Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Americans Have False Sense of Security About Catastrophes, Survey Finds
Sep 19 2011 // Even after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, most Americans have a false sense of security when it comes to their readiness for a natural disaster or major terrorist attack, according to researchers at Columbia University. A new...
Workers’ Comp Rates Advisory Rates Decrease in Illinois
Sep 19 2011 // The Illinois Department of Insurance approved an 8.8 percent decrease in voluntary advisory workers’ compensation rates. The new rate, filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, became effective on...
The Increasing Cost of Data Breaches
Sep 19 2011 // The cost of responding to data breaches is on the rise, according to a recent study. The 2010 Annual Study: U.S. Cost of a Data Breach, released in March 2011 by Symantec Corp. and privacy and information management...
Washington Prepares for Workers’ Comp Rate Increase
Sep 19 2011 // A workers’ compensation rate increase may be in store for Washington for 2012. A final decision is expecetd in December. The state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has asked the Workers’...
Economists: Sea Level Rise Could Cost California
Sep 15 2011 // Economists say erosion from rising sea levels and storm damage could cost California hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourism and tax revenues. A Los Angeles Times story cites the San Francisco State study released...
Best Affirms Lloyd’s Syndicate 510 and Kiln Group Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 15 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of ‘a+’ of Lloyd’s Syndicate 510, which is managed...
Insurance Rates for Coastal Alabama Homeowners Going Down
Sep 15 2011 // Alabama homeowners insured by the state’s property insurer of last resort are paying less after the insurer implemented its first rate decrease in three years. The Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association last...
Conn. Supreme Court to Take Up Ex-NFL Player’s Fraud Claim Against Lawyers
Sep 14 2011 // The Connecticut Supreme Court will take up a fraud lawsuit by ex-NFL player and investment firm founder Bob Simms against his ex-wife’s lawyers, brushing aside a lower court decision barring the claim. Simms, a...
Willis’ Report Finds Airline Industry Losses Hit 5-Year Low
Sep 14 2011 // The airline industry had a “relatively turbulent free start to the third quarter, with losses hitting a five-year low of $794 million,” according to the latest report from the Aerospace division of Willis Group...
Prices Up in All Commercial Lines: Towers Watson
Sep 13 2011 // In an indication that the market may be hardening, commercial insurance prices in aggregate increased by nearly 1.5 percent during the second quarter of 2011. It’s the first time since the fourth quarter of 2003 that...
Hannover Re Sees Reinsurance Prices Rising Up to 8%
Sep 13 2011 // Hannover Re , the world’s third-biggest reinsurer, said it saw reinsurance prices rising by 3-8 percent next year, a brighter outlook than that of its two bigger rivals. “It is our expectation that the...
RMS Estimates Irene Insured Losses At Up to $5.5 Billion
Sep 13 2011 // Hurricane Irene caused between $2.5 billion and $5.5 billion in insured losses in the United States and the Caribbean, excluding flood claims that fall under federal insurance programs, catastrophe modeling company RMS...
The Hartford Warns Q3 Disaster Losses Up Due to Irene
Sep 12 2011 // Insurer Hartford Financial Services Group warned Monday that its third-quarter catastrophe losses would be substantially higher than a year earlier, mostly as a result of last month’s Hurricane Irene. The Hartford,...
Americans Have False Sense of Security About Catastrophes: Survey
Sep 12 2011 // Even after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, most Americans have a false sense of security when it comes to their readiness for a natural disaster or major terrorist attack, according to researchers at Columbia University. A new...
Global Property Insurance Market Remains Volatile: Aon Benfield
Sep 12 2011 // In terms of global underwriting volatility, the property insurance market remains substantially more volatile than other major lines. In Germany and Spain property is nearly twice as volatile as motor, the most stable...
Swiss Re Report Estimates 2011 First 6 Months Cat Losses at $70 Billion
Sep 9 2011 // Preliminary estimates from Swiss Re’s newly released sigma report indicate that “total insured losses for the global insurance industry from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached an estimated $70...
Best Report Concludes Canada’s Insurers Improve, But Risk Profile Rises
Sep 8 2011 // A report from A.M. Best concludes that the Canadian insurance industry “continued to improve in 2010, exhibiting strong capitalization and favorable overall profitability, aided by Canada’s relatively strong...
Best Affirms Markel International’s Ratings; Syndicate 3000; Outlook Stable
Sep 8 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of ‘a+’ of UK-based Markel International Insurance Company...
Best Affirms Allianz SE, Most Subs ‘A+ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 8 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Ltd. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of ‘aa’ of Germany’s Allianz Societas Europaea...
SCOR Confirms Earnings Targets; Strategic ‘Strong Momentum’ Plan
Sep 8 2011 // French reinsurer SCOR confirmed the targets of its strategic plan -‘Strong Momentum’ – at its annual Investors’ Day, held on Wednesday in Paris. An updated version of the ‘Strong...