Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Competition Softens Rate Hikes for Architects, Engineers in 2014: Survey
Apr 7 2014 // Although most insurers providing professional liability insurance for architects and engineers sought to raise rates last year, the size of the increases generally failed to meet their expectations. Nevertheless, nearly...
A.M. Best Revises Hartford Financial, P/C Units’ Outlook to Positive
Apr 4 2014 // Rating agency A.M. Best changed the outlook associated with the “A” financial strength rating of the members of the Hartford Insurance Pool to positive from stable Thursday, citing a reduced risk from variable...
Mercury Ins. Lowers Homeowners Rates in Penn., Seeks to Grow Market Share
Apr 3 2014 // Mercury Insurance said the company is lowering its homeowners insurance rates for Pennsylvania residents by an average of 10 percent. The Los Angeles-based insurer said the rate reduction would help attract more...
Cyber Coverage Demand Increased in 2013, Trend to Continue in 2014: Marsh
Apr 3 2014 // Demand for cyber insurance rose by 21 percent across all industries in 2013 compared to 2012, and early indications in 2014 are that the buying trend is accelerating, according to a Marsh Risk Management Research...
In Maine, 3,300 Policyholders Likely to See Flood Insurance Rate Increases
Apr 2 2014 // Thousands of Maine homeowners and businesses could see their rates for flood insurance rise as the federal government attempts to put the troubled National Flood Insurance Program back on sound financial footing. Most of...
S&P Revises Outlook on CGSC to Negative; CEO Comments
Apr 2 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services announced on April 1, 2014 that it has affirmed its ‘B’ rating for Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Ltd., but has revised its outlook on the rating to negative from...
Torus CEO Dermot O’Donohoe on the Insurer’s Future Prospects
Apr 2 2014 // When Torus Insurance was founded by first Reserve, headed by Clive Tobin in 2008, the worst effects of the financial crisis were just beginning to bite, but they bit pretty hard. The company, although well run, and...
Penn. Workers’ Comp Insurance Rates to Decline for Some Employers
Apr 1 2014 // The Pennsylvania Departments of Insurance and Labor & Industry on Monday announced a 5.15 percent workers’ compensation rate reduction, effective April 1. The officials said the reduction would save millions of...
Rhode Islanders Grapple With Rising Flood Insurance Premiums
Apr 1 2014 // Steve Morris lives in a century-old restored cottage on a tucked away corner of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The home survived big hurricanes in 1938 and 1954, and Morris has never worried about flooding. But the home...
U.S. to Mandate Rearview Cameras on Vehicles by 2018
Mar 31 2014 // The U.S. government said on Monday it will require new cars and light trucks sold in the United States to have rearview cameras by May 2018, a regulation intended to prevent drivers from backing into pedestrians. The...
Proposal Envisions Artificial Islands Near N.Y. to Blunt Future Storm Surges
Mar 31 2014 // A string of artificial islands off the coast of New Jersey and New York could blunt the impact of storm surges that proved so deadly during Superstorm Sandy, according to a new proposal. It’s a big proposal —...
In Maryland, 12K Residents Face Steady Rise in Flood Premiums
Mar 31 2014 // Changes in the federal flood insurance program are likely to mean higher premiums for thousands Maryland residents, and not just those living in Ocean City or along the Chesapeake Bay. Residents of smaller inland towns...
In Vermont, 2,400 Residents Likely to See Their Flood Premiums Rise
Mar 28 2014 // Much of downtown Montpelier, Vermont, is perched along the banks of the North Branch of the Winooski River, a waterway that has poured into buildings, forcing many homeowners to purchase flood insurance. Now 242 Montpelier...
Pennsylvania River Towns Facing Rising Flood Insurance Rates
Mar 27 2014 // Jeff King had put his house in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., up for sale for $90,000 last year, put off by the city’s struggles with crime and the desire for a better school district for his four children, when he got a...
Watford Re Readies for Business; Best Assigns Ratings, Stable Outlook
Mar 27 2014 // Bermuda-based Watford Holdings Ltd. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Watford Re Ltd. (collectively, “Watford” or the “Company”), a newly-formed Bermuda-based multi-line reinsurer, announced have...
In Virginia, Over 20K People May See Flood Insurance Rate Hikes of Up to 25%
Mar 26 2014 // More than 20,000 Virginia homeowners and businesses could see their rates for flood insurance rise up to 25 percent as part of an attempt to put the troubled National Flood Insurance Program back on sound financial...
308 Disaster Events; $140 Billion Economic Losses in 2013: Swiss Re Report
Mar 26 2014 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma report highlights the 308 disaster events in 2013, of which 150 were natural catastrophes and 158 man-made. Almost 26 000 people lost their lives or went missing in the disasters. The biggest...
In New Jersey, Rising Flood Insurance Costs Not Just a Shore Worry
Mar 25 2014 // If flooding were a real concern for Taylor Rambo in Burlington City, N.J., he says he wouldn’t have built a bar in his basement. Yet he pays about $2,700 each year for flood insurance that he is required to have as...
Officials Say Metal Thefts Declining on Indiana Highways
Mar 25 2014 // Indiana highway officials say they’ve seen a decrease in the theft of wiring from roadside lights since putting out a warning about the brazen metal thieves in December. The stealing of copper wiring by thieves...
Injured Worker Cost Per Claim Rises in Texas
Mar 25 2014 // Payments per claim for the medical care of injured workers in Texas grew nearly 8 percent in 2011, largely the effect of price increases from earlier reforms, according to a 16-state study by the Workers Compensation...
