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Draft:David Schiff

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  • Comment: There is already a mainspace article with the same name, perhaps this should be called David Schiff (Journalist) Equivalent-Text2598 (talk) 21:41, 26 October 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: What he has said or written cannot be used to establish notability. Need in-depth coverage about him. If there are such sources cited, they are buried. S0091 (talk) 19:25, 9 October 2026 (UTC)

David Schiff (May 23, 1956) is an American writer, investigative journalist, and activist who is best known as the founder and writer of Schiff’s Insurance Observer[1], an independent publication covering the insurance industry.

Schiff grew up in New York City, where he went to the Browning and Birch Wathen schools. He attended Duke University, The New School for Social Research, and The College of Insurance. While in college, Schiff was a Contributing Editor[2] of Princeton University’s humor magazine, The Princeton Tiger.

After working in insurance brokerage[3], securities trading, and corporate finance, Schiff founded Schiff’s Insurance Observer (“The World’s Most Dangerous Insurance Publication”) in 1989. The publication combined financial analysis and investigative reporting with satire, cartoons, historical essays, and commentary. Schiff wrote frequently about insurance-company financial strength, corporate governance, mutual insurance companies[4][5][6], demutualization[7], accounting[8], and regulation.

In 1997, his writing about ALLIED Mutual Insurance Company[9][10] led him to seek election to the company’s board[11] and attracted widespread coverage[12] in the financial and insurance press[13][14]. Acting pro bono, he subsequently sought to acquire ALLIED (and other large insurers[15][16][17][18][19]) on behalf of their policyholders.

Schiff wrote extensively about—and was a vociferous[20] [21]and active opponent[22][23][24] of—mutual insurance holding companies[25][26][27] and abusive demutualizations.[28] arguing that these reorganizations could transfer economic value and corporate opportunities away from policyholders while giving executives stock and options.[29] [30][31] He also wrote many exposes about Reliance Group[32], Conseco, and AIG[33][34][35][36] long before they failed.

As a freelancer Schiff wrote for Barron’s, The New York Observer, The East Hampton Star and other publications.

Schiff was nominated for the George Polk Award several times[37] and was a finalist for his writing about mutual insurance companies. Sidney Offit, longtime curator of the Awards, later wrote that he had “experienced no greater disappointment than our failure to honor” Schiff for his “bold and resourceful reporting.”[38]

Schiff’s Insurance Observer ceased publication in the 2007. Schiff subsequently wrote a sporadic blog and occasional humor pieces and continued his pro bono opposition[39][40] [41]to abuses by mutual insurance companies.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Schiff's Insurance Observer: The world's most dangerous insurance publication". www.insuranceobserver.com. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ Masthead of The Tiger, 1976-1977
  3. ↑ Insurance Journal/West, January 26, 1998, "David vs. Goliath" by Denise Carabet
  4. ↑ Rambeck, Richard (April 29, 2001). "Mutual Holding Company: A Shell Game Without the Pea". Insurance Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ Street Journal, Christopher Oster Staff Reporter of The Wall (March 15, 2001). "Prudential Plans to 'Demutualize'; Shift Worries Policyholder Advocates - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Consumer Reports. Consumers Union of United States. 1998.
  7. ↑ Scism, Leslie; Street Journal, Deborah LohseStaff Reporters of The Wall (October 27, 1998). "Goldman Sachs Is Criticized On MONY Public Offering - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ "AIG's accounting lesson". The Economist. March 4, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Street Journal, Leslie ScismStaff Reporter of The Wall (September 30, 1997). "Iowa Insurance Company Faces Proxy Fight by Newsletter Chief - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  10. ↑ Des Moines Business Record, January 19, 1998, "What Happened at Allied" by Bill Day,
  11. ↑ The Des Moines Register, January 18, 1998, "Is David Schiff a Corporate Raider or a Corporate Robin Hood?" by William Ryberg
  12. ↑ The Newark Star-Ledger, February 7, 1999, "The Observer Behind The Observer: Insurance Industry Gadfly Digs Deep To Entertain As Well As Influence" by John T. Ward
  13. ↑ Treaster, Joseph B. (June 2, 2001). "Policyholders Push for Owners' Rights as More Insurers Go Public". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ Street Journal, Leslie ScismStaff Reporter of The Wall (April 16, 1998). "State Regulators Initiate Probe Of Ties Between Two Allieds - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ Sarasota Herald-Tribune, December 12, 1997, "Schiff, New Backer, Pursue FCCI" by Michael Pollick
  16. ↑ The Boston Globe, June 30, 2001, "Liberty Gives Buyout Bid A Cold Shoulder" by Scott Bernard Nelson
  17. ↑ Insurance Journal/West, December 22, 1997, "The Feeling is Mutual" p.9
  18. ↑ Insurance Advocate, December 13, 1997, "Schiff Undeterred By Initial Rejection of Purchase of FCCI Mutual", page 24
  19. ↑ admin (July 1, 2001). "Schiff Questions Liberty Demutualization - Heads Group Offering $4.2 Billion". Insurance Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  20. ↑ National Underwriter, May 25, 1998, "NAIC Struggles with With MHC Paper", by Dan Lonkevich
  21. ↑ "Critic Of Allied Group Demutualization Wins Victory As Holding Company Alters Pooling Arrangement". www.propertyandcasualty.com. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ Newsweek, June 8, 1998, "The Feeling Isn't Mutual", by Allan Sloan, page 41
  23. ↑ Best's Insurance News, January 26, 1998, "Hearing Gets Heated on Principal Conversion Plan"
  24. ↑ Street Journal, Scot J. PaltrowStaff Reporter of The Wall (December 1, 1998). "An Iowa Insurer Pioneers A New Way to 'Demutualize' - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ Insurance Advocate, May 16, 1998, "The Mutual Holding Company--Some New Wrinkles" by Phil Zinkewicz, p.6
  26. ↑ "New York State Assembly - The Feeling's Not Mutual". assembly.state.ny.us. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  27. ↑ Leader's Edge, December 2005, "David Schiff's Corporate Caper" by John T. Ward, cover story and p.26
  28. ↑ Ha, Young (January 6, 2012). "Report: Liberty Mutual Failed in Bid to Buy Harleysville". Insurance Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  29. ↑ Grant's Interest Rate Observer, April 24, 1998, "'Ownerless Equity" page 4
  30. ↑ Independant Agent, March 1998, "Allied Controversy" by Ronald W. Lent p.28
  31. ↑ "Mutual Respect". Forbes. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  32. ↑ Zuckerman, Gregory; Smith, Randall; Street Journal, Ianthe DuganStaff Reporters of The Wall (August 16, 2000). "Steinberg Saw Rich Payoff At Helm of Reliance Group - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  33. ↑ Morgenson, Gretchen (March 27, 2005). "The Deal That Toppled A.I.G.'s Boss". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  34. ↑ "AIG's accounting lesson". The Economist. March 4, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  35. ↑ Business Week. Bloomberg L.P. 2005.
  36. ↑ "Fessing up". The Economist. February 6, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  37. ↑ Sidney Offit, Friends, Authors, and Countrymen, p. 205. Offit, a longtime curator of the George Polk Awards, described and discussed Schiff's repeated nominations.
  38. ↑ Sidney Offit, Curator of The George Polk Awards in an April 11, 2002 letter
  39. ↑ Ha, Young (January 6, 2012). "Report: Liberty Mutual Failed in Bid to Buy Harleysville". Insurance Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  40. ↑ Ha, Young (October 12, 2012). "Nationwide to Settle Harleysville Policyholder Class Action for $26M". Insurance Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  41. ↑ DiStefano, Joseph N. (September 30, 2011). "'Conflict of interest' in Nationwide-Harleysville deal? UPDATE". Inquirer.com. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
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