Commercial insurance prices remained flat for the eighth consecutive quarter, according to Towers Watson's most recent Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS).
At the same time, accident-year loss ratios deteriorated relative to the same period in the prior 12 months.
More specifically, the study found that commercial insurance prices fell by 1 percent during the fourth quarter of 2010. The survey compares prices charged on policies underwritten during the fou [...]
What do CFOs worry about the most? What's their biggest challenge?
The answer: time management and keeping up with changing technology, according to a study from Robert Half Management Resources.
What's more, previous studies done in 2006 and 2001 show that these areas have been top-of-mind-challenges for quite a while.
The research asked CFOs, "In your opinion, which one of the following is the greatest challenge for financial executives [...]
One of the many areas that companies have focused on for cost-cutting initiatives is spend on travel and entertainment (T&E). Manual T&E management is one of the largest drivers of inefficiency as it reduces visibility, accuracy and timeliness of spend information, according to a survey by Paystream Advisors.
Moving away from manual processes and onto an automated spend management system can help not just large firms with complex [...]
Annual contract value (ACV) for this specialized category of outsourcing is expected to grow by 15 percent to 20 percent this year, to more than $4 billion, according to the Everest Group.
This growth comes on the heels of a 15 percent increase in 2010, suggesting the market is surging once again.
In 2008 and 2009, ACV growth was closer to 10 percent, reflecting the weaker overall economy.
N [...]
As the economy continues to improve and the stock market continues on its upward path, employees no doubt are wondering whether their companies are planning to restore their matches for 401(k) plans.
A new comprehensive study by Grant Thornton, however, does not shed much encouragement for workers.
Just 30 percent said they are planning to reinstate previously eliminated or reduced matching contributions during 2011. On the other hand, 42 percent do not have plans to reins [...]
Stock buybacks are staging a comeback...sort of.
In the fourth quarter of 2010, total value of share repurchases by S&P 500 companies surged 80.6 percent to $86.36 billion from the comparable period the previous year, according to Standard & Poor's. It was also up 8.6 percent from the third quarter of 2010.
For all of 2010, there was $298.8 billion worth of buybacks, up 117.1 percent from $137.6 billion in 2009.
The hot buyback action has continued into [...]
Malicious or criminal attacks on data are on the rise--and so are their costs.
Those are some of the findings of the 2010 US Cost of a Data Breach study from the Ponemon Institute. The benchmark study looked at the experiences of 51 US companies in 15 industry sectors; it's the sixth annual such survey done by Ponemon.
According to Ponemon, for the first time, malicious or criminal attacks are the most expensive cause of data breaches. Some 31 percent of all cases i [...]
Limited Brands said it will sell $750 million in 10-year notes. The company said it intends to use the proceeds to repurchase $500 million of stock under a new share repurchase program and for general corporate purposes.
The move seemed to surprise some commentators. But investors applauded the move, bidding up the stock by more than 1 percent when it began trading Tuesday morning.
The transactions, however, were seemingly encouraged by Moody's Investors Service.
A [...]
A number of corporations are once again ramping up debt offerings after many companies abruptly postponed sales last week.
On Monday morning alone, for example, SunTrust Banks said it would sell $1 billion in new senior unsecured debt. It plans to use the proceeds, al [...]
We've heard a lot about how high-growth startups generate more jobs than other small businesses. Now there's evidence so-called entrepreneurial public companies create more employment than other firms of the same size.
The findings are from research by Joel Shulman, an associate professor at Babson College who also runs a newly created mutual fund called EntrepreneurShares Mutual Fund . It invests in 400 companies defined as entrepreneurial according to 15 core factors, [...]
They are having trouble finding qualified candidates. They say there is a shortage of skilled machine operators and welders.
Manufacturers are also concerned about the increase in health insurance costs.
These are some of the findings from a recent survey of 80 financial executives representing U.S.-based ma [...]
"The PCAOB inspected the audits of many of the issuers that later failed or received federal bail-out funds," said PCAOB chairman James Doty at a PCAOB Investor Advisory Group Meeting on Wednesday. "In several cases - including audits [...]
It looks like investors have become a lot less litigious.
According to Cornerstone Research, the number of securities class action settlements approved in 2010 was the lowest in more than 10 years.
There were just 86 court-approved securities class action settlements in 2010, down 15 percent from 2009. The total dollar value of settlements declined by more than 17 percent, from $3.8 billion in 2009 to $3.1 billion in 2010.
As a result, the average settlement amo [...]
The devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear-power disaster in Japan are forcing a new look at the efficacy and safety of nuclear energy. Not so long ago, the Obama administration committed to boosting nuclear power. Now countries like Germany are saying they're reassessing their policies.
The gravity of these issues lends a particular urgency to new findings about venture capital investment in clean technology, as well as the state of the clean energy industry.
Since the day it became law in the summer of 2002, Sarbanes-Oxley has always had a chorus of critics and should even be dismantled.
It's too expensive, too over-reaching, not well thought out, encourages companies to list overseas, doesn't really reign in fraud. Pick your reason for disdaining to governance rules.
However, as we approach the ninth anniversary, it looks like most people who actually have to deal with SOX on a day-to-day basis have settled in and hav [...]
Companies can expect few incentives to come out of tax reform efforts this year, according to corporate tax specialists, as the Obama administration and legislators focus on how to pay for personal income tax reforms and benefits.
Those companies that held any hopes that the coming year would bring some tax relief will be disappointed, according to corporate tax advisers.
Rather, the administration is continuing to look [...]
Three-way proxy battles are very unusual. In fact, they are so unusual dissidents frequently go out of their way to avoid them.
This is what happened in a single day last week.
Casablanca Capital withdrew its slate of three director candidates for election to the board of Mentor Graphics at the May annual meeting, pledging its support for Carl Icahn's three-person slate.
On that same day, Immersion announced it had settled with Dialectic Capital Management, [...]
Small business borrowing has been on an increase, something I wrote about recently. Fact is, however, the real heroes of small business lending over the past three tough years have been credit unions, which upped their lending, while bigger banks mostly pulled the plug on it.
Now there's about to be a bill in the Senate increasing the amount credit unions are allowed to lend to small businesses.
Only it's the second time around for this legislation, so the futu [...]
This is why boards of directors-especially compensation committees-are under attack.
When Steve Odland resigned as Office Depot's chairman and CEO last fall, the company's stock surged 9 percent on the same day.
Anthony Chukumba, a senior research analyst with BB&T Capital Markets, told Reuters: "This is a relief rally. It has 100 percent to do with the CEO leaving. He cited "a series of strategic and financial missteps" such as missing ea [...]
Chris Liddell announced that he will leave General Motors on April 1.
In a press release Thursday morning, the company stressed Liddell is stepping down after completing the largest public stock offering in history and stabilizing the company's financial operations.
Liddell joined the car maker in January, 2010 and led the company's financial and accounting operations on a global basis.
"Chris was a major contributor during a pivota [...]