Keynote speaker at the Insurance Federation of New York, Inc.’s November 3rd Annual Luncheon will be Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, legendary founder of AIG and C.V. Starr and one of the most controversial and admired people in insurance history. In this column, we have defended Greenberg against wrong thinking attackers, notably when he was a victim of overreaching and star struck regulators. We are happy to see him return to the podium of the Insurance Federation of New York as keynote speaker, having been its Free Enterprise awardee some years back. The stellar show will witness the conferral of the Free Enterprise Award upon GNY’s Warren Heck on November 3rd at Cipriani’s on Wall Street….and, yes, Cipriani’s will still be there, you can bet your last linguine..… The New York Times did its customary disservice to the insurance industry—it finds many creative ways to do this—on the occasion of the passing of Gene Anderson, founder of the Anderson, Kill Law Firm. Before criticizing the Times, let me note that Gene Anderson was a friend to the Insurance Advocate and a frequent contributor to these pages over the years and was certainly a formidable force in the insurance world notably for his treatise on insurance coverage litigation.

Returning to the New York Times, the headline for Gene’s obituary read “Eugene R. Anderson, 82: He made Insurers Pay Up.” Aside from the New York Post feel of this headline, it implies that some how or other insurers are not willing to “pay up” and it took a Eugene Anderson to keep them honest. Frankly, it is difficult for some to get over the obvious nature of the claims settlement process, but the New York Times will use even a small opportunity to hit at corporate America. I do not wish to use the occasion of Gene’s passing to comment much further except to say that he was an outstanding attorney and a very strong and forceful competitor. He was in the middle of many of the landmark cases in insurance and proved himself to be as honest as he was interested in his clients’ well being. We extend our condolences to his family…Over the past several weeks some strange things have been happening in the business auguring some interesting changes from capital investments, not the least of which could affect SBLI New York, Long Island Insurance Company and two other enterprises which we have not completed our research on. We will announce these shortly. …Joe Carlomusto, is an elegant guy whose insurance background and depth are enviable. Joe is a consultant now for a number of major firms and has led them in right direction. We appreciate his friendship and astute industry… Last Leff if you think that should read “laugh” then you will think that the typo in my last column should have said Harvey Leff not Harry Leff—our fault here on a sleepy summer deadline date. Harvey Leff is the individual responsible for putting us together with some very inside information and resources and we owe him further acknowledgement and correct spelling of his name, Harvey Leff, so that we are not lefft with the last leff. Sorry, Harvey or was that Harry?....He who leffs last….IIABNY reports that it is completing its review of an advance copy of a draft circular letter on the producer compensation disclosure regulation released by the NYSID. Upon initial review, the association says it has found that “while the circular letter clarifies some issues, it raises as many questions as it answers” and leaves issues unresolved. While some groups might view the department’s draft as a step forward, IIABNY sees many areas of confusion.The draft outlines the Insurance Department’s expectations regarding producer compliance with Regulation 194, which IIABNY and the Council of Insurance Brokers of Greater New York are challenging in New York State Supreme Court. The regulation is being contested on the grounds the department lacks statutory authority to enforce rules that require the state’s more than 100,000 licensed insurance producers to disclose certain compensation information to their clients. Release of the fivepage draft circular letter, which is posted on NYSID’s website, came just days before IIABNY and CIBGNY filed a formal rebuttal to the state Attorney General’s response to the Regulation 194 legal challenge.… The New York Division of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s (IICF) annual gala dinner will be held Wednesday, December 9, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. This year’s Dinner Chair is Pierre Ozendo, Chairman and CEO of Swiss Re America Corporation. Joseph J. Plumeri, Chairman and CEO of Willis Group is the honoree for the evening. The special guest speaker is Tom Brokaw, NBC News Special Correspondant. IICF will honor Mr. Brokaw’s commitment to philanthropy with a grant to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Refugee Youth Program in New York. Mr. Brokaw serves on the board of overseers of the IRC.The remaining proceeds from the event will provide other significant grants to charities in the New York tri-state area such as Boys Hope Girls Hope, Starlight Children’s Foundation, and World Cares Center. For Gala information, including ticket sales, please contact the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Benefit Office at (212) 763-8593 or iicf@ cmevents.net. The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation was established in 1994 and is completely directed and funded by the industry. The Foundation seeks to help communities and enrich lives by uniting the collective strengths of the industry to provide grants, volunteer service and leadership. The Industry Foundation originated in California and in 2007 added a New York Division. Since its inception the Industry Foundation has contributed over 16 million dollars and 100,000 volunteer hours to hundreds of community nonprofits. To learn more visit www.iicf.org or contact Betsy Myatt, Executive Director (917) 544-0895, emyatt@iicf.com.…We regret to mark the passing of Cammy Belser, Vice President/ Regional Manager - Eastern Regional Office of Merchants Insurance Group, who died after a courageous battle with cancer on Friday morning, August 20, 2010. We have been told she died peacefully, surrounded by family. Cammy was very active with associations on behalf of Merchants. She was involved with numerous industry groups and charity organizations. She will be missed, as Steve Ruchman notes in his column this issue.