Interisk’s extensive insurance research library, painstakingly assembled by Interisk founder James Robertson, contains insurance industry publications dating back to the late 1800s. Source materials include periodicals, textbooks, rating and forms manuals, and newsletters.
The library also contains underwriting manuals and guides produced by various insurance companies, policy forms promulgated by rating bureaus, and non-bureau forms used by various carriers over the years. Many items are out of print and difficult, if not impossible, to find.
These valuable materials are referenced on a regular basis as part of the consulting services Interisk provides to its clients. Our research has been used to answer specific questions posed by the attorneys who hire us, such as:
- Limits of liability coverage available for purchase by large manufacturers in particular time periods
- When a particular line of coverage, such as property damage liability or products liability, first became available in the industry
- Coverage forms used by particular carriers in particular time periods
The insurance industry is dynamic and constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of policyholders, and some insurance organizations routinely discard outdated information as no longer relevant.
Interisk however, is committed to retaining this outdated information, making its experts uniquely qualified to answer questions, provide information, and offer expert opinion relating to historic insurance practices and coverages. This is especially important, as many cases involve losses that took place decades ago.
The Interisk insurance research library has its roots in early primary research, personally conducted by Jim Robertson, who began gathering insurance industry information for writing projects in 1970.
When Jim began working as an expert witness in 1975, he started performing case-specific research on a variety of topics, retaining and organizing his findings for later use. These materials are the core of the research library, which was formalized by the creation of Interisk in 1992.
The collection has continued to grow with Interisk over the last 20 years, and today Kathy Wilson, Interisk’s Case Manager and Research Director, oversees the library and conducts the majority of research for client assignments.