BestWeek Details Pending Depolarization of the U.K. Retail Financial Services.

OLDWICK, N.J. -- The February 14 issue of BestWeek offers insight into the upcoming implementation of depolarization in the United Kingdom, an adjustment of the retail financial services in which financial firms will be able to offer more varied products.

The move, which will also involve the emergence of a new category called multitied adviser, should increase competition, according to a spokesman for the Financial Services Authority. London-based correspondent Bob O'Connor also explored the downside of the move, with a director general of the Association of Independent Financial Advisors calling the preparatory process "rather a distraction from business."

BestWeek is published by A.M. Best Co. for insurance professionals, including home office executives, agents, brokers and others who are affiliated with the industry, including bankers, lawyers and educators.

Also in the issue, New Jersey Insurance Commissioner Holly Bakke gives an exclusive interview about her decision to step down from the job she held for more than three years. Often credited with the epic accomplishment of helping turn around the notoriously troubled New Jersey auto market, Bakke talks about digging through "layer upon layer of regulations" developed over 30 years to figure out the real problems that needed fixing.

Adding vital perspective is a detailed timeline of the turmoil and the reform in the Garden State, starting with GEICO's exodus from the auto market in 1976 and ending with State Farm Indemnity's third voluntary rate reduction in August of 2004.

Readers also get a first-hand glimpse into the sessions taking place at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' first Financial Summit, which took place in Orlando part of the week of February 7. Senior Editor Brendan Noonan attended the summit and wrote four articles on the happenings, including a Perspectives column that detailed how a subgroup is looking at Title IV of Sarbanes-Oxley, which would require insurers' senior management to report on the adequacy of internal accounting controls.

Also featured from the Financial Summit, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty speaks exclusively to BestWeek about not seeking to impose a freeze on homeowners' insurance rates requested by the Sunshine State's chief financial officer.

In addition, Russell Blong, emeritus professor and catastrophe specialist with reinsurance broker Benfield Group plc, reveals how following the devastating tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in December, natural hazard experts are taking a broader look at the kinds of risks that threaten the industry with massive losses.

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A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at http://www.ambest.com.