Latest Market Headlines
All the headlines from our Market Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Power shift in the political landscape
Nov 19 2006 // Although it took a little time for all the votes to be counted, the 2006 midterm elections saw a wave of Democratic candidates wrest control of both houses of Congress, gain a majority of the governorships and take control...
Democratic Congress OK for industry traditionally tied to Republicans
Nov 19 2006 // News Currents The new Congress may be blue on Capitol Hill, but insiders say that’s not necessarily a bad color for the insurance industry. “The more things change, the more they may remain pretty much the...
Commercial premiums, except coastal property, continue to fall
Nov 19 2006 // Commercial insurance premiums fell slightly in the third quarter of this year, representing a continuation of the trends that occurred in the past two quarters, according to the RIMS Benchmark Survey, which surveys current...
The Locomotive That Drive the Insurance Train
Nov 19 2006 // The insurance industry’s excess and surplus lines (E&S) sector has experienced a pronounced reversal of position in the last 20 years. Once considered a mere adjunct, a safety valve for risks that were too hard...
Where are all the young guns?
Nov 19 2006 // Look around you. Take a long look at the folks in your agency or company. And then break out your calculator. What is the average age of your employees or colleagues? What percent of your firm’s workforce were...
Democratic Congress Not Necessarily Bad for Industry, Says PIA
Nov 9 2006 // The new Congress will alter the insurance agenda on Capitol Hill, but losses for the industry are not a foregone conclusion. That’s the after-the-election take by the National Association of Professional Insurance...
Lloyd’s James Tells PCI Threats to Industry Still Exist
Nov 7 2006 // Julian James, Lloyd’s Director Worldwide Markets, told delegates at the PCI Conference in Seattle that, despite the industry’s “current good fortune, I could make a strong case that we are still standing...
Commercial Premiums, Except Coastal Property, Continued Falling in 3Q
Nov 7 2006 // Commercial insurance premiums fell slightly in the third quarter of this year, representing a continuation of the trends that occurred in the past two quarters, according to the RIMS Benchmark Survey, which surveys current...
Under Construction: The Green Property Insurance Market
Nov 7 2006 // Douglas G. Hotchkiss, owner of the Dallas, Texas-based Hotchkiss Insurance Agency, hadn’t thought much about building “green” or environmentally-friendly structures. But he now says, “it’s a...
Flying solo now, former Zurich executive ‘gooses ‘ agents
Nov 6 2006 // A retired insurance industry executive turned turbo-charged motivational speaker told a group of independent insurance agents that they are the greediest people he has ever met. Ray Thomas, a former Zurich North America...
Declarations
Nov 6 2006 // Time for changes “When your CEOs are making $26 billion a year, we need to make some changes.” Ginny Stevans, president of Homeowners Against Citizens, a group protesting Florida’s skyrocketing insurance...
Consumer group says property-casualty rates drop ‘irrespective’ of tort reform enactment
Nov 6 2006 // There is continuing evidence that the skyrocketing insurance rates of 2000 to 2003 have led to record industry profits, but commercial insurance rates have stabilized or dropped in almost every sector, including medical...
Insurance credit scoring plagued with fundamental problems
Nov 6 2006 // A fundamental problem exists with insurance scoring. The problem is that insurance scores and credit scores reflect correlation, but correlation does not necessarily indicate dependency upon which effective decisions can...
UNDER Construction: The Green Property Insurance Market
Nov 6 2006 // Douglas G. Hotchkiss, owner of the Dallas, Texas-based Hotchkiss Insurance Agency, hadn’t thought much about building “green” or environmentally-friendly structures. But he now says, “it’s a...
Declarations
Nov 5 2006 // Time for changes “When your CEOs are making $26 billion a year, we need to make some changes.” Ginny Stevans, president of Homeowners Against Citizens, a group protesting Florida’s skyrocketing insurance...
Flying solo now, former Zurich executive ‘gooses ‘ agents
Nov 5 2006 // A retired insurance industry executive turned turbo-charged motivational speaker told a group of independent insurance agents that they are the greediest people he has ever met. Ray Thomas, a former Zurich North America...
People
Nov 5 2006 // Chris Hughes, with Swingle, Collins & Associates, is the new president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas. Swingle Collins reported that Hughes joins officer ranks with firm president, Frank Swingle, whose...
Consumer group says property-casualty rates drop ‘irrespective’ of tort reform enactment
Nov 5 2006 // There is continuing evidence that the skyrocketing insurance rates of 2000 to 2003 have led to record industry profits, but commercial insurance rates have stabilized or dropped in almost every sector, including medical...
People
Nov 5 2006 // Tom Rodell, resident managing director of Aon Risk Services of San Francisco, was named the 2007 chairman of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. He is the first person to serve twice in the position. He...
Insurance credit scoring plagued with fundamental problems
Nov 5 2006 // A fundamental problem exists with insurance scoring. The problem is that insurance scores and credit scores reflect correlation, but correlation does not necessarily indicate dependency upon which effective decisions can...
