Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Transamerica Owner Aegon’s Profits Up; Shares Drop on Solvency Concerns
May 11 2017 // Aegon, the Dutch insurer that does most of its business in the United States, on Thursday reported first-quarter net income of 378 million euros ($411 million), helped by the performance of its investment...
Insurance Sector Set to Overtake Banking in Switzerland
May 11 2017 // Switzerland’s financial center is in the midst of a power shift. The Alpine country’s less fashionable insurers, long overshadowed by glamorous private banks around Zurich’s posh Paradeplatz and Lake...
Startup Lemonade Enters California Homeowners, Renters Insurance Markets
May 10 2017 // Insurance startup Lemonade is now selling homeowners and renters insurance in California. California marks the third state of entry for the insurtech that is built on artificial intelligence and behavioral economics. It...
High-Profile Cyber Attacks Drive Growth of Cyber Crime Insurance
May 10 2017 // For companies and organizations, an attack by hackers can inflict financial losses, corporate embarrassment and legal action. For insurers jumping into the brave new world of cyber crime insurance, it’s free...
Indiana Injured Worker Benefits Rise, but Per Claim Cost Still Low
May 8 2017 // Income benefits paid to Indiana’s injured workers through workers’ compensation claims rose nearly 5 percent between 2014 and 2015, a Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study found. “The...
Cost of Workers’ Comp Claim Down in Illinois but Still High: WCRI
May 5 2017 // The average total cost of a workers’ compensation claim in Illinois has dropped by 6.4 percent since 2010, but the state still has relatively high costs per claim, according to a report by the Workers Compensation...
Study Warns of Rising Risk to Mobile Homes from Tornadoes
May 5 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
Full-Fledged El Nino Increasingly Likely in Second Half 2017
May 5 2017 // El Nino conditions are developing across the Pacific with an increasing probability that a full-fledged El Nino episode will occur during the second half of 2017. Pacific equatorial winds have slackened since the start of...
California Insurer Groups and Insurance Department Battle over Auto Repair Survey Bill
May 3 2017 // A California bill that could affect auto repair costs is making its way through state Legislature, and one group that’s happy about that is the Association of California Insurance Companies. ACIC is one of several...
Most Commercial Insurance Premiums Up in April: IVANS Index
May 3 2017 // Most standard commercial lines products saw an uptick in premiums at renewal in April, with workers’ compensation being the main exception, according to the IVANS Index. Business owners and commercial property...
Mexico Auto Thefts Surge in Ominous Trend for Insurers
May 3 2017 // Auto-theft rates in Mexico are rising at the fastest pace ever, and authorities are getting worse at tracking down the stolen cars. In March, the number of auto thefts rose 21 percent from the same month a year earlier,...
Allianz Q1 Net Income Down 15.3% to $2B – in Line with 2017 Profit Goal
May 3 2017 // German insurer Allianz is optimistic about its prospects despite a very tough business environment, the German insurer said on Wednesday as it posted a slightly better than expected first-quarter profit. “We are...
Michigan Workplace Fatalities in 2016 Highest in a Decade
May 1 2017 // A state agency says 43 people were killed on the job in Michigan last year, and that’s the state’s highest number of workplace fatalities in a decade. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
California Wants Insurers to Double up on Rate Filings
May 1 2017 // Health insurers seeking regulatory approval for 2018 individual insurance plans can file two sets of premium rates as a way to deal with market uncertainty created by Republicans’ promise to repeal and replace...
Legal Marijuana Stores Linked to Increased Property Crime
May 1 2017 // Legal marijuana shops are linked to higher levels of property crime in nearby areas, according to a nearly three-year study in Denver. Researchers found that crime isn’t higher in the area immediately surrounding...
Meteorologists Offer Conflicting Predictions on 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 1 2017 // Most meteorologists forecast the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be less active than a year ago, with the number of named storms and hurricanes near average. A few meteorologists, however, expect this season to be more...
How Future Tech Could Change Risk and Loss: Allianz Report
May 1 2017 // Technology is expected to be a major driver of liability claims in the years ahead – cutting frequency and increasing new threats such as cyber, product liability and recall risk, according to a report published by...
Report Shows California Workers’ Comp Written Premium up in 2016
May 1 2017 // California’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has completed its report on statewide workers’ comp insurer loss and premium experience through Dec. 31, 2016. The major findings of the WCIRB...
MetLife CEO Says Businesses Must Give Up Tax Breaks for Lower Tax Rate
Apr 28 2017 // MetLife Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Kandarian said industries must be willing to forfeit some of their advantages in the tax code in order for the U.S. to seize a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to...
Hackers’ Ransom Demands Rise as Victims Keep Paying: Symantec
Apr 27 2017 // Hackers are demanding increasingly hefty ransoms to free computers paralyzed with viruses, as cyber criminals seek to maximize profits from large numbers of victims willing to pay up, according to cyber security firm...
