Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Most Commercial Insurance Buyers Accept Coverage Changes, Price Hikes: Survey
Dec 28 2012 // The vast majority of commercial insurance buyers renewing their policies appear willing to accept coverage adjustments, moderate price increases, or both, according to a new survey. Still, the survey of risk managers and...
Up to $25 Million in Sandy Losses for N.Y.-Based Navigators Group
Dec 26 2012 // The Navigators Group Inc. announced on Dec. 21 that its preliminary estimate of losses relating to Superstorm Sandy ranges between $18 million and $25 million, net of reinsurance and the effects of reinstatement premiums....
Progressive Data Shows 30% Rise in Single-Vehicle Claims on New Year’s Day
Dec 26 2012 // According to data from Progressive Insurance, single-vehicle claims were up 30 percent on New Year’s Day 2012, when compared to the same day of the week two weeks prior to and after New Year’s Day. The total...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: Rates to Increase Jan. 1
Dec 26 2012 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal counties has issued a reminder to agents that while the maximum limits of liability for residential and commercial properties will remain the same in 2013 as they...
UK’s Met Office Sees 2013 as Likely to be One of Warmest on Record
Dec 21 2012 // Global temperatures are forecast to be 0.57 degrees [1.026°F] above the long-term average next year, making 2013 one of the warmest years on record, Britain’s Met Office, the UK’s national weather service,...
Best Affirms UK’s Ecclesiastical Insurance Office ‘A’ Rating; Outlook Stable
Dec 20 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a” of UK-based Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc (EIO), as...
AIG May Raise up to $6.5 Billion through AIA Share Sale – Sources
Dec 17 2012 // American International Group may raise as much as $6.5 billion from the sale of its remaining stake in AIA Group Ltd in Asia’s second-largest block sale ever, exiting a business the U.S. insurer started nearly 100...
25 Ways to Grow Your Independent Agency in 2013
Dec 17 2012 // As the calendar flips to 2013, growth-minded independents must decide how to build their agencies over the upcoming year. The options are endless, and they straddle both the physical and digital worlds. Here are 25 ideas...
Double-Digit Returns Absent From Year-End, 2013 Financial Forecasts
Dec 17 2012 // Although analysts following the property/casualty insurance industry expect underwriting results for 2012 to be better than 2011 when full-year numbers are tallied, double-digit overall returns-on-equity are still not...
UMass Amherst Scientists Forecast Warmer, Wetter Northeast Winters
Dec 14 2012 // A new high-resolution climate study by University of Massachusetts Amherst climate scientists — the first to apply regional climate models to examine likely near-term changes in temperature and precipitation across...
S&P Rates Aon plc. Note Exchanges ‘BBB+’; Outlook Stable
Dec 14 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BBB+/A-2’ counterparty credit rating to Aon plc., and a ‘BBB+’ debt rating to AON’s proposed senior debt issue. “This is...
Best Affirms Russian Re’s ‘B+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 14 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B+’ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Russian Reinsurance Company JSC (Russian Re), both with...
Illinois Work Comp Medical Fee Schedule Rates to Increase 1.69%
Dec 13 2012 // Workers’ compensation medical fee schedule rates in Illinois will increase 1.69 percent in 2013, according to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC). The IWCC said the hike is less than half the...
Cost Per Workers’ Compensation Claim Rising in Indiana: Study
Dec 11 2012 // The average cost of a workers’ compensation claim in Indiana grew rapidly in recent years, mainly driven by the high price of medical care, according to a new study, Benchmarks for Indiana, CompScope 13th Edition, by...
Insurance Fraud Allegations Up in Ohio
Dec 11 2012 // Officials say the record number of insurance-fraud allegations in Ohio this year can be partly attributed to better reporting of suspected incidents and difficult economic times that push some people into illegal...
Swiss Re Study Sees Economy Improving in 2013; Casualty Lines Recover
Dec 11 2012 // Swiss Re’s latest study, “Global re/insurance review 2012 and outlook 2013/14” provides a somewhat optimistic forecast of the future state of the global economy and the insurance markets. Swiss Re said:...
South Carolina Health Insurance Market Among Least Competitive: AMA
Dec 10 2012 // An American Medical Association analysis found that South Carolina has one of the country’s least competitive health insurance markets. The country’s leading lobby group for physicians said South Carolina has...
Futures Industry Looks to Insurance After MF Global Collapse
Dec 10 2012 // Long-derided as unsuitable for sophisticated futures markets, insurance is getting a surge of attention heading into the new year as the industry works to patch itself up after the stunning collapse of brokerage MF Global...
New York Superstorm Warnings Went Unheeded for Decades, Observers Say
Dec 9 2012 // More than three decades before Superstorm Sandy, a state law and a series of legislative reports began warning New York politicians to prepare for a storm of historic proportions, spelling out scenarios eerily similar to...
Personal Lines Rates Rise 4% in November: MarketScout
Dec 7 2012 // Homeowners and automobile insurance rates are trending up, according to a new industry survey. The composite rate for insuring personal lines business in the United States increased to plus 4 percent for November 2012 as...
