Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Survey: Commercial Lines Pricing Drops 3% in Q4
Mar 23 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 a...
General Liability Losses, Expenses Likely to Rise Rapidly
Mar 23 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 say. General...
Spring Brings Increased Wyoming Mining, Safety Concerns
Mar 23 2009 // The arrival of spring brings increased activity at Wyoming mines and quarries, and with it, a greater risk of workplace accidents, safety officials say. Seasonal workers becoming reacquainted with their jobs and the use of...
A.M. Best: Negative Outlook for Nebraska’s Battle Creek Mutual
Mar 19 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Battle Creek Mutual Insurance Co. in Nebraska. The outlook for both ratings has been revised to...
Swiss Re <em>sigma</em> Study Tallies Catastrophic 2008
Mar 18 2009 // Swiss Re has just released its latest sigma study, which details the toll of disasters that made 2008 “one of the worst years for catastrophe losses” according to the report. More than 240,500 people lost their...
Marsh Warns EU Environmental Laws Expose UK Firms to Increased Risks
Mar 18 2009 // Marsh has analyzed the possible effects of new European legislation designed to protect the environment. The broker points out that “businesses in the UK will now have to pay for any significant damage that they...
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate Up Nearly 9%
Mar 18 2009 // The percentage of auto loans past due 60 days or more rose 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the prior-year period, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. And the numbers point to auto...
Insurance Agents 40-and-Younger: What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Young Agents Survey
Mar 18 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?...
AIG Asks Financial Products Employees To Give Up Half of Bonuses
Mar 18 2009 // American International Group Financial Products (AIGFP) employees who received retention bonuses in excess of $100,000 have been asked to return half of the bonuses, AIG CEO Edward Liddy told lawmakers on Capitol Hill...
Calif. Rating Bureau Recommends 24.4% Workers’ Comp Rate Increase
Mar 18 2009 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) says it plans to submit a filing to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) recommending a 24.4 percent increase in pure premium rates that...
Report: New York Fraud Investigations Yielded 755 Arrests Last Year
Mar 17 2009 // Investigations by The New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau led to 755 arrests in 2008 — a slight increase over 2007 and and the highest arrest total since 2004, the department said. “Arrests for...
S&P Raises SCOR and Subs Ratings to ‘A’ On ‘Positive Trend’
Mar 16 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on French-based reinsurer SCOR SE and its core guaranteed subsidiaries (collectively SCOR or...
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...
