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David Schiff is the editor/writer of Schiff's Insurance Observer, which he started in 1989. He's written for numerous publications including Barron's and The Nation, and has been a contributing editor or columnist at many others including Worth, The London Insurance Insider, SNL Insurance Daily, and Insurance Investor. David was nominated for a George Polk award for his exposés on mutual insurance companies. David began his career in 1977 at Schiff Terhune Inc., a large national insurance brokerage. In 1984 he became senior vice president of Steinberg & Lyman, a venture capital and investment banking firm. From 1986 to 1987 he was managing director of Eagle Financial Group. In 1987 he took over insolvent Emerson, Reid & Company and helped build it into the leading wholesale insurance brokerage specializing in New York State Disability Benefits. (David sold Emerson, Reid to USI at the end of 1996.) David has been a director of a number of companies and organizations including Kaz Inc., Nitinol Medical Technologies (now NMT Medical), The Princeton Review, Tungsten Alloy Manufacturing Company, and The Center for Insurance Research. David has also been a pro-bono activist in insurance regulatory issues. From 1997 through early 2000, David was a full-time opponent of mutual-insurance-holding companies and unfair demutualizations. In addition to his extensive writings, he participated in or testified at dozens of mutual-insurance-company public hearings, NAIC meetings, and legislative hearings. As a result of his efforts and those of a few others (notably Jason Adkins and Joseph Belth), the mutual-holding-company concept was discredited and many of America's largest mutual life-insurance companies completed "full demutualizations," distributing about $75 billion of value to their policyholders. In addition to testifying at numerous state and regulatory hearings, David has been an active speaker and lecturer. |
David's Barron's articles from 1988-89 |
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