Study: Most Insurers` Reserves Okay

Tuesday, October 7th, 2003 Auto Liability Property Workers' Compensation

The property-casualty insurance industry‘s widely-publicized loss reserve shortfall problem is for the most part concentrated in about a dozen large insurers, and is not an industry-wide problem, according to a research report by a financial analysis firm. Columbus, Ohio-based Demotech Inc. in a study of 2,569 property-casualty insurers found that the industry‘s net loss reserve increase (the difference between reserve increases and decreases on year-end 2002 estimates) was $2.5 billion for the first six months of 2003. However, the insurers with the 12 largest reserve increases—all large national carriers—raised reserves by $3.7 billion, indicating that the remaining carriers lowered reserves by about $1.2 billion.

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http://www.nationalunderwriter.com/pandc/hotnews/viewPC.asp?article=10_6_03_10_10521.xml&src=5

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