Latest Market Headlines
All the headlines from our Market Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Trends for 2012
Jan 9 2012 // Soft Market Here to Stay, Merger Activity, Financial Pressures and More In order to be proactive, one needs to understand and exploit current and future trends. So what will 2012 be like for insurance agents and brokers?...
The Construction Market Evolution
Jan 9 2012 // Henry Ford once said that his customers could order his Model T cars in whatever color the customer wanted, as long as it was black! For many years, the relationship between contractors and their insurance company seemed...
People
Jan 9 2012 // Southwestern Insurance Information Service elected Lyndell Haigood, regional vice president of State Auto Insurance, as chairman of the board; David Lacefield, executive vice president, National Lloyds Insurance, as vice...
Insurance Buyers’ Choice: Bigger Premium or Bigger Risk
Jan 6 2012 // Property/casualty insurers may be poised to raise their prices but buyers may not be in a position to pay more, advises a veteran of insurance cycles. “It’s not an issue of willingness. It’s an issue of...
Insurance Veterans’ Forecasts for 2012
Jan 5 2012 // Now that the year 2011 is behind us, let’s take a look at what might be ahead. Insurance Journal spoke with leading industry professionals and asked them what they are expecting this year. If their forecasts are any...
Western Insurance Agents Roundtable Discussion Highlights
Jan 5 2012 // Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based WIAA Education & Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation focused on advancing knowledge of insurance industry professionals, hosted a recent roundtable discussion on the industry and...
Western Insurance Agents Roundtable: In Uncertain Economy, Change Is Certain
Jan 5 2012 // The economy, the promised-land of a hard insurance market and the need to master technologies dominated discussion at the first annual Insurance Industry Roundtable in Irvine, Calif. The daylong event was attended by 23...
Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Harnesses New Technology to Reach Independent Agents
Jan 4 2012 // Walnut Creek, CA, 12/08/11 – The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) will make use of the new technologies available through the Virtual Insurance Marketplace to bring the organization’s...
ABI Seeks ‘Long Term’ Solution, Government Help to Cover UK Floods
Dec 28 2011 // Otto Thoresen, director general of the Association of British Insurers has issued a statement outlining the organization’s position on flood coverage in the UK, in response to recent proposals from the...
Insurance Charity Foundation Raises $1.2M at This Year’s Charity Event
Dec 21 2011 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) New York/Northeast division had a packed charity dinner event this year. The event was held on Dec. 14 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. It drew more than 900...
Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information
Dec 16 2011 // Have you ever wondered how modern-day fire departments began? Or why agents buy E&O coverage? What about when the first business owners policy launched? These are just a few questions that Insurance Journal and Claims...
Agency Pro-tection
Dec 16 2011 // E&O and Agency Assets Agency owners have a lot to protect. Of course, first and foremost they must protect their clients. But they must also protect their book of business. They must protect their relationships. They...
All in the Family
Dec 16 2011 // Young Agents Survey Reveals Strong Family Ties Bryan Hanes grew up in the family business listening to stories about life in a small town. He heard his grandfather and then father sharing cheerful conversations with local...
Insurance Charitable Foundation Awards a Record Number of Grants
Dec 15 2011 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) New York/Northeast division awarded a record number of grants at its 2011 benefit dinner on Wednesday in New York City. In total, grants were awarded to 14 charitable...
Zurich Receives Top Award from Insurance Charitable Foundation
Dec 15 2011 // Zurich received the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s (IICF) “Double I” award this week. The award recognizes Zurich’s influence in the insurance industry and its impact through the...
N.Y. Consumer Report Accuses Insurers of Needlessly Raising Rates
Dec 15 2011 // A new consumer advocacy report is accusing P/C insurers of ‘colluding’ and needlessly raising commercial insurance rates at a time when U.S. businesses are still reeling from the slow economy. The report,...
Swiss Re Estimates 2011 Economic Cat Loss at $350 Bn; Insured Loss $108 Bn
Dec 15 2011 // Swiss Re describes 2011 as the “year with the highest catastrophe-related economic losses in history, at $350 billion.” It could have been the most costly year ever for the insurance industry, if Japan had been...
Va.-based IT Firm CSC Launches Insurance Cybersecurity Council
Dec 14 2011 // Virginia-based IT services provider CSC is forming an advisory board to help tackle cyber security issues in the insurance industry. It’s called the Insurance Cybersecurity Advisory Council. The company says the...
Report Says M&A Deal Flow Will Pick Up, Lists Potential Candidates
Dec 13 2011 // The insurance industry is likely to see more robust mergers-and-acquisitions activities in 2012, according to a New York investment and research firm. In 2011, the M&A deal volume started off relatively slowly,...
Aspen Chief Says It’s Time to Get Back Underwriting Discipline
Dec 13 2011 // With inadequate pricing levels for commercial lines, low interest rates and severe catastrophe losses, it’s high time insurers focus on underwriting discipline, said a veteran insurance executive. Mario Vitale,...
