Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Citizens’ Rate Increases Way Below Actuaries’ Indications
Aug 16 2010 // If insurance actuaries had their way, rates for homeowners insured through Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance would be going up 55.9 percent on average. But there’s a cap on how much state-backed Citizens...
Despite Claims, Utilities’ Insurance Market Still Softening
Aug 16 2010 // Insurance rates in the power sector are expected to soften further in 2010, despite the existence of many of the conditions that would normally presage a hardening market, according to the latest Power Market Review from...
Rise in Questionable Claims Led by Hail, Auto Glass
Aug 16 2010 // Property/casualty insurance companies are reporting that the number of claims requiring more scrutiny than normal rose again in the first half of this year compared to 2009. The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s...
Survey: Double Dip Recession Tops Concerns of Europe’s Business Leaders
Aug 13 2010 // The potential for a global double dip recession and its impact on trade in Europe, top the list of risks facing businesses according to new research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and co-sponsored by...
AZ Court Decision Could Increase Agent E&O Premiums
Aug 13 2010 // The Arizona Supreme Court is weighing in on the state’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage selection form — a decision that could dramatically increase insurance agency’s errors and omissions...
E&S Wrap Up: Broker Mergers, Expansions and Start Ups
Aug 12 2010 // As goes the circle of life, so goes the wholesale insurance broker world. Not even the sixth year of a soft market cycle has deterred industry veterans from launching new wholesale businesses or creating larger ones. Many...
Rising Price of Gold Leaving Jewelry Collections Underinsured
Aug 11 2010 // Many affluent consumers lack adequate insurance coverage for their jewelry because they haven’t considered the impact of the decade-long rise in the prices of gold, platinum, and silver. That’s according to...
Pakistan Floods, Russia Heat Fit Climate Trend, Scientists Say
Aug 10 2010 // Devastating floods in Pakistan and Russia’s heatwave match predictions of extremes caused by global warming even though it is impossible to blame mankind for single severe weather events, scientists say. This year is...
Cincinnati Financial Q2 2010 Income Up from Previous Year
Aug 5 2010 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. saw net income for the second quarter of 2010 rise to $27 million compared with a net loss of $19 million for the same period in 2009. Operating income for the quarter was $42 million compared...
Employers Holdings Q2 Net Premiums Written Declined 15.5%, Reducing Workforce
Aug 5 2010 // Reno, Nev.-based Employers Holdings Inc. has reported second quarter 2010 net income of $16.5 million compared with $20.3 million in the second quarter of 2009, a decrease of $3.8 million or $0.05 per share. Net income for...
European Insurer Groups Weather Storm, Oil Claims But Outlook Cloudy
Aug 5 2010 // Major European insurance groups weathered a slew of damage claims for storms and the collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to post stronger-than-expected half-year earnings on Wednesday. But prospects for the rest of...
Allstate Operating Income Rises in Q2; Capital Losses Hurt Net Income
Aug 5 2010 // The Allstate Corp., headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., reported that second quarter 2010 operating income rose to $441 million compared to $297 million in the same period of 2009, reflecting improved results in both...
Pennsylvania Sees Increase in Insurance Fraud
Aug 4 2010 // Pennsylvania saw a 22 percent increase in fraud complaints in the first half of the year, in a continuation of a trend that started two years ago, according to the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority...
BP Speeds Up Claim Payments to Businesses Affected by Gulf Oil
Aug 4 2010 // BP says it has begun expediting claim payments to businesses affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, including establishing an Immediate Action Claims Team. According to a press update issued yesterday, the...
Insurers Report Rise in Questionable Claims Led By Hail, Auto Glass
Aug 2 2010 // Property/casualty insurance companies are reporting that the number of claims requiring more scrutiny than normal rose again in the first half of this year compared to 2009. The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s...
Mercury General Reports Q2 Net Premiums Written Down 1 percent
Aug 2 2010 // Mercury General Corp. reported it spent $12.1 million in the second quarter of 2010 supporting Proposition 17, a California ballot initiative that did not pass. Nevertheless, the Los Angeles-based insurer reported net...
SCOR’s Q2 Net Income up 32% to $157 Million; $204 Million Half Year
Jul 29 2010 // French reinsurer SCOR had a very satisfactory second quarter with net income of €120 million ($156.75 million), compared to €91 million ($119 million) in the second quarter 2009, a 32 percent rise. The increase...
Survey: Public Opposes Allowing Policyholder Suits Against Insurers
Jul 29 2010 // A majority of Americans believe that laws allowing people to sue their own auto insurance company for punitive damages, in addition to receiving benefits for their insured claim losses, are not a good idea. New public...
North Dakota Property Crime Rate Down, but Violent Crimes on Rise
Jul 29 2010 // Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says North Dakota’s crime rate dropped slightly last year, but the number of violent crimes rose. A new report provides North Dakota statistics for a number of crimes, including...
S&P Raises Arch Capital Group’s Ratings to ‘A-‘; Outlook Stable
Jul 29 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its counterparty credit rating on Arch Capital Group Ltd. to ‘A-‘ from ‘BBB+’. S&P also raised its counterparty credit and financial...
