Webinars tackle executive liability, catastrophe, benefits challenges for mid-market firms

Executive liability, natural catastrophes and benefit financing issues can bedevil companies of all sizes. But when disaster strikes, middle-market companies can actually find themselves more prone to devastating losses than large, multibillion-dollar firms, which typically are better positioned to absorb the damage.

To help insurance buyers and their broker partners tackle some of the most critical challenges facing midsize firms, Business Insurance has developed a series of on-demand webinars featuring commentary from experts in the insurance, risk management and benefits administration fields.

To view any of these $30 webinars immediately or on demand, register online at www.businessinsurance.com/webinars. Each registration includes one voucher for a free online course from Business Insurance's Continuing Education Center.

Increasingly, private/nonprofit companies are looking for ways to shield their top executives from liability and are turning to the same directors and officers liability insurance coverage that large publicly held companies buy.

While shareholder lawsuits drive most lawsuits against publicly held companies, there are other exposures that create a need for D&O protection. Whether they are publicly traded, privately held or a nonprofit, midsize firms face the risk of lawsuits filed by employees, competitors, vendors and regulators. International operations also can create additional exposures.

The webinar focuses on understanding the liability exposures facing midsize companies, and whether D&O protection is the solution. Our expert panel offers advice for middle-market companies as well as the brokers that serve this market. Presenting are Edward M. Joyce, partner, Jones Day; and Bertrand Spunberg, senior vp, management liability product head, Hiscox USA.

With record catastrophe losses in 2011, understanding and managing catastrophe exposures can save lives and dollars, and may make the difference in keeping a business operating through a crisis. This is especially true for mid-market organizations that may not have a dedicated risk manager with the time and resources to be able to focus on such problems and solutions.

This 60-minute webinar reviews not only preparations that organizations can make to minimize damage and business interruption, but also steps to streamline the claims/recovery process after a loss. Our expert panel will focus on advice for middle-market companies, as well as the brokers that serve this market. Presenting are Jill Dalton, partner, Dempsey Partners L.L.C.; and Gregory P. Lanshe, director of property loss prevention services-risk engineering, Zurich Services Corp. 

This presentation covers alternative risk financing options for mid-market companies' health care employee benefit programs, including captives and self-insured arrangements. Attendees will learn about traditional self-funding of health benefits and “blended” programs that combine large deductible plans with a self-funded health reimbursement arrangement. The presentation also explores using a captive to fund stop-loss coverage for a self-funded benefits program as a way to avoid the risk of “lasering,” in which stop-loss carriers laser in on an individual plan member whose health history or diagnosis indicates that he/she likely will be a high-cost claimant. Presenting are Robert J. Melillo, national vp of risk financing solutions, USI Insurance Services; and Rick Stasi, executive vp of alternative risk, Avizent.