

4) AIA ENCOURAGED BY U.S. HOUSE HEARING ON TRIA
- NEW YORK, March 5, 2007– Today's congressional hearing in New York
on "The Need to Extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act" is another
encouraging indication that lawmakers recognize the importance of
addressing this issue sooner, rather than later, according to the
American Insurance Association (AIA). -- Today's hearing by the House
Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and
Government Sponsored Enterprises, coupled with last week's Senate
Banking Committee hearing on the same topic demonstrate that Congress is
indeed committed to focusing on TRIEA’s (Terrorism Risk Insurance
Extension Act) expiration, which is scheduled for the end of this year.

5) PIA Urges Congress to Enact Long-Term Solution for Terrorism Insurance - NEW YORK — Congress should pass a long-term solution to insuring for possible terrorist threats well before the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) expires at the end of this year, according to the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA). -- PIA also endorsed expanding the current program to include nuclear, biological, and chemical and radiological (NBCR) coverage. “Attacks of this nature must be addressed because the severe magnitude cannot be absorbed by the insurance industry without federal participation.”

6) BIG “I” EMPHASIZES NEED FOR FEDERAL ROLE IN
TERRORISM INSURANCE - WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2007—In the heart of the world’s financial markets, the Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers of America (the Big “I”) today urged Congress to protect the
country’s economic stability by ensuring availability of terrorism risk
insurance through a continued federal role. - The Big “I” testified
before the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Capital
Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises during a field
hearing in New York City.

7) Giuliani sells investment bank as
campaign heats up - Mon Mar 5, 2007 11:01AM EST - NEW YORK (Reuters)
- Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has agreed to sell his
boutique investment bank to Australian financial group Macquarie Group,
the companies said on Monday, as the presidential hopeful ramps up his
campaign. -- "The mayor is very much dedicated to focusing his attention
on running for president," a source close to Giuliani Partners said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

8) Genetic conditions often lead to
insurance refusal - Mon Mar 5, 2007 4:01pm ET By David Douglas - NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - People with sickle cell disease or cystic
fibrosis -- two genetic disorders -- are twice as likely to be denied
health insurance coverage compared with those with other chronic
illnesses, according to the results of a survey. - "All persons with
chronic medical conditions should be legitimately concerned about access
to health insurance," lead investigator Dr. Nancy Kass told Reuters
Health, "but individuals with genetic conditions may have additional
reasons to worry."

9) Fortune’s Fortress: A Primer on Wealth Preservation
for Hedge Fund Professionals - Timely and revealing, Fortune’s
Fortress: A Primer on Wealth Preservation for Hedge Fund Professionals,
comes as a long overdue response to the needs and unique challenges
faced by hedge fund professionals. Recently cited in the Wall Street
Journal’s, the book seeks to drill down and analyze the largely private
world of the hedge fund manager on a personal level

10) NAMIC Asks N.J. Lawmakers to Consider
Consequences Before Imposing Underwriting Restrictions on Auto Insurers
- INDIANAPOLIS (March 5, 2007) – New Jersey drivers could see a
return to high prices and fewer choices for their insurance if
legislators adopt underwriting restrictions. Senate Bill 1714 would
represent a “significant step backward for New Jersey, and it could very
well be the first step toward a return to a moribund market,” said Paul
Tetrault, state affairs manager for the National Association of Mutual
Insurance Companies (NAMIC).

11) Paulson: U.S. housing credit risks contained
- Tue Mar 6, 2007 1:35am ET - TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson said on Tuesday that a weakened housing market
will not have a major impact on the U.S. financial sector, which he
described as quite healthy.

12) Managed Account Services Successful Within
401(k) Plans - Assets Top $2 Billion - COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--More than 60 percent of private-sector workers who have access to
a 401(k) plan say that it’s their primary retirement savings vehicle.1
But, understanding how to correctly invest for retirement can be a
difficult task. In fact, 70 percent of employees feel that selecting the
appropriate financial products and services is a complicated process.2
Since Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:NFS), acquired RIA
Services, Inc. in March 2005, more than 65,000 participants in 3,000
plans have invested $2 billion in managed account services.

13) Advantedge Healthcare Solutions Acquires
Professional Billing & Management Services, Inc. - WARREN,
N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advantedge Healthcare Solutions (“AHS”), a
technology-enabled applications services provider (“ASP”) that offers
medical billing services to physician groups using its proprietary
software called Virtual Manager, today announced its acquisition of
Professional Billing & Management Services, Inc. (“PBMS”), a premier and
long standing anesthesia billing company located in Chambersburg, PA.

14) ACE Streamlines PI Risk Requirements on
imarket - LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACE European Group
(ACE)(NYSE:ACE) is continuing to enhance its e-commerce offerings to UK
brokers with the launch of a more streamlined Professional Indemnity
(PI) product on imarket. - ACE specific standards relating to risk for
PI have been reduced by 50 per cent on the trading portal. This move
will simplify the quote request process, reduce administration time and
help brokers to cut costs.

15) Max Re Capital Ltd. Plans Name Change to Max
Capital Group Ltd. - HAMILTON, BERMUDA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Max Re
Capital Ltd. (NASDAQ: MXRE; BSX: MXRE BH) today announced that it will
seek shareholder approval to change the Company’s name from Max Re
Capital Ltd. to Max Capital Group Ltd. at the Company’s 2007 Annual
General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) to be held on Friday, May 4, 2007.
The decision reflects the Company’s strategic evolution from its initial
focus on reinsurance seven years ago to a balanced mix of specialty
insurance and reinsurance products today.

16) KRG Capital Partners Announces Frank Gates
Companies and Attenta Merge - DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Frank
Gates Companies and Attenta announced today the two national risk
management service companies have merged. With 61 and 42 years in the
industry respectively, the combined company has 100+ years of experience
in risk management.

17) Banks’ Mutual Fund and Annuity Fee Income
Increases 7.2 Percent to $5.4 Billion in 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE – Radnor, PA, March 5, 2007 – Banks increased their 2006 mutual
fund and annuity fee income by 7.2 percent to a record $5.38 billion, up
from $5.02 billion in 2005, according to The 2007 Michael White-Symetra
Bank Fee Income Report™ (Bank-FIR™).

18) 2007 will be one of the most challenging in
contact center outsourcings history - London, 8 March 2007 Coming
hot on the heels of UK bank Lloyds TSBs announcement last week that it
is to move its contact center operations from Mumbai to the UK, a report
by independent market analyst Datamonitor (DTM.L) says contact center
outsourcing providers are set to face tremendous challenges with the
emergence of late-adopting vertical markets. According to the report
2007 Trends to Watch: Contact Center Outsourcing and Services, the
evolution of horizontal functions will also challenge contact center
outsourcers, as more investors move toward one-stop-shops for multiple
services. In addition Technology shifts will be an area of concern for
outsourcing vendors, as end-users rapidly adopt new and sophisticated
contact channels.

19) Market Barometer - February 2007 - Double
Digit Decreases - The P&C composite rate index is down 10% for
February 2007. There were no rate increases in any line of coverage. --
Richard Kerr, Chairman and CEO of MarketScout stated, “Barring a
catastrophic wind season or other natural catastrophe, 2007 will be a
tough year with rate decreases continuing throughout the year. However,
as is true with the stock market, the insurance market will correct
itself at some point. Strategic investors are positioning themselves to
capitalize on the market turn. It’s coming, just not anytime soon.”

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) Six questions investors must ask in today’s
bewildering market. - J. Michael Martin of Financial Advantage,
Inc., Columbia, Md., a top fee-only financial advisory firm, says all
investors should ask themselves, or their advisors, these questions:
1. Am I paying attention to the global fight
for non-renewable resources like energy, industrial metals and gold?

2. Am I examining each company specifically
instead of hiding behind indexes? “Indexed investing by itself is
passé. Indexes conceal as much as they reveal, and they harbor
companies that simply won’t survive the coming disruptions.”
3. Am I actively diversifying risk?
Traditional “style boxes” are almost meaningless. What are the
fundamental success drivers and risk factors for the companies in my
portfolio?
4. Am I investing in companies whose leaders
“get” the new style of collaborative management? Executives stuck in
the past can’t lead their companies to success.
5. Am I investing in countries whose leaders
understand the importance of political and economic freedom?
6. Am I paying attention to valuation and not
overpaying even for great companies?

22) Foster Wheeler to Ring NASDAQ Opening Bell
on March 9, 2007 - HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Foster
Wheeler Ltd. (NASDAQ: FWLT) announced today that chairman and chief
executive officer Raymond J. Milchovich will ring The NASDAQ Stock
Market Opening Bell on Friday, March 9, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern), in
celebration of the Company’s recent announcement of the highest annual
net income ever achieved in its 116-year history.

23) Ping An’s Unit Receives a License to Manage
Assets in Hong Kong - HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Hong Kong
Securities and Futures Commission has granted Ping An of China Asset
Management (Hong Kong) Company Limited (“Ping An Asset Management (Hong
Kong)”) a license to conduct asset management business in Hong Kong. -
With the granting of the license for a Type 9 regulated activity on
March 1, 2007, Ping An Asset Management (Hong Kong) will be able to
provide equity, bond and other investment portfolio management services
for all subsidiaries, onshore and offshore units of Ping An Insurance
(Group) Company of China Ltd (“Ping An”; HKSE:2318; SSE:601318).

24) National Investment Managers Inc. Closes
Acquisition of Connecticut-Based Pentec, Inc. - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--National Investment Managers Inc. (OTC BB: NIVM), a
nationally-operated and regionally-based retirement plan administration
and investment management company, announced today that it has closed on
the acquisition of Pentec, Inc., as well as its sister company, Pentec
Capital Management, Inc., both based in Southington, CT. The transaction
was valued at $3.5 million, with $1.8 million paid in cash, $1.45
million in notes and the balance in common stock valued at $0.62 per
share.

25) Is It Too Late to Refinance Your Mortgage?
MetLife Bank Provides Tips and Resources for Refinancing -
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This past year, many Americans took
advantage of low interest rates by refinancing their mortgages,
resulting in thousands of dollars in savings over the term of the
mortgage. Many consumers are wondering whether they've missed the boat
on the refinancing boom, when in fact, rates are at near-historically
low levels, and at their lowest in a year. It's still a great time to
consider locking in today’s rates for a 15-, 20-, or 30-year
term—especially if a consumer is facing an increase in rates from an
adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM).

26) Progressive and LoJack Offering Discount on
Comprehensive Insurance and Stolen Vehicle Recovery System, Respectively
- MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As a leading writer of
commercial auto insurance, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies
continues to see the theft rate for vehicles it insures in Florida
increase year after year. Increased theft drives up the cost of
commercial auto insurance as higher premiums are needed to cover the
cost of Comprehensive coverage, that part of a policy that pays for
theft.

27) Lightyear Capital Completes Final Closing on
Second Financial Services Buyout Fund - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Lightyear Capital LLC (“Lightyear”), a private equity firm
focused on financial services, announced today that it completed the
final close of its second private equity fund, Lightyear Fund II, L.P.
(“Fund II”), with over $850 million in capital commitments, surpassing
its target of $800 million. With the closing of Fund II, Lightyear has
raised and, through its affiliated funds, managed approximately $3
billion of committed capital.

28) Whole Health Management to Operate on-Site
Wellness Center for Manatee County Employees - CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Whole Health Management, a leading operator of on-site clinics
for large self-insured corporations, and Manatee County of Southwest
Florida announce they will open a 5,600 square-foot health and wellness
center in early summer 2007 to service employees working at
approximately 60 sites throughout the county. The on-site clinic will
offer quality health services to nearly 5,500 Manatee county employees
and their spouses, as well as dependents over the age of 18 and retirees
under 65 years of age.

29) America Service Group Inc. Announces Plan
for Strategic Alliance between Prison Health Services, Inc. and Maxor
National Pharmacy Services Corporation - BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--America Service Group Inc. (NASDAQ:ASGR) announced today that a
non-binding proposal letter has been executed for Maxor National
Pharmacy Services Corporation (Maxor) to acquire, at book value, certain
assets of Secure Pharmacy Plus, LLC (SPP), an affiliate of the Company.
As part of this proposed transaction, Maxor would become the exclusive
provider of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to Prison Health
Services, Inc. (PHS), the principal operating subsidiary of the Company.

30) RMS LAUNCHES EXAM PREPARATION PROGRAM FOR
THE CERTIFIED CATASTROPHE RISK ANALYST (CCRA) DESIGNATION - Newark,
Calif. - March 5, 2007 - Risk Management Solutions (RMS), the world's
leading provider of products and services for the management of
catastrophe risk, has launched the Certified Catastrophe Risk Analyst
(CCRA(tm)) Exam Prep program, a comprehensive self-study review program
that allows experienced catastrophe risk analysis professionals to
prepare for the RMS CCRA exam without attending the six-week Catastrophe
Analysis Training (CAT) program.

Headlines Only Edition

2007-03-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

1) Labor, Business and Health Care Groups Part Ways with MMA’s Healthy
Minnesota Committee - ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Representatives of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the
Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota Nurses Association and
Medica, as well as former state representative Fran Bradley – all of
whom participated on the Healthy Minnesota Steering Committee – parted
ways with the committee today on the proposed legislation that they say
fails to address the most pressing health care issue – the tremendous
escalation of health care costs.

2) Insurance Mandate With No Cost Controls Is Undue Burden On Patients -
SANTA MONICA, Calif. March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health plans
approved today under Massachusetts' health insurance mandate would be
unaffordable for many citizens due to high out of pocket costs and no
regulation of future rate increases, said the nonprofit nonpartisan
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). The cheapest plan
providing minimum coverage could cost a 56-year-old, living in Boston
and making $30,000 a year, a third of his income in health expenses.

3) SEC probes possible abuse in exec trading plans - Thu Mar 8, 2007
7:07PM EST By Karey Wutkowski - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating if executives are
illegally trading on insider information and using a preset trading plan
to avoid suspicion, a senior agency official said on Thursday. - A
recent Stanford University study showed that executives' stock trades
under preset trading plans performed nearly 6 percent better than
executives' trades that were not part of such a plan, SEC Enforcement
Director Linda Thomsen said.

4) Forbes list shows rich getting richer - Fri Mar 9, 2007 12:39AM
EST By Herbert Lash - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's richest are
getting younger and richer with more Russians and Indians cropping up
among the 946 people on Forbes magazine's 2007 billionaires list
unveiled on Thursday. - The number of billionaires is 19 percent higher
than last year when there were 793, and their total net worth grew 35
percent to $3.5 trillion, the magazine said.

5) ING, Kookmin to discuss ING unit stake-source - By Kim Yeon-hee
- SEOUL, March 9 (Reuters) - South Korea's Kookmin Bank is set to
negotiate to sell a stake in an insurance unit of ING Groep NV (ING.AS:
Quote, Profile, Research) back to the Dutch firm, a source close to the
talks said on Friday, a deal which could end their strategic tie-ups.
-- But the South Korean lender has to reduce its holding in the life
insurer to below 15 percent by the end of 2007, complying with
regulators' conditions after it bought half of a small-sized domestic
life insurance firm in 2004.

6) AXA near deal on S.Korea's Kyobo auto insurer - Fri Mar 9, 2007
12:43AM EST - SEOUL, March 9 (Reuters) - French insurer AXA (AXAF.PA:
Quote, Profile, Research) is close to buying a majority of the online
auto insurance unit of South Korea's Kyobo Life Insurance Co. Ltd., a
regulatory official said on Friday, in a deal reportedly worth $106
million. - The purchase would make AXA, Europe's No. 2 insurer, the
first foreign player in South Korea's $6.5 billion auto insurance
market. It withdrew from South Korea's life insurance market in 2001.

7) New Century seen filing bankruptcy - Fri Mar 9, 2007 11:08AM EST
- NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Century Financial Corp. (NEW.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) shares plunged further on Friday after analysts said
they expect the subprime lender to seek bankruptcy protection soon. - In
morning trading, shares fell 69 cents, or 17.8 percent, to $3.18, after
earlier falling to $2.96. They began the year at $31.59.

8) Second Nikko shareholder dismisses Citigroup offer - By Jonathan
Soble - TOKYO, March 9 (Reuters) - A second U.S. investment fund
dismissed Citigroup's (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research) $10.8 billion
buyout offer for Nikko Cordial Corp. (8603.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
on Friday, propelling the Japanese brokerage's shares further above
Citigroup's offer price. - Southeastern Asset Managment, which owns 6.6
percent of Nikko, said Japan's third-biggest securities house was worth
50 percent more than Citigroup's proposed bid price of 1,350 yen per
share. Nikko was trading at 1,407 yen on Friday afternoon.

9) Direct General’s Shareholders Approve Merger with Private Equity
Consortium - NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Direct General
Corporation (Nasdaq: DRCT) announced today that its shareholders voted
to approve the proposed merger agreement that the Company entered into
on December 4, 2006, providing for the acquisition of Direct General by
an investor group including Calera Capital (formerly known as Fremont
Partners) and TPG Capital (formerly known as the Texas Pacific Group).
Based upon the tally of shares voted, holders of approximately
17,268,800 shares voted in favor of approving the merger agreement and
the transactions contemplated thereby, representing 84.9% of Direct
General’s total outstanding voting shares and 99.9% of the total votes
cast.

10) Phoenix’s Hartford-Based Fixed Income Manager Rebranded as
Goodwin Capital Advisers - HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The
Phoenix Companies, Inc. (NYSE: PNX) today announced that its fixed
income investment division based in Hartford will now operate as a
registered investment advisor under the name of Goodwin Capital
Advisers, Inc. Previously, the group was organized under Phoenix
Investment Counsel, the investment adviser for all Phoenix mutual funds.

11) Healthways, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Expand
Strategic Partnership - NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building
on six years of successful disease management initiatives, Healthways,
Inc. (NASDAQ:HWAY) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA)
today announced they are expanding their collaborative efforts to
deliver industry-leading support to the health plan’s chronically ill
members. Under the agreement, Healthways will add coronary artery
disease (CAD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Care
Support programs to the interventions currently offered to BCBSMA
members.

12) Flexpoint Partners Announces Acquisition of Norwich Group, Inc.
and Its Affiliated Companies - CHICAGO, March 8 /PRNewswire/ --
Flexpoint Partners, LLC announced today that it has acquired a majority
interest in Rosemont, PA-based Norwich Group, Inc. and its affiliated
companies via a newly formed holding company. Norwich is a specialist in
the development, implementation and administration of commercial
insurance products targeted to narrowly-defined industry segments.

13) Thomson Acquires Oden Insurance Services - EAGAN, Minn.,
March 8, 2007 – The Thomson Corporation today strengthened its position
in the insurance compliance and advisory markets, announcing the
acquisition of Oden Insurance Services, Inc., a leading provider of
insurance compliance and advisory information and workflow tools. Oden
will be aligned with Thomson West in the company’s Legal segment; terms
of the acquisition were not disclosed.

14) Life Of The South Announces Agreement With Summit Partners -
(March 07, 2007) JACKSONVILLE, FL and BOSTON, MA - Life of the South
Corporation (LOTS) today announced that its Board of Directors approved
an agreement whereby Summit Partners, a private equity and venture
capital firm, will buy approximately 85 percent of the issued and
outstanding shares in Life of the South Corporation. LOTS’ senior
management group will hold approximately 15 percent of the shares and
continue the operations of the company, with no change in location,
personnel, or business model.

15) Lincoln Financial Group Announces Pricing of Debt Offering -
PHILADELPHIA, March 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lincoln Financial Group
NYSE: LNC) today announced that it has priced an offering of $500
million of 6.05% Capital Securities (callable in year 10 at par) due
April 20, 2067 and $250 million of 3-year floating rate senior notes at
LIBOR plus 8 basis points due March 12, 2010 for aggregate gross
proceeds of $750 million.

16) RAA Commends NAIC Committee Action On Reinsurance Regulation -
WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2007) – The Reinsurance Association of
America (RAA) today commended the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners (NAIC) Financial Condition Committee for directing its
Reinsurance Task Force to consider the design of a revised framework for
reinsurance regulation in the U.S. and related financial considerations.

17) Rep. Wasserman Schultz To Address Big “I” - WASHINGTON, D.C.,
March 8, 2007—Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a rising star of
the Democratic party and a member of House leadership as the Chief
Deputy Whip, will speak to members of the Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers (the Big “I”) during its Legislative Conference & Convention in
April. Wasserman Schultz will address the Young Agents/InsurPac luncheon
on April 25.

18) BCSB Reaches Settlement with Insurance Provider - BALTIMORE,
March 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BCSB Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSB),
the holding company for Baltimore County Savings Bank, FSB,
headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, announced today that the Bank
reached a settlement with its insurance provider, pursuant to which the
Bank received a payment of $3.35 million as a recovery of a portion of
its losses sustained in a check kiting scheme perpetrated by a
commercial deposit customer during the quarter ended June 30, 2006. The
Bank continues to pursue collection of its check kiting losses, although
further recoveries, if any, are expected to take an extended period of
time to resolve. As a result of the recovery, the Company will recognize
additional income of $2.2 million, net of taxes, during the quarter
ending March 31, 2007.

19) AHIP Board Issues Statement on Generic Biopharmaceuticals -
WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's Health
Insurance Plans' (AHIP) Board of Directors released a policy statement
on improving the availability and affordability of generic
biopharmaceuticals for patients. Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of
AHIP, issued the following statement on the policy outlined by the AHIP
Board of Directors: -- The full policy statement can be viewed at

http://www.ahip.org/content/fileviewer.aspx?docid=19134&linkid=164036 .

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The day”

21) PCMA Urges Policymakers to Create a Clear Pathway for Approval of
Biogenerics - WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) applauds Chairman
Kennedy and Ranking Member Enzi for holding today's Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to explore new ways to
improve access and affordability for biologic products. Americans
currently spend $35 billion annually on biologics, which are more
expensive than necessary because they lack generic competition.

22) Arizona Welcomes insurephoenix.com - PHOENIX, March 9
/PRNewswire/ -- Insurephoenix.com is proud to offer products and
services to Arizona drivers. Customers in Arizona will have access to an
innovative new website that offers free no-obligation car nsurance
quotes in minutes and provides the ability to customize car insurance
policies to meet a client's specific needs.

23) MetLife Named a Top Company for Executive Women for Second
Consecutive Year - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the second year in
a row, MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) has been recognized for its focus and
efforts to provide advancement opportunities for women as the company
was named one of NAFE’s Top Companies for Executive Women for 2007. In
addition, for the first time, MetLife was recognized as one of NAFE’s
distinguished Top 10 companies for its efforts to promote and retain
women at the senior levels of the company.

24) Plan Member Securities Teams Up With TRAK to Create Compelling
New Retirement Illustration System - CARPINTERIA, Calif., March 8
/PRNewswire/ -- Plan Member Securities has teamed with TRAK (The
Retirement Analysis Kit) to create the Personal Retirement Calculator
(PRC) -- a vivid retirement illustration tool with Plan Member's
proprietary investment recommendations and risk questionnaire bundled
with the TRAK features top advisers have become accustomed to.

25) CPCU SOCIETY NATIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ETHICS COURSE COMING
TO ST. LOUIS - MALVERN, PA, MARCH 8, 2007—On March 20, the CPCU
Society and the Society’s St. Louis Chapter will be hosting a CPCU
Society National Leadership Institute (NLI) course: Ethical Decision
Making for Insurance Professionals. - This course has been approved for
three continuing education credits in Missouri. A continental breakfast
and course materials will be included.

26) Date SET for 13Th Annual IIABNJ Trusted Choice® Charity Golf
Classic to benefit the make-a-wish foundation of new jersey -
Trenton, NJ, March 2007… The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of
New Jersey (IIABNJ) have set the date for their 13th Annual Trusted
Choice® Charity Golf Classic to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of
New Jersey. The event will take place May 1, 2007 at Forsgate Country
Club in Monroe Township and will include a luncheon and awards dinner.

27) PIANY’s Long Island RAP to help insurance professionals gain
competitive edge through education and networking opportunities -
GLENMONT, N.Y.—Focusing on better educating and protecting consumers,
the Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc.’s annual Long
Island Regional Awareness Program, is designed to help insurance
producers serve their clients, serve their businesses and serve the
insurance industry. More than 450 insurance professionals are expected
to attend the event, which will be held Thursday, April 19, 2007, at
Leonard’s of Great Neck, Great Neck, N.Y., from 7 a.m. to 5:40 p.m.

28) Euler Hermes enters the capital of ICIC, Israel's leading credit
insurer - March 8, 2007 (Paris) - Euler Hermes, the world premier
credit insurer, acquired one third of the capital of Israel's leading
credit insurance provider ICIC based in Tel Aviv. At the same time,
Euler Hermes concluded a partnership with ICIC's two other shareholders
each holding a third of ICIC's capital.

Headlines Only Edition

2007-03-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

1) Health care top domestic concern: poll - Fri Mar 2, 2007 11:33am ET
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Access to affordable health care is the top
domestic concern among Americans and a majority say the U.S. government
should guarantee health insurance to every American, according to a New
York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday. -- While the war in Iraq
remains the top overall issue among Americans, health care is the No. 1
concern on the domestic agenda, ranked as far more important than
immigration, cutting taxes or promoting traditional values, the poll
said.

2) 83 Percent of Bay Area Residents Say
Government Should Guarantee Health Insurance, According to New Poll
Prefer Reforms in Existing System Rather Than New ``Single-Payer''
Structure - SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eighty-three percent of
Bay Area residents agree that government should guarantee healthcare
coverage to all citizens, according to results of the 2007 Bay Area
Council Poll of 600 residents released today. A slightly smaller amount,
or 79 percent, agree that all Californians should have healthcare
coverage, which would include illegal aliens.

3) Unitrin to Acquire Merastar Insurance Company
- CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unitrin, Inc. (NYSE:UTR) announced today
that its subsidiary, Trinity Universal Insurance Company, has reached an
agreement in principle to acquire Merastar Insurance Company (“Merastar
Insurance”) and certain of its affiliates in a cash transaction valued
at approximately $45 million, subject to certain purchase price
adjustments. Merastar Insurance is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee and
specializes in the sale of personal automobile and homeowners’ insurance
through employer-sponsored voluntary benefit programs.

4) CNA Announces Agreement to Sell Continental Management Services, Ltd. to Tawa UK, Ltd. - CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE: CNA) today announced the signing of an agreement to sell Continental Management Services, Limited (CMS) to Tawa UK, Limited. CMS is a wholly-owned United Kingdom subsidiary that is a substantial component of CNA’s discontinued operations.

5) US property derivatives market set to launch
– FT - LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - The first U.S. commercial
property derivatives market is set to launch as early as this week, as
four of the world's biggest banks team up to create a trading platform,
the Financial Times reported on Monday. -- Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX:
Quote, Profile , Research) is one of the four lenders, it said. Goldman
Sachs (GS.N: Quote, Profile , Research), Merrill Lynch (MER.N: Quote,
Profile , Research) and Bank of America (BAC.N: Quote, Profile ,
Research) were believed to be the other three, the FT reported.

6) TSX, ISE to launch derivatives exchange in
2009 - TORONTO, March 5 (Reuters) - TSX Group Inc. (X.TO: Quote,
Profile, Research) and International Securities Exchange Holdings Inc.
(ISE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will launch a Canadian derivatives
exchange, known as DEX, in March 2009, the companies said in a joint
statement on Monday. - The exchange, which will be 52-percent owned by
TSX Group and 48-percent owned by ISE, will list and trade options,
futures and options on futures on a range of Canadian securities.

7) BestWeek: Whole Lott of Shakin': Antitrust
Bill Makes Industry Quiver - OLDWICK, N.J., March 2, 2007—Senate
Minority Whip Trent Lott isn't the first to advocate repealing the
insurance industry's limited exemption from federal antitrust law. But
he must count among the more unlikely candidates to don the hat of
insurance antagonist, according to an exclusive article in this week's
BestWeek.

8) Ernst & Young Quarterly Insurance Industry
Outlook Identifies Opportunities for Maximizing and Leveraging
Enterprise Risk Management - NEW YORK, March 5, 2007 – The Insurance
and Actuarial Advisory Services (IAAS) practice of Ernst & Young LLP
today released its quarterly outlook addressing key trends and issues
facing insurers, including the need for a formal risk appetite, the
impact of principles-based reserves and the urgency for
Property/Casualty companies to improve data quality to enhance
catastrophe modeling.

9) GlobalOptions Group Announces Acquisition of
FACTICON - NEW YORK, N.Y. March 1, 2007 – GlobalOptions Group, Inc.
(OTCBB: GLOI), a leading provider of domestic and international risk
management services, today announced that it has acquired FACTICON, Inc.
for $2.8 million, consisting of $1.4 million of cash, $1.4 million of
stock, and the assumption of certain liabilities. - Established in
1992, FACTICON has become one of the leading investigation and research
firms in the United States. The company provides insurance, legal,
business and financial solutions for government entities, corporations,
and small businesses, with a focus on risk mitigation.

10) NAMIC Takes TRIA Message to the Heart of
Ground Zero - WASHINGTON (March 2, 2007) — Business owners across
the country could find themselves in dire straits if the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Act is allowed to expire this year. That’s the message an
insurance industry executive and representative for the National
Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) will deliver to
members of Congress at a hearing in New York City Monday. - Warren Heck,
CEO of the Greater New York Mutual Insurance Company, will testify
before the House Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on
Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises as it
considers the need to extend TRIA beyond its December expiration date.

11) Guy Carpenter and MMC Securities Publish
Fifth Annual Review of Catastrophe Bond Market - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global risk and
reinsurance specialist and part of the Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:
MMC), and MMC Securities Corp.*, an affiliate of Guy Carpenter, today
announced the publication of The Catastrophe Bond Market at Year-End
2006: Ripples Into Waves. The report, their fifth annual joint study of
natural catastrophe bond transaction activity, trends and market
dynamics, found that the market momentum resulting from the record storm
activity of 2004 and 2005 continued into 2006, with activity across
virtually all measurable dimensions surpassing previous records by a
large margin.

12) ACE USA Introduces Errors & Omissions
Coverage to Respond to Growing Market Needs of Managed Care Industry;
Appoints Tristan A. Gabriel as Vice President, Managed Care -
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating
division of the ACE Group of Companies, today announced the launch of a
primary and excess product focusing on the managed care industry. This
product is offered by ACE Medical Risk, a division of ACE USA, which
provides a wide range of liability products and services specifically
designed for the healthcare industry worldwide. Additionally, ACE USA
announces that Tristan A. Gabriel has joined the ACE Medical Risk team
as Vice President, Managed Care, and will lead the overall efforts.

13) Former Drug Czar McCaffrey Asks
Congressional Leaders to Assure Health Providers Approve Patient
Decisions in Substance Abuse Parity Bill Moving in Congress -
WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The country's former Drug
Czar, Four-Star Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Ret.), who in 2001 led the
promulgation of parity rights for substance abuse equal to physical
health in insurance for all federal employees, is calling on
congressional leaders to assure that health providers, rather than
insurance companies, approve patient decisions in the new parity bill
for all Americans moving through Congress.

14) UnumProvident Corp. Now Unum Group -
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnumProvident Corporation (NYSE:
UNM) has officially changed its name to Unum Group, and the company’s
shares will be traded publicly as Unum Group going forward. -- Unum
announced in January that it intended to shorten its name as part of a
larger branding initiative the company is undertaking to reinforce its
commitment to being a leader in the group benefits industry. The new
name follows several years of operational and financial restructuring
and signals a transition to a period of building and growing the
company’s business.

15) MIB Life Index Reports North American Life
Insurance Activity Down 7.4% in January - WESTWOOD, Mass., March 2
/PRNewswire/ -- North American application activity for individually
underwritten life insurance declined -7.4% in January year-over-year,
according to the MIB Life Index(SM). Applications were off -3.3% when
compared to December 2006. Historically, January activity has lagged
that of the previous December in five of the last six years.

16) The California Earthquake Authority (CEA)
Has Announced Management Changes and a Change in Its Claim-Paying
Capacity - SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newly elected
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and newly elected
California Treasurer Bill Lockyer have joined the Governing Board of the
CEA, replacing outgoing Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and
outgoing Treasurer Phil Angelides. Chief Executive Officer Elaine Bush
is leaving the CEA to serve as the Chief Deputy Director for the
California Department of Mental Health, having been asked by Governor
Schwarzenegger to take that position, Chief Financial Officer Tim
Richison will assume Ms. Bush's duties during the Governing Board's
search for her successor.

17) Milliman Assists Fitch Ratings Agency to
Develop Capital Model - 'Matrix' To Assess Capital Adequacy for
Financial Guarantors - SEATTLE, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman
today announced the completion of an extensive consulting project that
assisted Fitch Ratings in the development of a stochastic economic
capital model known as Matrix. Fitch will use Matrix to provide an
assessment of capital adequacy for the global financial guaranty
industry.

18) RMS Launches Exam Preparation Program for
the Certified Catastrophe Risk Analyst (CCRA) Designation - NEWARK,
Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Risk Management Solutions (RMS), the
world's leading provider of products and services for the management of
catastrophe risk, has launched the Certified Catastrophe Risk Analyst
(CCRA(TM)) Exam Prep program, a comprehensive self-study review program
that allows experienced catastrophe risk analysis professionals to
prepare for the RMS CCRA exam without attending the six-week Catastrophe
Analysis Training (CAT) program.

19) Opening doors in Latin American Insurance
Market - Benfield report analyses insurance markets across the
region with a focus on Brazil and Mexico - Whilst still small -
comprising just 2 per cent of the global market and roughly one-fifth
the size of the UK - the insurance markets in Latin America have the
potential to grow rapidly, according to a new report by Benfield, the
world’s leading independent reinsurance and risk intermediary, entitled
“Latin America Insurance Market Review: Focus of Brazil and Mexico”.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles - Recent
articles added to INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise
intelligence database of over 27,000 articles including interviews,
uniquely analysed by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT
topics. Please click here for a content overview and a 15-day free
review.

22) BANK INSURANCE NEWS IN BRIEF - MARCH 5, 2007

23) JupiterResearch Finds That a Third of Online
Users Turn to Social and One-to-One Media for Health Information -
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the
impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business,
has found that 34 percent of adult online users (54 million people) in
the U.S. said they have connected to others or to the content others
created online about health and wellness issues in the past year.
Detailed in a new report, “Online Health: Assessing the Risk and
Opportunity of Social and One-to-One Media,” JupiterResearch refers to
these adult users as Health Connectors – a population segment that
health marketers and stakeholders must reach as the influence of
consumer-created content continues to grow.

24) Direct General Reaches Agreement to Settle
Shareholder Litigation - NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Direct
General Corporation (Nasdaq: DRCT) today announced that it entered into
a Memorandum of Understanding with other defendants and the plaintiffs
to settle a consolidated class action pending in the United States
District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division,
entitled In re Direct General Corporation Sec. Litig. The stipulated
settlement amount is $14.94 million, which is apportioned to the
defendants, and the plaintiffs agree to dismiss with prejudice all
claims against all defendants to the action.

25) Two Largest Automotive Glass Companies
Finalize Acquisition - COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- As
expected, Belron S.A., the world's largest vehicle glass repair and
replacement company, has completed its acquisition of Safelite Group
Inc., according to Dan Wilson, president and chief executive officer of
the new joint organization, Belron US. The closing was effective March
3.

26) Arrowpoint Capital Finalizes Acquisition of
Royal & SunAlliance USA Businesses - CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 4
/PRNewswire/ -- Arrowpoint Capital Corp. today announced that it has
completed the acquisition of all Royal & SunAlliance USA (R&SA USA)
businesses formerly owned by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group plc
(the Group) of London. Under the terms of the transaction approved
February 20 by Delaware Insurance Commissioner Matthew Denn, Arrowpoint
Capital will focus on meeting policyholder obligations through a
continuation of current operational, financial and governance
guidelines.

27) AMSA's 57th Annual National Convention
Focuses on Health Care Justice - RESTON, Va., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's largest
independent medical student organization, will hold its 57th Annual
Convention this week in Washington, D.C. This year's theme is Health
Care Justice: Pursuing the Dream of a Healthy Society; programming will
focus on community and global and public health, health disparities,
universal healthcare and other current healthcare issues.

27) Disclosure of shareholdings pursuant to Art.
20 SESTA - Zug, Switzerland - March 5, 2007 - Converium Holding Ltd
has been notified that Zurich Cantonal Bank, Tessinerplatz 7, 8002
Zurich, Switzerland, has reduced its holding of registered shares of
Converium Holding Ltd, Zug to below 5%.

28) AIG Financial Products Corp. Launches Family
of Fully Investable Emerging Markets Foreign Exchange Indices -
WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIG Financial Products Corp. (AIG-FP), a
member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and the
parent company of Banque AIG, today announced the launch of the AIG
Emerging Markets Foreign Exchange IndexSM (AIG-EMFXISM), a new family of
investable indices. According to AIG-FP, the creation of the AIG-EMFXI
is a direct response to the rapid growth of investor interest in
emerging markets (EM) and foreign exchange (FX) as asset classes in
recent years.

29) Rx Processing Corp. Announces Acquisition
Phase - WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rx Processing Corporation
(OTC:RXPC) enhances its operational environment by currently pursuing
acquisition of six new geographically dispersed storefronts. This
initiative will increase the number of clients over the next year in
furtherance of our expected goal of 50,000 new advocates.

30) Willis Continues to Focus on Major
Commercial Risks in China - LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Willis Group
Holdings’ (NYSE: WSH) continued focus on broking major commercial risks
in China resulted in a revenue rise of 23 percent in 2006 for its China
business, the global broker announced today. This further strengthens
Willis Pudong Insurance Brokers Co.’s leading position in the country. -
Willis Pudong has the largest local network and workforce of all the
foreign brokers in China, and this combined with Willis’ unique
specialist units makes it the number one global broker in China.

31) Aflac Honors Fallen Soldiers With $1 Million
Pledge to National Infantry Museum - COLUMBUS, Ga., March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- The Aflac Foundation announced today a $1 million gift toward the
development of a new National Infantry Museum and Heritage Park. Built
on 200 acres linking Columbus, Ga., and Fort Benning, the world-class
facility will honor the 231-year legacy of the Army's largest branch,
the Infantry.

32) Care Support Of America Launches Innovative
Health Coordination And Support Services—Producers Can Now Offer
Valuable Services - (Columbus, Ohio) –- Care Support of America
“CSA,” has announced that its new healthcare services, which help
patients and their caregivers navigate advancing illness, are available
nationwide. A membership in these packaged services, can offer a
combined home visit as well as telephonic care support provided by
specially trained nurses. These services secure assistance in
understanding physician recommendations, and coordinating future care
options, as well as emotional support coping with both medical and
non-medical issues.

33) PIACT supports two consumer-oriented bills -
HARTFORD, CONN.—The Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut
Inc. recently backed two bills being considered by the General
Assembly’s Insurance & Real Estate Committee that it says would benefit
and protect consumers. -- Raised H.B. 7053—Dram shop liability --
Raised H.B. 7056—Single financial responsibility limit for motor vehicle
operators

34) PIACT opposes bill that could prevent agents
from giving good advice - HARTFORD, CONN.—Looking out for drivers
across the state, the Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut Inc.,
in written testimony submitted to the Insurance & Real Estate Committee,
opposed raised Senate Bill 1101 because it could unintentionally harm
the state’s consumers. -- S.B. 1101 would prohibit an insurance company,
agent or adjuster from requesting that their policyholders use a
specific person for automobile physical damage repairs. Current law
already prohibits a requirement that a policyholder use a specific
person.

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition" for: Monday

2007-03-02T02:56:00.000-08:00

1) State Farm(R) Announces $1.25 Billion Mutual
Auto Policyholder Dividend

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm Mutual Automobile
Insurance Company, the largest insurer of autos in the nation, announced
today it will pay $1.25 billion in dividends to its mutual auto
insurance policyholders in 46 states, the District of Columbia and the
Canadian province of New Brunswick. The record-breaking payment of
dividends, approved by the State Farm Mutual board of directors,
eclipses the previous high of just over $1 billion in June, 2000.

2) Willis Group Statement on Supplemental
Compensation
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Willis Group Holdings
Limited (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance broker, today issued the
following statement regarding supplemental compensation:
Willis Group is actively reviewing with our
clients, carrier partners and the regulatory agencies, the supplemental
compensation arrangements that are currently being proposed in the
marketplace by certain carriers. After our preliminary review, it is
unclear whether these proposals create perceived conflicts, similar to
those created by contingent commissions. In 2004, we were the first
industry participant to disavow contingent commissions -- paid on
similar parameters -- not because we had to but because we wanted to as
it was the right thing to do.

3) Willis Marketplace Realities 2007
“Adaptation, Innovation and the Insurance Marketplace” March 2007
Supplement
New York, NY, March 2, 2007 – The US
Property/Casualty industry will produce an underwriting profit for the
year 2006, with an estimated combined ratio in the low 90s, according to
Willis Group’s Marketplace Realities 2007 publication. The mild
Atlantic Hurricane Season is cited by industry observers as a major
ingredient of that result – along with rates and premiums for natural
catastrophe perils that were driven to new heights by the frequent and
severe catastrophe losses sustained in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Marketplace conditions continue to be works-in-progress, with many
segments experiencing both “hard” and “soft” elements.

4) 2007 Global Reinsurance Outlook Revised to
Stable—Solid Earnings, Improved Balance Sheets and Enhanced Risk
Management Key Drivers
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A.M. Best Co.’s
2007 outlook for the global reinsurance sector is stable, which reflects
a change from a negative outlook originally assigned nearly two years
ago. This outlook revision implies that the majority of 2007 reinsurer
rating actions are likely to be affirmations with stable outlooks and
only a modest amount of anticipated rating or outlook changes. However,
should price deterioration and competition persist at a faster pace than
anticipated, the outlook could be revised back to negative by the end of
the year.

5) Insurers’ Antitrust Exemption Under Attack
(Again) – An Advisen QuickNote
Essence: Legislation has been introduced in both
the House and the Senate that would repeal the insurance industry's
limited federal antitrust exemption under the McCarran-Ferguson Act. The
proposed legislation appears to be political grandstanding in the wake
of the negative publicity from the settlement of 2005 hurricane claims.
However, if the bills were to pass, legislation enacted in 1945 to
benefit insurance consumers could be repealed, potentially harming
insurance buyers.

6) RAA TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE
WASHINGTON, DC (February 28, 2007) – Speaking on
behalf of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA), James H. Veghte,
chief executive officer of XL Reinsurance America, Inc., today testified
that due to the nature of terrorism peril, “The RAA believes that
private market mechanisms are insufficient alone to spread the risk of
catastrophic terrorism loss.” He said “Without some form of a long-term
federal backdrop, we would expect less coverage available at the
policyholder level, increased prices for terrorism coverage, and more
limited reinsurance capacity.”

7) OneBeacon Launches Government Insurance
Business
BOSTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OneBeacon
Insurance Group today announced the formation of its newest specialty
business that will target public entities. OneBeacon Government Risk
Solutions will offer property and casualty products for government
entities. Managing this business is Josette Kiel, joined by Jeffrey
Richardson and Bradley York, a team of experienced government insurance
specialists with decades of experience.

8) AHIP Raises Concerns About New MedPAC Report
and Its Potential Impact on Beneficiaries
WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of
seniors and disabled Americans in Medicare could face benefits cuts or
risk losing their current coverage entirely should Congress enact
changes to the program based on the conclusions of the Medicare Payment
Advisory Commission (MedPAC) report released today. The report examines
and compares the costs of covering beneficiaries under Medicare
fee-for-service and the Medicare Advantage program.
Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's
Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), said the MedPAC report underestimates the
costs associated with covering seniors through basic Medicare
fee-for-service while not accounting for the better benefits and lower
out-of-pocket costs available to seniors who choose Medicare health
plans.

9) A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Stable on U.S.
Commercial Lines Market
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A.M. Best Co. has
completed its assessment of the U.S. commercial market and revised the
outlook to stable from negative for 2007. Although there continues to be
evidence of pricing deterioration, the level of deterioration thus far
has been gradual as irrational pricing has yet to surface.
The outlook change also considers the level of rate
adequacy in the sector, the record underwriting profits recorded in 2006
and an expectation of stabilized reserve development over the near term.

10) Workers With Employment-Based Health
Benefits Steady Over Time
WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
While the overall rate of uninsured Americans has increased in recent
years, the percentage of workers offered health insurance and the
percentage of workers taking coverage when it was offered have remained
relatively steady since the late 1980s, according to a study published
today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
In the study, Fronstin focuses on key factors that
affect the availability of health insurance in the work place. Here is a
summary of the findings concerning the factors that Fronstin examined in
detail:

11) Houston Businesses Commit to National
Initiative for Improving Quality and Value in Health Care
WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a
meeting today in Houston with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, executives
from area businesses signed statements of support for a national
initiative aimed at improving health care quality, information and
cost-effectiveness for employees and their families.
Altogether, more than 9 million people will benefit
by implementation of this initiative in Texas. Employers signing on in
Texas include Aetna, AT&T, Benefit Design Consultants, CenterPoint
Energy, CIGNA HealthCare, Diabetes Centers of America, Eustis Benefits -
Texas L.L.C., ExxonMobil,Humana, United HealthCare and Valero.

12) Alliance HealthCard Completes Merger with
Benefit Marketing Solutions
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance HealthCard, Inc.
(OTCBB:ALHC) has completed its merger with Benefit Marketing Solutions
LLC, (BMS) making it one of the largest marketers of discount medical
services in the country. The combined companies will serve over one and
a half million consumers in all fifty states.

13) Progressive Gaming International Announces
Settlement of Class Action Lawsuit
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Progressive Gaming
International Corporation (Nasdaq:PGIC) (the Company), a leading
provider of systems and technology used in the gaming industry
worldwide, announced today that it has reached an agreement to settle
the class action securities litigation currently pending in the United
States District Court for the District of Nevada. The case, In re Mikohn
Gaming Corp. Securities Litigation, has been pending since November
2005. Under the terms of the settlement, the plaintiffs agree to dismiss
with prejudice all claims against all defendants, including the Company
and its current and former officers and directors, in exchange for a
payment in the amount of $2.8 million, virtually all of which is being
provided pursuant to the Company's insurance coverage. Substantially all
of the Company’s costs related to the litigation will be reflected in
the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2006.

14) Quanta Announces Approval of Pembroke
Managing Agency Limited
HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quanta Capital
Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: QNTA) announced today that it has entered into
definitive agreements with Chaucer Holdings PLC, the specialty Lloyd’s
insurer, and the senior underwriting team of Syndicate 4000, forming a
joint venture called Pembroke JV Limited, which will own Pembroke
Managing Agency Limited. Additionally, Pembroke Managing Agency Limited
has received authorization from Lloyd’s and the FSA to manage Syndicate
4000.

15) National Investment Managers Inc. Closes
Acquisition of the Pension Alliance
Ninth Acquisition Enhances Presence in Northeast
and Mid-Atlantic Markets
Approximately 9,000 Administered Plans, $9.0
Billion of Assets under Administration
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Investment
Managers Inc. (OTC BB: NIVM), a nationally-operated and regionally-based
retirement plan administration and investment management company,
announced today that it has closed on the acquisition of The Pension
Alliance, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston. The acquisition is valued at $4.6
million, with $3.25 million paid in cash, $675,000 in notes and $675,000
in common stock at a price per share of $0.62, for a total of 1,088,710
shares.

16) Futurethink’s Annual Innovation Tracker Sees
Major Changes for 2007
Survey Cites Business Value, Not Creativity, as Key
Innovation Driver
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Companies that
consistently emphasize “delivering value” over creativity are
significantly more effective at innovating, according to a survey
conducted by Futurethink, a leading innovation research, tools and
service firm.
The findings of the 2007 Futurethink Innovation
Tracker reinforce a trend first identified in the 2006 annual study.
Innovation may no longer be viewed as strictly a creative endeavor. It
has become a recognized and effective business strategy.

17) Redesigned Starmark Website Makes It Easy to
Quickly Access Tools and Information
Lake Forest, Ill., March 2, 2007 - Star Marketing
and Administration Inc. (Starmark) announces the launch of its
redesigned website to help clients quickly and easily access the tools
and information they seek. The new site features several enhancements,
including easy-to-use navigation, with tabs for each audience segment
and topic-specific sections that group information into logical
categories to help users quickly locate information.

18) Bank Insurance Brokerage Fee Income
Rises to Record $4.1 Billion in 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Radnor, PA, March 1, 2007 –
Banks increased their 2006 insurance brokerage fee income by 3.7 percent
to a record $4.08 billion, up from $3.93 billion in 2005, according to
The 2007 Michael White-Symetra Bank Fee Income Report™ (Bank-FIR™).
The report, compiled by Michael White Associates,
LLC (MWA) and sponsored by Symetra Financial, measures and benchmarks
the banking industry’s performance in generating insurance, investment,
and mutual fund and annuity fee income. It is based on data reported by
all 7,837 commercial and FDIC-regulated savings banks.

19) Progressive Casualty Insurance Introduces
New Privacy Liability & Expense Coverage For Community Banks
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio (March 1, 2007) –
Progressive Casualty Insurance Company has added a new coverage to its
American Bankers Association (ABA)-sponsored Financial Institution
Program. The new coverage, Privacy Liability and Mitigation Expense, is
designed to address bankers’ concerns regarding privacy and identity
theft issues, and is now available in most states.
Covering banks’ liability arising from unauthorized
access to confidential customer information, Privacy Liability and
Mitigation Expense also provides reimbursement for banks’ post-security
breach expenses, including customer notification, account reissuance,
credit monitoring services to detect potential fraud and public
relations counsel, if needed.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) Unum Completes Sale of GENEX
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (March 1, 2007) – Unum Group
(NYSE: UNM) today said it has completed the previously announced sale of
its wholly owned subsidiary, GENEX Services, Inc., a leading worker’s
compensation and medical cost containment services provider, to Trident
IV, L.P., a fund managed by Stone Point Capital LLC, a global private
equity firm based in Greenwich, Conn. The terms of the transaction were
not disclosed. Unum said the sale will not impact its customers and
that it intends to continue to partner with GENEX to address its
customer needs.

22) Scottish Re holders OK MassMutual, Cerberus
deal
NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - Scottish Re Group
Ltd. (SCT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday its shareholders
approved an investment by MassMutual Capital Partners and a unit of
Cerberus Capital Management that will give them control of the life
reinsurance company.
MassMutual, a unit of the insurance company, and
Cerberus, a private equity firm, will each invest $300 million in the
company and gain a controlling equity interest, Scottish Re said.

23) Monte Paschi to sell life insurance arm soon

ROME, March 2 (Reuters) - Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI:
Quote, Profile, Research) will sell its life insurance arm MPS Vita "in
the coming days", Chairman Giuseppe Mussari said on Friday.
French insurer Axa (AXAF.PA: Quote, Profile,
Research) and Dutch rival Aegon (AEGN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) are
shortlisted in the auction of a controlling, 51 percent stake in the
Italian bank's life insurance arm with an estimated value of around 1
billion euros ($1.32 billion).

24) New MyHealthCoach.com Website Helps
Employers Control Healthcare Costs and Encourage Healthy Lifestyles

Online Coaching Site Model of Cost-Efficient,
Results-Oriented Health Coaching
CINCINNATI, OHIO, March 1, 2007 – Hummingbird
Coaching Services has released a new online health site,
MyHealthCoach.com, that shows prospective companies how they can harness
the Internet to control healthcare costs and encourage healthy
lifestyles among employees.
The adoption of wellness programs has grown
exponentially in the last few years as healthcare costs continue to
rise. Hummingbird’s new website provides companies investigating such
programs well-documented information and resources to evaluate online
coaching for such goals as weight management, blood pressure and
cholesterol control, nutrition and smoking cessation.

25) TPAA signs Michael Best & Friedrich LLP for
Legal Services
Atlanta, GA, March 1, 2007 - The Third Party
Administrator Alliance—known as the TPAA—has signed an agreement with
Wisconsin-based Michael Best & Friedrich LLP to provide legal services
for its member TPAs.
According to Peggy Wolford, vice president of
business development for the TPAA, "Michael Best & Friedrich have
significant experience in the employee benefits field and have
represented TPAs, brokers, consultants and employers. Their
understanding of this industry from every angle makes them a valuable
partner for our members."

26) U.S. charges 13 in insider trading, bribery
cases
Thu Mar 1, 2007 3:07PM EST
By Paritosh Bansal
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on
Thursday charged 13 people, including employees at major Wall Street
banks, with securities fraud, wire fraud, bribery and other charges in
what authorities are calling one of the most pervasive insider trading
rings in years.
Michael Garcia, U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of New York, said the insider trading schemes involved a UBS
Securities executive who is accused of selling information about
upcoming analyst upgrades and downgrades, and a former Morgan Stanley
attorney accused of giving out information about mergers and
acquisitions.

27) UnitedHealth: filings to be current by March
15
Fri Mar 2, 2007 7:43am ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH.N:
Quote, Profile , Research) said on Friday it expects to become current
with its U.S. financial filings by March 15, which would be a major step
as it seeks to recover from a stock options scandal.
The largest U.S. health insurer by market value
said it requested an automatic two-week extension beyond the March 1
deadline for filing Form 10-K, its annual report, with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission.

28) Countrywide non-prime servicing
delinquencies jump
Thu Mar 1, 2007 1:25PM EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Countrywide Financial Corp., (CFC.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said on Thursday
that 19 percent of the non-prime loans it collects payments for are
delinquent.
Loans to non-prime borrowers make up about 9
percent of Countrywide's $1.3 trillion servicing portfolio, or the
mortgage loans for which Countrywide collects payments on behalf of the
loans' owners, the company said in an annual regulatory filing.

29) Long Term Care Information Via Web and
Phone; New Websites, Manned by State-Licensed Field Underwriters, Will
Deliver Facts on a Complex Issue
KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A "web of
websites," announced today, will dispense factual information about a
form of protection that puzzles many Americans: long term care
insurance. Developed by LTC Financial Partners LLC, the nation's most
experienced long term care insurance brokerage, the websites will offer
the information in textual, graphic, video, and live format. Each
website will be manned by a state-licensed field underwriter who is
ready to answer questions by phone or email.

30) Sovereign Announces Strategic Alliance with
U.S.-based Insurer

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada and BOSTON, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Sovereign General Insurance Company and OneBeacon Insurance Company are
pleased to announce the signing of a Strategic Alliance Agreement.

The two companies have formed a strategic alliance
regarding the introduction of products to Canada for certain commercial
segments. Policies will be written under Sovereign's name and the two
companies will share equally in the underwriting results of the policies
through a reinsurance arrangement. This strategic alliance does not in
itself require any specific revenue or performance targets between the
two companies, however both insurers are confident that this venture
will prove to be a valuable solution to Canadian market needs. The
initial product will target midsized technology businesses.

31) AIA Applauds Withdrawal Of Amendment To
South Carolina Building Code Affecting Hurricane Resistance

ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2007 - An amendment to the International
Residential Code (IRC) that would make newly constructed homes in South
Carolina’s coastal counties more susceptible to windstorm damage was
withdrawn by proponents and not considered during today’s meeting of the
state’s Building Codes Council, a move applauded by the American
Insurance Association (AIA).

32) ADP Wilco announces that its Japanese office
is moving
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP)
subsidiary ADP Wilco has announced that due to its ongoing business
expansion its Japanese office will be based at the following address, as
of 26th February 2007:
10/F Kojimachi KS Square
5-3-3 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-0083
The telephone and fax numbers remain unchanged:
Tel        +81 3 5212 6311
Fax       +81 3 5212 6312

33) AIA SUPPORTS STATE INSURANCE LEGISLATORS'
EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN BUILDING CODES
Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 2007– The American
Insurance Association (AIA) applauds state lawmakers for taking a
forward-looking approach to mitigating losses from natural catastrophes
by considering a model law to strengthen building codes during the
National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) meeting, March 1-4
in Savannah, Georgia.

34) AMERICAN INSURANCE ASSOCIATION ANXIOUS TO
SEE DETAILS OF GOV. SPITZER’S WORKERS’ COMPENSATION REFORM AGREEMENT
ALBANY, NY, Feb. 27, 2007 –The American Insurance
Association (AIA) issued the following statement in response to the
bipartisan workers’ compensation legislation announced today by New York
Gov .Eliot Spitzer (D). This statement can be attributed to Gary
Henning, AIA assistant vice president, Northeast Region.

35) Independent Insurance Agents, Brokers of NY
Applaud Spitzer, Legislature on Tentative NYS Workers’ Comp Reform
Agreement
(DeWitt, New York, Feb. 27, 2007) — An agreement to
allow sweeping reforms in New York state’s dysfunctional workers
compensation system is underway in Albany, according to Gov. Eliot
Spitzer’s office. The long sought-after structural reforms will reduce
cost to business while increasing injured workers’ weekly benefits, and
was hailed by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York,
Inc. as a step in the right direction. The 125-year-old IIABNY, whose
advocacy led to the last major reform of New York’s workers’
compensation system in 1996, congratulate Spitzer, Senate Majority
Leader Joseph L. Bruno (R-Rensselaer), Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
(D-Manhattan), Senate Minority Leader Malcolm A. Smith (D-Queens) and
Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R-Schnectady) in reaching this
agreement. IIABNY is a member of the New York Compensation Action
Network, a group of businesses and organizations committed to workers’
compensation reform.

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition" for: Wednesday

2007-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

1) The Hurricane Law Group Announces Class Action Lawsuits Against
Allstate Floridian Insurance Co., Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and
State Farm Florida Insurance Co. - BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--The Hurricane Law Group today announced that it has commenced
class action lawsuits against Allstate Floridian Insurance Co.
(“Allstate”), Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (“Citizens”) and State
Farm Florida Insurance Co. (“State Farm”) on behalf of Floridians whose
homes were insured by these providers during the past five years and who
suffered roof damage caused by a hurricane or other natural disaster.
-- While similar in nature, a separate suit was filed against Allstate,
Citizens and State Farm (three suits in total) in Florida State Court.
The common allegation in each lawsuit is that the named insurance
provider failed to pay and/or properly adjust claims in Florida by
ignoring requirements to obtain a building permit prior to commencing
roof repair or replacement.

2) Marsh CEO Urges World’s National Oil Companies to Address Risks -
DUBAI, U.A.E.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the national oil companies and their
control of at least 80 percent of the world’s known oil reserves
continue to grow in importance, they face a number of risks that must be
addressed strategically, according to Marsh, the world’s leading risk
and insurance services firm. -- Speaking at the opening of the Marsh
National Oil Company conference in Dubai today, Brian Storms, Chairman
and CEO of Marsh Inc, said: “The world’s desire for
environmentally-friendly energy sources appears to be rising faster than
global temperatures. This is a growing risk to all energy producers.

3) China stocks plunge 8.8 percent By Andrew Torchia - SHANGHAI
(Reuters) - Chinese stocks plunged nearly 9 percent on Tuesday, erasing
about $140 billion of value in their biggest fall for a decade, amid
fears that authorities would crack down on speculation that drove shares
to record highs. - Traders said the slide did not appear to be triggered
by concrete news. Institutions scrambled in hectic trade to lock in
large gains made early this month, while some funds sold to raise money
to pay dividends in March. - The tumble came a day after the main index
jumped to an all-time high, bringing its gains for this year to 14
percent. The market soared 130 percent last year, making it the world's
best-performing major market.

4) No easy exit from commodities for pension funds - Tue Feb 27,
2007 9:37AM EST By Jane Merriman - LONDON (Reuters) - A slide in oil and
other commodity prices early this year has fed speculation that big
money investors have fled these markets -- but longer term players are
happy to sit tight. - Analysts say hedge fund activity contributed to
the dive in oil prices from a record of $78.40 for U.S. crude in July
last year to a 20-month low of $49.90 in January. But pension funds,
insurance companies and other institutional investors do not move in and
out so quickly.

5) CalPERS Launches Prefunding Plan for Retiree Health Benefits -
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California Public Employees’
Retirement System (CalPERS) today announced the creation of a new trust
fund that allows public employers that contract with CalPERS for
employee health benefits to prefund the future cost of their retiree
health insurance benefits and other post-employment benefits (OPEB). -
Called the California Employers’ Retiree Benefit Trust Fund, the
prefunding plan allows participating employers to make regular periodic
contributions into the trust fund. -- . In the future, participating
employers will be able to use investment earnings to pay for retiree
health benefits, similar to the CalPERS pension plan in which three out
of four dollars paid for retirement benefits come from investment
earnings instead of current taxpayer dollars and employer contributions.
6) Market Street Advisors Joins DTCC’s Growing Service for Managed
Accounts - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Depository Trust &
Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced today that Market Street Advisors
has joined the list of firms linking to DTCC’s new Managed Accounts
Service, a centralized platform that streamlines communications and
reduces risk associated with opening and maintaining managed accounts.
Other firms participating in a pilot of this new service include
Citigroup Smith Barney, the industry’s largest managed accounts sponsor,
Citigroup’s Global Transaction Services and Vestmark.

7) USI Holdings Corporation Closes Acquisition of H.W. Gates Agency,
Inc. - BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USI Holdings
Corporation (NASDAQ: USIH) today announced the acquisition of Memphis,
TN-based H.W. Gates Agency, Inc. ("Gates"). Gates provides property &
casualty insurance products and services to businesses throughout the
Memphis Metro area. Gates is expected to contribute approximately $1.0
million of revenues to USI on an annual basis.

8) GMAC Insurance to Offer Specialized RV Coverage Through Independent
Agents Across the Nation - ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, GMAC
Insurance announced the nationwide rollout of its specialized RV
insurance through independent agencies. The move comes as part of a GMAC
Insurance initiative to expand its product offerings sold through
approximately 10,000 independent agencies across the country. -- In
addition to selling direct to consumers in 48 states, GMAC Insurance’s
specialized RV coverage is now available through independent insurance
agents representing GMAC Insurance in Arizona, Illinois, Ohio and
Tennessee. The company plans to extend availability to agencies in
additional states throughout 2007. For more information about GMAC
Insurance’s RV coverage and to learn about potential discounts, call
877-468-3466 to find a local agent, or go to www.gmacinsurance.com.

9) House Majority Leader To Speak To Big “I” - WASHINGTON, D.C.,
Feb. 26, 2007—House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will speak to
members of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I”)
during its Legislative Conference & Convention in April. - With more
than 1,200 independent agents and brokers from across the country in
attendance, Hoyer will be a featured speaker at a breakfast on April 26
along with House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Missouri). -- This year’s
event will take place April 25 through 27 at the Marriott Wardman Park
Hotel in Washington, D.C.

10) Demystifying Operational Risk - 2007 Global Seminar Schedule -
In response to strong client interest, we have decided to hold
another nine Demystifying Operational Risk seminars across the globe in
2007. These seminars are being organized in partnership with OpRisk &
Compliance magazine. As you may know, our two-day seminars are almost
universally regarded as the best and most comprehensive practical
training on operational risk management available in the industry. All
our seminars follow the same program so please choose the date and
location that is most convenient for you.

11) U.S. Risk Acquires E.M. Morrow Agency - Dallas, Tex. — Feb.
27, 2007 — U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. (www.usrisk.com), today
announced that it has expanded its California operations by acquiring
E.M. Morrow Insurance General Agency, Inc., in Oakland, Calif. - E.M.
Morrow has served the California property and casualty market for 30
years, specializing in property and general liability coverages for a
variety of risk. The agency's management, including principal David
Barkley, will continue to operate the agency. It will become a
subsidiary office of U.S. Risk of California, Inc., which does business
as USRisk Brokers Insurance Services, Inc., and is headquartered in
Irvine, Calif.

12) Sales Targets Are Missed by More Than Half the Sales Team In 50%
of Companies Globally: TAS Index Global Study - SEATTLE--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--The TAS Group, the world leader in sales effectiveness solutions,
today released results of its TAS Index Global Sales Effectiveness
Benchmark Study 2007, which shows that in 50% of companies globally,
less than half of the sales team achieves its sales targets. -- The TAS
Index ™ is a global barometer of sales productivity and effectiveness.
The TAS Index Global Sales Effectiveness Benchmark Study 2007 helps
sales leaders determine the absolute and relative effectiveness of their
sales organizations.

13) “The Travelers Companies, Inc.”, “TRV” and Travelers Red Umbrella
Now Official - SAINT PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Paul
Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:STA) has changed its name to The
Travelers Companies, Inc. and will begin trading on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol “TRV” (NYSE:TRV) immediately following
the opening bell on Tuesday morning, Feb. 27, at 9:30 a.m. EST. -- In
addition, the company has closed its previously announced agreement to
reacquire the familiar red umbrella trademark from Citigroup Inc.

14) XL Capital Ltd Announces $1 Billion Share Repurchase Program -
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XL Capital Ltd
(NYSE: XL) (the "Company") today announced that on February 23, 2007,
the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company approved a new share
repurchase program, authorizing the Company to repurchase up to $1
billion of its Class A ordinary shares. The Company expects the
purchases to be made from time to time in the open market or in
privately negotiated transactions, and that such repurchases will be
funded from cash and/or the proceeds from the issuance of securities.

15) First Command Offers Six Financial Tips for the Newly Single -
FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If your marriage has ended and
you’re single again, make sure all your financial arrangements reflect
your new status. First Command Financial Services offers a few tips to
help you get your new financial life off to a good start. -- First
Command Financial Services and its affiliates, including First Command
Bank and First Command Financial Planning, assist American families in
their efforts to build wealth, reduce debt and pursue their lifetime
financial goals and dreams.

16) Guardian and Health Net Transition Healthcare Solutions Brand to
Health Net - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Guardian Life Insurance
Company of America (Guardian), a leading provider of employee and
voluntary benefits to small and mid-sized companies, and Health Net,
Inc. (NYSE:HNT), among the nation’s largest publicly traded managed
health care companies, today announced their plans to transition the
Healthcare Solutions brand and medical product membership over to Health
Net. Following receipt of regulatory approval, the companies expect to
complete the transition in the third quarter of 2007. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.

17) News From USW: USW Obtains Payment to Retirees of General
Fireproofing - YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--News From USW:
The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the hourly retirees of
General Fireproofing are receiving $840,000 on a claim advanced by the
USW to account for the value of negotiated health insurance benefits
terminated shortly after the company entered Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in
1990. The USW expects a second disbursement to retirees later this year,
though the amount has not yet been determined. -- The USW notified
eligible retirees by mail late last week and expects the checks to be
mailed beginning this week as completed forms are received back from the
retirees.

18) Producers Not Selling Long-Term Care Insurance To Be Focus Of
Industry Association Meetings - California LTC Sales Summit To
Kick-Off Nationwide Campaign -- The vast majority of insurance agents
and brokers who sell life, health, Medicare Supplement, annuity and
investment products still do not offer long-term care insurance to their
own clients.    To meet the growing consumer interest in the product,
the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance has scheduled a
series of 1-day training programs specifically for non-LTC specialists
interested in simplified selling.   The first two conferences will be
held in California on April 10 and 12, 2007.

19) PIANJ supports DOBI’s TREE plan - TRENTON, N.J.—The
Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey Inc.’s President Andrew
Anderson, CIC, recently told the Department of Banking and Insurance
that PIANJ supports its proposed new rules to establish a Territorial
Rating Equalization Exchange plan, which would promote competition
between insurance companies across the state and provide incentives to
write insurance policies in certain geographic areas. -- “PIANJ supports
the proposal and agrees that such a plan is needed to promote
sustainable competition in all areas of the state, especially the urban
territories,” said Anderson, in a written comment.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day:

21) Gilsbar, Inc. to Manage Employee Benefits for TABASCOR
Manufacturer McIlhenny Company - McIlhenny Company, the manufacturer
of the internationally known TABASCO(r) brand products, has selected
Gilsbar, Inc. to administer its self-funded medical and dental plans for
its benefit plan participants. - Gilsbar's medical management company,
MedCom Care Management, will provide Utilization Review and Large Case
Management services for the group.

22) ConnectYourCare Launches Web-based Self-Service Onboarding for
Small- and Mid-sized Employers - Hunt Valley, MD, (February 26,
2007) – ConnectYourCare, a leading provider of account administration
solutions for employers, simplifies the Consumer-Directed Healthcare (CDH)
account implementation process for small- to mid-sized employers and
brokers with the introduction of CDH Expresssm. With this
ground-breaking product, benefit administrators can use CDH Express to
establish CDH accounts and enroll employees in Flexible Spending
Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Health
Savings Accounts (HSAs) in a few simple steps. The solution enables
ConnectYourCare to offer its robust CDH platform solution to the
underserved small and mid-sized markets.

23) Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union Selects Independent
Financial to Expand Investment Products and Services - PURCHASE, NY
(February 26, 2007) – Independent Financial Marketing Group, Inc. today
announced that Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union has selected it to
expand the investment and insurance product offerings for Eastern
Financial members. Through this agreement, Eastern Financial’s 950
member companies and 215,000 individual members will have access to
these new wealth management and retirement planning solutions, including
annuities, mutual funds and 401k plans. --- “This relationship allows
our members to benefit from more investment choices in-house along with
Independent Financial’s industry expertise, service administration and
commitment to innovation in its financial product offerings.”

24) MarketScout Opens Office in Chicago - Dallas - February 26,
2007 -- MarketScout Corporation, a Dallas, Texas-based eInsurance
Exchange specializing in the distribution of property and casualty
insurance products, has announced the opening of a Chicago location to
facilitate its growth in the Midwest. --- MarketScout is a Dallas,
Texas-based electronic insurance exchange which underwrites and
distributes hundreds of product lines to its 58,000-member agency
network across the United States.

25) Preferred Club Program Named Best Club Insurance Provider For 5th
Consecutive Year - West Chester, Pa.–February 26, 2007–Tiger Woods
is not the only one in the golf industry to post an impressive winning
streak recently. For the fifth consecutive year, the Preferred Club
Program (www.preferredclub.com) received the Award of Excellence for
“Best Insurance Provider to the Club Industry” from The Boardroom, the
official magazine of the Association of Private Club Directors (APCD).

26) Vimo Signs Partnership Deal with Association of Health Insurance
Advisors (AHIA) - MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ --
Vimo today announced a new partnership deal with AHIA, the Association
of Health Insurance Advisors. The joint marketing agreement offers
AHIA's member-brokers discounted access to the river of health insurance
leads that Vimo generates as part of the operations of Vimo.com, the
Internet's leading comparison-shopping site for health care, plans and
services. In exchange, AHIA will use its network to dramatically raise
Vimo's profile amongst the nation's 300,000+ independent insurance
agents. AHIA members interested in the discounted lead program can call
Vimo at 650-230-0073 to sign up.

27) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Announces 'Florida Blue,' a
New Concept Retail Store for the Health Insurance Market -
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Florida (BCBSF) today unveiled "Florida Blue(SM)," a new concept in
retailing geared to assist consumers' navigation of the health insurance
market. The store is located at 4624 Town Crossing Drive, Suite 137, in
the St. John's Town Center in Jacksonville. -- The company said the
store, one of the first of its kind nationally, is a new concept in the
health insurance arena and is one additional component of BCBSF's move
to a consumer-empowered retail environment.

28) Benefit Advisors Network: Demonstrated Ability to Deliver
Increased Growth and Profitability by Providing Members Distinguishing
Competitive Advantages - PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), a national consortium of premier
group benefit broker and consulting firms, continues to provide
opportunities that enable their members to serve clients in unique ways.
One member premiered their “Role in Improving Health Status” program,
teaming brokers, the BAN medical team and vendors recently at their
educational conference in Orlando. “This innovation completely changes
the dynamic of the broker from the role of trying to mitigate rate
increases to bringing actionable solutions designed to minimize
escalating health care costs, decrease absenteeism and increase
productivity,” noted John O’Connell, Principal C.M. Smith.

29) AI Risk® Introduces Radiology SolutionsSM, A Portfolio of
Insurance Policies Tailored for Diagnostic Radiology Facilities -
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A.I. Risk Specialists Insurance, Inc. (AI
Risk®), a member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG),
today announced the introduction of AI Risk Radiology SolutionsSM, a
portfolio of property and casualty insurance coverages written
specifically to address risks of diagnostic radiology facilities. These
coverages will be underwritten by the AIG Healthcare Department of AI
Risk.

30) State Farm(R) Invests More Than $3 Million in Youth-led Projects
- BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The State Farm Youth
Advisory Board, in partnership with State Farm, announced today that it
will award $3,054,715 for youth-led, service-learning based projects to
44 organizations across the United States and Canada. -- The State Farm
Youth Advisory Board is a diverse group of 30 youth, ages 17-20, who
were chosen through a competitive process to lead and oversee this $5
million/year signature service-learning initiative. The Youth Board
identified the issues, issued competitive grants and will now provide
technical assistance, communication and oversight to site grantees.

31) NAVA to Host Conference on New Industry-Backed Annuity Sales
Standards - RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NAVA today announced that
it is hosting a conference to educate software product and service
providers on its recently announced Straight Through Processing (STP)
standards. The goal of the conference is to create an open forum to
discuss the information and guidelines necessary to develop future STP-compliant
solutions for the annuity industry. -- The NAVA Technology Vendor
Conference will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at the Dulles Hyatt
Hotel in Herndon, Virginia from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

32) Guaranteed Health Cost Savings, At Least 20 Percent, for Large
Employers - MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Oswald Companies is
guaranteeing at least 20 percent savings on health insurance costs for
large employers (300+ employees) who follow their revolutionary new
C.U.R.E.(TM) program. - The introduction to this offering is: WHEN:
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - WHERE:    Hilton Hotel
Minneapolis 1001 Marquette Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. WHO:
RSVP with Rochelle Sevchek, 800.466.0468

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition"

2007-02-27T02:23:00.000-08:00

1) Apax, Morgan to buy Hub Int'l for $1.7 billion - NEW YORK, Feb 26
(Reuters) - Insurance broker Hub International Ltd (HBG.TO: Quote,
Profile, Research) (HBG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it
agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Apax Partners together with
Morgan Stanley Principal Investments for about $1.7 billion. - Apax [APAX.UL]
and Morgan agreed to pay $40.00 per share for Hub. That marks a
16-percent premium over Hub's closing stock price of $34.49 on the New
York Stock Exchange on Friday. -- Including debt, the deal is valued at
about $1.8 billion, the companies said.

2) Hub International Limited Agrees to Be Acquired by Funds Advised by
Apax Partners and Morgan Stanley – Hub Shareholders to Receive US$40 per
Share; Transaction Valued at US$1.8 Billion - CHICAGO--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Hub International Limited (NYSE:HBG) (TSX:HBG) (the “Company”),
one of the leading insurance brokers in North America, announced today
that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by funds advised by
Apax Partners (“Apax”) together with Morgan Stanley Principal
Investments (“MSPI”), through an Arrangement Agreement and related Plan
of Arrangement. - Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, HUB
shareholders will receive US$40.00 per share in cash, representing a
premium of 28% to the 90-trading day average closing stock price on the
NYSE. This transaction values Hub at approximately US$1.8 billion, which
includes approximately US$1.7 billion of fully diluted equity and
approximately US$145 million of debt.

3) WellPoint says CEO to retire, names successor - Mon Feb 26, 2007
9:46AM EST - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Health insurer WellPoint Inc. (WLP.N:
Quote, Profile, Research) stands to become the largest company in the
United States with a woman at the helm, naming Executive Vice President
Angela Braly to be its next chief executive. WellPoint said on Monday
that Larry Glasscock will retire from the health insurer on June 1, but
will continue as board chairman.

4) France's Scor launches full bid for Converium - By Douwe Miedema
- ZURICH, Feb 26 (Reuters) - France's Scor (SCOR.PA: Quote, Profile,
Research) launched an unsolicited offer on Monday for the rest of Swiss
rival Converium (CHRN.S: Quote, Profile, Research), in a 3-billion-Swiss
franc ($2.42 billion) move to create the world's fifth-largest
reinsurer. - Converium last week rejected Scor's merger approach, after
the French group had bought a third of its shares for 21 Swiss francs
each, a price that Converium said did not reflect its strength now that
it had overcome its financial troubles.

5) As Talent Wars Escalate, U.S. Employers Rate “Retention” As The Top
Benefits Objective, Ahead Of Controlling Costs, According To Annual
Metlife Study - NEW YORK, February 26, 2007— According to the 5th
annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, released today,
employee retention is the top benefits objective among employers—edging
out controlling costs for the first time since the study’s inception.
Employee retention was identified as the most important benefits
objective by more than half (55%) of employers overall. Certain
industries such as retail (62%) and services (59%) were even more likely
to place importance on workplace benefits as a retention strategy.

6) White and Williams Coverage Attorney Publishes Article Addressing the
Mississippi Katrina Coverage Situation - As has been widely
reported, there have been many recent developments in Mississippi
concerning coverage for damage caused by Hurricane Katrina -- both
inside and outside the courtroom. Several important decisions have been
handed down by Judge L.T. Senter, Jr. of the Southern District of
Mississippi, who is at the heart of both the litigation and a potential
settlement of thousands of Mississippi claims not in litigation. The
potential settlement is the subject of an important hearing before Judge
Senter on February 28. State Farm's decision to cease writing new
homeowners and commercial policies in Mississippi has received
wide-spread attention, as has the response to that announcement.

7) Bank of New York says SEC may drop timing probe - NEW YORK, Feb 23
(Reuters) - Bank of New York Co. (BK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on
Friday said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may drop its
investigation of possible market-timing trades cleared by its Pershing
LLC unit. - The bank, which in December agreed to pay $16.5 billion for
Mellon Financial Corp. (MEL.N: Quote, Profile, Research), has said the
SEC investigation has focused on transactions cleared for Mutuals.com
Inc. and other firms. - In its 2006 annual report filed with the agency,
however, Bank of New York said it "has learned that the SEC is
considering not pursuing the matter further."

8) M. Stanley severance suit alive on federal level - NEW YORK, Feb 23
(Reuters) - A federal shareholder lawsuit remains alive against Morgan
Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) over windfall severance
payments to top executives following a 2005 management shake-up, even as
a similar New York state suit has been halted indefinitely, according to
lawyers and regulatory filings.

9) Moody's reports: Stable Outlook for U.S. Personal Lines P&C Insurers
- New York, February 22, 2007 -- The outlook for the US personal
lines insurance industry is stable, Moody's Investors Service says in a
new report. Supporting this outlook are the insurers' very strong
balance sheets, a stable environment for investments, and stable trends
for losses. - "We expect core underwriting results to remain strong.
Personal line firms are set on a profitable course for 2007, though
catastrophe losses remain an ever-present threat to profitability," says
the reports author, Vice President and Senior Analyst Paul Bauer.

10) New Study Reveals Devastating Consequences of Employer-Mandated
Healthcare - WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A study
released today by the Employment Policies Institute [EPI] reveals that a
national mandate on businesses to provide health insurance to their
employees would result in almost a million (995,000) lost jobs. - The
study, by Harvard economists Drs. Ellen Meara and Meredith Rosenthal,*
also found that, unlike an employer mandate, Medicaid expansion would
actually increase employment as well as significantly increase the
number of insured. Tax credits are by far the least effective of the
three options analyzed and would carry a high price tag without
significantly reducing the number of uninsured.

11) ING Launches National Practice Development Campaign With
Financial Professionals to Help Grow Their Business Monday February 26,
9:30 am ET Collaborates With Charlie Epstein to Offer Unique 401k Coach
Program - SAN DIEGO and HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 26
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ING, a global financial services leader, is
launching a national practice development campaign aimed at making it
easier for financial professionals to grow and more effectively manage
their retirement plan business. ING will collaborate with Charles D.
Epstein, CLU ChFC AIF® to offer The 401k Coach® Program, an innovative
program for developing, nurturing and building an advisor's retirement
plan business, to 200 of its top financial professionals. -- The ING
401k Coach Program will be offered to ING financial professionals on an
invitation only basis. The program will be offered in five cities during
2007 & 2008: For more information on the ING 401k Coach Program, please
contact The 401k Coach directly at: (877) 932-6236.
12)
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13) BANK INSURANCE NEWS IN BRIEF - FEBRUARY 26, 2007

14) Buffett to assess blowout year, look to future - Mon Feb 26,
2007 5:58AM EST By Jonathan Stempel - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren
Buffett, who last year generated a 24 percent return for Berkshire
Hathaway Inc. (BRKa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) (BRKb.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) shareholders, may this week tell investors and
followers to lower their sights for 2007. -- Buffett's annual missive to
Berkshire stockholders may be Corporate America's most eagerly awaited
shareholder letter. -- Accompanying Berkshire's annual report, the
letter offers trenchant, plain English, and often funny assessments of
Berkshire businesses, and issues facing companies and the economy.
Buffett even admits his own mistakes.

15) U.S. could slip into recession by year-end: Greenspan - Mon
Feb 26, 2007 9:11AM EST - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Monday it was "possible" the U.S.
economy might fall into recession by the end of the year, Dow Jones news
service reported. Greenspan was speaking via satellite link to a
business conference in Hong Kong, Dow Jones said.

16) Enterprise Risk Management More Noticed By Absence In Current
Market Environment, S&P Article Says - NEW YORK Feb. 23,
2007--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has published an article about
the current state of enterprise risk management (ERM) practices in the
insurance industry. The article, titled "Enterprise Risk Management At
Firms More Noticed By Its Absence As Time Goes By," focuses on Standard
& Poor's evaluation of insurer ERM practices for more than one year now,
and concludes that almost 80% of the industry currently has Adequate
ERM.

17) McKesson Acquires Practice Partner - SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) today announced the acquisition
of Physician Micro Systems, Inc., known as Practice Partner, a leading
provider of integrated software for electronic health records (EHRs),
medical billing and appointment scheduling for independent physician
practices. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The acquisition,
along with recently acquired Per-Se Technologies, Inc., supports
McKesson’s commitment to provide a complete solution – including
software, billing and collection services, supplies and connectivity –
to physician practices regardless of size, specialty or geographic
location.

18) BestWeek: When Marketing, Life Insurers Target the Ever-Growing
“Suddenly Singles” - OLDWICK, N.J., Feb. 23, 2007—U.S. life insurers
are seeking to capture a potentially profitable share of women who
suddenly find themselves single. In 2005, 51% of females age 15 and
older were living without a spouse, equating to about 60 million women.
Married couple families in 2005 for the first time ever were a minority
of all American households, said Stephanie Coontz, director of research
and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families.

19) ADP Clearing & Outsourcing Services, Inc. Launches New Online
Research Service - NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 26,
2007 -- ADP Clearing & Outsourcing Services, Inc. (ADP Clearing), a
division of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP), announced today
the launch of its Research Dashboard, a new online broker research tool
powered by Wall Street On Demand. -- In addition to research reports,
there are numerous daily and weekly market updates, intra-day gainers
and losers, daily stock picks, model portfolios, weekly top ten lists,
an earnings announcement calendar and recently viewed symbol display.
Plus, users have the flexibility to customize the layout to incorporate
the information they need at a glance.

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST “Pictures Of The Day”

21) A.M. Best Comments on Ratings Impact of Recent Florida
Legislation; Revises Credit Risk Factor for Florida Hurricane
Catastrophe Fund - OLDWICK, N.J., Feb. 23, 2007—In response to the
recently passed insurance legislation in the Florida marketplace and in
the on-going effort to maintain rating transparency, A.M. Best provides
details regarding both the near-term and longer-term impact of this
legislation on the financial strength ratings of primary and reinsurance
companies in the methodology “Rating Implications of Recent Florida
Legislation.” -- The legislative changes were significant and may have
far reaching consequences in the Florida insurance market. As a result,
A.M. Best will be evaluating the exposure of companies to recoverables
from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) and the impact on
companies’ overall capitalization.

22) AICPCU/IIA Signs Agreement With Washington IIABA to Give
CE-Qualified Seminars to Agents - MALVERN, Pa.—The American
Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America (AICPCU/IIA)
have signed an agreement with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers
of Washington (IIABW) to give seminars based on the Accredited Adviser
in Insurance (AAI®) designation program for agents and brokers. The
seminars, which will qualify for continuing education (CE) credit, will
be offered for the first time starting in late April 2007.

23) DTCC Opens Insurance Services To Broker/Dealers That Create
Retirement Income Programs - New York, February 26, 2007 - The
Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced today that
registered broker/dealers that create and sell non-insurance retirement
and other benefit programs, through distributing broker-dealers, can now
be supported through DTCC's Insurance Services (IS) platform. - An SEC
rule filing submitted by DTCC's clearing subsidiary paves the way for
broker/dealers to leverage DTCC's Insurance Services platform to
automate processing and support the administrative handling of these
wrap-like non-insurance retirement and other benefit programs

24) China Re Group And Standard Life CEOs Headline 2007 Loma
International Underwriting Congress - ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 23,
2007- Dr. Liu Jingsheng , CEO of China Re Group, professor and Ph.D.
supervisor at Nankai University, will discuss China's emerging insurance
and financial services industry and consumer market at the LOMA
International Underwriting Congress (IUC). -- The LOMA International
Underwriting Congress offers a multidisciplinary program focusing on
issues related to international life and health insurance risk selection
and doing business internationally and will be held March 18-21, 2007 in
Shanghai, China at the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai Hotel.

25) Iowa Division Of Insurance Teams Up With State Based Systems -
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Feb. 23, 2007) — The National Association of
Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today announced that the Iowa Division of
Insurance will implement State Based Systems (SBS) to serve its
regulatory business needs. -- “We are pleased to be joining the
partnership between SBS states and the NAIC,” said Iowa Insurance
Commissioner Susan Voss. “While we are still in the early phases of
implementation, the concept of marrying the NAIC’s ability to build and
deliver a system to meet our tight deadlines and our unique business
requirements, coupled with the seamless integration of services and the
high level of customer service, makes SBS an appealing tool for the Iowa
Division of Insurance.”

26) New Exclusive Admitted Program For California Commercial
Contractors - Calabasas, Calif… Effective 2/20/07 Maverick
Commercial Insurance Services has added an exclusive new program for
artisan contractors which includes workers’ compensation, general
liability and automobile coverage. -- This is an exclusive for Maverick
and is available for commercial contractors (including Apartment work).
The program is written with an A+, XV Admitted facility on a 2006 ISO
CGL Occurrence form. Minimum premium is $100,000 combined for all lines.
Work comp is guaranteed cost, Automobile (coverage symbol “1”) is first
dollar and the carrier is offering a small deductible for general
liability. Specialized loss control and claims handling is available.

27) Continuing Ed Info Simplified with Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers of NY E-Publication - (DeWitt, New York, Feb. 22, 2007) — A
new electronic newsletter, designed to streamline the process of
gathering continuing education-related information, made its debut on
Feb. 19 by way of the award-winning Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers of New York, Inc. Education Department. The inaugural one-page
e-mail distribution of in the Classroom reached 8,000 recipients–both
active and non-IIABNY members. -- For more in the Classroom information,
contact IIABNY’s Education Department at (800) 962-7950 or
edu@iiabny.org.

28) LifeCare® Launches New Backup Care ConnectionSM Program -
WESTPORT, Conn., February 22, 2007 -- LifeCare®, Inc., provider of
comprehensive specialty care services and a longtime leader in the
work/life industry, announced today that it has launched a new Backup
Care ConnectionSM program for organizations that want to take the next
step in providing employees and members with resources to help them
better manage their busy lives. The new program helps people make
alternative care arrangements for children and seniors to avoid missing
work when regular care arrangements break down. -- LifeCare will be
partnering with Knowledge Learning Corporation, the nation's leading
provider of quality child care and development programs, to deliver the
Backup Care Connection program.

29) Non-U.S. Edition of Best’s Insurance Reports® Offers Expert
Insurer Analysis - OLDWICK, N.J., Feb. 22, 2007—A.M. Best Co. has
just released the 2007 edition of Best’s Insurance Reports – Life &
Non-Life, Non-US, which offers in-depth analysis on insurers in more
than 80 countries worldwide. - Each report features A.M. Best’s expert
analysis of an insurer’s financial strength, including the Best’s Rating
and Rating Rationale; Financial Size Category designation and Best’s
Profitability, Leverage and Liquidity tests; financial statement items
such as net premiums written; business review; and management and
contact information.

30) The Standard Donates More Than 10,000 Employee Volunteer Hours in
Honor of its 100-year Anniversary - Innovative Days of Caring
program receives recognition. - PORTLAND, Ore. — February 23, 2007 —
Standard Insurance Company (“The Standard”) celebrated its 100th year in
business by partnering with 164 nonprofits across the country and
providing more than 10,500 hours of employee volunteer service. - In
honor of its 100th anniversary The Standard introduced a different
approach to corporate philanthropy through monthly Days of Caring, when
employees volunteer at a nonprofit on company time. The Standard’s
community involvement team worked with a range of organizations across
the country to identify projects and plan the day so that volunteer
efforts were maximized to benefit the organization.

31) Zalma Publishes Update on Punitive Damages - Barry Zalma, a
California Insurance Coverage attorney and internationally recognized
insurance expert, has published an article to his web site, Zalma on
Insurance, entitled "Punitive Damages Decision -- A Boon For Insurers."
- The article explains the importance to insurers of the recent
decision of the United States Supreme Court in Philip Morris USA, v.
Williams, Personal Representative of Estate of Williams, Deceased, on
Certiorari to the Supreme Court of Oregon, No. 05-1256 decided February
20, 2007. The decision should limit the ability of plaintiffs to obtain
excessive verdicts against insurers.

32) TPAA & Express Scripts Bring Superior PBM Deal to Members -
Atlanta, GA, February 22, 2007 - The Third Party Administrator
Alliance—known as the TPAA—working with leading pharmacy benefit
consulting firm ARMSRx, has added another preferred partner’s services
to its long list of member benefits. Express Scripts, one of the top
three pharmacy benefit companies in the nation is offering to TPAA
members a transparent pricing arrangement which is available to the
member’s self-funded employer groups of all sizes. By leveraging TPAA’s
buying power, clients can take advantage of bottom line pricing and
receive considerable savings on their pharmacy expenditures.

33) Progressive Repositions Name in Products It Sells Through Agents
to Allow Them to Capitalize on the Strength of the Progressive Brand
Company Also Announces Product and Service Enhancements Aimed at Helping
Independent Agents Grow - MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies today announced it
is putting the Progressive name first in the names of all of the
products it sells to allow independent agents and brokers to capitalize
on the power of the Progressive name. This move to a one-brand strategy
means the products will be called Progressive Commercial, Progressive
Motorcycle, Progressive Boat, etc., and more of the company’s branding
initiatives will focus on the benefits of insuring a vehicle with a
Progressive company regardless of what or how a consumer chooses to buy.
Because the private passenger auto products and prices sold directly by
the company and by agents are different, their names are different. The
private passenger auto product sold by agents is now called Progressive
Drive Insurance. Private passenger auto insurance sold by the company
directly over the Internet and by phone is now called Progressive
Direct.

33) Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company Aligns With GridPointTM to Offer
Intelligent Energy Management Solutions at a Discounted Rate GridPoint
Products Provide Instant Backup Power, Renewable Energy Integration and
Online Energy Management - NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Fireman’s Fund® today announced a new alliance with GridPoint, a
provider of intelligent energy management (IEM) products. Through its
Prestige® Advisory Services, Fireman’s Fund will offer policyholders a
20 percent discounted rate for GridPoint’s award-winning products that
offer clean backup power, renewable energy integration and online energy
management for home owners.

34) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Announces e-Prescribing
Collaborative Program to Improve Patient Safety - February 21, 2007
12:35 PM Pacific Time - CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an effort to make
prescription medications safer and to improve the quality of care in
Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois announced today the
implementation of a statewide, collaborative program that will unite the
health care industry and expand e-prescribing throughout Illinois. --
The Illinois e-Prescribing Collaborative is the first of its kind in the
nation, as insurers, technology vendors, pharmacies, employer groups,
physicians and other organizations involved in the prescription process
are working together to increase the use of e-prescribing.