Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Affirms Lloyd’s Syndicate 1225 (AEGIS) ‘A’ Rating; Stable Outlook
May 17 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the Best’s Syndicate Rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 1225, which is managed by AEGIS Managing Agency Limited ,...
Despite Premium Decreases, Medical Professional Liability Industry Profitable
May 14 2010 // The medical professional liability industry is profitable despite premium increases, according to Charlottesville, Va.-based SNL Financial. That industry experienced a profitable year in underwriting, demonstrated by a...
Shrimpers, Boat Captains Line Up For BP Spill Claims
May 14 2010 // Ronald Polkey, a sun-weathered shrimp boat captain from the Louisiana resort and fishing hub of Grand Isle, La., should be out on the water working his nets to bring in a day’s catch. But with most of the...
Volcker Worries about Euro’s Future
May 14 2010 // Europe’s debt troubles could undermine its currency, White House Economic Adviser Paul Volcker said Thursday. Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman and a widely respected economist, told students at the London...
Northwest Faces Increased Wildfire Risk in 2010
May 12 2010 // El Nino weather patterns and a relatively mild winter left Idaho, eastern Washington and south central Oregon drier than normal and vulnerable to wildfire, accoridng to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In...
Best Report Forecasts More Mutual Partnerships as Challenges Mount
May 11 2010 // A new report from A.M. Best notes that mutual insurance companies “have generally entered and emerged from the economic downturn in a strong position, but any advantage they currently have over conventional insurers...
New Jersey Targeting Growth in Captive and Reinsurance Markets
May 11 2010 // New Jersey Insurance Commissioner Tom Considine praised new, bipartisan legislation that would grow the reinsurance market and create a captive insurance market in the Garden State. The captive insurance bill was put...
Small Business Owners’ Outlook Improves But Hiring Remains Weak
May 11 2010 // Small U.S. business owners are slightly less pessimistic about their outlook, and in the face of continuing weak sales do not plan to boost capital spending or employment, a monthly survey of small businesses showed. The...
Network Physician Use Increases in California Workers’ Comp Claims
May 11 2010 // Tthe percentage of medical services to injured workers delivered by network physicians jumped sharply immediately after Medical Provider Networks (MPNs) were introduced into the workers’ compensation system in 2005,...
Report: Workers’ Comp Combined Ratio Jumps; Results Suffer in 2009
May 11 2010 // As workers’ compensation premiums continued to decline in 2009, the combined ratio jumped nine points in 2009. According to recent report on the state of the workers’ comp market, the combined ratio rose to...
Buffett’s Berkshire Q4 Profit Highest Since 2007; Geico Premiums Up 6%
May 10 2010 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Friday reported its largest quarterly profit since 2007, helped by an improving economy, investment and derivative gains, and the takeover of Burlington Northern Santa Fe...
Affirmative Insurance Reports Increased Revenue in Q1 2010
May 10 2010 // Addison, Texas-based Affirmative Insurance Holdings Inc., a distributor and producer of non-standard personal automobile insurance policies, reported that gross premiums written and total revenues increased during the...
Montana State Fund Decreasing Rates 4%
May 7 2010 // Montana State Fund said its workers’ compensation insurance rates are going down by an average of 4 percent. The fund, which provides the insurance to more than 28,000 employers around the state, says the rate...
Hawaii Laws To Increase Insurance Costs, Group Says
May 7 2010 // Laws enacted in the just-concluded 2010 Hawaii legislative session will increase insurance costs and possibly affect premiums for Hawaii consumers and businesses, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America...
Outlook Negative for Wisconsin’s Partners Mutual Insurance
May 6 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Partners Mutual Insurance Company (Partners) of...
Fremont Michigan InsuraCorp Sees Growth in Q1 2010
May 5 2010 // Fremont Michigan InsuraCorp Inc., a Michigan-exclusive property and casualty insurance carrier, reported revenues of $14.9 million for the first quarter of 2010, up 9.4 percent from revenues in the first quarter...
Best Affirms ACE and Subs Ratings; Outlook on Debt Changed to Positive
May 4 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” and senior debt ratings of ACE Limited, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and ACE INA Holdings...
Western National Insurance Sees Rise in Surplus in Q1 2010
May 3 2010 // Western National Insurance Group in Edina, Minn., reported $5.5 million increase in policyholder surplus during the first quarter of 2010 over the amount reported at the end of 2009, as well as a 4 percent rise in the...
Survey: Insurance Consumers Buying More Often Online
May 3 2010 // American consumers look more frequently to the web and interactive promotions when making purchasing decisions for insurance, according to a new survey. The survey — 2010 Insurance Customer Interactive Media Usage...
P/C Industry’s Net Income Up $25B in 2009; Combined Ratio Improves to 101
May 3 2010 // The U.S. property/casualty industry’s profitability as measured by their rate of return on average policyholders’ surplus (or statutory net worth) increased by 5.8 percent in 2009, while private P/C...
