W. R. Berkley - Overview

Overview

W. R. Berkley Corporation operates in the following segments of the property casualty insurance business:

• Insurance-Domestic, including excess and surplus lines and admitted lines, throughout the United States;
• Insurance-International, insurance business conducted primarily in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America, Canada, Scandinavia and Australia; and
• Reinsurance-Global, on a facultative and treaty basis, primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.

Each of the three business segments is composed of individual operating units that serve a market defined by geography, products, services or types of customers. Each of the operating units is positioned close to its customer base and participates in a niche market requiring specialized knowledge about a territory or product. This strategy of decentralized operations allows each of the units to identify and respond quickly and effectively to changing market conditions and local customer needs, while capitalizing on the benefits of centralized capital, investment and reinsurance management, and corporate actuarial, financial, enterprise risk management and legal staff support.

W. R. Berkley Corporation's business approach is focused on meeting the needs of its customers, maintaining a high quality balance sheet, and allocating capital to its best opportunities. New businesses are started when opportunities are identified and when the right talent and expertise are found to lead a business. Of the 49 operating units, 42 have been organized and developed internally and seven have been added through acquisition. Of these units, 24 have been formed since 2006.