Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Policy Counts for States’ Property Insurers of Last Resort Grew 17% in 2011: III
Jul 10 2012 // A record-high 3.31 million residential and commercial policies were offered through state-run property insurers of last resort in the United States in 2011, a 17 percent increase over the previous record of 2.84 million in...
Best Assigns ‘A-‘ Ratings to S.A.C. Re, Ltd.; Outlook Stable
Jul 10 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to newly established, Bermuda-based, S.A.C. Re, Ltd., both with stable outlooks. The...
Vermont Flood Insurance Customers Could See Rate Hikes of Up to 20%
Jul 9 2012 // Some of Vermont’s estimated 3,700 flood insurance customers could see their premiums increase by up to 20 percent. Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the National Flood Insurance Program has been operating at a loss...
Guy Carpenter Report Focuses on Asia-Pacific 2011 ‘Climate Issues’
Jul 9 2012 // The Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre (GCACIC), a joint initiative of Guy Carpenter and City University of Hong Kong, has released its third annual report, which presents the findings of the 27 research...
The Future of Producer Compensation
Jul 5 2012 // It is a fact that many people with the title “producer” don’t produce. They service and they accept what comes to them, but they do not produce. It is also a fact that companies are going to find a way to...
Best Affirms Lancashire’s ‘A’ Ratings; Stable Outlook
Jul 3 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Bermuda-based Lancashire Insurance Company Limited and UK-based Lancashire...
Willis Re Reports Some Reinsurance Rate Increases, but No Market Turn
Jul 3 2012 // “Rate increases in the North American and International reinsurance markets are due to modest losses and poor results – not a hardening market,” according to a newly release report from Willis Re, the...
Health, Benefits Market Offers Growth Opportunities for P/C Agents
Jul 2 2012 // Revenue Compression, Client Demand Drive Expansion of Services For many independent property/casualty agencies, one bright spot of opportunity in an era of otherwise lackluster growth has been the health and benefits...
Facebook Fiasco Disrupting IPO Insurance Market
Jul 2 2012 // The Facebook initial public offering (IPO) fallout has started and its effects are being felt in the area of directors and officers insurance coverage for future social media IPOs. “D&O underwriters will view...
Public Companies Underestimate Risk of D&O Lawsuit: Survey
Jul 2 2012 // Despite the odds that public companies and their directors will be sued in the next 12 months, a new Chubb Public Company Risk Survey has found that more than 80 percent believe this is unlikely. “This general lack...
Employers Fighting the Rising Cost of Healthcare Turn to Holistic Benefit Planning as a Solution
Jul 2 2012 // The nation’s largest employers don’t anticipate finding cost-relief any time soon when it comes to health and benefits coverage. But they have been listening more and waking up to ideas from their brokers that...
A Year Later: The Growth and Outlook of the LexisNexis Insurance Exchange
Jul 2 2012 // The LexisNexis Insurance Exchange — an online single-entry submission system that streamlines the flow of application data among agents, brokers and carriers — celebrated its first anniversary in June. The Exchange,...
Actuaries Say Individual Mandate Key to Viable Health Insurance Market
Jun 29 2012 // The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to keep the Affordable Care Act largely intact is a step toward ensuring that health insurance markets attract a broad cross section of risk, a cornerstone to any viable health...
Best Sees Indonesia P&C Sector Growth; Capital, Regulatory Challenges
Jun 29 2012 // A new report from A.M. Best Co. concludes that “Indonesia’s solid economy is fueling growth for a developing non-life insurance market, well supported by domestic consumption and investment offsetting a weaker...
EU Agency ENISA Calls for ‘Kick-start’ in Cyber Insurance Market
Jun 29 2012 // Europe’s citizens and businesses could benefit from better protection for their computer systems and data if the cyber insurance market can be kick-started, according to a recently released report from the European...
Marsh Reports Global Insurance Prices up 1.4% in Q2; Sees Further Increases
Jun 28 2012 // Global insurance prices are set to rise for a third consecutive quarter as the industry strives to bolster its finances after paying near-record catastrophe claims last year, insurance broker Marsh said on...
Swiss Re sigma Study Finds P&C Growth in Emerging Markets
Jun 27 2012 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma study concludes that “global overall premiums declined 0.8 percent in real terms in 2011. While non-life premiums expanded 1.9 percent on solid economic growth in emerging markets and...
Best Affirms, Assigns Ratings to GEICO and Affiliates; Outlook Stable
Jun 25 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aaa” of the members of Government Employees Group (GEICO), which is based in...
Swiss Re Chief Economist Sees Rising Rates by Year End
Jun 22 2012 // On the heels of the decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve to maintain the target fed funds rate at zero to 25 basis points Swiss Re’s Chief Economist, Kurt Karl, commented: “The US economy has been weak...
Rise of Gadgets Doubles Costs of Lightning Damage – I.I.I.
Jun 21 2012 // The cost of insurance claims for lightning strikes nearly doubled between 2004 and 2011, even as the actual number of claims shrank dramatically, and an industry trade group says fancy new TVs and videogame consoles are to...
