Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
India’s Private Insurance Market Keeps Growing – Slowly but Surely
Dec 13 2011 // Even though China gets most of the headlines, there’s been slow, but steady, progress for private insurers in Asia’s other billion plus people country – India. Although its rate of growth has slowed recently,...
Government Study: Texting by Drivers Up by Half in 2010
Dec 9 2011 // New federal safety data shows texting while driving increased 50 percent last year, despite a rush by states to ban the practice. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does an annual survey that watches...
Wishes & Predictions Survey 2012: Participate Now
Dec 9 2011 // What do you HOPE will happen in your insurance organization in 2012? Now, what do you THINK will happen? Will the insurance market harden or will prices remain soft? Will your agency or insurance organization perform...
Insured Losses from Bastrop, Texas, Wildfire Rise to $325M
Dec 8 2011 // More than half of the homeowner insurance claims have been settled in the Bastrop (Texas) Complex Wildfire that occurred over the Labor Day weekend. The final tally for insured losses from the wildfire is projected to hit...
Willis Re Spots Downward Trend UK Auto Claims; Premium Increases
Dec 8 2011 // UK motor [auto] insurance premiums “have continued to rise in 2011, with some drivers facing price increases of up to 50 percent,” according to findings of the annual UK Motor Market Review by Willis Re. It...
Travelers CEO Says His Company’s Business Insurance Rates Up Over 5%
Dec 7 2011 // The Travelers Companies CEO Jay Fishman said at a financial conference yesterday that his company raised rates for business insurance customers by 5.2 percent in October, followed by 5.8 percent in November, according to a...
Best Downgrades Wisconsin Re’s Ratings; Revises Outlook to Negative
Dec 7 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to ‘B+’ (Good) from ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit ratings to “bbb-” from “bbb” of Wisconsin Reinsurance...
Floridians Would Pay More to Shore-Up Cat Fund: Survey
Dec 6 2011 // A new survey finds that 70 percent of Floridians fear being assessed hundreds or thousands of dollars in “hurricane taxes” because the state’s Hurricane Catastrophe Fund may run out of money to pay...
Rate of Virginia Workplace Injuries Up in 2010
Dec 5 2011 // The rate of workplace injuries increased in 2010 in Virginia, but still remains below the national rate. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk said a state Department of Labor and Industry report released last Thursday shows that...
Aon Benfield Reports China Reinsurance Premiums up 70% since 2005
Dec 5 2011 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp., has launched its China Property & Casualty Insurance and Reinsurance Market Report, which,” it said “reveals the...
Maine Workers’ Compensation Rates to Go Down Next Year
Dec 5 2011 // Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa said the Bureau of Insurance has approved the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s request to decrease workers’ comp loss costs in the state by an average of...
NYC PIP Costs Rising
Dec 5 2011 // Personal injury protection (PIP) claims closed in 2010 show that claimed losses for medical expenses, lost wages, and other expenses from auto accident injuries in New York City rose 70 percent over the past decade,...
Program Market Growing With $17.5B in Premium, Survey Reveals
Dec 5 2011 // Jeremy Hitzig, Target Markets Program Administrators Association (TMPAA) president, presented the results of the first survey ever conducted by the association on program business at the annual conference held in...
Ohio Rolls Out Plan Aimed at Increasing Return to Work Rates
Dec 5 2011 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) introduced a new rating plan that encourages employers to maintain safe workplaces and to work with injured workers to speed their return to work. “Destination:...
Are You Prepared for the Changing Insurance Market?
Dec 2 2011 // In today’s personal property/casualty insurance market, agents and brokers face increasing uncertainty. Staying the course is no longer an option to drive profitable growth. You must be informed of the latest market...
Property Insurance Rates on the Rise: Marsh
Dec 2 2011 // Nearly half of the U.S. property insurance policies renewed in the current quarter have been at higher prices, brokerage Marsh said on Friday, adding fuel to an industry turnaround after years of declining rates. Marsh...
Swiss Re Economists See Weak Growth; Some Market Hardening; EU Peril
Dec 2 2011 // Swiss Re presented its latest analysis of the global economic outlook and its potential impact on the insurance industry at an economic forum in London yesterday, December 1. Chief Economist Kurt Karl began the discussion...
New York Lost 250,000 Middle- and High-Wage Jobs Since 2008: Report
Dec 1 2011 // New York State has been shedding hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs since the financial crisis hit and its poverty rate remains high. Since 2008, the state lost over 250,000 middle- and high-wage jobs in sectors...
Renewable Energy Sector Presents Rising Risks, Demand for Insurance
Nov 30 2011 // The renewable energy sector needs to improve risk management and access alternative sources of capital as operational risks rise and governments cut funding due to the uncertain economic environment. Based on a survey of...
Best Affirms Virginia Surety Co. Ratings; Outlook Positive
Nov 28 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Chicago-based Virginia Surety Company, Inc, both with positive outlooks. The...
