Latest Trends Headlines

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

Build vs. Buy an Agency: Organic Growth in Rising Interest Rate Environment

Aug 14 2018 // Now that interest rates are rising again, it’s time to re-examine whether buying an insurance agency is the smart choice for growth or whether building an agency makes more sense. While lots of factors come into play...

Global Commercial Insurance Prices Rise for 3rd Consecutive Quarter: Marsh

Aug 10 2018 // Global commercial insurance prices rose in the second quarter of 2018, marking the third consecutive quarter of increases, according to Marsh’s “Global Insurance Market Index.” These average increases...

CCC to Host Webinar on Technology Change Agents and the Future of Auto Insurance

Aug 10 2018 // Join CCC Industry Analyst Susanna Gotsch and Jason Verlen, SVP Product Management on Wednesday, August 15th. Chicago, IL, August 10, 2018– CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC) announced today that executives from the...

Report Faults Years of Neglect in New Orleans’ 2017 Floods

Aug 8 2018 // Outside consultants fault New Orleans officials’ long-term neglect of the city’s failing drainage system for widespread flooding last summer. Through a public records request, The New Orleans Advocate obtained...

North Carolina Insurance Fraud Round-Up: July

Aug 7 2018 // The North Carolina Department of Insurance announced multiple fraud enforcement actions during the month of July. Insurance fraud costs American consumers approximately $80 billion dollars a year. According to North...

Berkshire’s Q2 Insurance Profit Rises to $943M Compared to Loss of $22M in Q2 2017

Aug 6 2018 // This year’s looking brighter for Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s insurance businesses after 2017’s hurricanes led to the first annual underwriting loss in more than a decade. Auto insurer Geico and the...

Texas Sees 10.6% Growth in Surplus Lines Premium at Mid-Year

Aug 6 2018 // May 2018 was the highest-grossing month for surplus lines premium in Texas, with $681 million recorded, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) reported. Total premium in Texas stood at $3.06 billion as of June...

‘Obamacare’ Premiums to Decrease in Louisiana Next Year

Aug 3 2018 // Many Louisianans with health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s individual exchange are set to see premiums drop. The Advocate of Baton Rouge reports premiums are expected to drop by an average of 6.9...

Hong Kong Insurance Market Attracts Mainland Chinese Seeking Lucrative Pay

Aug 2 2018 // May Zhang, a 28-year-old from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Oxford, but now makes her living selling insurance in Hong Kong. Drawn by lucrative...

Flood Insurance Uptake Rates Rise in Texas Following Harvey

Jul 31 2018 // Little more than two months before Hurricane Harvey slammed the Gulf Coast of Texas, Alberto Castaneda let his home’s flood insurance lapse. He had never filed a claim on the policy in 10 years and he needed the...

Midlands Management Enters Oklahoma Marijuana Insurance Market

Jul 31 2018 // Oklahoma City-based wholesale insurance broker and program manager, Midlands Management Corp., has introduced comprehensive coverage for the marijuana industry in Oklahoma. The Midlands program offers products liability,...

French Insurer CNP Declines to Comment About Merger Speculation

Jul 30 2018 // French insurer CNP, which has been the subject of merger speculation, reiterated its annual earnings growth targets as it posted higher interim net profits. CNP’s first-half net profits rose 2.3 percent to 672...

Crypto Prediction Market on Blockchain Raises Regulatory Concerns

Jul 27 2018 // The next confrontation between government regulators and a blockchain startup appears set to ensnare a prediction market platform that goes by the name Augur. After going live on July 10, Augur allows anyone to create...

A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance

Jul 26 2018 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” for Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance...

Pennsylvania Warns Consumers, Insurers About Rising National Auto Theft Rates

Jul 26 2018 // Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman has reminded drivers to take precautions to prevent auto theft, as a recent report shows the rate of car theft nationally rising by more than four percent in the first...

Texas Sees 10.6% Growth in Surplus Lines Premium at Mid-Year

Jul 25 2018 // May 2018 was the highest-grossing month for surplus lines premium in Texas, with $681 million recorded, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) reported. Total premium in Texas has increased to $3.06 billion, as...

Chubb Q2’s Results Reflect Continued P/C Pricing Momentum

Jul 25 2018 // Chubb has a very good second quarter in both underwriting and investments, reporting net income of $1,294 million compared with $1,305 million for the same quarter last year. P/C net premiums written increased 5.6 percent...

UK Faces ‘Abject Future’ After Brexit, Warns Former Lloyd’s Chairman

Jul 24 2018 // The U.K. is facing a grim future after Brexit because of the failure of the its politicians to govern responsibly, the former chairman of insurance market Lloyd’s of London wrote in a letter to the Financial...

What’s New in Today’s Construction Insurance Market

Jul 23 2018 // Brokers who specialize in the construction industry love their clients and are very committed to keeping up with their needs. Ask them, “So what’s new?” and the conversations inevitably veer off in...

Texas Stamping Office: National E&S Insurance Premium Up 9.4% at Mid-Year

Jul 23 2018 // Excess and surplus lines (E&S) insurance premium recorded by the 15 managing service offices in the United States increased 9.4 percent as of the 2018 mid-year point, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX)...