Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Underwriter, Broker Merger Activity Up 20%: SNL
Jun 26 2014 // Year-to-date through June 20, the insurance mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market witnessed 160 deal announcements, compared to 134 deals over the same period of 2013 — an increase of roughly 20 percent, according to...
United Fire Group Sees Up to $23M Loss for Second Quarter Spring Storms
Jun 25 2014 // United Fire Group Inc., based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that it expects its second quarter results to include pre-tax catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, of approximately $20 million to $23 million from spring...
Report: NYRR Received $15M for Cancelled NYC Marathon in 2012
Jun 24 2014 // The New York Road Runners (NYRR), a nonprofit group that organizes the annual New York City Marathon, received $15 million in insurance proceeds from Lloyd’s of London for the cancelled New York City marathon in...
Senior Drivers Open to Discussion About Limiting Driving: Survey
Jun 24 2014 // There are currently more than 23 million licensed drivers aged 70 and older and as baby boomers soon begin turning 70, the number of seniors on the road will rise steadily over the next two decades. The majority of senior...
Maine Saw Largest Crime Rate Decrease in 20 Years in 2013
Jun 19 2014 // Crime in Maine dropped 9.1 percent last year, a steep drop from the previous year and the biggest decline in 20 years, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Morris said Tuesday. The commissioner, joined by...
Best Affirms Gen Re and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jun 18 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa+” of General Reinsurance Corporation, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut,...
Catlin Seaview Survey Reports Impact of Cyclone Ita on Great Barrier Reef
Jun 17 2014 // A report from Catlin Group Limited explains that its Seaview Survey, “using specially developed underwater imaging techniques,” is revealing how Tropical Cyclone Ita impacted exposed parts of the Great Barrier...
U.N. Climate Talks Fracture over Future of Carbon Markets
Jun 16 2014 // The use of carbon markets to curb rising greenhouse gas emissions was dealt a blow on Sunday after two weeks of United Nations talks on designing and reforming the mechanisms ended in deadlock. The negotiations, held as...
QBE Reorganizing to Create Emerging Markets Division for Lat.Am.-Asia Pacific
Jun 16 2014 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Limited has announced “a strategic change to ensure its business is positioned for profitable growth.” QBE said that after a review of its organizational structure,...
Nationwide to Re-Enter N.J. Auto Insurance Market
Jun 16 2014 // New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski said on June 6 that Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company has been approved to write auto insurance in New Jersey, and the company will begin...
Mass. Division of Insurance Rejects FAIR Plan Rate Increase
Jun 16 2014 // Mass. Insurance commisioner Joseph MurphyMassachusetts Commissioner of Insurance Joseph G. Murphy announced on June 9 his decision rejecting the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association’s...
Medical Professional Liability: MRM’s Kelly Tackles Emerging Risks
Jun 16 2014 // Medical professionals and hospitals are grappling with some of the most dramatic changes they have seen in years. Many physicians feel they can no longer succeed in private practice, and they are either moving to become...
Best Affirms GEICO and GEICO Corp. Members Ratings; Outlooks Stable
Jun 13 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aaa” of the members of Government Employees Group (GEICO), based in Chevy...
Best Affirms PartnerRe, Operating Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jun 13 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Bermuda-based Partner Reinsurance Company Ltd. and its affiliates, as...
Hurricane Forecasts Good News for Already-Stable P/C Insurers: Fitch
Jun 12 2014 // Early forecasts for the 2014 hurricane season indicate that moderate El Nino conditions are likely to persist throughout the year, which could inhibit tropical storm formation in the North Atlantic basin. This could also...
Active Season for West Pacific: AccuWeather 2014 Typhoon Forecast
Jun 12 2014 // The AccuWeather Global Weather Center has issued a forecast for the 2014 West Pacific typhoon season, which anticipates “near-normal numbers.” The forecast also noted, however, that “the onset of El Niño...
Global Reinsurer Stocks Face Challenges in 2014: Best Special Report
Jun 11 2014 // A new report from A.M. Best determined that “stocks for publicly traded reinsurance companies, including the four top European players, performed below the overall market for the first quarter of 2014, declining 1.3...
Fitch Upgrades Lloyd’s Ratings to ‘AA-‘; Outlook Stable
Jun 11 2014 // Fitch Ratings announced that it has upgraded Lloyd’s of London’s Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating to ‘AA-‘ from ‘A+’, and has also upgraded the Society of Lloyd’s Long-term...
Commercial Lines Prices Up Only 4% in Q1: Towers Watson
Jun 10 2014 // Commercial insurance prices increased by 4 percent in aggregate during the first quarter of 2014, marking the lowest level of growth since fourth-quarter 2011, according to a new survey by Towers Watson. The increase is a...
P/C Insurers Must Manage Emerging Risks Including the Next Big One
Jun 10 2014 // Learning how to manage increasingly complex and evolving risks is essential if property/casualty insurers are to serve the needs of their customers in a changing world. According to analysts and industry executives at...
