Latest Market Headlines
All the headlines from our Market Topic Page, ordered by recency.
P/C Insurers Face Obstacles on Road to Hard Market
Mar 5 2012 // With interest rates low and looking like they will stay low for some time, property/casualty insurance companies will have to focus on making their profit on underwriting rather than on investments. However, P/C insurers...
Declarations
Mar 5 2012 // Rate Improving “There absolutely is a trend of rate improving…In the U.S., we’ve seen property, workers comp, as well as excess casualty and general liability starting to increase.” —Peter...
Vale Training Solutions Teams Up With the Insurance Journal Academy
Mar 2 2012 // From green risks to restaurant claims, there are many topics to choose from in this year’s webinar courses. Three Vale Training Solution instructors, with varying backgrounds, have one thing in common: They are...
5 Startup Businesses Agents Should Watch
Mar 1 2012 // It hasn’t been the best of times for America’s Main Street businesses. Often facing overwhelming competition from big box stores, many small businesses face an uphill battle from the outset and more than a few...
United Fire Group Appoints Phillips to Board; Sullivan Named VP
Feb 29 2012 // United Fire Group Inc., headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, appointed Michael W. Phillips to its board of directors and named Ed Sullivan as a company vice president. Phillips is the founder and president of...
Insurance Highlights from Buffett’s 2011 Letter to Berkshire Shareholders
Feb 27 2012 // Warren E. Buffett thinks that among large insurance operations, those owned by his Berkshire Hathaway are the “best in the world.” Buffett is chairman of the board of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns Berkshire...
Western Security Surplus’ Stevens Helps Launch Berry Family 5K
Feb 24 2012 // On July 3, 2011, while returning to their home in Houston, Texas, from an annual family road trip to Colorado, the Berry family found themselves victims of a tragic, fatal car accident. The Berry family’s minivan,...
P/C Insurers Face Obstacles on Road to Hard Market
Feb 24 2012 // With interest rates low and looking like they will stay low for some time to come, property/casualty insurance companies will have to focus on making their profit on underwriting rather than on investments. However, P/C...
Atypical P/C Executive: Chartis CEO Hancock on Fear, Regulation, Science and More
Feb 22 2012 // The keynote speaker told the professional liability insurance underwriters that regulation is not the enemy of business growth, the plaintiffs’ bar is their ally, deleveraging of financial institutions is a good...
Anderson & Murison Founder to be Remembered
Feb 19 2012 // Dave Anderson, founder of wholesaler Anderson & Murison Inc. in Southern California, who served several insurance associations in numerous capacities, will be remembered for his contributions to the insurance...
P/C Industry Disputes Consumer Group’s Claims It’s Avoiding Risk
Feb 17 2012 // Traditionally risk-takers, property/casualty insurance companies have become more like risk-avoiders when it comes to weather-related claims, leaving consumers and taxpayers to pay much higher costs, according to a new...
Creator of Consumer Watchdog Attack Site Says More Attacks to Come
Feb 16 2012 // The owner of a website that launched an attack last week against a consumer group that often does battle with the insurance industry is now calling the attacks and information he put on the site “just the tip of the...
Beyond Golf: P-U-T-T-E-R’s the Name of the Game in E&S World
Feb 16 2012 // Bill Reynolds, Atlantic Casualty Insurance Golf could be called the go-to sport of the insurance industry, so it’s safe to assume that most insurance professionals know what a putter is – a tool for cursing and...
China Agrees to Open Up Auto Insurance Market
Feb 14 2012 // U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that China had agreed to an important financial sector reform by opening up its massive auto insurance market to foreign competition. Biden said that during a meeting with U.S....
MAPFRE Highlights 19.3% 2010 Latin American Insurance Market Growth
Feb 14 2012 // A report from the FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, which analyzed 19 Latin American countries, concludes that the Latin American insurance market “achieved in 2010 a 19.3 percent rise in premium volumes compared to the preceding...
Best Special Report Spots Insurance Market Rebound, Growth in Mexico
Feb 13 2012 // A special report from A.M. Best Co. concludes that “competitive pressures will continue for Mexico’s insurers as they look to build on the industry’s low penetration level and tap a growing middle class...
North Carolina Insurers Still Hoping for Medical Loss Ratio Waiver
Feb 13 2012 // The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is going overtime as it decides whether to stick with federal standards that could mean $12 million in rebates for more than 58,000 North Carolina residents who buy their...
Website Attacks Consumer Watchdog
Feb 10 2012 // A website attacking a consumer group that often does battle with the insurance industry was launched on Friday, setting off more sparks in a roiling battle between proponents of two competing measures that Californians may...
Best Analyzes Impact of Flood Losses on Thai Insurance Industry
Feb 10 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has released a briefing that provides updated estimates of insurers’ losses from the Thailand floods. The overall industry wide insurers’ loss estimates from the floods have increased 50 percent...
Willis Chief Warns London Audience of Major Risk Increases in 21st Century
Feb 9 2012 // The 21st century has already witnessed a transformational shift in the global risk landscape, with a palpable change in the severity and frequency of events since 2000, warned Willis Chairman and CEO Joe Plumeri. Speaking...
