Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Survey Explores How Carriers Support Agency Growth Strategies
Jul 1 2013 // Carriers can be instrumental in helping agencies grow through referrals, expanded coverages, and clear business line or geographic expansion planning. And despite the challenges facing the industry and the broader economy,...
P/C Direct Premium Up Nearly 4.5% for All-Time Industry High
Jul 1 2013 // Direct premium growth for property/casualty insurance companies continues to increase. At year-end 2012, more than $523 billion of direct premium written (DPW) was reported, an all-time high for the industry. For 2012,...
Alberta Farms Avoid Widespread Damage from Worst Flood on Record
Jun 28 2013 // Damage to farmland in southern Alberta is not “widespread” after the region’s worst floods on record, according to Katrina Bluetchen, a spokeswoman for the provincial agriculture ministry. Reports...
Law Firms See Rise in Malpractice Claim Frequency, Severity
Jun 27 2013 // Multi-million dollar payouts for legal malpractice claims are climbing, and so are the total number of claims for law firms, in general. A new study by insurance broker Ames & Gough found that most leading legal...
Car Thefts Up for First Time in Years
Jun 26 2013 // U.S. auto thefts probably rose in 2012 after eight straight years of declines as criminals took advantage of California’s budget cuts and reduced police forces, an insurance-industry group said. Thefts rose 1.3...
Swiss Re sigma Study Finds Global Insurance Premium Growth at 2.4%
Jun 26 2013 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma study reveals that “total global premiums written increased by 2.4 percent in real terms in 2012 to $4.613 trillion. Life premiums expanded by 2.3 percent unwinding some of the...
A.M. Best: P/C Insurer Impairments Down in 2012
Jun 25 2013 // Financial impairments in the property/casualty insurance industry fell more in line with recent trends and historical levels in 2012, following a sharp spike in 2011. There were 21 P/C impairments in 2012, a sizable...
Best Europe Affirms Lloyd’s Syndicate 1225 Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jun 25 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 1225, which is...
Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Drops Due to Rising Rates: J.D. Power
Jun 24 2013 // Due to rising insurance prices and some unhappiness with policy offerings, overall customer satisfaction with auto insurance companies is down in 2013 from an all-time high in 2012, but remains comparatively high relative...
Minnesota Traffic Deaths Rise in 2012
Jun 20 2013 // Traffic safety officials say Minnesota last year saw its first increase in traffic deaths since 2007. The final crash report shows Minnesota had 395 traffic deaths in 2012. That’s a 7 percent increase from 2011, when...
Survey: Specialty Carriers Look to Grow Through Program Business in 2013
Jun 20 2013 // Guy Carpenter & Co., LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and member of Marsh & McLennan Cos., has released the findings of its eighth annual Specialty Insurance Program Issuing Carrier Survey. The survey,...
Best Upgrades ProAssurance and Some Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jun 20 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of the...
Insurance Journal Co-Sponsors MarshBerry Market & Financial Survey
Jun 18 2013 // MarshBerry, in partnership with Insurance Journal, has launched its 28th Annual Market & Financial Outlook Survey. This exclusive survey compiles anonymous general agency information along with financial, market,...
A.M. Best: Outlook Negative for Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance
Jun 18 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Opelousas, La.-based Imperial Fire and Casualty...
West Africa Piracy Endangering Commodities Shipping, Increasing Rates
Jun 18 2013 // Pirate attacks off West Africa’s mineral-rich Gulf of Guinea have almost doubled from last year and threaten to increase the costs and jeopardize the shipping of commodities from the region. The Gulf of Guinea, which...
Survey: Michigan Businesses Confident About Growth
Jun 17 2013 // The latest Michigan Future Business Index survey of small and midsize business leaders shows unequalled confidence in the state’s business economy and a rekindled desire to reinvest in their own future, according to...
Best Revises Outlook to Positive, Affirms Ratings of ACE European Group Ltd.
Jun 17 2013 // Following its ratings report for the ACE Ltd. Group, A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior)...
Best Revises Outlook to Positive for ACE Ltd., Most Subs; Affirms Ratings
Jun 17 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa” of the North America...
Survey: Nonprofits Unprepared, Under-Insured Against Risks
Jun 17 2013 // Crystal & Co., a worldwide risk and insurance advisor, has released the results of its Nonprofit Risk Survey, presenting a snapshot of risk awareness and exposure among U.S. nonprofit organizations, including human...
Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Widest on Record, Rare EF5
Jun 17 2013 // The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City at the end of May had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather...
