DOI Slates June 23, 24 S.C. Property Insurance Forum

The direction South Carolina is headed, how it is addressing the challenges of increasing capacity, fostering competition and providing consumers with options will be discussed during the June 23 and 24 annual Property Insurance Forum sponsored in Charleston by the South Carolina Department of Insurance.

Registration for the forum will begin June 23 with a 6 to 7:30 p.m. opening reception and continue June 24 from 8 to 8:45 a.m.

Elanor Kitzman, South Carolina Director of Insurance will welcome attendees to the forum at 8:45 a.m. and present an overview of the department’s philosophy and strategy for becoming the most responsive market in the Southeast for insurance and financial services.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Scott Harrington, professor in the Health Care Systems and Insurance and Risk Management departments in the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a noted researcher and speaker on insurance markets and regulation. Harrington has served as an expert for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and for many corporations and industry organizations. He has also testified before Congress and several state legislatures on regulatory matters. Harrington is very familiar with insurance markets in the southeast as from 1988 to 2004he served as professor of insurance and finance in the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina from 1988-2004.

Moving into more specific avenues of discussion, industry speakers and panelists will take a look at the history of the property and casualty market in South Carolina, remarkable strides made in recent years with deregulation, building code enforcement and mitigation devices and the changes on the horizon that will reinforce South Carolina’s position as a market leader.

“When it comes to innovation and competition, South Carolina has proven to be a very receptive environment,” Jeffrey Brewer, Property Casualty Insurance Association of America spokesman commented. “South Carolina has made enormous progress in deregulating the insurance market. Today, the state is nationally recognized as a leader in the modernization movement, particularly with respect to automobile insurance.”

A summation of the day’s events will be given between 3:15 and 4 p.m., recapping the forum, a question and answer session and closing remarks by Kitzman.