Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Affirms AMP Subsidiary Ratings, Ups Outlook
Jun 29 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised the ratings outlook on Australia’s AMP Life Ltd., AMP Group Holdings Ltd., and AMP Bank Ltd. to positive from stable, and affirmed the...
Experts Warn of Emerging Trend in ERISA Class-Action Lawsuits at PLUS Symposium
Jun 28 2004 // Stock market declines and the financial collapse of companies such as Enron, Global Crossing and WorldCom have generated numerous shareholder class-action lawsuits against directors and officers alleging violations of...
Workers’ Comp Rates Decline; Rate Regulation Still an Issue for Lawmakers
Jun 28 2004 // Despite reductions in workers’ comp insurance premiums, California lawmakers will continue to debate the merits of rate regulation. After years of double-digit rate increases, many companies have filed with the...
N.J. Commissioner: Auto Insurance Market Recovering; Drivers Reap Benefits
Jun 28 2004 // New Jersey Banking and Insurance Commissioner Holly Bakke predicted recently that positive financial results for a majority of companies in the auto insurance marketplace will continue to produce returns for New Jersey...
S&P: Reinsurance Backing Increasingly Flimsy, Conference Panelists Say
Jun 21 2004 // Insurance companies are going to find reinsurers less and less reliable as pricing weakens in the U.S. property/casualty market, panelists at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Insurance Conference warned last...
Aon Study Finds 2003 P/C Earnings Volatility Lower
Jun 21 2004 // Aon Corporation announced that the results of its 2003 P/C Earnings Volatility Study showed that insurers and reinsurers were more effective at minimizing earnings volatility in 2003. “The study measures earnings...
COMPLAINTS TO WIS. DOI DOWN 17 PERCENT:
Jun 21 2004 // According to the 2003 Insurance Complaints and Administrative Actions report, nearly 8,000 consumers contacted Wisconsin’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) last year to file a complaint, down 17 percent...
Survey: Lack of Terror Coverage Would Hurt Commercial Mortgage Market
Jun 21 2004 // A new survey indicates that only 20 percent of commercial real estate portfolios would retain terrorism coverage if the requirement that insurers make it available is lifted, down from 83.5 percent. The survey by mortgage...
CALIF. SCIF: 7 PERCENT RATE DECREASE EFFECTIVE JULY 1:
Jun 21 2004 // State Compensation Insurance Fund announced a seven percent rate decrease on new and renewal policies with an effective date on or after July 1, 2004. The decrease is a result of the cost saving reforms adopted by the...
One in Four Private Companies Sued by Employees, Chubb Survey Finds
Jun 21 2004 // One in four privately held companies has been sued by an employee or former employee in the past few years, according to a survey sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Executives at as many as half the firms...
Best Affirms Liberty Mutual’s Ratings; Ups Outlook
Jun 18 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has affirmed the financial strength ratings of “A” (Excellent) of Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies, Liberty Insurance Holdings of Keene, N.H. and Liberty Northwest Group of...
Fla. Doctors Fed Up with Med-Mal Costs
Jun 18 2004 // Dr. Rene Loyola says he has given up just about everything to keep practicing medicine. The surgeon owns no home or land, and has no savings other than a retirement plan after 29 years in the profession. He says he...
S&P Conference Survey Predicts More Mergers; Confidence in Pres. Bush; Increased Price Competition
Jun 17 2004 // A Standard & Poor’s survey found that two-thirds of insurance executives and analysts believe the recent mergers of St. Pauls/ Travelers and John Hancock/ Manulife indicate heightened industry consolidation...
Best Downgrades GE Global Insurance Debt Ratings; Revises Outlook to Negative
Jun 16 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has downgraded the debt ratings of various senior unsecured notes of GE Global Insurance Holdings Corporation to “bbb+” from “a-” and has revised the outlook to...
Best Affirms Employers Re, Westport ‘A’ Ratings; Lowers Medical Protective; Revises Outlook to Stable
Jun 16 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has affirmed the financial strength ratings of “A” (Excellent) of Employers Re Corp Group and Westport Insurance Corporation of Jefferson City, Mo. The bulletin noted that the...
S&P Reports on P/C Commercial Lines Insurers; Raises Outlook to Stable
Jun 11 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on the U.S. commercial-lines insurance industry to stable from negative “based on the delicate balance now in play between the...
S&P Affirms Allianz Canada ‘BBB’ Ratings; Raises Outlook to Stable
Jun 10 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on Allianz Insurance Co. of Canada and Trafalgar Insurance Co. of Canada (collectively referred to as Allianz Canada) to stable from...
Survey: Lack of Terror Coverage Would Hurt Commercial Mortgage Market
Jun 8 2004 // A new survey indicates that only 20 percent of commercial real estate portfolios would retain terrorism coverage if the requirement that insurers make it available is lifted, down from 83.5 percent. The survey by mortgage...
PIAA, NPDB DATA SHOW MED-MAL COSTS STILL RISING:
Jun 7 2004 // Data compiled from the physician owned and/or operated medical liability insurers that make up the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA) and the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) indicate that medical...
Wyoming Med-Mal Rates on the Rise
Jun 7 2004 // Medical malpractice insurance rates are on the rise in Wyoming, and lawmakers anticipate being called into a special legislative session this summer to address the issue. The Doctors Co., which insures about 30 percent of...
