Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Michigan Workers’ Comp Costs Drop, Employment Rises
May 4 2015 // Michigan has had some positive developments on the employment and workers’ compensation fronts lately and state officials have been eager to share the news. Workers’ comp costs for employers in Michigan have...
Researchers in Oklahoma Developing Seasonal Tornado Forecasts
May 4 2015 // Weather researchers in Oklahoma are working on a method to develop seasonal tornado forecasts that could predict the likelihood of the severe storms weeks in advance. Harold Brooks, senior research scientist at the...
Report: 50 Massachusetts Workers Died on the Job in 2014
May 1 2015 // Fifty workers died from injuries on the job in Massachusetts last year. That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupation Safety and...
Nepal Quake Death Toll Exceeds 6,200; Rebuilding Costs Rise to $2B
May 1 2015 // The death toll from Nepal’s devastating earthquake rose steadily past 6,200 on Friday as fresh aftershocks and the stench of rotting bodies made it hard for nervous survivors to return to their homes. Disposal of the...
Validus Reports $173.4M Q1 Net Income, Up From $162.4M in Q1 2014
May 1 2015 // Bermuda-based Validus Holdings Ltd. reported net income available to Validus of $173.4 million, or $1.98 per diluted common share, for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $162.4 million, or $1.66 per diluted...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Stable for Georgia Farm Bureau Group Members
May 1 2015 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and the issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. and Georgia...
Catastrophe Bonds Risk Subprime Slice-Up, Swiss Re Says
Apr 30 2015 // Swiss Re, Europe’s second-biggest reinsurer, said regulators should prevent catastrophe bonds from being repackaged like subprime mortgages. “It’s important for traditional players like us and regulators...
SCOR Global P&C Posts 5.8% Premium Increase for April Renewals
Apr 29 2015 // French reinsurer SCOR reported that the April renewals saw SCOR Global P&C’s gross written premiums increased by 5.8 percent from €374 million [$411 million] to €396 million [$436 million], at constant...
Everest Re Reports Q1 Net Income of $323M, Up From $293.9M in 2014
Apr 28 2015 // Bermuda-based Everest Re Group, Ltd. reported net income of $323.0 million, or $7.19 per diluted common share, for the first quarter of 2015, compared to net income of $293.9 million, or $6.21 per diluted common share, for...
Seasonal Tornado Forecasts Being Developed by Oklahoma Researchers
Apr 27 2015 // Weather researchers in Oklahoma are working on a method to develop seasonal tornado forecasts that could predict the likelihood of the severe storms weeks in advance. Harold Brooks, senior research scientist at the...
Brand Damage, Financial Head Aon’s Survey of Top 10 Global Risks
Apr 27 2015 // Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon plc, has unveiled the key risks as identified by its clients across the globe. Cyber risk made the list for the first time in the No. 9 spot, which the...
Report Shows Occupational Fatalities in California Rose in 2013
Apr 23 2015 // The number of Californians who died on the job rose slightly in 2013, according to a Department of Industrial Relations report. The uptick apparently corresponds to California’s higher employment rates and its...
ACE’s Greenberg Cautions on Pricing, Growth Pressures
Apr 23 2015 // ACE Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Evan Greenberg said there are signs the insurance industry is entering another era of taking on too much risk as competition pressures companies to lower prices to win...
Plymouth Rock Survey: 1 in 3 N.J. Drivers Report Having Texted While Driving
Apr 22 2015 // An annual study released this week by Plymouth Rock Assurance shows that 33 percent of New Jersey motorists surveyed admit to having read/texted messages while driving in the past. Plymouth Rock says that’s the...
Compare.com CEO’s Vision for the Future – Right or Wrong
Apr 21 2015 // As early as 2016 or 2017 commercial insurance will likely be bought and sold regularly over the Internet. That likely-to-be controversial opinion is courtesy of Compare.com CEO Andrew Rose. As he speaks to a reporter, in...
Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Posts 2014 Growth; Overall Revenue up 13.4%
Apr 21 2015 // Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford (CGSC) as posted the results of its business activity in 2014, which show overall revenue growth from fees and commission of 13.4 percent to $387 million, compared to $336 million in...
2015 Expected To Remain Challenging For Reinsurance: Best Special Report
Apr 21 2015 // A.M. Best has released a new equity report focusing on the stock performance of global reinsurance companies. The report covers fourth quarter and full-year 2014 and “shows mixed results.” Best said: “For...
California Workers’ Comp Premium Up 11% in 2014; Combined Ratio Still Exceeds 100
Apr 20 2015 // California written premium for calendar year 2014 was roughly $16.5 billion, 11 percent above the total in 2013 and 88 percent above the written premium reported for 2009, according to a report from the California...
Texas’ Residual Property Insurance Markets Hit with Severe Weather Claims
Apr 20 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and Texas FAIR Plan Association (TFPA) began responding to policyholders impacted by the severe weather that affected a number of Texas communities last week and over the...
TWIA to Begin Agency Documentation Verification Survey on May 1
Apr 20 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association alerted agents that as of May 1, 2015, TWIA would begin implementing an agency compliance program in order to verify agent documentation of private insurer coverage declinations...
