Companies are providing a wider range of unique and creative benefits to their employees in 2012, with available services ranging from discounted jewelry to pet insurance, reduced funeral planning costs, cancer insurance and even meditation services at the desk. These additional benefits are arriving at a time when employers are trying to keep their workers content in their workplaces despite the higher workloads, pay cuts, reductions in matches for 401(k), and higher costs for health insurance. According to managing director John Breman, from the employer consultancy, Towers Watson, businesses are…
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2012 will begin a massive expansion in cyber attack insurance
This year, the world watched as many corporations – even those that are reputed to have the strongest security systems in place – experienced massive data breaches that were so extensive that their final damage total has yet to be calculated. For example, Sony experienced a tremendous breach to the personal account data stored within its network, and has yet to determine precisely how much the cyber attack has cost the company. The most recently published total was that 100 million customer accounts had been compromised, and that they predict…
Read MoreLawyers gain broadened professional liability coverage from OneBeacon
OneBeacon Insurance Group member, OneBeacon Professional Insurance (OBPI), has launched a broadened lawyers’ professional liability (LPL) coverage so that its protections will now include network security and privacy (NSP) liability. Lawyers can access this new offering in either of two possible ways, which are: 1. As an LPL policy endorsement 2. As its own standalone coverage According to the OBPI senior vice president of the LPL division, Kim Noble, these days, a law firm’s lifeblood is its information systems, and it is vital to protect those systems, as they may…
Read MoreReputational risk a growing concern for companies and insurers
In the advent of social media, a person’s reputation is beginning to play a much more important role in the world of business. A new trend has been born in the insurance industry in the form of reputational risk. This risk is most apparent in companies that have had their reputations damaged by some sort of incident that caused consumer backlash. Companies with bad reputations tend to fare poorly in their given industry, as consumers often steer clear of such companies. In some cases, this avoidance can mean the end…
Read MoreTowers Watson report shows the cost of claims continues to outpace the rise in insurance pricing
Towers Watson, a global professional services firm, has released a new report showing the rising prices in the commercial insurance industry. The report shows that commercial insurance prices have grown for the second consecutive year by an average of 2%. Property insurance and workers compensation are the two fields where the increases in pricing are most apparent. The property insurance market is being bolstered by a number of natural disasters that occurred throughout the year, which prompted insurers to raise rates and prices for new policies. While prices are rising,…
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