Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Agents 40-and-Younger: Where Are You? What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Survey
Mar 16 2009 // 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?...
Ohio Windstorm Losses in Feb. Reach Nearly $89M; Ike Losses Rise
Mar 16 2009 // Ohio’s Feb. 11-12 windstorm caused at least $88.9 million in damages, based on preliminary insured loss estimates from the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), an insurance industry trade group. Widespread losses were...
Survey: Commercial Lines Pricing Drops Just 3% in Q4
Mar 16 2009 // The commercial lines insurance market showed more signs of price stabilization in the last quarter of 2008. Commercial insurance prices saw just a slight decline of 3 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to...
AIG Collapse Effect on Life Insurance Sector Overstated: Analysts
Mar 13 2009 // AIG’s recent claims that its collapse could threaten not just banking counterparties but also decimate the broader U.S. life insurance industry are alarming but also largely unproven. The contention was made in a...
Study: General Liability Losses, Expenses Likely to Rise Rapidly
Mar 12 2009 // The general liability line of insurance has produced industry-wide combined ratios below 100 percent for the past two years, but this profitable underwriting performance is unlikely to continue, analysts report. General...
Florida Gov. Crist OK With Rate Increases by Citizens
Mar 11 2009 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist says he’s OK with Citizens Insurance raising its property insurance rates. But not by too much. Crist said he didn’t favor rates be increased dramatically, but that he wanted to be...
Medical Device Makers Could Face Increased State Liability Claims
Mar 9 2009 // Following the recent Supreme Court decision that federal rules do not protect drugmakers from state lawsuits, Democrats in Congress have moved to overturn a decision that has shielded medical device companies from similar...
Securities Lawsuit Filings Are Up, So What About D&O Pricing?
Mar 9 2009 // The pace of securities lawsuit filings increased significantly in 2008 compared to recent years. There were 226 new securities lawsuits filed in 2008, which represents a 31 percent increase over the 172 securities lawsuits...
Shrinking Budgets Stem Fraud Fighting Efforts
Mar 9 2009 // Fewer Fraud Bills To Be Debated in West With the downtrodden economy rumbling through the West, momentous and game-changing fraud bills will be in short supply this year. Lawmakers’ time and patience will be soaked...
Nevada Workers’ Comp Loss Costs, Risk Rates to Decrease
Mar 9 2009 // Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott Kipper has approved revised workers’ compensation voluntary loss costs and assigned risk rates filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). The revised loss...
Best Says 2009 Global Non-Life Reinsurance Outlook Remains Stable
Mar 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. said it is “maintaining a stable outlook in 2009 for the global reinsurance sector for the third consecutive year. This current outlook implies that the majority of 2009 reinsurer rating actions are...
Best Maintains Stable Outlook on U.S. Personal, Commercial Lines Sectors
Mar 4 2009 // The rating agency A.M. Best Co. said it continues to view the outlook for both the U.S. personal and commercial lines markets as stable. Despite the ongoing soft period in the cycle in commercial lines, a contracting...
S&P Downgrades Hartford and Subs; Negative Outlook Assigned
Mar 4 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit rating on Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB+’ and its counterparty credit and...
S&P Affirms State Farm Ratings, But Revises Outlook to Negative
Mar 4 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘AA’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and all of its core companies, including...
Oregon Bill Could Drive Up Insurance Costs, Insurers Claim
Mar 3 2009 // The American Insurance Association (AIA), National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) and Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) are reaching out to Oregon legislators to highlight what it...
Willis: Increase in Capacity, Downturn in Energy Sector Tempers Hardening Market
Mar 3 2009 // With capacity levels up at the start of 2009, the energy insurance market remains relatively stable — says a new industry report — despite insurers seeking rate increases and the energy industry trying to...
Insurance Fraud Arrests and Convictions on the Rise in Virginia
Mar 3 2009 // The Insurance Fraud Program (IFP) of the Virginia State Police said it made 307 arrests for insurance fraud last year — a 47 percent increase over the previous year. In addition, convictions for insurance fraud in...
Best, S&P See No Change in AIG’s Ratings, But Outlook Remains Negative
Mar 3 2009 // A.M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services have both issued statements in relation to American International Group’s announcement of a $61.7 billion fourth quarter loss, and the subsequent...
Best Downgrades Hartford’s Life and P/C Ratings; Outlooks Mostly Negative
Mar 3 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” of the key...
S&P Says Allianz Ratings, Outlook ‘Unaffected By 2008 Loss’
Mar 2 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has stated that its ratings and outlook on Germany’s Allianz SE (AZSE – rated AA/Stable/A-1+) and various core operating entities “are unaffected by the...
