Last week, Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A and BRK.B), said India's 26% foreign ownership cap on insurers deters him from such an investment. This follows an earlier report that Buffett aims to enter the Indian insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

After numerous world calamities, Buffett's focus on insurance companies, and the fact that many hedge funds seem to be heavily focused on banks and neglecting insurance companies -- with the exception of Bruce Berkowitz -- I decided to explore the possibilities.

Even though we can anticipate billions of dollars in claims there still are buying opportunites.

Do you have any interest in insurance companies amidst the turmoil, disaster and current crises in Japan? A crises that followed so closely on the heals of the destruction of the New Zealand city of ChristChurch by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Perhaps you think this is even a poorer idea than catching that proverbial falling knife we are always hearing about when stock prices are collapsing.

Certainly there will be billions of dollars in claims. On the other hand, perhaps the burden will be spread around the globe to reinsurer's such that none is struck too hard and this is a buying opportunity. After all, when the dust settles, insurers will cry for mercy, and in particular, rate increases. It is also likely those that never saw the need for insurance have been awakened and demand will increase.

Ten weeks into the year and never a dull moment. Pondering the remaining 42 weeks and beyond, where will value be found? We know that "my pal Warren" is on the prowl waist high in Berkshire Hathaway cash to invest, and he is on record as chomping on the bit to do so. Just this morning it was reported that Buffett had closed a $9 billion deal to buy Lubrizol Corp. (LZ), the Wickliffe, Ohio-based maker of engine lubricants.

More evidence of this abounds: Wednesday March 2, (Reuters) - US-based Berkshire Hathaway aims to enter the Indian insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

This is part 1 of a series examining the insurance market for expansion, stock valuations, potential risks and opportunities, excluding health care focused companies, a whole other breed of enterprise.

The stock of insurer Chubb Corp (CB), first discussed here on May 29, 2009 at a price of $39.65, continues to move higher, in incremental fashion, and I obviously still like the business model at this juncture.

Look for Chubb to post a small rise in premiums in 2011, bolstered by solid operational characteristics. Chubb boasts a strong personal insurance brand, a diversified business (personal lines, commercial insurance, specialty insurance), and a stronger balance sheet than many competitors. The aforementioned should translate in continued market share gains for CB in 2011. Further, pricing is showing signs of bottoming/firming. Investment income will also likely rise slightly in 2011.

Prognosticators the world over are throwing in their 2 cents about "my pal Warren's" next market moves; especially since he announced last week that his trigger finger was itchy. When Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A and BRK.B) speaks, investors listen.

On Wednesday March 2, this investor threw in his two cents worth (see:Serious Money: What Should Warren Buffett Do Next?) discussing possible acquisitions. Since all the "pro's", I use the term loosely, have had a say I thought I would give readers a chance to express some of their ideas too.

Has insurer Chubb Corp (CB), first discussed here on May 29, 2009 at a price of $39.65, peaked at/near $60?

From a technical standpoint, the shares have formed a short-term double-top at/near $60, and that generally warrants a bearish conclusion.

But not with Chubb. A strong personal insurance brand, a diversified business (personal lines, commercial insurance, specialty insurance), and a stronger balance sheet than many competitors tip the scale in favor of maintaining the trade. The aforementioned should translate in to continued market share gains for CB in 2011 and 2012. Further, pricing is showing signs of bottoming/firming.

Insurer Chubb Corp (CB), first discussed here on May 29, 2009 at a price of $39.65, continues to power ahead, and I obviously still like the shares here.

The song remains the same regarding Chubb: a strong personal insurance brand, a diversified business (personal lines, commercial insurance, specialty insurance), and a stronger balance sheet than many competitors. The aforementioned should translate in to continued market share gains for CB in 2010. Further, pricing is showing signs of bottoming/firming.

Looking for stocks with a hefty dividend payout seems like a pretty common activity for investors right now. After all, when the market is uncertain it's nice to have a quarterly payday to count on.

But to add an extra layer of safety to your portfolio, look for stocks that are long-term members in the dividend army. These so-called "dividend aristocrats" have been delivering profits back to shareholders for decades -- or in some cases, over a century!

Here are three dividend aristocrats who have been paying back shareholders since before World War II:

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded VeriSign (VRSN) to outperform from perform, citing better-than-expected domain names trends and the potential for a sizeable share buyback. The firm has a $33 price target for shares.
• Oppenheimer also upgraded EMC (EMC) to outperform from perform, citing valuation and expectations for strong Q2 results. The firm set a $22 price target for shares.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Juniper (JNPR) to overweight from neutral, citing valuation and its longer-term outlook. The firm keeps a $31 price target for shares.
• Kilroy Realty (KRC) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Veolia Environment (VE) was upgraded to buy from add at WestLB.
• QEP Resources (QEP) was upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.

As forecast in February, insurer Chubb Corp. (CB) first discussed here on May 29, 2009 at a price of $39.65, has sailed ahead despite choppy market seas.

Even so, those investors concerned about the European government debt issue's impact on U.S. equities should consider taking the roughly 28% CB gain at this juncture.

However, those who can tolerate the risk can hold on to CB and go for a larger gain. A thinning insurance sector, triggered by the U.S. and world's worst financial crisis since the 1930s, has put Chubb in an advantageous position.

"Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffet is a disciple of the teachings of Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, who made their fortunes by buying businesses that were selling for less than the value of their working capital (current assets minus current liabilities," notes Vita Nelson.

The editor of The Moneypaper explains, "The pair developed a Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) model to determine if a company was worth its market price. Their formula subtracts all liabilities, including short-term debt and preferred stock, from a company's current asset balance"

When the government stepped in to begin bailing out financial institutions, it impeded the growth prospects of the best run companies and disrupted the smooth operation of markets. John Finnegan, CEO of Chubb (CB), called the intervention "troubling," as it essentially took weakened companies out of the acquisition market.

Finnegan wrote in his annual letter to shareholders, "The opportunities for financially strong companies to absorb the business of weakened competitors were initially compelling." This is the natural result of a disproportionately depressed capital base in the reinsurance business. He continued, "This is as it should be in a free market unimpeded by federal intervention. But the willingness of the federal government to prop up weakened competitors by artificially injecting capital is troubling."

The nagging notion that Twitter is nothing more than a way for a kids to piss away their time was put to bed in 2009. It came together, especially, for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season that followed, but even when you look at the year as a whole, it's clear that major businesses jumped on the microblogging bandwagon readily. A new study by the Society for New Communications Research shows that Fortune 500 companies became addicted to communicating in 140-character blurbs last year.

Among the Fortune 500, 35% of companies had active Twitter accounts last year, which means that at least one tweet had been unleashed in the past 30 days. And, the use of Twitter is concentrated at the top: 47% of the Fortune 100 had active accounts last year. Only 22% of Fortune 500 companies had public-facing corporate blogs as of last year, but those that do see the value of integrated communications: more than 80% of these blogs were linked to a corporate Twitter account.

Insurer Chubb Corp. (CB), which I first discussed here on May 29, 2009, continues to impress me amid choppy seas.

A thinning insurance sector, triggered by the U.S. and world's worst financial crisis since the 1930s, has put Chubb in the catbird seat.

The strength of Chubb's operation, in a nutshell: a strong personal insurance brand, a diversified business (personal lines, commercial insurance, specialty insurance), and a stronger balance sheet than many competitors. These strengths should translate into continued market share gains for CB in 2010. Further, pricing is showing signs of bottoming/firming.

While most investors are fretting the markets recent contraction, you can be quite confident that "my pal Warren" has a smile on his face, as does Peter Lynch, Ken Heebner, Bill Miller, Bruce Berkowitz, and any number of fellow value investors that know now may be a time of opportunity. That is because they have the experience and understanding to pounce when they have a chance to buy things cheap.

This is the fourth installment of my series to discover just that: cheap stocks. If you would like to get on board from the beginning then review the initial post which screened for stocks with lower than market average P/E ratios, see Serious Money: Market Looks Cheap to Me -- 35 Stocks. In the second installment, I looked at yield and PEG ratios: Serious Money: Still Cheap Market -- 35 Stocks + Yields & Growth. Then I moved on to the the P/S and P/CF metrics in Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks Yet -- From 35 to 26, cutting nine stocks.