Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West leads nation in car theft; Auto theft declines for second straight year
May 22 2006 // News Currents Des Plaines, Ill.-based National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that for calendar year 2005, the West, and particularly California, leads the nation in auto theft. All of the nation’s top 10...
Despite catastrophe losses, soft pricing continues in commercial insurance market, buyers report
May 22 2006 // Although property and general liability insurance rates increased in the first quarter of 2006, all indications point to a continuing soft commercial insurance market, according to the Risk and Insurance Management Society...
London Insurance Market
May 22 2006 // House of Lords asbestos decision limits damage liability The U.K.’s House of Lords handed down judgments on May 3 in three major cases involving employers and their insurers’ liability for damages to workers...
Harnessing technology in the London insurance market
May 22 2006 // Kinnect is dead! Long live Kinnect! Although Lloyd’s long troubled IT project was consigned to the flames last January (See IJ Website Jan. 24), a number of IT phoenix have risen from its ashes. “I think 2006...
Americans increasingly traveling overseas for cheaper surgeries
May 22 2006 // Americans looking to save money on medical procedures are increasingly traveling overseas for surgeries not covered by their insurance to avoid costly hospital stays in the U.S. The trend is being driven by rising health...
Post Spitzer, merger activity picking up, says Mystic Capital
May 22 2006 // Last year wasn’t the busiest year for mergers and acquisitions in the insurance agency and brokerage field, but as concerns over various probes of the insurance industry fade, activity is picking up. Kevin Donoghue,...
Minnesota Life Group Claims Double Digit Premium Growth in 2005
May 18 2006 // For the eighth consecutive year, Minnesota Life Group Insurance premium and policy fee income increased by double digits, according to a written statement issued by the St. Paul-based company. The growth rate in 2005 was...
Study: Mass. Workers’ Comp Cost Trend Slows; Average Claim Typical
May 18 2006 // The costs per workers’ compensation claim in Massachusetts rose 8 percent for claims evaluated mid 2004 with an average of 12 months’ maturity, according to a new study by the Cambridge, Mass-based Workers...
Insurance Economist Predicts Profitable 2006, Sees Premium Growth Grinding to a Halt
May 18 2006 // The last 24 months have been traumatic for the insurance industry, but the profit picture for 2006 is quite good overall, according to Robert P. Hartwig, Insurance Information Institute senior vice president and chief...
Northeast’s DCAP Feels Assigned Risk Decline But Focuses on Growth
May 17 2006 // DCAP Group, Inc., a large chain of independent storefront insurance agencies in the Northeast, reported that first quarter 2006 total revenues were $2,867,690, a decline from the prior year amount of $3,208,073. Net income...
Lloyd’s Releases 2005 Annual Report
May 17 2006 // Lloyd’s has released its official 2005 annual report. The package also contains a report from acting CEO Luke Savage, a statement from Lloyd’s Chairman Lord Peter Levene and a detailed breakdown of...
Conning Research: M&A Activity May Ramp Up in 2006-2007
May 16 2006 // Insurance industry mergers and acquisitions increased in 2005 to the highest level since 2001 and may foreshadow an acceleration of activity this year and the next, according to a new study by Conning Research and...
State Farm Seeks Homeowners Rate Increase in Florida
May 15 2006 // State Farm Insurance Co. is seeking to boost premiums by an average of about 70 percent in Florida, the company said Friday. If approved by state regulators, the increase would be effective Aug. 15. The Bloomington,...
Premiums, Income Down for Mich.-based North Pointe in Q1
May 12 2006 // North Pointe Holdings Corporation, Southfield, Mich., reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2006. According to the company, gross premiums written amounted to $45.6 million in the first quarter...
South Carolina Car Theft Rate Continues to Rise
May 12 2006 // The number of vehicles stolen in South Carolina has risen for the seventh year in a row. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) annual report on auto theft rates, Hot Spots, there were nearly...
Americans Increasingly Traveling Overseas for Cheaper Surgeries
May 10 2006 // Americans looking to save money on medical procedures are increasingly traveling overseas for surgeries not covered by their insurance to avoid costly hospital stays in the United States. The trend is being driven by...
Post Spitzer, Merger Activity Picking Up, Says Mystic Capital
May 9 2006 // Last year wasn’t the busiest year for mergers and acquisitions in the insurance agency and brokerage field, but as concerns over various probes of the insurance industry fade, activity is picking up. Kevin Donoghue...
Despite Hurricane Losses, Soft Insurance Market Continues
May 9 2006 // Although property & general liability insurance rates increased in the first quarter of 2006, all indications point to a continuing soft commercial insurance market according to the Risk and Insurance Management...
Auto Theft Declines for Second Straight Year; West Leads Nation in Car Theft
May 9 2006 // Des Plaines, Ill.-based National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that for calendar year 2005, the West, and particularly California, leads the nation in auto theft. All of the nation’s top ten areas with the...
Effort Begins to Educate Californians about Pending Auto Insurance Rate Increases
May 8 2006 // A group of local elected officials, chambers of commerce, tax groups and insurance companies announced that Californians to Stop Unfair Rate Increases (CSURI) will begin distributing educational information to Californians...
