Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Travelers Insurance Finds Customers Stay Despite Rising Prices
Jan 23 2013 // Travelers Cos. Inc.’s quarterly profit handily beat Wall Street expectations as it charged more for insurance coverage while holding on to its customers, sending its shares up as much as 5 percent to an all-time...
Securities Fraud Class Actions Declined in 2012
Jan 23 2013 // Fewer investors are taking corporate America to court for fraud. The number of new federal securities fraud lawsuits seeking class-action status fell to a 7-year low in 2012, according to a study by Stanford Law School and...
Willis Identifies Extreme Weather, Brand Damage, Others as 2013 Risk Trends
Jan 23 2013 // A post on WillisWire, the blogging platform of Willis Group Holdings, identifies developing trends cited by insurance experts as key emerging risks for businesses in 2013. Willis said “the increased likelihood of...
Travelers Q4 Profit Down, Hurt by $669M Sandy Loss; Full-Year Profit Up
Jan 22 2013 // The Travelers Companies Inc. today reported net income of $304 million for the 2012 fourth quarter, down 51 percent compared to $618 million net income posted during the same period in 2011. Still, the 2012 full-year net...
Change Forecast for Blizzard of Winter Weather Terms
Jan 18 2013 // Ever hit a mental whiteout pondering the difference between a winter storm watch and winter weather advisory? The National Weather Service is looking at the idea that less is more when it comes to such jargon. This winter,...
A Future Without the Terrorism Insurance Backstop?
Jan 18 2013 // The federal backstop that is widely credited with establishing today’s robust terrorism insurance market may be gone in just 24 months. The consequences could be severe, from reduced availability of coverage to...
Allianz Estimates Sandy Impact at $670 Million; Won’t Affect Profit Forecast
Jan 18 2013 // Germany’s Allianz SE has announced that its losses from Hurricane Sandy are estimated to total €455 million [approximately $607 million at current rates]. Allianz’ bulletin used a lower exchange rate to put...
Del. Traffic Deaths Up in 2012; Increase Driven by Crashes Involving Pedestrians
Jan 17 2013 // Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety says there were 116 traffic fatalities in the state in 2012, a 12 percent increase over 2011. The office says the increase was driven by a spike in crashes involving pedestrians...
Texas Trade Group: Survey Shows Insurance Industry Doing It Right
Jan 16 2013 // While tornadoes and hailstorms were pounding their way through the Dallas/Fort Worth area last year, consumers had confidence that their insurance companies would be there to help with repairs to their cars, homes and...
Aon Benfield ILS Report Notes $1.89 Billion Issued in Q4; $6.25 Billion in 2012
Jan 16 2013 // In its latest report on the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market, which reviews the key trends witnessed during the fourth quarter of 2012, Aon Benfield Securities, the investment banking division of global reinsurance...
Who’s Worth What? Take IJ’s Agency Salary Survey Today
Jan 15 2013 // Insurance Journal is once again polling insurance agency owners, producers, CSRs and other agency staff to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. Don’t miss out on your chance to...
Zurich’s European Survey Confirms Insurance Isn’t a Luxury in Economic Crisis
Jan 15 2013 // A survey conducted by GfK on behalf of Zurich Insurance Group analyzed how the people in seven different European countries are dealing with their insurance needs in the light of the ongoing economic crisis. Insurance...
2012 Landmark Year for Workplace Class Action Litigation: Study
Jan 14 2013 // When it comes to complex employment-related legal disputes, 2012 will be considered a landmark year, according to a new report on employment class action litigation. Many of the key rulings of 2012 in class action cases...
Rising Premiums Do Not Curtail Insurance Spending: Survey
Jan 14 2013 // More than a third of Americans spent more on insurance during the past year, according to a new survey. Some 37 percent of people responding to the survey spent more on insurance over the past year while only 7 percent...
Flood Walls for Subways: N.Y. Commission Urges Safeguards Against Future Storms
Jan 14 2013 // A commission formed to examine ways to guard against storms like Sandy released a report Jan. 11 that calls for flood walls in subways, water pumps at airports and sea barriers along the coast. The final report was first...
How to Exploit Current Trends for 2013
Jan 14 2013 // One needs to understand and exploit current and future trends in order to be proactive. It is easy to predicate trends by understanding recurring cycles and applying that knowledge to the current insurance marketplace. So...
P/C Direct Premium Written Up 4% Through Third Quarter 2012
Jan 14 2013 // The direct premium growth for property/casualty insurance companies continues to be encouraging. Overall, P/C insurance companies continued to serve their clients during catastrophic events, difficult economic conditions...
What To Expect: Premium Growth
Jan 11 2013 // Putting together views on the economy and pricing momentum, analysts who supplied premium growth forecasts for 2013, put them in the 3-5 percent range. Conning: Supporting a 4.6 percent forecast for net premium growth,...
Double-Digit Returns Absent From Year-End, 2013 Financial Forecasts
Jan 11 2013 // 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...
Best Affirms Amlin AG, Amlin plc, Lloyd’s Syndicate 2001 Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jan 11 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “aa-” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2001, which is...
