Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Self-Driving Cars Could Be on U.S. Roads by 2020
Sep 4 2013 // Cars that drive themselves could be on U.S. roads by the end of this decade. But don’t take your foot off the pedal just yet. Automakers, universities and others are at various stages in the development of autonomous...
Rising Sea Levels Ranked as Greatest Climate Change Threat: Guy Carpenter
Sep 4 2013 // Guy Carpenter & Company has an analysis of the evolving risk landscape spurred by global warming, which stresses that “climate change, global warming and the resulting landscape shift for risk management is a...
Best Affirms Members of Farmers Insurance Group Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 3 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of the members of Farmers Insurance Group and Farmers Reinsurance Company....
Best Affirms Argo Group International and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 3 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Bermuda-based Argo Re Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Best also affirmed the...
Swiss Re Survey Finds Most People Believe World is Getting Riskier
Sep 3 2013 // A key finding from a landmark survey commissioned by Swiss Re on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, has found that “people around the world say they’re acutely aware of the risks they may face in the...
Global Reinsurer Capital Reaches $510 Billion: Aon Benfield Survey
Sep 3 2013 // The latest edition of the Aon Benfield Aggregate (ABA) report, which analyses the financial results of the world’s leading reinsurers in the first half of 2013, concludes that “a continuing influx of new funds...
Premium Increases Under Obamacare Are Exaggerated, Rand Says
Aug 30 2013 // Predictions of sharp increases in health-insurance premiums for people getting coverage under the U.S. Affordable Care Act have been overstated and many states will see little to no change, researchers at Rand Corp....
Homeland Security Chief Says U.S. Should Expect ‘Major’ Cyber-Attack in Future
Aug 27 2013 // The U.S. will face a cyber-attack in the future that will cause major disruption in the economy, the outgoing Homeland Security Department chief said. “Our country will, at some point, face a major cyber-event that...
Moody’s Expects Commercial P/C Rates to Continue Rising in 2013
Aug 27 2013 // Moody’s said it expects U.S. property/casualty (P/C) insurance rates to continue to rise during the remainder of 2013 for the major commercial lines, following significant rate increases for 2012. This increase would...
Work-Related Deaths Up in 2012 in Texas
Aug 26 2013 // Texas had more than 500 work-related fatalities in 2012, an increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year. According to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor of Statistics,...
China’s PICC Group’s Profit Rises as Premiums, Investment Income Climb
Aug 26 2013 // People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China Ltd., parent of the nation’s biggest non-life insurer, said profit rose 53 percent in the first half as investment and premiums income expanded. Net income increased...
Do Big Malpractice Awards Really Increase Medical Costs?
Aug 25 2013 // A jury in one of New York’s most conservative counties recently returned a $130 million verdict in a medical-malpractice case, the second-largest in the state’s history. Lawyers for the losing hospital decried...
Florida’s Citizens Makes Case for Homeowners, Sinkhole Rate Increases
Aug 21 2013 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer is seeking a statewide average 6.6 percent increase in homeowners’ rates and a 24.8 percent increase in sinkhole rates while citing reduced losses and an improved...
Illinois Workers’ Comp Insurance Rate Down 4.5 Percent
Aug 21 2013 // The rate used to calculate workers’ compensation insurance premiums has dropped again, a direct result of reforms Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law in 2011, his aides said. The National Council on Compensation...
Mass. Division of Insurance Approves 2 New Entrants to State’s Auto Insurance Market
Aug 20 2013 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance announced that Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) and Esurance automobile insurance are now available for Massachusetts consumers. The Division of Insurance said that...
Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Employer Costs Rise: Study
Aug 20 2013 // Both workers’ compensation benefits paid to insureds and costs for employers increased in 2011, a new study released today revealed. Total workers’ comp costs to employers rose by 7.1 percent to $77.1 billion,...
Q2 Revenue Growth Strong for Mid-Size, Large Privately-Held Agencies: Survey
Aug 19 2013 // Median organic revenue growth reached 6.9 percent in the 2013 second quarter for mid-size and large privately held insurance agencies and brokerage firms, according to a survey by Reagan Consulting, a management consulting...
P/C Direct Premium Written Up Nearly 4.8%
Aug 19 2013 // Direct premium written (DPW) for property/casualty insurance companies continued its upward trend during the first quarter of 2013. At year-end 2012, the industry reported more than $523 billion of DPW — an all-time...
Commercial Rate Increases Slowed in July: MarketScout
Aug 19 2013 // After four months of going up at 5 percent, commercial property/casualty insurance rates have moderated. The July 2013 rate increase was plus 4 percent, according to MarketScout’s market index. Rate increases for...
Survey: Most Insurers Expect to Increase Revenues, Add Jobs in Next 12 Months
Aug 16 2013 // A new survey from insurance recruiting firm The Jacobson Group and consulting firm Ward Group shows the majority of property/casualty insurers are expecting to hire more staff over the next 12 months. The mid-year...
