New York. During the commencement exercise this month, for the second consecutive year, the graduating class will hear from a Bermudian valedictorian.

Several Bermudian students are manning the College of Insurance exhibit at this year's RIMS seminar.

Dr. Ellen Thrower, president of the College of Insurance in New York, said that 95 percent of her 800-student body can expect good jobs within a month of graduation.

"If you look at the leadership being displayed by Bermudian students at the College, it is incredible,'' said Ms Thrower. "Two valedictorians in two years and the president of last year's student body was also Bermudian. There are many Bermudians who are in vice presidential and other leadership positions at the College. We are truly getting the stars of the island. Our College is a better place because of them.'' *** NEW INSURANCE WEBSITE BUC New insurance website The Bermuda insurance market has a new website: www.bermuda-insurance.org. It was revealed to rave reviews at the RIMS conference.

Chairman of the marketing sub-committee of the Insurance Advisory Committee, the powerful centre of Bermuda's in surance activities, Roger Gillett, said: "The website was just one of the projects we worked on this year, all aimed at supporting the growing insurance infrastructure in Bermuda.'' Mr. Gillett continued: "Our website has been operational for a few years, but it is now being used increasingly by insurance buyers as an educational resource to understand what is available in the Bermuda marketplace.'' *** INTERNET USE TO SOAR BUC Internet use to soar Internet use for commercial insurance and risk management is set to soar among US corporations, says a survey by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP).

Only 12 percent of individuals surveyed by the AFP said they use the Internet to purchase business insurance or risk management products -- but 49 percent of those surveyed said they plan to use the Internet to buy property/casualty insurance in the next 12 months. A whopping 64 percent said they expect to do so in the next two years.

Forty-five percent of those surveyed also said they plan to buy excess liability coverage on the net within a year; 24 percent said they expect to buy reinsurance within a year and 52 percent said they will go online for alternative risk products in the next two years.