Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Six Factors Create Volatility in Calif. Workers’ Comp Insurance Market
Dec 18 2009 // “Since insurance rates were partially deregulated in 1995, the California workers’ compensation insurance market has been very volatile. For reasons that go beyond price deregulation, there have been dramatic...
Marsh Warns Recent Losses May Hit UK Jewelry Insurance Market in 2010
Dec 17 2009 // Marsh UK has issued a warning to retail jewelers to review their risk management and security practices ahead of the 2010 insurance renewal season, or risk facing sizeable increases in their premiums next year. Marsh said...
Best Affirms Arch Re and Affiliates ‘A’ Ratings; Stable Outlook
Dec 16 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Bermuda-based Arch Reinsurance Ltd. and its reinsured affiliates. Best...
Best Affirms Swiss Re and Subs ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 15 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Best also affirmed...
S&P Upgrades Catlin’s Subsidiaries Ratings to ‘A’; Outlook Stable
Dec 15 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on the following core subsidiaries of Bermuda-based Catlin Group Ltd. to ‘A’...
UN Reports Natural Disasters at Decade Low in 2009
Dec 14 2009 // The world this year suffered the fewest number of natural disasters in a decade, but floods, droughts and other extreme weather continued to account for most of the deaths and economic losses, according to a United Nations...
NOAA Forecasts El Nino to Last into Spring 2010
Dec 11 2009 // The U.S. Climate Prediction Center, service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (http://www.noaa.gov), said Thursday the El Nino weather anomaly should continue at least into the Northern...
Allianz Forecasts Emerging Asian Markets to Lead Global Growth in 2010
Dec 10 2009 // An anlaysis from Allianz Insurance Management Asia Pacific concludes that regional GDP is expected to grow by 6.7 percent in 2010, with Asia contributing “almost 39 percent to next year’s global economic...
Drunk Driving Death Rates Decline in 40 States
Dec 9 2009 // Drunken driving fatality rates have fallen in 40 states and the District of Columbia, an encouraging sign that crackdowns are improving highway safety. The Transportation Department said that 11,773 people were killed in...
SEC Settlements Declined in 2009 For Second Straight Year
Dec 8 2009 // The number of Securities and Exchange Commission settlements declined for the second consecutive fiscal year in 2009, with 626 defendants, compared to 673 in FY 2008, according to the global consultng firm, NERA Economic...
S&P Revises Ratings Outlook on White Mountains, OneBeacon to Stable
Dec 7 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (WTM), OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd. (OB), and the members of OneBeacon Insurance Group (OneBeacon) to stable...
Fraudulent Claims from Hailstorm on the Rise in El Paso
Dec 7 2009 // That fraudulent insurance claims related to a severe hailstorm that hit the city of El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 16 are on the rise comes as no surprise to Ray Niblett. Niblett, an investigator for the National Insurance Crime...
Study Says Increased WC Benefits Lengthens Claim Duration
Dec 7 2009 // States that increase the maximum weekly benefit for workers compensation can expect to see temporarily total disability, injured workers making claims for longer, almost a week longer, according to a new study released by...
P/C Insurers’ Asbestos Losses Down
Dec 7 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has revised its view of the U.S. property/casualty industry’s ultimate asbestos and environmental (A&E) losses downward to $117 billion from $121 billion. Asbestos exposures now are estimated at...
State Fund Announces 5% Rate Increase
Dec 6 2009 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced it has filed a 5 percent rate increase in collectible premium. The revised rate will apply to new and renewal workers’ compensation policies effective on...
Auto Premiums in Ohio Decline for Third Consecutive Year
Dec 4 2009 // The Ohio Department of Insurance reports that auto insurance rates in that state have declined for the third consecutive year, according to the 2006/2007 Auto Insurance Database Report just released by the National...
New Jersey Car Insurance Prices Down But Still Rank Second Highest
Dec 3 2009 // New Jersey is No. 2 when it comes to the nation’s highest auto insurance rates. Data in the National Association of Association of Insurance Commissioners’ annual report shows the average Garden State resident...
Study: Workers’ Comp Claim Duration Increases as Benefits Go Up
Dec 2 2009 // A new study of the workers’ compensation benefits in Oregon and New Mexico has found that as the benefits have increased, so have claims durations. The National Council on Compensation Insurance used a...
Marsh Says Corporate UK Insurance Rates Could Fall by up to 10% in 2010
Dec 2 2009 // Marsh has forecasted that insurance rates for both UK property and casualty risks could fall by up to 10 percent in 2010. Speaking to a gathering of over 200 clients at the Marsh UK Annual Client Conference, Tim Pritchard,...
Colorado Researchers Admit Missing Hurricane Prediction
Nov 24 2009 // Colorado-based weather researchers say three hurricanes formed in the Atlantic this year, two fewer than they predicted before the season and one less than their August update called for. Colorado State University...
