Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Changing MGA Market, Specialization and the Future: Hanover Excess & Surplus’s Letson
May 19 2014 // Matthew Letson, incoming president of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA), found the insurance industry like most do – by accident. After college, he landed a job at Markel doing marketing...
The Emerging Hail Risk: What the Hail is Going On?
May 19 2014 // The number of reported claims involving hail damage to residential and commercial roofing products has increased dramatically in the past few years. Some reports place the increase at almost double historical claim...
Snowpack Survey Gives Bleak Summer Outlook for California
May 19 2014 // With summer approaching state water managers say California’s snowpack is at 18 percent of average for the date. The Department of Water Resources at the end of April said the season’s final survey of the...
House Republicans Offer Road Map for the Future of Terrorism Insurance
May 15 2014 // Having previously played (and arguably, lost) two prior rounds of legislative “chicken” with the insurance industry, congressional conservatives are making it known that, this time around, they’re quite...
Connecticut Residents Feeling Financial Strain as Flood Insurance Cost Rises
May 15 2014 // People living on Porter Avenue in Middlebury, Conn., face a threat that could put their homes underwater — but it’s not coming from nearby Long Swamp Brook. The rising cost of flood insurance is putting a...
Generali Begins Talks on BSI Sale; Q1 Profit Up 9.4%
May 15 2014 // Italian insurer Generali expects to meet key capital and asset sales targets ahead of time after kicking off talks with Brazil’s BTG Pactual for a possible sale of Swiss unit BSI, a central plank of its...
Changes in Indiana Workers’ Comp Aimed at Slowing Rise in Medical Costs
May 13 2014 // As in other states with no restrictions on pricing in the workers’ compensation system, medical costs per claim are high and are rising in Indiana, according to a recent study by the Workers’ Compensation...
In Connecticut, Sea Level Predictions Prompt New Awareness in Communities
May 13 2014 // In Connecticut, the global issue of climate change is being confronted locally. The Day of New London reports that in Old Saybrook, a municipal panel met for the first time last week to consider how to help the low-lying...
Survey Reveals Public Attitudes on West Virginia Chemical Spill
May 13 2014 // About one-third of those who responded to a survey conducted three months after a chemical spilled into the Elk River indicated a member of their household had a spill-related illness, Kanawha County’s health officer...
Nationwide Reports P/C Premium Up 6% in Q1; Weather Lowers P/C Profit
May 12 2014 // Nationwide reported total operating revenue of $6.1 billion for the first three months of 2014, up 5 percent over the same period last year and steady compared to fourth quarter 2013. First quarter operating earnings were...
Outlook Revised to Negative for Badger Mutual Insurance; A- Rating Affirmed
May 9 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Badger Mutual Insurance Company (Badger Mutual), of...
Strong Euro Decreases Munich Re’s Q1 Net Profit, Premium Income
May 8 2014 // The world’s largest reinsurer, Munich Re, reported an almost 5 percent drop in net profit in the first quarter, as a strong euro dragged down premium income. “Despite negative currency effects, we almost...
Harsh Weather Slowed Growth in North Dakota Economy in 2013
May 7 2014 // Severe winter weather during the last three months of the year affected key industries tied to oil extraction, slowing North Dakota’s taxable sales and purchases in 2013, the state tax commissioner said. North...
Increase in Oklahoma Tremors a Cause for Concern, Authorities Say
May 7 2014 // The rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma has increased by about 50 percent since October 2013, significantly increasing the chance for a damaging quake in the central part of the state, federal and state agencies said. The U.S....
Best Affirms Endurance Specialty and Subs Ratings; Outlooks Stable
May 7 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Bermuda-based Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd. and its affiliates, as well...
Terre Haute, Indiana Sees Rise in Mo-Ped Thefts
May 6 2014 // With gas prices close to $4 per gallon, Terre Haute resident Russell Moffatt had been happy to park his gas-guzzling pickup truck in favor of a fuel efficient mo-ped that he could ride to work. That is, until someone stole...
Global Insurers Plan to Increase Risk in Portfolios: Goldman Sachs Survey
May 6 2014 // Global insurance firms are embracing risk in their portfolios this year, as they plan to increase allocations to alternative investments such as private equity and infrastructure debt, according to the third annual survey...
Best Reports Competition, Top-Line Growth Affected Saudi Insurers in 2013
May 6 2014 // A report from A.M. Best notes that “Saudi Arabia’s insurance market remains one of the main markets within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with premiums expected to surpass the United Arab Emirates over the...
Ohio Medical Malpractice Claims Decline Again in 2012
May 5 2014 // Medical malpractice claims in Ohio hit a new low in 2012, according to a new report. The annual Ohio Medical Professional Liability Closed Claim Report from the Ohio Department of Insurance showed 2,733 claims in 2012, the...
Study Links 2011 Oklahoma Quake to Wastewater Injection
May 5 2014 // New research suggests the sharpest earthquake to strike Oklahoma may have been triggered in part by wastewater injection – which, if true, would make the 2011 temblor the strongest ever linked to disposal practices...
