Latest Trends Headlines

All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.

2001 Numbers Show Decrease in Fla. Workplace Injuries, Illnesses

Mar 11 2003 // Private sector workplace injuries and illnesses in Florida decreased slightly in 2001, down 800 from 288,200 in 2000, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services (FDFS). This statistic, among others, is the...

Munich Re Issues 2002 Natural Catastrophe Study; L.A., S.F. are High Risk

Mar 11 2003 // Munich Re has issued a new survey report – “topics Natural Catastrophes 2002.” The study found that “storms and floods have an even greater impact on insurers’ claims burdens than in the year...

FSC Makes Available Automated Solution for CDI Homeowners Premium Survey

Mar 10 2003 // Fiserv FSC, Inc. announced that with CapFSC, California insurers can now, with one person, in less than one day, do what used to take a team of employees days or weeks to accomplish. CapFSC is a dependable and accurate...

National Survey Shows More Than Half of Adult Americans Support Med-Mal Reform

Mar 7 2003 // Recent results of a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive® Health-Care Poll showed that more than half (58 percent) of adults in America favor new legislation to limit the costs of medical liability and reduce the...

S&P’s Rates South China Insurance ‘BBB’; Outlook Stable

Mar 7 2003 // Standard & Poor’s has assigned its ‘BBB’ insurer financial strength and counterparty credit ratings to South China Insurance Co. Ltd. The outlook on the counterparty rating is stable. The ratings...

InsWeb Index Reveals Auto Ins. Rates Increase in 2002

Mar 7 2003 // InsWeb Corp. announced the updated results for its Auto Insurance Index based on fourth quarter 2002 data. The Index is designed to identify and track general pricing trends of personal auto insurance. According to data...

Bancinsurance Corp. Profits Down 71% in 2002

Mar 6 2003 // Bancinsurance Corp., the Columbus, Ohio-based parent of P&C insurer Ohio Indemnity Co., reported a profit of $889.6 million in 2002, down 71 percent from $3.1 billion in 2001, thanks in part to an after-tax charge of...

S&P’s Affirms DaVinci Re ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable

Mar 6 2003 // Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on DaVinci Reinsurance Ltd. (DaVinci) based on the new company’s very strong operating performance,...

Oxendine Expresses Concerns About Ga. Insurance Market

Feb 27 2003 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine recently spoke out on the need for judicial reform as a way to encourage insurers to compete for business in the state. According to the National Association of Independent...

Dewhurst Says TX Homeowners Rates Are up to 18% Too High

Feb 27 2003 // Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst commented that homeowners insurance rates in Texas are running some 12 to 18 percent higher than they should be. According to the Houston Chronicle, Dewhurst made the remarks after Gov. Rick...

Swiss Re’ Expects $74 Million 2002 Loss; January Renewal Rates up 10%

Feb 26 2003 // Swiss Re indicated that it expects to post a net loss in the CHF 100 million ($73.7 million) range for the year 2002, due primarily to weakness in global equity markets, but the company also announced that the January...

S&P’s Report Examines U.S. Insurer Failures for 2002

Feb 25 2003 // Standard & Poor’s has published a report that examines failures among U.S. insurers in 2002. “Despite the hardening pricing environment in property/casualty and health insurance lines, the number of U.S....

AFG’s Fourth Quarter Earnings Up 40% Over 2001

Feb 20 2003 // American Financial Group Inc.’s (AFG) fourth-quarter net earnings were up 40 percent from a year earlier to $44.2 million, or 64 cents per share, from $31.5 million, or 46 cents per share, thanks to AFG’s focus...

S&P’s Affirms Employers Re Corp. Ratings, Off Watch; Outlook Negative

Feb 18 2003 // Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its ‘AA-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Employers Reinsurance Corp. (www.ge.com) and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Standard & Poor’s...

Tillinghast Study Reports U.S. Tort Costs Jumped to $205B in 2001

Feb 12 2003 // The U.S. tort system cost $205 billion in 2001, or $721 per U.S. citizen, representing a 14.3 percent increase in tort costs since the year 2000, according to a study by Tillinghast- Towers Perin (Tillinghast) in U.S. Tort...

Travelers Affirmed; Outlook Neg.

Feb 10 2003 // S&P’s affirmed its “A-” counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on Hartford, Conn.-based Travelers Property Casualty Corp., following an announcement that the company will take an after-tax...

P/C Pricing Growth Fastest Since 1986, New York Analysts Told

Feb 10 2003 // The property and casualty industry is well into a rebound from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with premiums increasing aggressively for more than a year, a trend that will certainly continue throughout 2003 and...

TX WORKERS’ COMP COSTS RISE

Feb 10 2003 // A new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute shows that workers’ compensation costs per claim in Texas continued to increase at double digit rates during recent years. According to WCRI, workers’...

Travelers Affirmed; Outlook Neg.

Feb 10 2003 // S&P’s affirmed its “A-” counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on Travelers Property Casualty Corp. following an announcement that the company will take an after-tax charge of $1.3 billion in...

Midland’s Fourth-Quarter P/C Premiums Up 8.9%

Feb 7 2003 // The Midland Co., a provider of specialty insurance products and services, reported fourth-quarter 2002 net income before capital gains/losses of $7.7 million, or 43 cents per share, compared with $9.3 million, or 51 cents...