Tag: Insurance

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s MedPro Group will participate in the US Jurisdiction medical professional liability facility of The Medical Professional Liability Company Ltd.

MedPro has added its support to that of existing subscribing Syndicate, Pembroke Managing Agency Limited Syndicate 4000. Pembroke Managing Agency Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ironshore.

Launched in January 2011, the facility offers cover on Lloyd’s paper to US institutions providing clinical services outside of the United States. The cover is enhanced by a unique offering of claims handling solutions, clinical governance review and a 24-hour legal helpline delivered by The MPLC.

MedPro and The MPLC believe the combination of their respective domestic and international expertise will provide their clients an unparalleled partner for underwriting risks that extend beyond U.S. domestic borders.

Maximum limits available for this facility are USD15M for any one claim and USD30M in the annual aggregate.

John Young, Managing Director of The MPLC said: “We are delighted to have MedPro’s and Pembroke’s support which will strengthen our program, especially for MedPro’s producing brokers and healthcare clients. The offering combines MPLC’s wide international experience with MedPro’s financial strength and experience as well as the strength and expertise of the Pembroke Syndicate at Lloyd’s of London.”

Discussing MedPro’s motivation behind the partnership, Craig Rowland, Business Development Lead for MedPro’s International Division said: “Through this facility, we are very pleased to be able to further support our domestic institutional clients, who daily trust us to protect their assets and reputations, by now being able to cover their international risks. It is always our deepest desire to continually meet the needs of our clients and serve them as their risks grow and become more complex.”

Tim Glover, Chief Underwriting Officer for Pembroke Managing Agency said: “We look forward to expanding our successful partnership with MedPro and The MPLC. Our collective breadth of experience and distribution will better serve our broker and client needs.”

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Strong growth in the number of outbound North American travelers means solid growth opportunities for travel insurers, including Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection.

According to the Research and Markets report, “North America Travel Insurance Market by Distribution Channel: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2016-2022,” the travel insurance market possesses high potential to grow in the next 6-8 years, as the present penetration level is considerably low. It is one of the niche segments as compared to other segments in the insurance industry. One of the driving factors of travel insurance is the growth of tourism industry across North America.

As the tourist traffic is growing, the associated risk (while travelling) is also on rise.

Travel insurance covers the expenses incurred and minimizes the risks during travel, which include medical treatment to patient, trip cancellation, loss of baggage, evacuation or repatriation during an emergency, loss of travel documents, and others.

The growth of travel insurance market is influenced by the growth in trend of adopting travel insurance as a prerequisite for obtaining VISA. This provision ensures that travelers are adequately covered in case of medical emergencies, owing to high medical and hospitalization cost in foreign countries. However, lack of proper knowledge in terms of benefits of travel insurance and low awareness are expected to restrain the growth of the North America travel insurance market.

According to a study, the number of outbound travelers in the U.S. was increased by 7.7% in 2015 as compared to 2014, strengthening the growth of the U.S. travel insurance market.

Moreover, 27% of the Canadian population comprises baby boomers, who have the resources and time to travel across the world. Thus, travel insurance service providers target baby boomers and amend their services to provide a better solution, which is expected to surge the demand for travel insurance in Canada. Insurance intermediaries are expected to gain high market share, owing to the growth of travel insurance among senior citizens.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway’s Gen Re is one of the founding members of InsurLab Germany, as the insurance industry is embracing digitalization at an ever-faster pace, both in Germany and elsewhere.

InsurLab Germany is open to companies in the insurance industry along with start-ups and related service providers. Gen Re is one of eight founding members with an insurance background; other co-founders include the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the University of Cologne and TH Köln University of Applied Sciences. Ulrich Pasdika, Head of Region Germany and Research & Development Life & Health at Gen Re, was elected to the association’s board along with two other representatives from the insurance industry.

Dr Winfried Heinen, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at General Reinsurance AG, said: “We are delighted about this initiative and are happy to actively support it. We believe it strengthens Cologne as an insurance hub and we can make a significant contribution to the discussions with our international expertise. As a top ten reinsurer with a global network, we have a strong interest in promoting collaboration between start-ups and the insurance industry – to the benefit of both sides.”

Gen Re has been involved in various initiatives dedicated to the digital future of the industry for some time now. One of the fields it focuses on within this area is data science. In addition to this, Gen Re is working with external partners to find practical solutions to the highly dynamic pace of change affecting the insurance industry as it tackles rapid technological progress and changing consumer behaviour.

Ulrich Pasdika commented: “We firmly believe that cooperation between insurers and reinsurers on the one hand and a wide range of InsurTechs on the other, offers huge potential for innovative approaches. Provided the industry maintains this collaboration in a smart, consistent way, digitalization represents a massive opportunity for it.

Cologne’s InsurLab is the latest in a long line of international initiatives and projects relating to technology and innovation which we have established around the world, and it offers us another outstanding opportunity to help shape these major changes.”

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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William (Bill) Casill, FSA, has joined Gen Re’s North American life and health business as Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary, assuming strategic oversight of pricing and valuation for General Re Life Corporation. He reports to Vincent DeMarco, President and CEO.

Bill has an extensive background in pricing and valuation, including over 25 years of experience in mortality analytics, underwriting and reinsurance. Prior to his new role, he served as Head of Reinsurance and Corporate Chief Underwriter at AXA Equitable.

“We are excited about the experience Bill brings to Gen Re. His impressive wealth of knowledge will allow him to immediately support our profitable growth objectives,” said DeMarco.

“What mainly attracted me to Gen Re was the opportunity to work with a talented group of professionals, both within the company and across their wide range of clients,” said Casill. “I look forward to working under a top quality brand and identifying ways we can be more competitive across markets.”

Bill is based in the Stamford, Connecticut office and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway’s Gen Re has received approval from the Insurance Regulation and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to open a branch in Mumbai (R3 license).

The new branch structure will now allow Gen Re to deliver underwriting and risk management expertise locally rather than cross-border. It will facilitate an optimal business model, both efficient in process and highly beneficial to clients. Gen Re has already been committed to the Indian market for the past 15 years through various channels, most recently through a local support services company in Mumbai. The focus was primarily on the Life and Health sector. Gen Re will continue contributing and expanding in this segment while simultaneously exploring opportunities to grow its presence in the Property/Casualty reinsurance market.

Venkatesh N. Chakravarty will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer and lead the branch. Bringing almost three decades of re/insurance experience to the role, he has held senior positions with both an international and domestic focus. Venkatesh will also hold operational responsibility for the Life/Health business. The Property/Casualty business will be headed by Nighat Khan.

Speaking recently, Winfried Heinen, Chairman of the Executive Board of Directors of General Reinsurance AG, said, “We are delighted about the opening of the Indian market. Establishing a reinsurance branch is an important milestone for us. We firmly believe in the great potential of the Indian market, especially for life and health insurance products. With Venkatesh as our local head we have an extraordinarily professional and capable team in place to lead this important move. I am excited about the opportunities on the horizon.”

“The new structure will enable us to provide technical and risk management services locally. Beyond classic reinsurance of traditional lines of business, the development of innovative life and health insurance products with and for our clients is at the core of our value proposition. We are now ideally positioned to meet the demands and challenges of the market,” added Venkatesh Chakravarty.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP), a leading provider of innovative travel insurance, has launched a new lineup of travel insurance products for the U.S. market.

Known for its market-leading innovation in U.S. travel insurance, BHTP is launching more comprehensive coverage than before with the debut of ExactCare® Value™ and ExactCare® Extra™, and enhancements to its existing ExactCare® product.

“BHTP is launching a good, better and different suite of plans in the U.S. market,” said Dean Sivley, president of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. “Our top-tier offering is ‘different’ in that it not only provides the highest coverage limits from BHTP, it also integrates our innovative fixed benefits, making it the broadest travel insurance option in the U.S.”

ExactCare® Extra™: BHTP is the first travel insurance company to launch a revolutionary concept that combines the innovative and immediate fixed-benefit payments featured in its existing AirCare® product with traditional coverage, giving travelers the broadest travel and simplest protection possible.

ExactCare® Value™: Full-featured product offering savvy travelers what they want most from travel insurance.

ExactCare®: BHTP’s most popular product is now more hassle-free – particularly for families, with the addition of family-friendly pricing.

“Travel agents now have something different to offer their clients – something that includes what we’re calling ‘no receipts needed’ fixed benefits for several coverages in BHTP’s new ExactCare Extra® plan,” Sivley added. “Following the 2014 debut of AirCare® – the world’s first flight-protection product to feature claims that are automatically filed and paid as flight or baggage mishaps happen – BHTP has now combined these popular fixed benefits for travel disruption and baggage with traditional, comprehensive travel insurance.”

As travelers enter the busy and often weather-disrupted summer travel season, the new and enhanced ExactCare products will not only make quick travel assistance more accessible for any travel problem or disruption, but now travelers can receive “as it happens” claims payments for covered flight cancellations, tarmac delays or delayed and lost baggage.

Designed to dramatically reduce or eliminate claim filing and processing, all new BHTP ExactCare products include expedited claims reimbursement via BHTP Burst® – including direct e-payments to a PayPal account, or payment via debit card into a specified account. Plus, the new, innovative ExactCare Extra plan includes real-time flight tracking, the popular high-tech feature that was first introduced in 2014 with BHTP’s AirCare product.

All BHTP insureds have access to on-demand attention and responses through MyAssist, and BHTP’s 24/7/365 global concierge service.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.