2008-11-09 06:52:02 -

www.ambest.com - A.M. Best Co. has released the fourth edition of The Guide to Understanding the Insurance Industry.

Showcasing exclusive information from A.M. Best's extensive line of insurance information products, The Guide to Understanding the Insurance Industry 2008-2009 is an illustrated, easy-to-read handbook that looks at today's insurance business environment in the context of how the industry has performed

over the past 10 years.

The Guide to Understanding the Insurance Industry 2008-2009 is available for purchase online at The Insurance Book Store www.insurancebookstore.com and Amazon.com www.amazon.com.

The guide is packed with 60 pages of charts and graphs that explain--in a colorful and concise way--how insurers earn and spend money. It is handy reference for industry-current trends and terminology, and a comprehensive resource that focuses on the many lines of business within the property/casualty, life, health and reinsurance industries, with rankings of top writers. -0- The guide also highlights information on the following: - captive domiciles - solvency and ratings - new U.S. insurance companies - A.M. Best stock indexes - how insurance is sold and regulated - how catastrophes affect the industry

The Guide is an excellent resource for reports, speeches and presentations, and is appropriate as a gift for new employees, board members, customers or anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of how the insurance industry works.

For additional information about this and other books in the A.M. Best Guide Series, including the recently released The Guide to Understanding Insurance Ratings and The Guide to Understanding Employee Benefits, please visit guides.ambest.com.

A.M. Best guides also are available at Abe Books www.abebooks.com, Alibris www.alibris.com and Baker & Taylor www.btol.com.

Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is a global full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial and health care service industries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health care system providers. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

A.M. Best Co.
Marilyn Ostermiller, 908-439-2200, ext. 5562
Assistant Vice President, Communications
marilyn.ostermiller@ambest.com