Latest Market Headlines

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

A Tale of Two Californias: Managing Wildfire Risk in the Year 2030

Feb 24 2020 // For most of the 20th century, the insurance industry considered wildfires to be little more than a nuisance. They were frequent but rarely resulted in more than a handful of claims, and underwriters priced for them in the...

Specialty Broker Shares Thoughts on Today’s Marina Market

Feb 24 2020 // Barbara Galgiani has spent her entire career specializing in both recreational and commercial marine industry – marinas, boat yards, hospitality, excursion boats and marine contractors. Roughly 90% of her revenue...

Coronavirus Raises Insurance Questions But Catastrophe-Tested Insurers Are Prepared

Feb 20 2020 // As the coronavirus outbreak continues to cause concern around the globe, the insurance industry is facing a potentially far-reaching impact but has the experience to handle what might come its way. Based on what the...

Viewpoint: 4 Things Insurance Firms Can Do to Improve Efficiency, Data Use

Feb 20 2020 // Digital transformation is making it possible for the insurance industry to engage customers with personalized interactions that lead to products and services tailored to their individual insurance needs. Unfortunately, the...

Employment Liability Insurers See Plenty to Worry About, From Biometrics to Harassment

Feb 19 2020 // After Back to the Future 2 was released in 1989, moviegoers could observe Marty McFly as he traveled to his version of 2015 where fingerprints were used to identify a person, to unlock the front door of a house and to pay...

B3i’s Blockchain Platform Places 30 Reinsurance Contracts, Including Cat XoL Treaties

Feb 14 2020 // B3i Services AG, a two-year-old company owned by members of the insurance industry, announced that 30 contracts of reinsurance have been concluded on its platform, including some of the most complex catastrophe excess of...

Private Equity Still Driving Agency M&As

Feb 10 2020 // Digital Buys Getting Some Attention; Buyers Getting Bigger; Prices Going Higher; Eyes on Digital The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory...

20 Things to Know About Surplus Lines Insurance in 2020

Feb 10 2020 // As we embark upon a new decade, the surplus lines insurance market has never been stronger. Growth in specialty products and demand for insurance protection in an increasingly dynamic, technological climate necessitates a...

A Tale of Two Californias: Managing Wildfire Risk in the Year 2030

Feb 6 2020 // For most of the 20th century, the insurance industry considered wildfires to be little more than a benign nuisance. They occurred frequently but rarely resulted in more than a handful of claims, and underwriters priced for...

Global Insurance Industry M&A Total Reached $12.92B in December

Feb 5 2020 // Total insurance industry merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in December 2019 worth $12.92 billion were announced globally, according to GlobalData’s deals database. The value marked an increase of 470.5% over the...

Best’s See Limited Non-Life Insurance Losses in China From Coronavirus Epidemic

Feb 4 2020 // Rating firm AM Best said it expects that China’s non-life insurance market will experience limited losses from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The analysts based their outlook on factors including the central...

Selective Insurance Launches Agency Management Collegiate Competition

Feb 3 2020 // Teams of students from seven universities throughout the U.S. today begin a month-long collegiate competition in which they will run virtual insurance agencies in a computer-simulated environment. The competition, called...

Pro Global and VIPR Form Partnership to Deliver End-to-End Solution for MGAs

Jan 30 2020 // Pro Global Holding Ltd., global re/insurance outsourcing and consulting specialists have formed a partnership with VIPR, a software provider that focuses on delegated authorities. This move will see the two combine their...

How should insurance commissioners get the job?

Jan 29 2020 // WARNING: This is a long one. Buckle in. Insurance Journal recently published an article detailing what action the Florida legislature is planning to take this year related to insurance. One item in particular caught my...

Is the Re/Insurance Industry Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Jan 29 2020 // Industry transformations occur when the pain of staying the same is suddenly greater than the pain of changing, according to Karen White, CEO of RMS. “The second thing that has got to be present for those...

Industry Calls On Florida Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse

Jan 27 2020 // Florida lawmakers are considering a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day 2020 Legislative Session that started Jan. 14. At the top of the list for industry and consumer advocates are reforms to...

Indonesia to Tighten Oversight of Troubled Insurance Industry as Crisis Continues

Jan 24 2020 // With Indonesia’s oldest life insurer tottering on the brink of collapse following years of alleged mismanagement, authorities plan to tighten surveillance of the industry by overhauling regulations and setting up a...

How Broker Specialization Will Revolutionize Customer Experience: Viewpoint

Jan 23 2020 // In today’s landscape, forward-thinking agencies and brokers should avoid taking a one-size-fits-all approach by only targeting the general insurance market. The market is heading toward specialization, and the next...

State of Insurance Agency E&O Insurance Market: Managing Rates and Risks

Jan 23 2020 // Agency errors and omissions (E&O) coverage is likely the most important insurance policy an agency purchases. As customer demands rise to an all-time high, having the right E&O coverage and ensuring best practices...

Florida Legislative Preview 2020: Industry Calls On Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse

Jan 16 2020 // The Florida Legislature started its 2020 legislative session this week and lawmakers are set to consider a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day period. At the top of the list for industry and...