Plunkett's Insurance Industry Almanac

Jack W. Plunkett is CEO & Publisher of Plunkett Research, Ltd., a Houston-based provider of market research and industry information in printed and electronic formats. Plunkett's client list includes 5,000 leading corporations, universities and government agencies worldwide. Plunkett's research products are distributed electronically through subscriptions to its website, www.plunkettresearch.com, and around the globe by major booksellers and news distributors. Jack Plunkett's work has been widely covered by hundreds of magazines, newspapers and broadcast stations, including stories in USA Today and Inc. Magazine. Plunkett is frequently interviewed as an expert source by publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal. The New York TImes and Investor's Business Daily, media outlets such as NPR's Marketplace, ABC, and CBS Marketwatch, as well as local and regional newspapers and national columnists.

PLUNKETT'S INSURANCE INDUSTRY ALMANAC 2007 A Short Insurance Industry Glossary Introduction How to Use This Book Chapter 1: Major Trends Affecting the Insurance Industry 1) Introduction to the Insurance Industry 2) Aging Populations Create Challenges and Opportunities for the Insurance Industry 3) Selling Insurance to Consumers in Discount Stores May Grow 4) Sophisticated Risk Management and Prevention Programs Lead to Lower Losses 5) Independent Agencies Continue to Dominate Commercial Insurance, but Play a Lesser Role in Personal Lines 6) Direct Selling and E-Commerce Grow 7) Technology Drives Efficiencies in Back Office Tasks, Underwriting, Agency Networks and Customer Service 8) Homeowner's Insurance Passes More Risk to the Policy Holders and Relies on Sophisticated Risk Analysis Tools to Set Rates 9) Insurance Industry Reform May Be on the Horizon 10) Insurance Industry Mergers and Acquisitions Continue 11) No End in Sight to the Growth of Specialized Insurance Lines 12) Variable Annuity Accounts Top $1.8 Trillion in the U.S., While Costs and Sales Practices are Scrutinized 13) Major U.S., Japanese and European Insurance Firms See Vast Promise in the Chinese Market 14) Continued Rise in Health Care Costs 15) Employers Push Health Care Costs onto Employees 16) Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Accounts Gain Traction 17) Growing Use of Managed Care by Medicare 18) Malpractice Suits Are Blamed for Rising Health Care Costs/Tort Reform Is Capping Awards for Damages 19) Medicare Changes Include Drug Benefits for Seniors/Medicare Advantage Offers Private Fee for Service Plans 20) Hedge Funds Enter the Reinsurance Field in a Big Way Chapter 2: Insurance Industry Statistics Insurance Industry Overview Employment in the U.S. Insurance Industry: 1996-2006 Top 25 Global Insurance Companies by Revenues, 2005 Top 10 U.S.- Based Publicly-Traded Insurance Companies by Revenues, 2005 Annual Merger & Acquisition Deal Volume, U.S. Insurance Industry: 2000-2006 Largest U.S. Insurance Industry Merger & Acquisition Deals, 2005 Top 10 Global Life Insurance Companies by Revenues, 2005 Assets and Liabilities of U.S. Life Insurance Companies: 2000-2006 Top 10 Global Property and Casualty Companies by Revenues, 2005 Assets and Liabilities of U.S. Property-Casualty Insurance Companies: 2000-2006 Top 10 Global Health Insurance Companies by Revenues, 2005 The Nation's Health Dollar, 2006 Where It Came From (Estimated) Medicare Deductible, Co-Payment and Premium Amounts, 2007 Employers' Costs for Health Insurance, Amount and Percent of Total Compensation, U.S.: Selected Years 2002-2006 Percent of Persons under Age 65 with Public Health Plan Coverage and Private Health Insurance Coverage, by Age Group, U.S.: 1997-2005 People without Health Insurance for the Entire Year, U.S.: 2003, 2004 and 2005 Typical U.S. Automobile Insurance Costs per Year, 2006 Chapter 3: Important Insurance Industry Contacts (Addresses, Phone Numbers and World Wide Web Sites) Chapter 4: THE INSURANCE 300: Who They Are and How They Were Chosen Industry List, With Codes Index of Rankings Within Industry Groups Alphabetical Index Index of Headquarters Location by U.S. State Index of Non-U.S. Headquarters Location by Country Index by Regions of the U.S. Where the Firms Have Locations Index by Firms with Operations Outside the U.S. Individual Data Profiles on Each of THE INSURANCE 300 Additional Indexes Index of Hot Spots for Advancement for Women/Minorities Index by Subsidiaries, Brand Names and Selected Affiliations