Marsh Affinity Services

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) is the world's second largest animal testing laboratory. HLS operates three testing centers: one in East Millstone New Jersey, USA and two in England. HLS has become synanomous with animal cruelty and bad science.

Imprisoned in these notorious laboratories are 70,000 animals, including dogs, cats, monkeys, birds, rabbits, fish, mice and farm animals. Every animal used in HLS's barbaric and useless experiments are killed at the end of their short, misery filled lives. 500 animals die each day within the walls of Huntingdon Life Sciences.

HLS is in the business of conducting chemical tests on animals. These tests are commissioned by its clients, who are some of the top names in the pharmaceutical, biotech and agrochemical industries.

Chemical testing on animals is a very ugly business. Each year at HLS, 180,000 animals are forced to ingest, inhale and endure all manner of toxic chemicals. Animals are restrained and forced to consume toxic doses of pharmaceuticals, pesticides or industrial chemicals such as weed killers and disinfectants. Some animals are placed in inhalation chambers where they are choked by noxious fumes; others have caustic chemicals applied to their shaved, raw skin. At the end of these excruciatingly painful procedures, some of which last up to a year, the surviving animals are killed and their bodies are dissected for analysis. For the animals, HLS is a living hell.

HLS has been the target of five undercover investigations that have revealed horrendous animal cruelty, health violations and the incompetence that takes place inside HLS. Videotapes from these investigations have exposed HLS staff punching and violently shaking beagle puppies, performing a dissection of a live monkey, transplanting a frozen pig's heart into a baboon and breaking numerous animal welfare laws.

These investigations have resulted in HLS employees being convicted of animal cruelty, fined by the USDA and almost being shut down by the British government. We hope that you will join the fight to end animal cruelty, and shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences!...

There are people who are directly responsible for the poisoning, torture and death of 500 animals a day,180,000 a year at Huntingdon Life Sciences - and these people have home addresses.

Cathy Brower
Position: Human Resources Executive
346 Franklin Road
N. Brunswick, NJ 08902-3257

The Bank of America has its entire mutual fund program run through the controversial investment firm

Stephens Inc. provides to the Bank of America mutual fund legal consultation, state reporting, research, management, and sales of mutual fund programs. Insiders within the Bank of America have reported Stephens handles as much as 160 billion dollars in resources for the companies they manage through the bank.

Kenneth (Doyle) Lewis
President, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
2525 Richardson Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28211-3311

Marsh Risk & Insurance Services and Seabury & Smith
2555 Third St, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95818

Peter Garvey, Danny Lindquist
Guy Carpenter
101 California St, Suite 250
San Francisco, CA 94111

JoAnna A. Reynolds
Marsh USA Inc.
2000 S Colorado Blvd.
Tower 1, Suite 5000
Denver, CO 80222

California Medical Association Selects
UMB Healthcare Services to Provide
Health Savings Accounts to Physicians

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2006--The California Medical Association (CMA) announces an agreement with UMB Healthcare Services, a division of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF), to provide Heath Savings Accounts (HSA) to CMA physician members. Marsh Affinity Group Services, a service of Seabury & Smith, Inc. will provide insurance services as part of the arrangement with both CMA and UMB.

"CMA is pleased to make available to its membership this comprehensive set of health savings account tools. They provide value and simplicity for physicians when they use the health-care system," said Jack Lewin, M.D., chief executive officer of CMA. "In addition, health savings accounts provide significant tax savings and are a key component in stimulating consumer-directed health care products."

California Medical Association is the professional organization of 35,000 physicians in California from all modes of practices and specialties....

The CMA's HSA product ... provides fully automated on-line enrollment, HSA debit card and includes a state-of-the-art digital certificate for enrollees to securely access their account on-line at UMB. HSA enrollees who generate sufficient fund balances may also access an array of mutual fund and related investment opportunities. The product also permits physicians who already have the required High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to enroll with UMB, or if a physician needs an HDHP, Marsh assists them in identifying the most appropriate coverage based on their needs, deductible amounts and other factors...

UMB Healthcare Services, which provides health care solutions to some of the top insurance and software companies in the nation, serves as the official custodian of the CMA HSA plan. Benefits and features provided to CMA members include Visa debit card access, transaction processing, mutual fund and investment services and automated Web services and enrollment.

"UMB is pleased to work with CMA and Marsh to provide Health Savings Accounts to physicians," said Dennis Triplett, president of UMB Healthcare Services. "Our partnership with this reputable and distinguished medical group continues to strengthen our reputation as a qualified financial services partner in the healthcare industry."

"Health Savings Accounts make perfect sense for the majority of physicians in California and around the country," said Roy S. Lyons, a Senior Vice President of Marsh Affinity Group Services, a leading association insurance program broker and administrator. "Physicians often can reduce their practice expenses through the use of qualified high-deductible health plans. With online enrollment through our web site, members have easy access to an important new member benefit."

Marsh Affinity Group Services and Seabury & Smith, Inc. are part of the family of companies of Marsh Inc., the world's leading risk and insurance services firm. Marsh Inc. has nearly 30,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $5 billion. The firm provides advice and transactional capabilities to clients in over 100 countries. Marsh Inc. is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC), a global professional services firm with approximately 60,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $12 billion.

MMC also is the parent company of Guy Carpenter, Kroll, Putnam Investments, and Mercer. MMC's stock (ticker symbol: MMC) is listed on the New York, Chicago, Pacific, and London stock exchanges. MMC's Web site address is www.mmc.com [2]. Marsh's Web site address is www.marsh.com [3]. ...

The contingent commissions that are at the center of the Marsh & McLennan Cos. scandal were the subject of two lawsuits filed three years ago in California.

The suits, both filed on behalf of the public by New York law firm Anderson Kill & Olick, allege that Marsh & McLennan and other insurance brokers took kickbacks and undisclosed fees to steer business to large insurers--allegations that were later made by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Both lawsuits--one filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles, the other in San Francisco--claim that Marsh engaged in unfair competition and unjust enrichment in violation of California's Business and Professions Code.

Neither of the lawsuits allege bid-rigging or price fixing similar to those that arose from Spitzer's probe.

"Such undisclosed fees and commissions constitute undisclosed kickbacks," the lawsuit states. "The defendants' practice of holding themselves out as representatives of their policyholder clients while secretly receiving substantial commissions ... constitutes unfair competition."

Finley Harckham, a partner at Anderson Kill, said the insurance industry is trying to portray contingent commissions as an acceptable practice that has been in place for a long time.

The central issue, he said, is whether there is sufficient disclosure. There has been debate on the subject since 1999, when the Risk and Insurance Management Association, an industry group, called for full disclosure of the practice to policyholders, he said. Not all companies did so, he said.

Spitzer's lawsuit against Marsh alleges that contingent commissions, which are sometimes referred to as "placement services agreements," create a financial incentive for brokers and violate their fiduciary responsibility to policyholders.

"This really has to do with the insurance practices of brokers that are selling to small businesses," Harckham said, adding that without getting competitive quotes, businesses may be overcharged or may miss out on buying less expensive coverage.

The Los Angeles lawsuit, also filed in 2001, sheds light on the brokers' practice of earning interest by investing premiums for periods of 30, 45 or 60 days before forwarding the premiums onto insurers. The suit alleges that this "constitutes unauthorized self-dealing by agents and fiduciaries at the expense of policyholders."

That suit alleges that brokers "insert themselves into the payment process in order to hold and invest for their own accounts the funds being transferred."

The lawsuit claims that Marsh and Aon Corp. generated more than $100 million per year in interest from their investment of claims payments and return premium payments.

A judge dismissed the Los Angeles lawsuit in February. Harckham said it is being appealed.

Sponsored by the State Bar Association:
Westport through Marsh Affinity Group
Other Available Carriers:
NA	Admiral Insurance Company
A	Aon Attorneys' Advantage
NA	Arch Insurance Group
RRG	Attorneys' Liability Assurance Society Inc. (ALAS) A Risk Retention Group
RRG	Attorneys Liability Protection Society Inc. (ALPS) A Risk Retention Group
A	Capitol Specialty Insurance Coporation
A	Carolina Casualty
A	Chubb - Executive Risk
A	CNA
A	Fireman's Fund Insurance Company
NA	First Mercury
A	GE Insurance Solutions (Underwritten by Westport Insurance Company)
A	Great American Insurance Company
A	Greenwich Insurance Company, A Division of XL Capital Ltd Group of Companies
A	Gulf Insurance Group (Travelers)
NA	Harford Specialty
NA	Lloyd's of London - Attorney Select
A	Mainstreet Financial Service, Inc.
A	Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
NA	Old Republic Insurance Company (Chicago Underwriting Group)
NA	OneBeacon Insurance Company
A	Plus Companies, General Star Law/Pro Plus
A	Professionals Direct Insurance Company
A	St. Paul Fire & Marine - DRI
A	St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company
A	State National
NA	United National Insurance Company (Black/White Concord Insurance Broker)
A	Zurich

"Sponsored program" means that the program is sponsored by the state bar association.

"A" = Admitted. The company had met the minimum requirements established by statute and is authorized by that state to write lawyers' professional liability business. The importance of being admitted includes not only the protection to the insured of having the backing of the state's regulatory authorities to assist if a problem arises, but also the fact that the guaranty fund laws generally apply only to licensed insurers.

"NA" = Non-admitted. The company is a surplus line (non-admitted) carrier, which is a company that generally underwrites risks or part of risks for which insurance is not available through an admitted company. This business is, therefore, placed with a non-admitted insurer (a company not licensed in the state) in accordance with state surplus lines insurance laws.

"RRG" = Risk Retention Group. A special purpose liability insurance company formed under the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986 that is wholly owned by its policyholders. After meeting the regulatory requirements of the state in which it is chartered, an RRG can provide insurance to members in other states without first having to meet their individual licensing requirements.

For further information, contact:
The Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability
American Bar Association
321 N. Clark St., 19th Floor
Chicago, IL 60610-4714
312/988-5763

“A strong company becomes even stronger when it pools its resources. Together, Marsh Affinity Group Services and client organizations provide valuable solutions to members’ insurance needs. Listed below are some of the client organization plans already in place....”

The website then lists pages of organizations that have established group marketing plans with Marsh Affinity Group Services, including:

HSBA Member Benefit Provider - Marsh Affinity Services - Call Blossom Tong at (808) 585-3615 for more information.

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