Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Labor Union Report: 43 Killed on the Job in West Virginia in 2011
May 13 2013 // A new labor union report says 43 workers were killed on the job in 2011 in West Virginia, down from 95 the previous year that included a mine blast that killed 29. According to the report by the AFL-CIO, there were 4,693...
USDA: Southeast Wyoming Emerging From Drought
May 13 2013 // The latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows southeast Wyoming may be emerging from 11 months of drought. The USDA’s weekly Drought Monitor out last week shows the Cheyenne area has been downgraded...
Officials Say Costs from North Dakota Flooding Adding Up
May 13 2013 // Although spring flooding in North Dakota wasn’t as bad advertised in some areas, officials who are totaling the damages say the costs are piling up. The question is whether the final figure will impress the federal...
Crop Insurance Expansion Pushes Cost Increase in Latest U.S. Farm Bills
May 13 2013 // The federally subsidized crop insurance program, the costliest part of the U.S. farm safety net, would spin off at least three new types of coverage and could cost 10 percent more under draft farm bills pending in the U.S....
Hurricane Center Working to Improve Storm Surge Forecasts After Wet 2012
May 9 2013 // Last year’s hurricane season drove home some big lessons, according to the nation’s chief hurricane forecaster: Storm surge and flooding are dangerous and difficult to predict, and sometimes it’s even...
Medical Malpractice Payouts Not Driving Up Health Costs: Study
May 8 2013 // Efforts to lower health care costs in the United States have focused at times on demands to reform the medical malpractice system, with some researchers asserting that large, headline-grabbing and “frivolous”...
Rockwood Decreases Agent E&O Rates in Massachusetts, California, Texas
May 7 2013 // Rockwood Programs has implemented underwriting guideline changes to its P&C Agents E&O program. The modifications will result in a rate decrease in the states of California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Texas. The...
Commercial Rates Up 5% in April; Berkshire Move Could Affect Market: MarketScout
May 7 2013 // Property, casualty and professional liability insurance rates were up five percent in April, according to MarketScout’s most recent composite index. That matches the increase for March. Commercial property and...
Most Carriers Provide Training on Selling Online: Survey
May 6 2013 // A two-thirds majority of independent insurance agents say their carriers are providing them with training and consulting on how to use their agency websites to increase sales, a new survey reveals. The annual survey of...
Jimcor’s Mastowski on the Market and the Future of MGAs
May 6 2013 // The incoming president of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) is no newcomer to insurance. He has some 40 years of experience under his belt. Frank Mastowsi founded his family-run managing general...
Economic Survey Index: Growth Slows in Midwest, Plains States
May 2 2013 // A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwest and Plains states dipped for the second consecutive month in April, but the survey’s organizer said the index indicates slow growth for the region in the coming three...
SNL: E&S Premiums Up in 2012; Top 30 Carriers Ranked
May 2 2013 // Excess and surplus lines premiums in the U.S. were up for a second consecutive year in 2012, rising 10.8 percent to $25.44 billion, and grew at a faster rate than in 2011, according to SNL Financial. Not too long ago —...
Weather Service Drops Fargo, North Dakota Flood Prediction Again
Apr 30 2013 // A Red River flood that a week ago was predicted to challenge the record is now unlikely to reach the 100,000-plus sandbags and the miles of clay levees built for defense, Fargo, N.D., officials said on April 29. The...
Storm Costs Driving Up New Jersey Auto Insurance Rates
Apr 30 2013 // Losses from previous storms are helping to drive up New Jersey’s auto insurance rates, which are already the highest in the nation. The Record newspaper reports the state approved increases for 26 insurance companies...
Most-Used Excuses for Getting Out of Traffic Tickets: Survey
Apr 29 2013 // Plead ignorance. That’s the most-used excuse when drivers are pulled over for a traffic violation, according to Insurance.com’s new “Ticketmasters” survey. Among people who said they have used...
Report: 32 Massachusetts Workers Died on the Job in 2012
Apr 28 2013 // Labor and worker rights activists are honoring 32 workers who died on the job last year. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health released a report on April 25...
Chubb Q1 Profit Rises 30% to $656M; CEO Says ‘Market Remains Firm’
Apr 26 2013 // Chubb Corp. reported on Thursday $656 million net income for its 2013 first quarter, an increase of 29.6 percent compared to $506 million income reported during the first quarter of 2012. The insurer of businesses and...
Best Affirms Platinum Underwriters and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Apr 26 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Platinum Underwriters Bermuda, Ltd. and its strategic affiliate, Platinum...
Most Americans Say Flood Insurance is Important But Don’t Buy It: Survey
Apr 25 2013 // More than four in five Americans (81 percent) know that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage, but even so the vast majority of homeowners do not purchase flood insurance. A 2012...
