Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Proposal to Replace Mass. Safe Driver Plan Unveiled; New Merit Rating System Sought by 2006
Jun 4 2004 // As anticipated in an earlier report by Insurance Journal, an arm of the Massachusetts insurance department has come up with a plan to replace the state’s current safe driver insurance plan with a new one by 2006 and...
Insurance Commissioner Approves Rate Decrease for Auto Club Policyholders
Jun 4 2004 // Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi approved the Automoblie Club of Southern California’s filing to reduce its insurance affiliate’s policy premiums by five percent. The filing, officially made by the...
S&P Ups Outlook, Affirms Allianz Australia Ratings
Jun 3 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised the rating outlook on Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd. (Allianz Australia) and its associated company, Allianz New Zealand Ltd., to positive from...
Survey Selects Hannover Re as Best Overall Reinsurer in North America
Jun 3 2004 // Germany’s Hannover Re announced the results of a survey, conducted by the U.S.-based Flaspöhler Research Group, that singled out the world’s fourth largest reinsurer as the best overall in the North American...
Report: 1995 Saturn SL Tops Most Stolen Vehicle List
Jun 2 2004 // One of every 200 registered 1995 Saturn SLs were stolen last year, making it 2003’s most stolen vehicle, according to a report from Chicago auto claims software provider CCC Information Services Inc. The 1998 Acura...
Report: Midyear Outlook Stable for U.S. Health Insurers
Jun 1 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services published an article stating that the remainder of 2004 will likely see continued earnings strength for U.S. health insurers, but numerous competitive, political, regulatory,...
Michigan Senate Takes Up Bill to Keep Insurers From Steering Claims
Jun 1 2004 // Auto insurers could not restrict policyholders from using the repair shop of their choice under legislation to be considered by the Michigan state Senate. Critics say some insurers currently send or direct claim holders to...
Survey: Majority of U.S. Institutional Investors Support Further Corporate Governance Reforms
Jun 1 2004 // Despite the recent debate over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) governance proposals, a survey of U.S. institutional investors indicates that a vast majority backs the proposed reforms. Nearly 80...
Best Upgrades RLI to ‘A+’; Outlook Stable
May 28 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has upgraded the financial strength rating of Peoria, Ill.-based property/casualty insurer RLI Group to “A+” (superior) from “A” (excellent) of RLI Group...
California Commissioner Recommends 20.9 Percent Decrease in Workers’ Comp Rates
May 28 2004 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has recommended that California workers’ compensation insurers lower their rates by 20.9 percent for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2004....
Chubb Survey: One in Four Private Companies Sued by Employees, Former Employees
May 25 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 (www.chubb.com). Executives at as many...
Xerox Survey Reports Productivity as Top Business Priority for ACORD LOMA Attendees
May 25 2004 // In a survey of property, casualty, life and annuities professionals, 39 percent of respondents indicated that increasing productivity is their first priority in improving business processes, while 33 percent cited the need...
Accenture Survey Targets Industry Fraud
May 25 2004 // The majority of Americans say insurance fraud occurs because people believe they can get away with it, according to results of a survey released today by Accenture. The survey, based on a random sample of more than 1,000...
Best’s 34-Year P/C Insolvency Study Finds Industry Remarkably Resilient
May 24 2004 // A.M. Best Co. has just released a new study of the U.S. property/casualty industry in the past decade, which concludes that it has “shown resiliency and improved risk management amid extraordinary events.” The...
Survey Shows Majority of Risk Managers Say Contingent Commission Practice is Conflict of Interest
May 24 2004 // A majority of commercial insurance buyers believe that the commission arrangements between insurance brokers and insurance carriers, known as contingent commissions or placement service agreements (PSAs), are a conflict of...
Best Upgrades Rating of France’s CCR to ‘A+’; Revises Outlook to Stable
May 24 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has upgraded the financial strength rating to “A+” (Superior) from “A” (Excellent) of France’s Caisse Centrale de Reassurance (CCR), and has revised its outlook...
Lloyd’s Issues 2003 Annual Report
May 21 2004 // Lloyd’s has issued its 2003 Annual Report, giving details of the year’s results, and describing the London market’s general financial condition and future prospects. The introduction described 2003 as a...
U.K.’S Cox Reports 22% 2003 Profit Increase; Announces Outsourcing Plans
May 21 2004 // Cox Insurance Holdings, plc., the U.K.’s largest motorcycle insurer, which operates primarily out of the Lloyd’s market, announced a hefty 22 percent increase in profits for 2003 to £52.1 million ($92.8...
S&P Affirms AFG Ratings; Raises Outlook
May 19 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on American Financial Group Inc. and the members of the Great American Insurance Co. pool, the Republic Indemnity Co. pool, the...
U.K. Survey Finds Compensation Culture Concerns
May 19 2004 // A recent survey commissioned by Norwich Union, a division of the Aviva group, and the U.K.’s largest b general insurer, has concluded that the “compensation culture,” i.e. the unbridled tendency to file a...
