Letters

To the editor: Kudos to the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. for standing its ground and committing the organization to holding its annual conference and exhibition in New Orleans next April. According to the Oct. 23 edition of Business Insurance, RIMS made its decision in the face of at least one organization's conference cancellation and nagging concerns about airline service.

At its heart, the insurance industry--whether commercial or residential, broker, MGU or exclusive agent--is about risk mitigation and recovery. RIMS' decision to keep next year's conference in New Orleans is an apt reflection of the industry's commitment to those key concepts.

Aon has had a sizeable contingent of commercial claims people working in the Gulf coast for many months, liaising between the insurers and the insured, helping place our clients squarely back on the road to recovery. We know firsthand of the commitment of New Orleans' people to their own revitalization--made easier with each investment in the city's economy.

While no one should make light of the challenges that currently exist and that lay ahead for New Orleans, we agree with RIMS President Michael Liebowitz that to turn our back on New Orleans now would do a disservice to the city and to its people.

Greg Case

President and Chief Executive Officer

Aon Corp.

Chicago