Palomar Specialty Insurance Company expanded its residential earthquake insurance product into several new states. Pen Underwriting extended its strategic relationship with QBE into the Republic of Ireland. Starr Companies is launching its Accident & Health Division in Canada.

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Palomar Specialty Insurance Company expanded its Flex Choice residential earthquake insurance product into Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Utah.

Flex Choice allows consumers to customize their residential earthquake coverage to meet their specific needs and offers a variety of coverage alternatives and deductible options for homeowners.

Flex Choice is distributed through independent agents and wholesale brokers who can access the product via the Palomar Automated Submission System, PASS, which offers producers a quick quote to issue process.

Palomar Specialty Insurance Company is a California-based specialty insurer focused on catastrophe-exposed residential and commercial property lines of business, including residential and commercial earthquake, multi-peril homeowners, residential hurricane and commercial business written on an “all risks” basis in select hurricane exposed states.

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Pen Underwriting extended its strategic relationship with QBE into the Republic of Ireland, with a new property/casualty capacity partnership in the highly specialist area of hazardous goods & environmental industries.

The new partnership takes effect on Jan. 1, 2018, offering brokers and their clients in Ireland access to enhanced cover and a wider trade underwriting footprint, supporting Pen’s appetite for strategic and sustainable growth in the sector and geography.

Building on a successful partnership of more than 15 years, the new agreement sees QBE mirror its support of Pen in the UK where it already provides capacity for P/C risks in this specialist trade sector, covering companies involved in fuels, lubricants, chemicals, environmental consultancy, hazardous and liquid waste and haulage, and tank and boiler installation.

The deal also complements Pen’s strategic partnership with Zurich, which provides in both the UK and Republic of Ireland for the hazardous goods and environmental sector.

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Starr Companies announced the launch of its Accident & Health Division in Canada.

Coverages include business travel accident; group basic and voluntary accidental death & dismemberment; critical illness; and emergency out-of-province medical.

“Starr continues to expand its capabilities for many of our brokers and insureds, and we are pleased to announce our Accident & Health Division,” Hano Pak, chief agent and country executive, said in prepared remarks. “We offer a leading edge approach that provides additional benefits where our differentiator is innovation and service for corporate and specialty clients such as employer groups, associations, schools, and nonprofit organizations.”

Sources: Palomar Specialty, Pen Underwriting/QBE and Starr Companies