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Foster Business Library


Insurance Resources


Foster Business Library research guides are aimed at University of Washington students, faculty, and staff, highlighting resources available to them; users not currently affiliated with the university may be unable to access some of these resources.
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Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of over fifty databases on its homepage; see under Databases. For a complete list of Foster databases, see the List of All Business Databases. Access to these databases from off campus requires that you first go to the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. These resources may not be accessed from off campus except by those with a valid UW Net ID and password. For more information on Foster business databases, click Databases, A-Z. For information on which Foster business databases to use, see the Database Index. For information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, see Database Access. For guidelines on responsible database usage, see Database Usage.

  • Hoovers Online:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Hoovers Online offers information about 14,000 public and private companies worldwide, with links to company homepages and annual reports, charts, company capsule, competitors, divisions, earnings, financials, Fortune and Forbes rankings, history, industry information, insider trading, mission statements, news links, press releases, officers, patents, products, SEC filings, splits, subsidiaries, etc.

    See the industry factsheet for Insurance and the related Industry Overview, as well as the Company List for this industry.

  • Lexis-Nexis Academic:   To find industry information, go to Business where you can obtain financial data for companies, Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings, annual reports from 1984 to 1995, information about public, private and foreign companies, mergers, and bankruptcies. Information is available from twenty different sources (each of which must be searched separately). SEC filings, particularly the 10K annual reports, are a particularly rich source of company and industry information. Use your browser's Find command (or Control-F) to locate references to particular terms of interest in 10K filings such as trends, strategy, competitors, industry, etc.

    Go to Business and then to Industry & Market News for the Insurance industry.

  • Investext:   Investext contains indexing and the full text of company and industry research reports prepared by leading Wall Street firms, as well as regional and international brokerage and financial firms. All reports are in PDF format.

    Go to the industry information for Insurance for over 25,000 reports.

  • Euromonitor:   This database provides global consumer market information, with demographics, trends and developments, market background, market sizes and forecasts, market shares, key players, and company profiles. This database provides over 1,800 reports with market data and detailed company profiles, including market shares, brand information, company strategy and SWOT analyses of the companies, for many countries. For eight major countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States), in-depth industry information is also available.

    A search for Insurance, in titles, produced twenty reports, For health care, life, and property insurance, in a variety of countries, including the United States.

  • Gartner Research:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. The Gartner Research database provides in-depth analysis and market intelligence for the information technology industry. It covers the full range of products and technologies associated with computer hardware, software, communications products, financial services, electronic business, and healthcare application software worldwide. Ten industries are covered in depth:   banking, education, energy, government, healthcare providers, insurance, investment services, manufacturing, media, and retail. Access to this database, on campus or off, requires a valid UW Net ID.

  • Mergent Online:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Online access to the print edition of the Mergent Manuals, with extensive information on 11,000 U.S. and 17,000 international companies, including financials, stock, properties, joint ventures, annual reports, subsidiaries, S.E.C. filings, etc. For search tips, see About Mergent Online.

    A search in this database, in all countries, for the SIC code 6411, for insurance, produced a list of over 240 companies.

  • Reference USA:   This unique database offers directory information for eleven million companies in the U.S. Companies can be searched by name, business activity, size and location.

    There are many SIC codes related to Insurance, the majority falling in SIC code 6411. A search in this database for this SIC code produced a list of over 249,000 companies.

    Web Resources:

    Unlike library databases, Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources. For a subject index to web resources, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage.

  • America’s Health Insurance Plans:   This organization is "the national trade association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans." See their Industry Issues and Guides and Fact Sheets.

  • American Council of Life Insurers:   "The American Council of Life Insurers … is a unified voice on issues from retirement security to tax policy to international trade." See their Industry Facts, Consumer Guides, and Industry Issues before Congress and the states.

  • Career Guide to Industries:   This Bureau of Labor Statistics site, part of the online Occupational Outlook Handbook, offers a career-oriented description of many industries, with information on the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training, earnings and outlook, as well as sources of additional information. See the description for the Insurance industry.

  • Consumer Federation of America:   Founded in 1968, this organization claims that the "size and diversity of its membership -- some 300 nonprofit organizations from throughout the nation with a combined membership exceeding 50 million people -- enables CFA to speak for virtually all consumers." The federation main areas of concern are communications, energy, finance, food and agriculture, health and safety, and housing. See their press release on Insurers Increase Profits to Record Levels by Overpricing Policies and Shifting Costs to Consumers and Taxpayers, in five PDF pages.

  • Gary Price's List of Lists:   This site, developed by a librarian, is devoted to lists of the largest or top or leading companies or individuals in a wide variety of industries, culled from an enormous number of magazines. See his lists for Finance & Insurance.

  • Glossary of Insurance Terms and Concepts:   "This glossary is courtesy of the Field Guide for Property & Casualty Agents and Practitioners, published annually by The National Underwriter Company. "

  • Industries Statistics:   This U.S. Census Bureau site offers an A to Z index, by subject, to its wealth of statistical data on industries and other topics. Browse the index for the name of your industry or use the search feature at the bottom of the page to access information from such sources as the Economic Census, the Census of Manufactures, the Census of Retail Trade, etc. See the Finance and Insurance sector.

  • Industry Profiles (Wetfeet.Com):   This job hunting site from Wetfeet.Com, offers profiles of 31 industries, with an industry overview, trends, industry organization, job prospects, what's great and what's to hate in the industry, from the viewpoint of a jobseeker, major companies in the industry, and example job descriptions and tips on how to get hired in the industry. There are also links to industry associations and a profile of an individual working in the industry. The amount of industry information makes up for annoying popups. See Insurance.

  • Insurance Information Institute:   "The mission of the Insurance Information Institute … is to improve public understanding of insurance -- what it does and how it works. For more than 40 years, the I.I.I. has provided definitive insurance information." See their Glossary of Insurance Terms, Facts & Statistics, and Industry Financials and Statistics and Directories and Resources.

  • National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research:   "Creating, developing, and delivering practical continuing education programs for everyone involved in the insurance and risk management industries is the challenge and purpose of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. More than 75,000 participants attend at least one of our 1,900 programs, conducted in all 50 states and throughout the Caribbean in the course of just one year." See their Recent Articles and Insurance Links, including the link to the Professional Insurance Agents of the West (which includes Washington state).

  • National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors:   This association is "a national nonprofit organization representing the interests of more than 70,000 insurance and financial advisors nationwide, through its federation of over 900 state and local associations." See their Consumer Info and Government Relations areas.

  • Wikipedia:   This free online user-created and maintained encyclopedia can be a good starting point for an orientation to a topic. See their entry for Insurance.

    Foster Business Library Reference Collection:

    The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in Foster, arranged by call number. Reference materials cannot be checked out; they may only be used in the library.

  • Statistical abstract of the United States.
    Information about many industries as well as demographic information; check index for references to tables. The sources for each table are often a valuable source of additional information.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA202 .U56 (Annual)

    See the index page for table numbers for Insurance, Insurance Brokers, Insurance Carriers, and Insurance, Medical Care.

  • Standard & Poor's industry surveys.
    This three-volume set provides 30-page profiles on 52 industries with a focus on the current economic environment, trends, regulation and outlook for each industry. Major companies in each industry are profiled, with references to sources of additional industry information.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.6 .S74 (Quarterly)
    (Also available online in the database Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage)

    See volume two for two industry surveys for the industry:   Insurance: Life & Health and Insurance: Property & Casualty.

  • Puget Sound Business Journal book of lists.
    This annual publication is an invaluable source of information about public and private companies in the Puget Sound area, culled from lists that appeared weekly in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Besides lists of the largest and fastest growing public and private companies in the area, this reference work includes commercial real estate deals, banks and securities firms, contractors, education and employment, health care, title companies, marketing firms, nonprofits, professional services, executive compensation, real estate, retailers, software developers, biotech and travel and recreation. There is an index to companies and topics in the back of this volume.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC108 .S77 .P83 (Annual)

    See the lists of largest Health Insurers and Insurance Brokers.

  • Encyclopedia of global industries.
    Twelve-page descriptions of 125 global industries, with background and development information, current conditions, industry leaders and further reading.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2324 .E53 2003.
    (Also available online, in the Foster database Gale Virtual Reference Library, under Business)

    See Banking and Insurance on pages 339 to 350.

  • Market share reporter.
    Annual two-volume compilation of U.S. and world market share data for companies, products and services, arranged by SIC code, and with indexes by product, company and topic.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .M35 2005.

    See Insurance Carriers in volume two, on pages 806 to 827, and Insurance Agents, Brokers, and Services on page 828.

  • Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios.
    This annual publication, edited by Leo Troy, offers a different take on ratios than the title above. Arrangement is by SIC code.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .R25 .T68 2003.

    See Insurance under NAICS code 524 on pages 291 to 304.

  • Advertising Age encyclopedia of advertising.
    In three volumes, this heavily-illustrated encyclopedia includes profiles of more than 120 ad agencies worldwide, essays on 80 leading agencies, detailed articles on 40 U.S. agencies, biographies of 47 major advertising figures, as well as 160 significant corporate advertisers, brands, and campaigns, 20 essays on market research methods, and 52 essays on advertising tools and operations.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5803 .A28 2003.

    See Insurance in volume two, on pages 848 to 852.

  • The financial services fact book.
    Published by the Insurance Information Institute, this paperback, with over 200 graphs and charts, provides an overview of the financial services industry, information on savings, investment, and debt ownership, asset management and retirement funds, insurance, banking, securities, finance companies, mortgage finance and housing, technology, and world rankings.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG181 .F56 2005.

    See the chapter on Insurance on pages 41 to 74.

  • The insurance fact book.
    Published by the Insurance Information Institute, this paperback provides an overview of the insurance industry, covering all types of insurance, with a glossary, and data on both the U.S. and the global insurance markets, losses, etc.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG181 .I52 2007.

  • The market sourcebook.
    Also known as the Business Insurance Market Sourcebook, this annual paperback "comprises all the directories published by the periodical Business Insurance throughout the year," with rankings. The directories are for agents and brokers, alternative risk financing, benefit services, claims services, education, insurers and reinsurers, risk management services, technology providers, and work/life services.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG811 .M37 2002-2003.

    See the chapter on Insurance on pages 41 to 74.

  • Business rankings annual.
    This annual volume provides 5,000 rankings of companies, products, services and business activities, with data culled from thousands of sources.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4050 .B88 2004.

    See rankings for various aspects of Insurance on pages 451 to 469.

  • Mergent industry review.
    Statistical data on 3,000 companies in 137 industries, with ranking, key financial information, operating data and ratios.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4961 .M68 (Quarterly)

    See separate listings for the insurance industry, under Insurance--Brokerage, Insurance—Combined, Insurance—Life, and Insurance—Property & Casualty, on pages 251 to 264 in the February—July 2004 edition.

  • Reinsurance: fundamentals and new challenges.
    Published by the Insurance Information Institute, this paperback provides an overview of reinsurance, the role of the reinsurance intermediary, regulating the marketplace, the U.S. reinsurance market, the Bermuda market, Lloyd's of London, catastrophe modeling, the reinsurance environment from 1992 to 2002, and the industry's future.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8083 .R44 2004.

  • Best's insurance reports: property-casualty, United States.
    This two-volume reference contains ratings for 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies in the United States, with reviews and ratings for each company, based on information compiled from company financial statements, along with key financial indicators, business production and profitability, a capital generation analysis, company history and management, and balance sheet data. The volumes are arranged alphabetically by company name, with indexes by groups and state. There is also a ranking of the top 250 companies.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8501 .B475 1999.

  • Best's review: the guide to understanding the insurance industry.
    This 84-page pamphlet covers a wide range of topics about the insurance industry, from the top 100 globally traded insurance stocks, to information and data on the markets and lines of business of various types of insurance, to solvency and ratings.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8501 .B479 2006-2007.

  • The insurance fact book.
    Published by the Insurance Information Institute, this paperback covers the world insurance market, the U.S. insurance industry, property and casualty insurance by line, losses, factors affecting costs, and a glossary, history and directory.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8523 .I52 2007.

  • Plunkett's insurance industry almanac.
    This almanac offers information about major industry trends, industry statistics, industry information, major companies in the industry, with indexes by state, country, region, etc. The major part of the almanac provides one-page profiles of companies in the industry, with directory information, growth plans and special features, contacts, brief financials, brief salary and benefits data, and women officer-director and advancement information.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8525 .P85 2005.

  • The insurance essentials handbook.
    This large paperback, published by the Academy of Producer Insurance Studies, covers personal lines and commercial property and casualty insurance, and is aimed at those new to the insurance industry, with good basic information on general and other kinds of insurance, including workers compensation and business owners' policies.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8531 .I577 2003.

  • The encyclopedia of actuarial science.
    This three-volume reference work on the mathematics of insurance is arranged by topic, from A to Z, with essays on each topic from a wide range of international scholars in this field.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8781 .E47 2004.

  • Best's insurance reports: life-health, United States.
    This two-volume reference contains ratings for 1,600 life-health insurance companies in the United States, with reviews and ratings for each company, based on information compiled from company financial statements, along with key financial indicators, business production and profitability, a capital generation analysis, company history and management, and balance sheet data. The volumes are arranged alphabetically by company name, with indexes by groups and state. There is also a ranking of the top 250 companies.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8941 .B47 1999.

  • The life insurers fact book.
    Published by the American Council of Life Insurers, this paperback provides an overview of life insurers and providers, their assets and liabilities, income, expenditures, reinsurance, the markets for life insurance, annuities, disability income, and long-term care as well as international and U.S. state markets.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8941 .L5 2001.

  • The new life insurance investment advisor.
    This hardcover book has chapters on the life insurance industry today, understanding life insurance, term life and whole life insurance, universal and variable life insurance, funding levels, investment choices, financial analysis of life insurance, life insurance strategies, the policy owners' bill of rights, understanding annuities, and where to go for products and assistance.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG8951 .B35 2002.

  • Best's aggregates & averages, property-casualty, United States.
    This paperback is a source for authoritative current and historical statistics on the property-casualty insurance industry in the United States, with state insurance fund information, with industry aggregate data for 1998, covering over 2,400 companies. Information provided includes balance sheet and operational summary data, industry totals, time series data, lines of business data, leading companies and groups, and numerous exhibits.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG9651 .B52 1999.

    Foster Business Library Books:

    The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of over 70,000 books on all business topics. To search for materials on all three campuses of the University of Washington, go to the UW Libraries Catalog, in the upper left corner of the Foster Business Library homepage. Search by keyword, title, author, series, etc.

    To limit the results of your search just to materials in the Foster Business Library collection, use the Modify or Limit options at the top of the search results and change the library location to Foster Business Library. Availablity is indicated on the right of each online catalog record. First, note in which collection, within Foster, your materials are in, since the library has ten different Collections, each in a different location and often with differing arrangements. "Available" indicates that the book should be on the shelves under that call number and available for you to check out. "Due" and a date indicates that the book is already checked out to someone and is due back on the date indicated; you can have the "Request/Place Hold" feature to recall the book for your use.

    If the material you want is not in the collections of the University of Washington, you can use the "Search Summit" feature to repeat your search in the combined holdings of over thirty cooperating libraries in Washington and Oregon. Use the "Request This Item" feature in Summit to have books in those library sent here to Foster for you to check out.

    The Foster general stacks collection is located south of the main part of the Foster Business Library, through the two pass-throughs into the basement of Balmer. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

    A keyword search for Insurance produced a list of over 9,900 records in the UW Libraries, including 750 records in the Foster Business Library.

    A subject search for Insurance produced a list of over 8,000 records in the UW Libraries, including over 750 records in the Foster Business Library, including:

    Foster Business Library Corporate Annual Reports:

    The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of several thousand annual reports for hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies. These reports are filed in lateral filing cabinets near the Foster Reference desk under the sign Corporate Annual Reports. Annual reports for companies in an industry can be a valuable source of information about the industry itself. For a list of all the companies in the collection, see the library's Corporate Annual Reports Collection. For an index to corporate annual reports in the collection by industry sector, see the Annual Reports Industry Sector Index. For an index to companies in the collection with headquarters outside the U.S., see Corporate Annual Reports Headquarters Index.

    The collection includes annual reports for over twenty companies in the Insurance industry. Foster Business Library Periodicals:

    Foster Business Library Articles:

    Articles in academic journals, magazines, trade periodicals, and newspapers are one of the best sources for any kind of research. While the Foster Business Library offers a large periodicals print collection, comprising over 800 titles, articles are most easily accessed online, 24/7, in such fulltext article databases as EBSCO Business Source Premier, Factiva, LexisNexis Academic, Newsbank Infoweb, and ProQuest Databases. These article databases are available in the library or from off-campus, and provide access to over 10,000 periodicals and millions of articles.

    Library access to most ProQuest databases will terminate at the end of spring quarter 2008, except for ProQuest NewsStand, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Historical New York Times, and the Historical Wall Street Journal. For more about this change, see UW Libraries Providing New Databases. After this change, comprehensive article searches should be performed in EBSCO Business Source Premier, Newsbank Infoweb, and ProQuest NewsStand. Also, after this change, links to the articles below will be broken.

    ProQuest Databases:

    This database--actually, a family of over two dozen databases--offers full text articles for over 10,000 publications, including scholarly journals, magazines, trade and industry periodicals, newspapers, and reports on a very wide range of topics. To find articles on specific topics, search by word or phrase by keying your search phrase into the search box--or search for your topic in the Topic Guide.

    Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article.

    A topic search in this database, in multiple databases, for Insurance, produced many related subject headings, from Insurance to Insurance Syndicates. A search for Insurance produced a list of over 272,000 articles, with over 140 narrowing terms.

    A publication search in this database for Insurance produced a list of over twenty periodical titles, including current full text coverage for the publications:

    • Business Insurance
    • Canadian Insurance
    • Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory (one year delay)
    • Insurance & Technology
    • Insurance Brokers' Monthly and Insurance Adviser
    • Insurance Conference Planner
    • Journal of Insurance Issues
    • Journal of Insurance Regulation
    • Journal of Risk and Insurance
    • Life Insurance International
    • Risk Management and Insurance Review
    Help:
    14 May 2004; updated 4 March 2008.   Peter Stevens, Business Librarian, stevens@u.washington.edu