Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cayman Islands Reports Steady Growth in Captives During 2014
Feb 11 2015 // The Cayman Islands captive insurance industry reported steady growth in 2014, with 22 new captives formed, according to the Insurance Managers Association Cayman (IMAC). The total number of captives domiciled in Cayman was...
Catlin CEO Expects Number of Mergers Among Smaller Insurers to Increase
Feb 11 2015 // Stephen Catlin, who is selling his Lloyd’s of London insurer to XL Group plc for $4.2 billion, expects the pace of mergers among smaller insurers to gather pace. “Anyone who has got a market value of less than...
Top Vehicle Claims Trends from 2014
Feb 9 2015 // The top five states in which a person was most likely to file an auto claim last year were all on the East Coast. December had the lowest volume of all vehicle claims of any month. Those are just two of the facts mined by...
Though Rising, Ohio Home and Auto Insurance Rates Still Low
Feb 9 2015 // Combined, average homeowners and auto insurance premiums in Ohio are nearly $500 less than national averages, according to the state’s insurance department. Personal lines premiums in the state are among the lowest...
Traffic Fatalities Rose 16 Percent in Utah in 2014, Report Shows
Feb 9 2015 // The Utah Department of Transportation says 256 people died on roadways across the state in 2014, up 16 percent from 2013. It was Utah’s highest death toll since 2008, and it reversed a trend that saw fatalities drop...
Legislation Addressing Property Claims Litigation Likely to Crop Up in Texas
Feb 9 2015 // By the end of 2008, the Texas residual market for insuring seacoast properties for wind and hail figured it had enough resources available to pay claims for both Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Dolly that hit the Texas coast...
W.R. Berkley Reports Q4 Premium Growth, Net Income Drop
Feb 6 2015 // W.R. Berkley Corp. reported a stellar fourth-quarter in terms of premium growth, but net income dipped at year-end due in part to investment return challenges. Berkley’s 2014 Q4 net income is booked at $110.7 million...
A.M. Best: Outlook Stable for Louisiana’s Stonetrust Commercial Insurance
Feb 6 2015 // A.M. Besthas removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” of Stonetrust Commercial Insurance...
El Nino Forecasts Flop as Puzzled Scientists Search for Answers
Feb 6 2015 // When it comes to El Nino, 2014-15 may be the years that launched a thousand academic papers. Since last March, forecasters have said an El Nino was on the way. The only trouble is, it hasn’t arrived. Call it the...
Beazley Bets on U.S. Unit to Offset Declining Rates at Lloyd’s Business
Feb 6 2015 // Beazley plc is targeting 5 percent growth for 2015 as the insurer looks to its U.S. unit to help offset falling prices for coverage at its Lloyd’s of London business. Beazley, the first of its peers to report...
Louisiana Roadway Deaths Down 29% Between 2007 and 2013
Feb 5 2015 // The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says traffic fatalities dropped by 29 percent between 2007 and 2013. Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, the commission’s executive director, said the state had 993 traffic fatalities in...
Report: Tennessee DUI Arrests up in 2014
Feb 4 2015 // A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report says there were more Tennessee residents charged with driving under the influence in 2014 than 2013. The report, which must be submitted to lawmakers, says law enforcement...
Fraud Adds Up to 17% to Auto Insurance Injury Claims: IRC
Feb 4 2015 // A new study estimates that fraud and claim “build-up” add between $5.6 billion and $7.7 billion in excess payments to auto injury claims paid in the United States. The excess payments represented between 13...
Though Rising, Ohio Home and Auto Insurance Rates Still Low
Feb 3 2015 // Combined, average homeowners and auto insurance premiums in Ohio are nearly $500 less than national averages, according to the state’s insurance department. Personal lines premiums in the state are among the lowest...
Top Vehicle Claims Trends from 2014
Jan 30 2015 // The top five states in which a person was most likely to file an auto claim last year were all on the East Coast. December had the lowest volume of all vehicle claims of any month. Those facts are just two of those mined...
Highway Deaths in Kentucky Increased in 2014
Jan 29 2015 // State officials say highway fatalities in Kentucky increased last year after a record low in 2013. The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety says preliminary figures show that 667 people died on Kentucky roadways last year, up...
Delaware OKs Decreases in WC Voluntary Loss Cost, Residual Market Rate
Jan 28 2015 // Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart today announced the approval of the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau’s (DCRB) workers’ compensation amended rate filing, resulting in overall average...
Traffic Fatalities Rose 16 Percent in Utah in 2014, Report Shows
Jan 26 2015 // The Utah Department of Transportation says 256 people died on roadways across the state in 2014, up 16 percent from 2013. It was Utah’s highest death toll since 2008, and it reversed a trend that saw fatalities drop...
Ballinger on Growth, Professionalism in Texas Surplus Lines Market
Jan 26 2015 // Phil Ballinger retired at the end of December 2014 as executive director of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT), a post he’s held for more than two decades. During his tenure at SLSOT, the organization...
Independent Agents See Carriers’ Online Sales As Major Threat: Accenture Survey
Jan 26 2015 // Independent insurance agents’ strengths in customer service and risk management could be challenged by changing consumer behaviors, new technologies and the evolving competitive landscape, according to a new report...