Latest Market Headlines
All the headlines from our Market Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Will Ratings Concerns Hinder Reinsurer M&A, Hedge Fund ‘Play’? -Litmus Analysis
Apr 15 2014 // In the “investment banker 101 playbook” for cyclical industries the reinsurance industry has arrived at the page marked “weak pricing due to too much competition; sell M&A services to our...
Chile Quake, Tsunami Losses Unlikely to Affect Local Insurers’ Ratings: Fitch
Apr 11 2014 // A bulletin from Fitch Ratings indicates that, based on preliminary analysis, Chile’s insurance industry solvency “will not be affected by the recent Iquique earthquake and tsunami. Chilean property/casualty...
NAPCO Report: Prices Decreasing, Competition Increasing in P&C Space
Apr 10 2014 // Insurers have become increasingly competitive and are reducing rates for most accounts as a result of low global insured catastrophe losses and added capacity from non-traditional market sources, according to wholesale...
China Relaxation of Insurance M&A Rules Could Invite More Global Firms
Apr 8 2014 // China’s decision to partially relax mergers and acquisition rules in the insurance industry could see global insurance firms expand their footprint in the $288 billion market. Beijing would allow insurers, including...
Houston Insurance Agents Honor Dean with Outstanding Service Award
Apr 7 2014 // Bob Dean, former president and CEO of Houston-based Dean & Draper Insurance Agency LP, has received a posthumous award for his unparalleled service to the insurance industry throughout his career. The Independent...
California Commissioner Gives ‘App On, No Match’ Ridesharing View
Apr 7 2014 // California Commissioner Dave Jones made his initial recommendations to the California Public Utilities Commission in late March, days after the California Department of Insurance’s investigatory hearing relating to...
How to Reach the Next Generation of Insurance Talent
Apr 7 2014 // The insurance industry is on the cusp of a talent crisis as its workforce continues to “gray.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 50 percent of the industry’s workforce is above the age...
Young Agents Survey – Why They Chose Insurance
Apr 7 2014 // The call to become an insurance agent is different for everyone. For Matthew Ostrow the call to become an independent agent came via social media. Thirty-year old Ostrow entered insurance just five months ago after a...
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...
