Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AXA Gives Progress Report on its ‘Ambition 2012’ Project
May 30 2008 // France’s AXA Group reported that it is “halfway to Ambition 2012, its company-wide project launched in 2004 which aims to make AXA the preferred company of its clients, employees and shareholders.” AXA...
S&P Report Foresees Improvement in UK Non-Life Insurance Sector
May 29 2008 // A new report from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services – “U.K. Non-Life Insurance Underwriting Performance Should Improve In 2008, But Underlying Performance May Deteriorate” – notes that,...
For Emergency Planners, Hurricane Forecasts Have Limited Value
May 29 2008 // Each April, weather wizard William Gray emerges from his burrow deep in the Rocky Mountains to offer his forecast for the six-month hurricane season that starts June 1. And the news media are there, breathlessly awaiting...
Best Affirms Hanover Fire’s ‘B+’ Rating; Revises Outlook to Negative
May 28 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘B+’ (Good) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of ‘bbb-‘ of Hanover Fire and Casualty Insurance Company of Conshohocken, Penna....
California Workers’ Comp Insurer Files for 3.5 Percent Rate Decrease
May 28 2008 // California State Compensation Insurance Fund announced it filed a July 1, 2008, revision to its rating plan, which it anticipates will result in a 3.5 percent reduction in collectible premium. While base rates will remain...
Philly DA Breaks Up Alleged $1M Insurance Fraud Scheme
May 27 2008 // The alleged mastermind of a more than $1 million insurance fraud scheme in Philadelphia has been arrested, and investigators say they expect lawyers and doctors to also be charged. District Attorney Lynne Abraham says the...
2004 Reforms Slow Tennessee Workers’ Comp Costs, Study Finds
May 23 2008 // Tennessee experienced a moderation in average workers’ compensation costs per claim among 14 study states, after two consecutive years of rapid cost growth and in the wake of reforms enacted in 2004, according to a...
Travelers Forecasts 2008 Operating Earnings at Lower Range
May 23 2008 // Travelers Companies Inc., one of the largest U.S. property insurers, said Thursday that a a “fine tuning” of its investment outlook gives it a bias towards the lower end of a previous forecast for operating...
S&P Removes AIG from CreditWatch; Rating Outlook Remains Negative
May 23 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed and removed from CreditWatch negative its ‘AA-/A-1+’ counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on American International Group Inc. S&P also...
North Dakota’s Workers’ Comp Rates to Rise 2.5 Percent in July
May 23 2008 // The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) board of directors approved the 2008-2009 premium rate plan on Thursday, May 22nd. While the new rating plan begins July 1, 2008, it calls for no change in statewide...
National Lloyds Upgraded; American Summit Outlook Now Positive
May 23 2008 // A.M. Best Co. affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and upgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a+” from “a” of Waco, Texas-based National Lloyds Insurance...
Officials Say April Earthquake a Dress Rehearsal for Future Events
May 21 2008 // Missouri emergency management officials say they’re better prepared for a major earthquake, thanks in part to last month’s 5.2 quake in southern Illinois. Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency...
Survey: Program Market to Remain Vibrant in 2008
May 21 2008 // The program market continues to grow and will continue to grow in 2008, as insurance companies focus on core concerns of new business production, premium writing and rate profitability, according to a new industry survey...
Cafeterias Cooking Up Explosive Sales, Expansion in Restaurant Market
May 19 2008 // There are more than a half million enterprises in the restaurant and bars market generating approximately $5.5 billion in all lines premium. This is a sector that has enjoyed generally solid to exceptional growth in sales...
Mass. Auto Competition Heats Up – Over Rules and Regulations
May 19 2008 // Existing carriers call high risk exemption for newcomers unfair; agents say Progressive’s Web site misleads After a month of operating under a new managed competition system for auto insurance, Massachusetts is...
Alabama Opens Coastal Home Insurance Market to Captive Insurers
May 19 2008 // The Alabama Legislature has passed a bill that will allow captive insurance companies to sell residential insurance along the Alabama coast. The House and Senate voted without dissent to give final approval to changes in...
Survey: Small Business Customers Depend on Agents’ Expertise
May 19 2008 // Agent expertise in workers’ compensation insurance is a critical factor in small businesses’ choice of carriers, according to a recent national survey conducted by EMPLOYERS, which specializes in insurance for...
Survey: Washington Areas Most Secure Places to Live
May 19 2008 // Olympia, Wash., and its metropolitan area are the safest places in the nation to live, work or raise a family, according to the fourth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance Group of...
State Farm Files Request for California Rate Increase
May 19 2008 // Reflecting the general upward trends in the cost of property and liability insurance claims, State Farm General Insurance Co. has filed a request for an average statewide 6.9 percent rate increase with the California...
Survey: Small Business Customers Depend on Agents’ Expertise
May 19 2008 // Agent expertise in workers’ compensation insurance is a critical factor in small businesses’ choice of carriers, according to a recent national survey conducted by Employers, which specializes in insurance for...
