Latest Market Headlines

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

P/C Reinsurance Market Softer Due to Alternative Capital: Execs

Apr 7 2014 // A new survey from Towers Watson confirms that more than half (55 percent) of property/casualty insurance chief financial officers believe the property reinsurance market is softer than the primary market, while about...

April Renewals Confirm Reinsurance Rates Continue to Fall: Willis Re Chairman

Apr 1 2014 // “Reinsurance rates began to fall last year,” said Willis Re’s Chairman James Vickers in a telephone interview. The January renewals “saw more reductions, and this has continued in...

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Exec on Acquisitions, Expansion Plans

Mar 31 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), part of Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway, has its eyes on overseas expansion, according to BHSI’s top executive. BHSI’s...

Life Insurers Flock to ‘Easy’ Iowa As More Federal Oversight Looms

Mar 28 2014 // After Symetra Financial Corp. was formed in 2004, the life insurer set up shop in a 25-story glass tower outside Seattle, put its name on the building and pushed the state to adopt more favorable rules for its...

California Commissioner Gives ‘App On, No Match’ Ridesharing View

Mar 25 2014 // California Commissioner Dave Jones made his initial recommendations to the California Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday following the California Department of Insurance’s investigatory hearing on March 21...

Technical and Medical Device Convergence Exposes New World of Risks

Mar 24 2014 // When the acclaimed television drama series Homeland climaxed with a devious plot by terrorists to kill America’s vice-president by hacking into his electronic pacemaker, critics mocked the ludicrousness of the idea...

Top 10 HOT Markets to Watch

Mar 24 2014 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and expansions in the past year. Here are the top 10 market sectors that just might deliver hot opportunities for agents and brokers in the property/casualty...

TNCs, Insurers Square Off at California Hearing

Mar 21 2014 // Update: California Commissioner Dave Jones made his initial recommendations on insurance issues and transportation network companies. Update: Excess and surplus carrier James River Insurance Co. said it’s not leaving...

Fla Cat Fund Missing Out on Best Reinsurance Market Ever

Mar 20 2014 // Coming into 2014, we had modest expectations of the potential for significant property insurance reform in Florida. Given that it is an election year – and one featuring the return to prominence of our old friend Charlie...

Willis Opens Representative Office in Myanmar

Mar 20 2014 // Willis Group Holdings plc announced that it has opened a representative office in Myanmar that signals its commitment to the country’s growing insurance industry. Willis said the “office in Yangon will support...

Uber Announces New Policy to Cover Gap

Mar 14 2014 // Ridesharing company Uber on Friday said it has new insurance to cover a gap between personal and commercial policies when drivers are using the app-based ridesharing service, while the company’s CEO said the San...

P/C Reinsurance Market Softer Due to Alternative Capital: Execs

Mar 14 2014 // A new survey from Towers Watson confirms that more than half (55 percent) of property/casualty insurance chief financial officers believe the property reinsurance market is softer than the primary market, while about...

Alternative Capital Softening P&C Reinsurance Market: Towers Watson CFO Survey

Mar 12 2014 // A new survey from Towers Watson confirms that “over half (55 percent) of property & casualty (P&C) insurance chief financial officers (CFOs) believe the property reinsurance market is softer than the primary...

Insurance Company Stability

Mar 10 2014 // Many years ago, a well-known insurance company went from being highly rated to insolvent almost in a fortnight. Most people in the industry older than 50 years old remember that time. The failure was a shock that created...

Labor Study Shows P/C Insurers Plan to Hire, Grow Significantly

Mar 10 2014 // More than half of all insurance companies say they plan to increase staff in 2014, although hiring for the most-in-demand positions may prove difficult. That’s according to the latest Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor...

Tony Markel Leads City of Hope Fund Raising Effort

Mar 10 2014 // Tony Markel was recently honored for his work on a national campaign to raise $1 billion for cancer research. Markel, known as the name and the man behind building Markel Corp. into one of the largest property/casualty...

Brewing Boom

Mar 10 2014 // Microbrewers Make Their Mark The craft beer industry has been chipping away at the U.S. domestic beer market throughout the past decade. And the pace of growth in this specialty niche is not expected to stop anytime...

A Buyer’s Market for Reinsurance

Mar 10 2014 // For insurance companies, now is a good time to buy reinsurance. Prices are down and terms and conditions are favorable, according to Mathew Wulf, vice president, state relations and assistant general counsel, for the...

Travelers, InVEST Team Up to Develop Young Professionals

Mar 7 2014 // The Travelers Cos., in partnership with InVEST, a nationwide school-to-career nonprofit program, is helping to improve insurance and financial literacy in students and attract young talent for the insurance...

The Future of Drones in the Insurance Industry

Mar 7 2014 // After a catastrophe hits, mobile units filled with adjusters are on site to evaluate property damage. Flash forward five years and an insured may never meet the property adjuster handling his or her claim. Instead, a drone...