Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study Shows California Workers Compensation Drug Costs Up
Sep 10 2009 // Despite the adoption of California workers’ compensation medical reforms and a pharmacy fee schedule in 2004, a new study finds that both the average number of prescriptions and average prescription drug payments per...
Aon Survey Finds UK’s D&O Premiums Still Below U.S. Rates
Sep 9 2009 // According to Aon’s Quarterly D&O Pricing Index, “US financial institutions (FI) saw premium increases of 15 percent on average in Q2,” as did a number of the UK’s financial institutions....
Massachusetts Commissioner Caps Premium Increase for Riskiest Drivers
Sep 9 2009 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has laid out what she sees as the “fair” range of auto insurance premium increases for those drivers insured through the state’s residual market. In a...
S&P Affirms Allianz Russia Ratings; Revises Outlook to Negative
Sep 8 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Allianz Insurance JSC (Allianz Russia) to negative from stable and affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer...
Tornado Threat Increases as Gulf Hurricanes Get Larger
Sep 8 2009 // Tornadoes that occur from hurricanes moving inland from the Gulf Coast are increasing in frequency, according to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This increase seems to reflect the increase in size and...
Top 25 Workers’ Comp Insurers Show 36% Increase in Average Direct Premium Written
Sep 7 2009 // Results Based on Insurers’ Growth June 30, 2009, versus June 30, 2008 As I write this article, the unemployment rate in the United States was reported to be 9.4 percent as of the end of July. Gross Domestic Product...
Rates, Claim Frequency Still Declining in Workers’ Comp; Medical Costs Rise
Sep 7 2009 // States Are Not Equal in Handling Worker Injuries Prices for workers’ compensation insurance in the United States declined in 2008 and, in general, that trend is likely to continue in throughout 2009, according to the...
S&P Lowers ING’s Ratings; Outlook Stable; Hybrid Ratings Lowered To ‘B’
Sep 4 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit ratings on The Netherlands-based ING Groep N.V. and ING Verzekeringen N.V. to ‘A’ from ‘A+’ and its long-...
Willis Exec Sees Insurance M&A Activity Increase in 2010
Sep 4 2009 // The insurance industry will see a pickup in mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity in 2010, according to Tony Ursano, CEO of Willis Capital Markets & Advisory, a unit of Willis Group Holdings. Ursano made his...
Best Revises Outlook on SCOR to Positive; Affirms ‘A-‘ Ratings
Sep 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of French reinsurer SCOR...
Coastal Home Owners Face Huge Losses from Rising Seas
Sep 3 2009 // Australians Lesley and Doug McGrath have for decades battled ocean swells that have eaten away at the backyard of their multi-million dollar Sydney home. They bought an old beach shack on Collaroy Beach in 1976 and...
Study: 40 Years of Auto Safety Efforts Have Saved Lives, Prevented Injuries
Sep 3 2009 // Auto and traffic safety efforts over the past 40 years have significantly reduced the number of accident-related injuries and fatalities, according to an analysis of government data. The data shows a continuing drop in...
Best Affirms HCC’s ‘A+’ Rating; Revises ICR Outlook to Positive
Sep 2 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable for the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” and has affirmed the ICRs and financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) of Houston...
S&P Lowers Ratings on Selective Insurance Group; Outlook Negative
Sep 2 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Selective Insurance Co. of America and its insurance company affiliates (collectively referred to as...
New Paper Evaluates Current State of Insurance Regulation and Its Future
Aug 27 2009 // The current state of the financial services industries and the role of the federal government in regulating these industries, including the insurance sector, continues to be a matter of debate in Congress. To help assess...
California Sees Rise in Car Insurance Fraud Tied to Economy
Aug 27 2009 // California Department of Insurance commissioner Steve Poizner today announced in Los Angeles that recently compiled statistics show that financially desperate residents and scam artists may be committing more automobile...
Marsh Finds Excess Capacity, Competition Inhibit Premium Increases
Aug 26 2009 // According to figures released by Marsh “insurance premium rate reductions slowed for property and casualty business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the first half of 2009.” Marsh also concluded...
S&P Rates Max Capital’s Operating Companies ‘A-‘; Outlook Stable
Aug 26 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Max Capital Group Ltd.’s operating insurance and reinsurance companies. S&P...
South Carolina Flood Insurance Premiums, Deductibles Rising
Aug 26 2009 // Flood insurance premiums and deductibles are increasing by about 8 percent for thousands of homeowners across South Carolina. The National Flood Insurance Program is raising monthly premiums and doubling deductibles...
Survey: Transportation Insurance Market Soft, But Leveling Off
Aug 26 2009 // Transportation insurance rate decreases seem to be moderating and are down on average between 1 percent to 10 percent, according to a recent industry survey on availability and rate trends in the transportation insurance...
