Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Regulator Wants Anthem Blue Cross To Postpone Rate Increase
Feb 10 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, responding to a dramatic proposed rate hike by WellPoint’s California affiliate, Anthem Blue Cross, has called on WellPoint executives to postpone the rate increase,...
Mercury Insurance Sees 3.5% Decrease in Q4 Net Premium
Feb 8 2010 // Mercury General Corp. reported that net income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $34.2 million compared with net loss of $168.3 million for the same period in 2008. For the year, net income for the Los Angeles-based...
Collapse Concerns Grow as Snowstorm Slams Eastern States
Feb 8 2010 // Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. were particularly battered by a weekend snowstorm that caused massive power outages and resulted in moderate structural damage to areas in the region. At least two deaths were...
State Farm Says It Warned U.S. Officials About Toyota Accident Trend in 2007
Feb 8 2010 // Private insurer State Farm informed a U.S. government regulator of a worrying trend of vehicle-caused accidents involving Toyota Motor Corp. as far back as late 2007, an official at the company said. “When you start...
On Average, Texas Homeowners Rates Are Down, Agents Group Says
Feb 7 2010 // Reduction Is in Cost per $1,000 in Property Value There’s a common perception that homeowners insurance rates in Texas go up and up, and never come down. That’s not necessarily true, however, according to the...
Hales Reports Brokerage M&As Down 40% in 2009; Expects Better 2010
Feb 7 2010 // A prolonged soft market coupled with the worst economic period since the Great Depression as well as uncertainty related to national health care reform, caused insurance brokerage buyers and sellers to struggle with how to...
Game Day Prediction: Pizzerias and Insurers Win on Super Bowl Sunday
Feb 5 2010 // February 7 — Super Bowl XLIV Sunday — may be the most hyped-up day of the year for football fans, and it’s also the most exciting day of the year for many pizza parlors that see record sales that day. Yet...
Zurich 2009 Net Income up 6% to $3.2 Billion; Farmers Boosts Profits
Feb 4 2010 // The Zurich Financial Services Group posted across the board income gains in all of its core business segments and targeted growth in profitable market areas, particularly in Global Life and from Farmers. The Group...
Best Assigns ‘B+’ Rating to Petrovietnam Insurance; Outlook Positive
Feb 3 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘B+’ (Good) and an issuer credit rating of “bbb-” to Vietnamese insurer Petrovietnam Insurance JSC (PVI), with a positive outlook on both...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Positive for MGA Insurance Co., Gainsco
Feb 3 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of B (Fair) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bb+” of MGA Insurance Company Inc. (MGA) of Dallas, Texas....
Last Chance: Young Insurance Agents Survey
Feb 3 2010 // Young insurance agents, 40-and-younger, what are you thinking? Young property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across the U.S. are being called upon to answer some questions … and have some fun. It’s your...
Agents’ Group: On a Cost per Home Value Basis, Texas Rates Are Down
Feb 2 2010 // Texas insurance agents — want to show your customers that the common perception that homeowners rates in Texas always go up but never come down is false? Look to your agency management system, say educators from the...
Calif. Low Cost Auto Insurance Program Participation Up 19%
Feb 1 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that the California Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program (CLCA) saw an 18.9 percent increase in use in 2009, compared with the year before. An aggressive outreach...
Insurance Agents 40-and-Younger: What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Young Agents Survey
Feb 1 2010 // Young property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across the U.S. are being called upon to answer some questions … and have some fun. Who are you? What do you really think about your career? About your industry?...
Hales Reports Brokerage M&As Down 40% in 2009; Expects Better 2010
Jan 28 2010 // A prolonged soft market coupled with the worst economic period since the Great Depression as well as uncertainty related to national health care reform, caused insurance brokerage buyers and sellers to struggle with how to...
U.S. Businesses Face Increasing Threats From Chinese Cyber Attacks
Jan 27 2010 // U.S. businesses and government agencies are facing increasing risks of potential cyber attacks from China, according to a recent report. And IT departments that react defensively to such attacks may not be doing enough to...
Insurance Agents 40-and-Younger: What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Young Agents Survey
Jan 27 2010 // Young property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across the U.S. are being called upon to answer some questions … and have some fun. Who are you? What do you really think about your career? About your industry?...
Securities Lawsuit Filings Decline in 2009
Jan 24 2010 // What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago, the subprime and credit crisis litigation wave was in full spate, and the onslaught of Madoff and other Ponzi scheme lawsuits had just begun to surge. While both of those...
Insurers to Curb Agency Compensation in 2010, Ward Group Study Finds
Jan 24 2010 // Total property/casualty insurance agency compensation is expected to decrease slightly in 2010, largely due to contingent commission changes. Four out of 10 insurance companies plan to modify their agent compensation plans...
How Rising Capital Gain Tax Rates Might Impact Tomorrow’s M&A Market
Jan 24 2010 // Agencies Contemplating Selling Soon Should Understand Their Opportunity Costs First Capital gain tax rates will increase when the current legislation sunsets at the end of 2010. The best case scenario is the current 15...
