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Kelley Wright, managing editor of the Investment Quality Trends newsletter, lists stocks that have a high dividend and earnings quality and are ripe for a rally. Hartford Financial Services Group and Principal Financial Group slashed their dividend payouts, but Manulife Financial did not cut its payout.

American International Group's (AIG's) chairman and CEO, Maurice Greensberg transformed the small-scale firm into a behemoth that has $678 billion in assets. Consensus analyst forecasts for 2004 call for a in 15.2% jump in earnings, before securities gains and losses, to $4.48 a share from 2003's $3.89, followed by a 14.3% advance to %5.12 a share in 2005.

Cornish believes that insurance stocks may be due for a rebound, especially stocks of some of the better property/casualty companies. Cornish discusses issues such as the insurance industry's 1993 statutory surplus gain and the effect of Hurricane Alan on the industry.

The share prices of insurance company AXA Group could rise as it leads the insurance sector in a global recovery under the guidance of chief executive officer Henri de Castries. The company's shares, the value of which have risen from 5.58 euros to 15.60 euros a share, could gain another 50%.

Analyst Allan Fulkerson gives his evaluation of the insurance industry and insurance stocks. The finances of Aon, Capital Holdings, Chubb, General Re, Cincinnati Financial, and Progressive Ohio are highlighted.

The shares of Hartford Financial doubled as its CEO raised their profit forecast and assured investors that they have enough capital while the co-operative structure that allows Sysco to defer certain tax payments could hold back the shares of Sysco. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ended December 5, 2008 are discussed.

Harry Cohen and Scott Glasser, co-managers at the Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund, maintain their cautious attitude toward the financial markets. Stock picks of the two investment managers are also discussed.

The 2004 bid rigging case brought on the New York State Attorney General is still affecting the stock price of Marsh & McLennan with most analysts tagging a hold or sell rating for their shares. The companyEs strategy for their insurance unit includes increasing its business with middle-market companies and upgrading services for new clients.

Health insurer Aetna is likely to stage a robust recovery in 2007 as investors come to realize that the firm's problems are not as bad as the bears portray them. Aetna had a solid quarter as revenues rose 14% to US$6.3 billion, driven by growth in membership, premiums and fees, and also boosted its 2006 operating-earnings guidance to a range of US$2.77 to US$2.79 a share.

The smart and innovative best run auto insurer in the United States, Progressive Corporation has the industryEs highest profit margins while offering low rates to motorists. Since the company went public in 1971, its shares have risen more than 1,000-fold.

Tech stock weakness spurred by a soft Sun Micro earnings forecast sent the Nasdaq down 4.4% on the week. Other topics include: option volatility slowdowns; Chubb share price optimism; Gillette's turnaround plans, and other issues.

The CBOE will begin trading insurance futures in Dec 1992. The futures are expected to help protect casualty insurers against excessive losses. An evaluation of the investment is provided.

Ambac Financial Group retains their triple-A rating despite their big losses and the extraordinary reduction in the value of their shares. David and Jay Levy insists that the worst is yet to come in relation to the U.S. economy but that the 'period of great opportunity' will be very much worth the wait.

The shares of American International Group, trading at $34.91 each, cappear overpriced in the wake of a failure to sell AIA Group, its prime Asian life insurance unit. Investors should consider AIG's junior debt, yielding about 10%, which appears to be well-supported by the company's assets.

The shares of property and casualty insurance company Chubb are projected to benefit from the company's strong finances. The company's shares, trading at $50 each or 1.1 times estimated book value, could rise by 10% or more in 2010.

The shares of Progressive trades at 11 times projected 2009 profit of $1.47 a share and commands two times book value which is rich compared with most peers. The shares could rise at least 25 percent in a year from November 2009.

The shares of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway have fallen to $85,000 and these are cheap since they are trading at just 1.2 times estimated book value and are well below its peak of $149,000. One fan of the stock expects it to top $110,000 in the next year from June 2009.

The shares of Hartford Financial Services Group fell to a low of 3.33 but investors are advised not to bail out at this price since the company still has an excellent property-and-casualty insurance business. Canada's Sun Life Financial may be trying to acquire Hartford's stronger life units. This could leave Hartford with the troubled variable annuities unit.

The shares of Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. are a good buy to make a leveraged bet on a recovery in the bond market. The shares are at around 13 but the company has a book value of $41.80 a share at the end of September 2008. The company's bond holdings mostly of high quality and has negligible default risk.

The shares of regional banks as well as those of other financial institutions trading near book value appear most attractive to investors due to their stability. Their operations, however, may not be fully revived until 2010 and lending growth will be slow during the period, although they are projected to post profits in 2009.

AIG's bailout by the U.S. government means that the government will receive warrants that would give the government a 79.9 percent common-stock interest in the company. The common stock is estimated to have an eventual value at anywhere from $2 to $10 a share following an exercise of the government's warrants.

The shares of Prudential Financial have as much as 40% upside due to the company's growing return on equity and private-placement investing. The company's shares have fallen to $75 from $102 in October 2007, or about 10 times estimated 2008 earnings of $7.48 a share.

Fund manager Marty Whitman is bullish on the shares of bond insurer MBIA, which may rise from their $14 level to around $35 a share. His fund, the Third Avenue Value fund, is dominated by real estate stocks that are built on strong finances and talented management.

The selloff of the shares of American International Group (AIG) on February 11, 2008 saw the shares slide 12 percent to a five-year low of $44.10. AIG's disclosure of an outside accountant's findings of 'material weakness' in their accounting system triggered the selloff. The low valuation of the shares provides a window of opportunity to investors since the shares could jump by 50 percent.

The shares of AIG get an Outperform ranking with a target price of $74 from its $50.68 price. AON Corp. and Administaff both get Buy ratings as AOC reports 59 cents earnings per share from continuing operations while Administaff posts commendable unit and top-line growth. The shares of Bois d'Arc Energy, Callaway Golf, Capstead Mortgage, and 12 other stocks are evaluated.

The shares of MBIA are underpriced at $8.55 a share, compared to the liquidation value of $30 a share. The company is less exposed to the subprime loans crisis as its chief competitor Ambac Financial Group, while bad news has battered its shares.

The shares of American International Group have been dragged down by subprime-mortgage concerns and the company is trading at 1.4 times book value and could hit $75 by the end of 2008. Bear Stearns is trading below book value at around $80 but could easily top $100 by 2009 if the worst is over for the company. Other stock picks for 2008 include Comcast, Gannett, and Kohl.

The merger announcement of MGIC Investment and Radian Group Inc. boosted their stocks to 52 week highs in February, 2007 but was called off in September, 2007. The stocks of both companies have been battered by loan foreclosures and mortgage claims losses translating to a 70% drop for MGIC and an 80% drop for Radian.

Ping An Insurance, China's second-largest life insurer, is undergoing a radical restructuring, which will lead to vastly improved prospects for the company. Shares jumped almost 23% in early 2006, so, although they appear to be an outstanding long-term value, investors are advised to wait for a pullback in price.

Insurance giant American International Group (AIG) and its shareholders had a troubled year in 2005, as the chief executive officer and several senior executives were ousted, and the company lost its reputation and its credibility as a result of revelations about past accounting abuses. Stocks fell some 30% below the 73.46 it had fetched in February 2005 and however, the stock has recovered greatly and are expected to hit 80 in 12 months from December 2005.

Japan is set to shed its deflationary sufferings in 2005 and abandon its zero-rate policy, but the economy is still dependent on the global cycle and exports which could turn pessimistic and impact the country's stock market. Banks are the main beneficiaries of the renaissance, as per analysts, followed by insurance and telecommunications stocks.

UnumProvident, the largest disability insurer firm in US, faces problems in raising more equity capital for its disability insurance policies for doctors, lawyers and other professionals, as the Unum's bond are rated valueless and the stocks remained stuck far below the all-time high of 62 set in 1999. It is described that the UnumProvident used aggressive accounting and finite reinsurance deals to boost its earnings and regulatory or statutory capital.

St. Paul Travelers has rallied 5% to 37.27 but a regulatory probe and concerns about the insurer's reserves could hitch its share. The company's new sale of Nuveen Investments, a tax-exempt bond-fund powerhouse, should alleviate some shareholder concerns as the estimated $2 billion in after-tax proceeds will help support St. Paul Travelers' somewhat ravaged capital base, obviating the need for additional financings.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and the SEC hit giant municipal-bond and financial-guarantee insurer MBIA with a second round of subpoenas following their first requests for information in November 2004. The subpoenas asked for information relating to MBIA's account treatment of advisory fees, its methodology for determining loss and case reserves, and instances of purchase of credit-default protection on itself and documents relating to Channel Reinsurance Ltd., a reinsurance company.

Interest rate cuts to 40-year lows, along with encouraging earnings news from Cisco Systems, bolstered the stock market. Insurance shares fell on news of some ratings downgrades, but casino stocks firmed despite a Las Vegas gaming revenue decline of 5.4% in September.

Lipper's new rating seeks to identify consistent return propspects, succeeding at differentiating itself from Morningstar's investment-style approach. Fenimore Asset Management of Cobleskill, NY, and Brown & Brown insurance brokers, are also analyzed.