Latest Market Headlines

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

Minn. ‘Good Faith’ Insurance Bill Spurs Fight at Capitol

May 2 2007 // A bruising battle between insurance companies and trial lawyers in Minnesota over a one-page bill that would expand the rights of people to sue insurers continues to provoke heated debates. The legislation would make...

Bush administration rejects pleas for federal disaster plan

Apr 23 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this month in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that some say has gone...

People

Apr 23 2007 // Dallas-based global insurance and reinsurance broker, Colemont, added Catherine L. Wall as assistant vice president and associate legal counsel. In this newly created role, Wall will assist in overseeing the...

Ark. commissioner: Regulators have dual role

Apr 23 2007 // Testifying before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 11, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman, told lawmakers that insurance regulators have the dual...

Consumer groups say market forces, not claims, caused re-cent medical malpractice crisis

Apr 23 2007 // A consumer coalition released a report that disputes insurers’ contention that the most recent medical malpractice insurance crisis for doctors was caused by rising costs. The study, Stable Losses/Unstable Rates...

Declarations

Apr 23 2007 // Declarations Policy talk “The law holds insurance agents to accurately representing policy provisions and honestly answering consumer questions. Agents who are not trained to act with complete honesty and integrity...

Disruptive Forces in the Insurance Industry: Constructive or chaotic?

Apr 23 2007 // Capital markets, technology and the use of mass media could be disruptive forces in the insurance industry in the near future, according to Paula Reynolds, CEO of Seattle-based Safeco Insurance Co. Speaking at the...

Bush administration rejects pleas for federal disaster plan

Apr 23 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this month in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that some say has gone...

Aviva Targets Russian Expansion

Apr 20 2007 // The UK-based Aviva Group has announced expansion plans for the Russian market, aimed at achieving “a top five position within five years.” A year ago it launched Aviva Russia, which the bulletin indicated,...

Report Details P/C Insurers’ 2006 Proftability, Escape from Storms

Apr 18 2007 // Another report on the insurance industry confirms and details what has been widely acknowledged: a sharp decline in catastrophes in 2006 contributed to improved underwriting results for the year. The U.S. property/casualty...

Bush Administration Rejects Pleas for Federal Disaster Plan

Apr 13 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this week in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that they say has gone...

Ark. Commissioner Speaks to Senate Committee on State of P/C Industry

Apr 12 2007 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman testified before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 11 on the overall state of the property/casualty insurance market...

Mo. House Bill Would Expand Access to Health Insurance

Apr 12 2007 // Missourians lacking health insurance because of its high cost and their personal health problems could find it easier to get coverage under legislation given initial approval by the House. The measure also would make it...

Industry to Congress: Private Market Is the Best Solution on Natural Disasters, But Some Say Federal Help Needed

Apr 11 2007 // The private insurance marketplace, not the federal government, is the best vehicle to address coastal insurance issues and natural disasters in the U.S., according to insurers. Even so, the federal government can play a...

Houston General to Enter Illinois Personal Insurance Market

Apr 10 2007 // Houston General Insurance Exchange announced that it will begin offering personal lines products – including coverage for automobiles, homes, condominiums, watercraft and personal liability – to Illinois...

Riding out soft and hard market cycles with quality relationships

Apr 9 2007 // Analyzing the economic rhymes and reasons of soft and hard market cycles in the insurance industry would make for a challenging university-level business course. Theories abound on why and when these cycles occur, but no...

Consumer groups say market forces, not claims, caused most recent medical malpractice crisis

Apr 9 2007 // A consumer coalition released a report that disputes insurers’ contention that the most recent medical malpractice insurance crisis for doctors was caused by rising costs. The study, Stable Losses/Unstable Rates...

Consumer groups say market forces, not claims, caused most recent medical malpractice crisis

Apr 9 2007 // A consumer coalition released a report that disputes insurers’ contention that the most recent medical malpractice insurance crisis for doctors was caused by rising costs. The study, Stable Losses/Unstable Rates...

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation hosts benefit gala on May 12

Apr 9 2007 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation will host its 14th Annual Gala on May 12, 2007, at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, to benefit charitable causes in California. Steve Poizner, California Insurance...

Riding out soft and hard market cycles with quality relationships

Apr 9 2007 // Analyzing the economic rhymes and reasons of soft and hard market cycles in the insurance industry would make for a challenging university-level business course. Theories abound on why and when these cycles occur, but no...