Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
P/C Direct Premium Written Up 4.9%
Dec 16 2019 // Direct premium written (DPW) for property/casualty insurance companies continues to increase, albeit gradually. At year-end 2018, total DPW for all P/C insurers aggregately increased approximately 4% over 2017, an increase...
Political Risk Losses Up in 2019, Hitting 68% of Surveyed Firms
Dec 16 2019 // A survey of 41 major corporations by broker Willis Towers Watson found that 61% believe political risk levels increased in 2019 while 68% have actually suffered a political risk loss. Disruption of international trade was...
U.S. Commercial Insurance Prices Were Up 4% in Q3: WTW
Dec 16 2019 // U.S. commercial insurance prices accelerated during the third quarter of 2019, as the aggregate price change reported by carriers exceeded 4%, according to insurance broker Willis Towers Watson. WTS’s Commercial...
U.S.- China Phase One Trade Pact Promises Improved IP Protections, Insurance Markets Access
Dec 15 2019 // The United States and China have agreed on the terms of a “phase one” trade deal that reduces some U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods while boosting Chinese purchases of American farm, energy and manufactured goods...
Southern California Bride Tied up in Insurance Fraud Scheme
Dec 13 2019 // Vermyttya Miller, 37, of Santa Clarita, Calif., was sentenced this week to five years in county jail and ordered to pay $22,500 in restitution after pleading no contest to one count of felony insurance fraud for a wedding...
Corbett, Stalvey Appointed to New Roles to Further Grow Tennessee Captive Market
Dec 13 2019 // Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Hodgen Mainda has named two longtime Tennessee captive insurance experts to new roles in the department. Michael Corbett has been named to the newly...
A Decade After Gulf Oil Spill, a New Wave of BP Lawsuits Hits Courts
Dec 11 2019 // A new wave of lawsuits against BP is hitting the federal courts nearly a decade after the Gulf oil spill. The new litigation is the result of a court ruling that blocks thousands of people from a medical settlement...
Study: Every $1 Spent on Buying Flood Lands Could Save U.S. $5 in Future Damages
Dec 10 2019 // Which would cost American taxpayers more: Paying now to protect undeveloped areas that are likely to flood in the coming decades, or allowing development to proceed based on current projections and paying for subsequent...
A.M. Best Sees Personal Insurance Business Outlook Remaining Stable for 2020
Dec 9 2019 // A.M. Best has maintained a market segment outlook of stable on the U.S. personal lines industry for 2020, citing a significant decline in catastrophe activity, profitable underwriting performance in the private passenger...
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Arizona Opioid Claim Against Purdue’s Owners
Dec 9 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a novel case by Arizona seeking to recover billions of dollars that the state has said that members of the Sackler family – owners of Purdue Pharma LP – funneled out...
U.S. Commercial Insurance Prices Were Up 4% in Q3: WTW
Dec 9 2019 // U.S. commercial insurance prices accelerated during the third quarter of 2019, as the aggregate price change reported by carriers exceeded 4%, according to insurance broker Willis Towers Watson. WTS’s Commercial...
A.M. Best Weighs In With Stable Commercial Insurance Outlook for 2020
Dec 9 2019 // The market outlook on the U.S. commercial lines industry for 2020 is stable. according to analysts at ratings firm A.M. Best who cite “improved market conditions and solid levels of risk-adjusted capitalization that...
Scientists Forecast Faster Rising Seas in South Florida
Dec 9 2019 // New scientific projections released Wednesday predict that ocean levels will rise even faster than previously forecast over the next four decades in low-lying southeastern Florida, which is already prone to frequent...
Political Risk Losses Up in 2019, Hitting 68% of Surveyed Firms: WTW
Dec 6 2019 // A survey of 41 major corporations by broker Willis Towers Watson found that 61% believe political risk levels increased in 2019 while 68% have actually suffered a political risk loss. Disruption of international trade was...
Economy Slowing in 9 Midwest, Plains States, Survey Suggests
Dec 6 2019 // A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests the economy is slowing down in nine Midwest and Plains states as the U.S. trade war with China continues, according to a report released Dec. 1. The overall index for the...
MetLife to Enter Pet Insurance Market with Acquisition of PetFirst Program
Dec 5 2019 // MetLife has agreed to acquire PetFirst Healthcare, a pet insurance program administrator that currently distributes its pet insurance products through animal welfare agencies, direct-to-consumer channels and...
Fitch Sees Strong Revenue Growth for U.S. Public Insurance Brokers in 2020
Dec 5 2019 // Publicly traded U.S. insurance brokers are expected to produce strong revenue growth for 2020 given near peak level organic growth and favorable U.S. commercial lines insurance pricing trends. Further, margins remain...
Lloyd’s Launches Space Insurance Policy for Emerging Private Space Sector
Dec 5 2019 // Lloyd’s has launched a new multi-million-pound space insurance policy for the emerging private spaceflight industry. The product is designed to cater to the distinct needs of a rapidly growing new space sector,...
1.6% Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease Recommended for Missouri in 2020
Dec 5 2019 // The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance is recommending a 1.6 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance loss costs for 2020. This marks the sixth year in a row that average workers’...
For Second Year in a Row, Louisiana Flunks R Street’s Insurance Report Card
Dec 4 2019 // The 2019 edition of the R Street Institute’s annual Insurance Regulation Report Card is out and, for the second year in a row, Louisiana has the ignominious distinction of finishing dead last. By our lights, the...
