Compliance issues befuddle multinationals.

As regulations tighten, insurance programs designed to meet the needs of U.S. corporations with operations overseas have become more complex.

Carriers that service multinational companies face a host of challenges, including ensuring that clients' policies comply with regulatory standards in multiple jurisdictions; that appropriate amounts of local taxes are paid; and that admitted policies fit seamlessly with master programs back in the United States.

Trond Landsvik, a managing director with Liberty Global, a Liberty Mutual Group unit that specializes in meeting the needs of both U.S. and foreign-based multinational businesses, said service standards, for example, have become a buzzword.

"Policies must be issued promptly at renewal or no later than five to 10 days after renewal and documentation forwarded to the client," said Landsvik, among the experts from Liberty Mutual attending the RIMS conference.

For a predominantly domestic player such as Liberty Mutual that has a growing international appetite, meeting these standards also requires the services of key foreign partners.

In Europe, for example, Liberty Mutual has forged alliances with Axa Corporate Solutions in France and with Sweden's If for that purpose.