Latest Pricing Trends Headlines

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

Fireman’s Fund To Reduce California Homeowners’ Premiums 17.9%

Jul 2 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has approved a 17.9 percent reduction in insurance premiums for Fireman’s Fund California homeowners. This reduction will bring a total of $30 million in savings to...

Rates Likely to Rise for Citizens’ South Louisiana Policyholders

Jun 25 2008 // Louisiana’s “insurer of last resort” is seeking double-digit increases in homeowners rates across several southeast parishes. The state-backed Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. would raise rates...

Building Commercial Construction Business in a Soft Market

Jun 16 2008 // Soft Market Emphasizes Need for Education, Communication It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens probably was not referring to the insurance industry’s soft market, when he wrote...

Mercury Provides California Policyholders $61 Million Rate Reduction

Jun 12 2008 // George Joseph, founder and chairman of Mercury General Corp. announced the company has filed for and was approved for a 33 percent rate reduction for homeowners and 10 percent rate reduction for renters insurance...

Olympus Insurance Decreases Homeowners Rates in Florida

Jun 12 2008 // Olympus Insurance Co. of Orlando, Fla., lowered its homeowners insurance rates, most notably in inland counties and for newer homes. The lower rates will have greatest effect on 33 inland counties across Northern and...

Lloyd’s Analyzes Impact on Insurance of World Food Price Hikes

Jun 9 2008 // The rise in world food prices carries implications for both rich and poor countries – the latter will more fully feel the impact, as well as the insurance industry. The recent conference in Rome, organized by the...

Soft Market Tests Program Administrators’ Survival Skills

Jun 2 2008 // It’s Time to Focus Marketing, Upgrade Data, Round Out Business In a recent letter to fellow program administrators, Greg Thompson, CEO of Thompson Insurance Enterprises Inc. and Target Markets Program Administrators...

A Soft Market Solution: MGAs and Risk Sharing

Jun 2 2008 // Part 2: Soft Market Benefits of Risk Sharing Extend Beyond Potential for Increased Profits Editor’s Note: The following is part two of a discussion of the risk retention options available to managing general agents,...

Mississippi Wind Pool Rates Down

Jun 2 2008 // Gulf Coast insurance premiums in Mississippi have returned to nearly pre-Katrina levels, according to officials at the state’s wind insurance pool. According to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association,...

California Workers’ Comp Insurer Files for 3.5 Percent Rate Decrease

May 28 2008 // California State Compensation Insurance Fund announced it filed a July 1, 2008, revision to its rating plan, which it anticipates will result in a 3.5 percent reduction in collectible premium. While base rates will remain...

North Dakota’s Workers’ Comp Rates to Rise 2.5 Percent in July

May 23 2008 // The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) board of directors approved the 2008-2009 premium rate plan on Thursday, May 22nd. While the new rating plan begins July 1, 2008, it calls for no change in statewide...

Mass. Nixes 13% FAIR Plan Rate Hike

May 19 2008 // Massachusetts insurance officials have blocked a 13.2 percent statewide rate hike by the state’s residual market home insurer. The decision by Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes spares some 150,000 coastal and...

Allstate to Begin Homeowners Rate Reductions, Refunds in Texas

May 19 2008 // As a result of an agreement reached by the Texas Department of Insurance, the Office of Public Insurance Counsel and Allstate Texas Lloyd’s, the company will soon begin reducing its homeowners rates and provide...

Michigan Nixes Rate Hike Request from Insurer of Last Resort

May 19 2008 // Michigan’s Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) Commissioner Ken Ross recently issued an order disapproving a rate filing for Michigan Basic Property and Insurance Association (Michigan Basic), the...

State Farm Files Request for California Rate Increase

May 19 2008 // Reflecting the general upward trends in the cost of property and liability insurance claims, State Farm General Insurance Co. has filed a request for an average statewide 6.9 percent rate increase with the California...

State Farm Files Request for California Rate Increase

May 9 2008 // Reflecting the general upward trends in the cost of property and liability insurance claims, State Farm General Insurance Co. has filed a request for an average statewide 6.9 percent rate increase with the California...

Mass. Denies Hike in FAIR Plan Home Insurance Rates

May 8 2008 // Massachusetts insurance officials have blocked a 13.2 percent statewide rate hike by the state’s residual market home insurer. The decision by Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes also kills a 25 percent increase...

Top Agencies Have Strategies to Weather Soft Market

May 7 2008 // Insurance Journal readers were reminded by our recent coverage on how agents are faring in the recession that the effects of the economic downturn vary by agency and region. Some agencies and customers are feeling the...

Court Denies Allstate’s Request to Avoid Rate Decrease

May 5 2008 // A San Francisco judge has refused Allstate’s request to block a 15.9 percent automobile insurance rate decrease. Thus, the California Department of Insurance said the rate decrease should take effect immediately, and...

A Soft Market Solution: MGAs and Risk Sharing

May 5 2008 // Part1: Retaining limited underwriting risk could offer MGAs a way to bolster revenue Editor’s Note: The following is part one of a discussion of the risk retention options available to MGAs, the sundry variables...