Latest Carriers Headlines

All the headlines from our Carriers Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Insurers, Tech Firms, Consumers Agree on Electronic Health Record Rules

Jun 26 2008 // A major consumer group, insurers together with Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to standards intended to speed adoption of personal electronic health records. The electronic medical record...

Insurers Accuse Florida Regulators of Changing Rules in Mid-stream

Jun 26 2008 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies said a seemingly innocuous rule change proposed for Florida’s insurance system could further dissuade insurance companies from doing business in the state. The...

Insurers and Agents Applaud New York Auto Rating Change

Jun 26 2008 // Trade groups for New York insurers and agents alike are praising a recently passed bill by state lawmakers that will allow auto insurers to raise or lower their rates by 5 percent over the course of a year without first...

P/C Insurers’ Underwriting, Investment Results Deteriorate in First Quarter

Jun 25 2008 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes fell to $8.2 billion in first-quarter 2008 from $16.2 billion in first-quarter 2007. Contributing to the $8 billion, or 49.3 percent, decline in...

Strengths and Weaknesses, Part 1: What Agents Think of Regional, National P/C Insurers

Jun 25 2008 // Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency relations than their national competitors in the view of independent agents. Regional insurers...

Home Insurers Bitten by $350M in Dog Claims; Average Claim Tops $24K

Jun 25 2008 // Man’s best friend is sinking its teeth into homeowners insurance costs. Dog bites now account for one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims, costing $356.2 million in 2007, up 10.5 percent from the...

Captive Ratings: American Road, First Beacon, Toyota Motor, Agrinational

Jun 25 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb” of The American Road Insurance Company (TARIC), but with negative outlooks. “The...

Demotech, IJ Salute 152 Super Regional P/C Insurers

Jun 24 2008 // There are 152 Super Regional Property/Casualty Insurers™ in the country, with American Family Mutual Insurance Co. at the top of the list. This year marks the second year that the actuarial services firm Demotech...

Oregon Publishes Annual Insurance Complaint Statistics

Jun 24 2008 // Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services Insurance Division has published the 2007 Annual Complaint Statistics, ranking major insurers based on their complaint records in six common lines of insurance:...

Lloyd’s Notes Growth of Insurance Linked Securities Market

Jun 24 2008 // “Convergence between the capital and insurance markets is gaining pace and Lloyd’s insurers are at the forefront of developments,” notes an article on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com). The...

Best Announces Rating Actions of 53 Canadian Insurers

Jun 23 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of 30 Canadian P/C companies; upgraded seven FSRs and ICRs; upgraded seven ICRs (with no change to the FSRs); assigned four...

California Considering Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance

Jun 23 2008 // California’s Department of Insurance is hosting a workshop at 10 a.m., Monday, June 23, 2008, to solicit input on bringing “pay-as-you-drive” automobile insurance to the state. According to the DOI,...

California Senate Approves Agent-Broker, Spyware Bills

Jun 20 2008 // California’s Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee approved two bills — one allowing insurance cmpanies to require spyware to be installed in vehicles, and the other clarifying the duties of an agent...

Analyst Sees U.S. Insurers’ Q2 Hurt by Flood Claims

Jun 19 2008 // A group of insurers who cover farmers in the event of catastrophe-driven losses are facing their worst claims in 15 years due to flooding in the Midwest, said a Lehman Brothers analyst, who cut second-quarter earnings...

Illinois, Iowa Join Indiana in Moratorium on Policy Cancellations

Jun 18 2008 // The Illinois and Iowa Insurance Departments have implemented a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation and nonrenewal of insurance policies for people who live in counties affected by the recent storms and flooding. Indiana...

Insurers Could Be Hit by U.S. Midwest Crop Loss Claims

Jun 17 2008 // Insurers who sell coverage compensating farmers in the event of damage to their crops could be hit by claims from severe flooding in parts of the U.S. Midwest, according to an analyst report. While it is too soon to know...

California Senate Considers Agent-Broker Bill, Consumer Group Challenges Legislation

Jun 17 2008 // Three pieces of legislation will be heard in the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance committee on Wednesday, June 17, 2008. Assemblyman Jared Huffman’s AB 2800 would allow insurance companies to require drivers to...

Insurers: Don’t Have to Cover Colorado Organic Dairy in Suit

Jun 16 2008 // Four insurers have asked a judge to declare they do not have to pay to defend or indemnify Aurora Organic Dairy against a lawsuit challenging claims about the dairy’s milk. The lawsuit in question alleges the...

Update: 2 Insurers to Pick up State Farm’s Non-renewals

Jun 16 2008 // Nationwide and Allstate will insure homes along the Mississippi coast where the current insurer decided not to renew policies, officials said. The State Farm Insurance action involves 892 policies within 1,000 feet of...

State Regulators Consider Centralizing Market Conduct Reporting

Jun 16 2008 // State insurance regulators want to centralize the filing and storage of their annual market conduct reports on insurance companies. The regulators are reviewing a proposal that would allow insurers to make one filing, as...