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Compensation expert witness Dr. Sanjai Bhagat presented his paper Bank Executive Compensation And Capital Requirements Reform this month to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington DC.

Abstract Part 2:

We study the executive compensation structure in the largest 14 U.S. financial institutions during 2000-2008. We focus on the CEO’s buys and sells of their bank’s stock, purchase of stock via option exercise, and their salary and bonus during 2000-2008. We consider the capital losses these CEOs incur due to the dramatic share price declines in 2008. We consider the shareholder returns for these 14 banks. Finally, we consider three measures of risk-taking by these banks: (a) the bank’s Z-score, (b) the bank’s asset write-downs, and (c) whether or not a bank borrows capital from various Fed bailout programs, and the amount of such capital.

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Insurance fraud expert witnesses may consult on the insurance industry, health insurance, disability insurance, and affiliated matters. On December 14, 2011, the Illinois Department of Insurance issued this press release:

The Illinois Department of Insurance Uncovers Company Selling Fraudulent Health Insurance – Department Offers Advice on How to Avoid Scam Insurance Plans

The Department also offers advice on dealing with offers of health insurance:

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Google Inc has announced it will hook up Kansas City, Kan., and then Kansas City, Mo., local computers to enhanced internet service. Media expert witness Larry Gerbrandt, an analyst for Media Valuation Partners and a former cable operator, says, “One market doesn’t change things. Even Google doesn’t have enough money to wire the country.” Media Valuation Partners MVP specializes in understanding how value is created and monetized in the media, entertainment, mobile and emerging technology sectors.

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In Experts – How do you Advertise?, construction expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:

The next topic was print advertising such as post cards, newsletters, ads in law journals and alike. To my surprise the vast majority of experts did not participate in this type of advertising. The main reasons given for this was cost and time. Many experts felt the return on their investment was too small. More importantly, they believed the time it took to compose the advertising, create artwork, label and mail advertising was simply too time-consuming. I for one participate in each and every form of advertising mentioned. A regular marketing plan to your target audience can pay huge dividends. Admittedly, I use and depend on a marketing professional for this purpose.

The discussion then turned into advertising your service. Many of the experts had a guarded view of advertising. The most common concern was how to answer questions by opposing counsel about expert advertising. I was reminded of a piece I read not long ago in which a professional in expert marketing – Rosalie Hamilton, the Expert’s Expert on Marketing, http://www.expertcommunications.com/, said –

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Health insurance expert witnesses may opine on insurance policies, insurance claims, insurance carriers, and associated matters. In Why Employers Will Continue to Provide Health Insurance: The Impact of the Affordable Care Act (Policy Briefs/Timely Analysis of Health Policy Issues), Linda J. Blumberg, Matthew Buettgens, Judy Feder, and John Holahan of the Urban Institute write:

The Congressional Budget Office, the Rand Corporation, and the Urban Institute have estimated that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will leave employer-sponsored coverage largely intact; in contrast, some economists and benefit consultants argue that the ACA encourages employers to drop coverage thereby making both their workers and their firms better off (a “win–win” situation). This brief’s analysis shows that no such “win–win” situation exists and that employer-sponsored insurance will remain most workers’ primary source of coverage. Analysis of three issues-the terms of the ACA, worker characteristics, and the fundamental economics of competitive markets-supports this conclusion.

Read more: urbanorg.com.

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Hazard identification expert witnesses may write reports and opine on risk assessment, disaster risk management, as well as related issues. At its website, FEMA offers Hazus, a methodology for estimating potential losses from disasters.

As the number of Hazus users continues to increase, so do the types of uses. Increasingly, Hazus is being used by states and communities in support of risk assessments perform economic loss scenarios for certain natural hazards and rapid needs assessments during hurricane response. Other communities are using Hazus to increase hazard awareness. Successful uses of Hazus are profiled under Mitigation and Recovery and Preparedness and Response. Emergency managers have also found these map templates helpful to support rapid impact assessment and disaster response.

Read more: fema.gov.

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Insurance fraud expert witnesses may consult on the insurance industry, health insurance, disability insurance, and affiliated matters. On December 14, 2011, the Illinois Department of Insurance issued this press release:

The Illinois Department of Insurance Uncovers Company Selling Fraudulent Health Insurance – Department Offers Advice on How to Avoid Scam Insurance Plans

The Illinois Department of Insurance is alerting consumers that an unauthorized insurer operating under the name ReAssurance Health, Inc., ReAssurance Health Insurance, or ReAssurance Health Insurance Group (“ReAssurance”) has sold numerous fraudulent health insurance policies to consumers in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Consumers who have a policy issued by ReAssurance should immediately seek legitimate health insurance coverage.

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In Avoiding the $475,000 Mistake – Entering the Credit Bid attorney John L. Hosack, Buchalter Nemer, and mortgages expert witness Joffrey Long write:

There’s another possible benefit in starting with a lower bid. Although unlikely in this market, a third party bidder could bid an amount that benefits you more than taking title to the property does. Prepare for this by carefully thinking through the amount at which you’re willing to allow a third party bidder to acquire the property.

A procedure for setting your credit bids might look like this:

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Professional liability insurance expert witnesses may write reports and opine on professional indemnity insurance, errors & omissions insurance, and malpractice insurance, among other topics. On the website Everything Small Business, find the article Small Business Liability Insurance – The 4 Types That You Need To Protect Your Business:

Other Types of Small Business Liability Insurance

Self-employed individuals who own small businesses need to speak with professionals in the insurance industry and do their homework before purchasing any type of insurance concerning their businesses. All decisions need to be informed and fine print read so that the most extensive and cost effective coverage can be purchased.

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Trucking insurance expert witnesses may write reports and opine on motor truck cargo insurance, transportation operations insurance, truck liability insurance, and correlated matters. In 10 Ways to Reduce Your Trucking Insurance Premiums TruckersReport.com writes:

Regardless of how good your driving record is or the fact that you haven’t filed any insurance claims, about once per year you go through the never-ending cycle of seeing your trucking insurance premiums increase. While many of the reasons for insurance premium increases are out of your hands, there are some things you can do to improve the chances that your trucker insurance increases don’t outpace your ability to pay.