The Legal & Claims practice within the Financial Services Group at Aon has published the eighteenth edition of the Year in Review. This edition includes case summaries of decisions involving executive liability lines of coverage, including professional liability, cyber-related matters, and general insurance issues as well as corporate governance and securities law.

The frequency of traditional securities class actions declined in 2021. The number of federal filings dropped from 319 in 2020 to 211 in 2021, far below the average of 277 from 2012-2020. ^* However, the number of settlements reached a ten-year high, with a low average settlement amount of $20.5 million. According to “Securities Class Action Settlements—2021 Review and Analysis” by Cornerstone Research, the settlement numbers are elevated due to cases filed in the preceding several years having matured into a settlement posture, and those cases that did settle involved smaller market cap companies with smaller potential damage exposure.

The 2021 Legal & Claims Year in Review is available here.

^* Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse

Contact

The report can also be discussed with Financial Services Group professional Jacqueline Waters.



Jacqueline Waters
Managing Director & Practice Leader
Chicago