Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Best Affirms Mondial Assistance, Jefferson ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Nov 23 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Swiss-based Mondial Assistance International AG (MAI) and its U.S....
M&A Wrap-Up: Insurance Brokerage Mergers Took a Third Quarter Vacation
Nov 23 2009 // Deal making wasn’t at the top of the list of summer activities this season, but deal vacation was. Third quarter merger and acquisition (M&A) activity continued declining to just 30 announced transactions...
Survey: Health Insurance Costs 22% More in Wisconsin
Nov 20 2009 // A new survey finds Wisconsinites pay more for health insurance than the rest of the country and the cost is rising at a faster rate. The consulting firm Mercer finds employers and their workers in Wisconsin paid an average...
Marsh Report Forecasts ‘Softening’ in Energy Market in 2010
Nov 20 2009 // A new intelligence report from Marsh concludes that “energy firms are set to enjoy a softening insurance market in 2010, as a result of increasing competitiveness among insurers and capacity being at its highest...
Marine Insurance Market Faces ‘Choppy Seas’ Willis Report Concludes
Nov 18 2009 // The Marine insurance market continues to face “choppy seas in the wake of the global economic crisis, with a sharp decline in international trade crippling certain sectors of the shipping community, piracy spreading...
New York Insurers Say No-Fault Claims Are Driving Up Costs
Nov 15 2009 // No-fault payments for medical claims by auto accident victims in New York have seen a dramatic increase over the last several years, one industry group says, and the state and insurers must redouble efforts to root out...
Study: Auto Claims Customer Satisfaction Up
Nov 15 2009 // In general, auto insurance customers are more satisfied with the claims process in 2009, compared with 2008, according to a nationwide study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. And for the second year in a row the...
Auto Claim Customer Satisfaction Up; Agents a Positive Influence
Nov 15 2009 // In general, auto insurance customers are more satisfied with the claims process in 2009, compared with 2008, according to a nationwide study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. The 2009 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study...
Decades in the Making, NAIC Outlines Natural Catastrophe Plan
Nov 15 2009 // White Paper Approved at Fall Meeting with Near-Unanimous Vote The private insurance industry alone ‘cannot be expected to provide comprehensive catastrophe coverage without adequate financial backstops for the most...
Hospital Liability Claims Increasing After Years of Decline
Nov 15 2009 // After a decade marked by decreases in Hospital Professional Liability claims, the frequency of claims is on the rise and is expected to continue increasing at a one percent annual rate, according to a study released by Aon...
Greenland Ice Melting at Faster Rate, Increasing Sea Level Rise
Nov 13 2009 // A new study, published in the journal Science, concludes that the massive Greenland ice sheets are losing mass more rapidly than previous studies had indicated. The ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica contain the bulk...
High-Tech Flood Forecasts to Aid Midwest’s Red River Valley
Nov 13 2009 // High-tech mapping technology used to help Fargo-Moorhead, N.D., residents fight a record-setting flood last spring will be made available to the entire Red River Valley. The high-resolution elevation data, known as Light...
