Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Olympus Insurance Decreases Homeowners Rates in Florida
Jun 12 2008 // Olympus Insurance Co. of Orlando, Fla., lowered its homeowners insurance rates, most notably in inland counties and for newer homes. The lower rates will have greatest effect on 33 inland counties across Northern and...
S&P Lowers Willis Ratings to ‘BBB-‘; Outlook Negative
Jun 10 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit rating on Willis Group Holdings Ltd. to ‘BBB-‘ from ‘BBB’ following the recent announcement that it will acquire...
Survey: Hundreds Underinsured in Last Year’s California Wildfires
Jun 9 2008 // Hundreds of people who lost homes in last year’s wildfires did not have enough insurance to cover their rebuilding costs, according to a survey sponsored by United Policyholders, a San Francisco consumer...
Atlanta Insurer Increases Environmental Surety Bond Limits
Jun 4 2008 // Atlanta-based American Safety Insurance Services Inc. increased its environmental surety bond limits to $5 million single and $10 million aggregate with no collateral requirements. ASI’s environmental surety bond...
Fitch Affirms State Farm’s ‘AA+ Ratings; Stable Outlook
Jun 4 2008 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed its ‘AA+’ Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings on State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company and State Farm Life and Accident Assurance...
Oklahoma Town Surveys Damage From Severe Storm
Jun 4 2008 // Local officials and insurance adjusters in Mannford, Okla., are assessing widespread damage from a June 1 hailstorm that pounded more than 1,000 homes and vehicles. City Manager Mike Nunneley said every home – about...
Survey: Nearly Half of Americans Unprepared for Disasters
Jun 3 2008 // As the nation braces for the hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and floods that accompany the spring and summer disaster season, nearly half of U.S. consumers are insufficiently prepared — in terms of their insurance...
Fraud fight up against budget shortfalls
Jun 2 2008 // But Southeast states show some progress, with auto ‘give-ups’ among the targets Budget shortfalls have slowed the progress of fraud bills in many states around the U.S. while lawmakers feverishly work to find...
Coastal Growth from Texas to N.C. Lends Urgency to Hurricane Forecasts
Jun 2 2008 // The rapid pace of development along hurricane-prone coasts is adding a new level of urgency for forecasters to more accurately pinpoint potential storm impact zones, the director of the National Hurricane Center...
Study: Moderate Income Households an Untapped Insurance Market
Jun 2 2008 // Many low- and moderate-income households need more insurance and want to know more about it, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Overall, these consumers hold positive views about insurance,...
Mississippi Wind Pool Rates Down
Jun 2 2008 // Gulf Coast insurance premiums in Mississippi have returned to nearly pre-Katrina levels, according to officials at the state’s wind insurance pool. According to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association,...
State Regulators Consider Centralizing Insurance Market Conduct Reporting
May 30 2008 // State insurance regulators want to centralize the filing and storage of their annual market conduct reports on insurance companies. The regulators are reviewing a proposal that would allow insurers to make one filing, as...
Outlook Stable for Dallas National
May 30 2008 // A.M. Best Co. revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of “B++” (Good) and the issuer credit rating of “bbb” for Dallas National Insurance Company...
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...
