Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fitch: Bermuda Insurance Market Resilient as Pricing Firms
Jan 20 2012 // Following near-record global catastrophe losses in 2011, Bermuda-domiciled reinsurers are positioned to benefit from an improved underwriting and somewhat better pricing environment this year, according to analysts at...
2011 Piracy Attacks Totaled 439; 275 off Somalia: ICC/IMB Report
Jan 19 2012 // According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) global piracy report attacks in East and West Africa accounted for the majority of world attacks in 2011, signaling a...
Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System? Find Out … Join IJ’s Survey
Jan 18 2012 // Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its annual search to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. Don’t miss out on your chance to participate. The 2012...
IUA to Compile New Statistical Analysis of the London Insurance Market
Jan 17 2012 // The International Underwriting Association announced a number of new initiatives to enhance and expand its statistics for the London company market in 2012. In 2011 it published a “groundbreaking analysis that...
Avalanche Risk Increases in Parts Of Bridger Range In Montana
Jan 17 2012 // Officials with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center say a weekend storm and falling temperatures have increased the avalanche danger on some slopes of the Bridger Range. Avalanche danger is considerable on...
Report: Louisiana Homeowners Insurance Rates Rising More Slowly
Jan 16 2012 // Homeowners insurance premiums in Louisiana remain among the nation’s highest, but are rising much more slowly than they did in the first two years after Hurricane Katrina, new data from by the National Association of...
Australia’s QBE Slashes 2011 Forecast; Shares Dive
Jan 12 2012 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group said on Thursday its 2011 net profit would fall by as much as 50 percent after record catastrophe claims and it would cut its final dividend, sending its shares down as much as a...
Drunk Driving Arrests Increased in West Virginia in 2011
Jan 12 2012 // The director of the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program says arrests for driving under the influence increased in the past year, contradicting earlier reports. The Charleston Gazette reported that Highway...
I.I.I. Survey: P/C Executives Expect Improved Profitability in 2012
Jan 11 2012 // Most property/casualty insurance executives believe the worst of the financial crisis is over and that the industry is now in the early stages of a hard market, according to a survey from the Insurance Information...
Aon Benfield 2011 Catastrophe Study: $107 Bn Insured Losses; $435 Bn Economic
Jan 10 2012 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp, has issued its “Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report,” which aggregates and analyses the natural disaster perils that...
Best Concludes Global Reinsurance Ratings Outlook for 2012 is Stable
Jan 10 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has released a briefing on the 2012 global reinsurance outlook, which concludes that despite the near record number of catastrophic event in 2011, the rating outlook “is being held at...
Michigan Unlikely to Restore Lost Jobs for Decades
Jan 9 2012 // State budget director John Nixon likes getting together with fellow budget directors these days because it gives him a chance to brag about Michigan. After a decade of ongoing deficits, “we’re in a position now...
2012 Commercial Lines Ratings Outlook Negative: A.M. Best
Jan 9 2012 // The rating outlook for U.S. commercial property/casualty insurance remains negative, while the outlook for personal lines is stable, according to a briefing from A.M. Best Co. The ratings firm said it continues to maintain...
Windstorm Andrea, First of 2012, Causes Damage in Europe: AIR Report
Jan 9 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Windstorm Andrea passed through the U.K. earlier this week, fast on the heels of Windstorm Ulli, which brought widespread travel and power disruptions to Scotland. The...
Trends for 2012
Jan 9 2012 // Soft Market Here to Stay, Merger Activity, Financial Pressures and More In order to be proactive, one needs to understand and exploit current and future trends. So what will 2012 be like for insurance agents and brokers?...
Consumer Group Hammers Mercury Rate Increase Filing in California
Jan 9 2012 // A California consumer group is challenging a rate hike bid by Mercury Insurance because the group claims the company is trying to pass along the costs of its political campaigning. But the insurer says those costs are not...
Insurance Veterans’ Forecasts for 2012
Jan 9 2012 // Now that the year 2011 is behind us, let’s take a look at what might be ahead. Insurance Journal spoke with leading industry professionals and asked them what they are expecting this year. If their forecasts are any...
How to Protect Businesses from the Rising Trend of Employment Practices Lawsuits
Jan 9 2012 // Business owners today face tough economic challenges. One of those challenges is the increasing risk of employment practices liability (EPL) lawsuits. According to a 2010 Chubb survey, some 30 percent of business owners...
Report: Fewer Traffic Deaths in Nevada In 2011
Jan 9 2012 // Despite a slight increase in pedestrian deaths, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety says the number of people killed in traffic accidents in Nevada plunged in 2011 and will end the year at slightly more than half of the...
Recession Brought Slow Growth in Michigan Workers’ Comp Costs Per Claim
Jan 5 2012 // Workers’ compensation claim costs have grown slowly in Michigan as a result of the recession, a new study says. The study, “CompScope Benchmarks for Michigan, 12th Edition,” by the Workers Compensation...
