Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Total Reinsurance Capital Drops in 2018, but Alternative Capital Keeps Rising: Willis Re
Apr 24 2019 // While total dedicated reinsurance capital dropped in 2018, alternative capital continued its steady rise, according to a report published by Willis Re. Total dedicated reinsurance capital – which includes traditional and...
California Workers’ Comp Medical Dispute Resolution Letters Rose Last Year, Study Shows
Apr 22 2019 // After dipping for the first time ever in 2017, the number of workers’ comp medical dispute decision letters rose to an all-time high in 2018, according to a California Workers’ Compensation Institute study on...
Class Action Defense Costs Rising; Wave of Cyber Actions Predicted
Apr 22 2019 // The overall cost to large businesses of defending against class action lawsuits continues to rise even as the number of companies sued falls. This is happening because more companies being sued are facing multiple suits...
Fitch Keeps Stable Outlook for P/C Insurers After Underwriting Profit in 2018
Apr 22 2019 // After two consecutive years of combined ratios above 100, the U.S. property/casualty industry returned to a modest statutory underwriting profit in 2018 as catastrophe losses slowed, premium growth accelerated and several...
S&P Will Issue ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ Evaluations Including on Insurance Sector
Apr 18 2019 // If you’re among those who regard “environmental, social and governance” as just another in a long line of trendy buzz-phrases, then you may want to rethink. ESG standards, which companies use to highlight...
Oklahoma Bill Increasing Highway Speed Limits Signed by Governor
Apr 18 2019 // Gov. Kevin Stitt today signed a bill into law that will increase the speed limit on Oklahoma turnpikes from 75 to 80 miles per hour and on certain state highways from 70 to 75 miles per hour. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, is...
Catastrophe Insurer Palomar Announces IPO Pricing, Shares Rise 1st Day of Trading
Apr 17 2019 // La Jolla, Calif.-based Palomar Holdings Inc. this week announced the pricing of its initial public offering of its common stock at a price of $15 per share and in its first day of trading on Wednesday it had at one point...
Cyber Insurance Demand, Supply, Awareness Continue to Grow: Marsh
Apr 17 2019 // The message about the need to take cyber risk and insurance seriously is getting through to companies and boardrooms. “As risk awareness has grown, more organizations, particularly those focused on their business...
Future of Insurance Firms Owned by Indicted N.C. Campaign Donor Uncertain
Apr 16 2019 // Insurance companies owned by a big-money donor accused of trying to bribe North Carolina’s top insurance regulator for easy treatment are on the sales block and under review by at least one rating...
Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill
Apr 16 2019 // The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks...
Farmers Grow to Like Crop of Technologies Helping Them Manage Weather Risk
Apr 16 2019 // When surprise hailstorms hit the 6,000 acres Trevor Scherman plants each year with peas, wheat, canola and lentils, his first move isn’t to his truck to assess the damage. These days, it’s to his iPad. Nine...
California State Fund Reports Increase in Net Income in 2018
Apr 15 2019 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund reported an increase of net income and written premium in its just-released annual report for 2018. Financial highlights of the 2018 annual report include: Net income of...
Commercial Auto Forecast Improves, But Not Much: A.M. Best
Apr 15 2019 // A.M. Best maintains its negative outlook for the U.S. commercial auto insurance market even though its analysts believe it should improve somewhat in 2019. That forecast stems from commercial auto insurers having taken...
P/C Direct Premium Written Up 4% in 2018
Apr 15 2019 // Direct premium written (DPW) for property/casualty insurance companies continues to increase, albeit gradually. At year-end 2018, nearly $670 billion of DPW was reported, a record high for the industry. For 2018, total DPW...
Young Agents Survey: What Young Agents Want
Apr 15 2019 // Young agents don’t always feel supported by their elder peers. They say training is sometimes lacking for newbies in the agency world. They don’t see enough diversity in leadership. And they continue to say...
Insurance Industry Must Wake Up to Costs of ‘Secondary’ Catastrophe Perils: Swiss Re
Apr 12 2019 // The insurance industry must wake up to the growing cost of “secondary” catastrophe perils, which amounted to more than 60 percent of the $76 billion price tag for insured natural catastrophe losses during 2018,...
California Written Workers’ Comp Premium Down, Quarterly Report for Last Year Shows
Apr 11 2019 // California written premium for 2018 was 4 percent below 2017 and 6 percent below 2016 as recent declining premium rates have more than offset payroll growth, according to a report from the Workers’ Compensation...
North Carolina Survey: Many Coastal Homeowners Have No Plan to Mitigate Storm Damage
Apr 11 2019 // A majority of coastal homeowners have little to no intention of reducing their homes’ structural vulnerabilities, even though they live in areas frequently affected by damaging hurricanes and flooding and their homes...
161 Died in Work Zone Crashes in Texas in 2018 Despite Decrease in Incidents
Apr 10 2019 // In spite of a decrease in work zone crashes in Texas last year, 161 people still lost their lives and another 684 were seriously injured, with the vast majority of those killed — 84 percent — being motorists and/or...
Lloyd’s Cracks Down on Drinking Culture in Market
Apr 10 2019 // Lloyd’s continues to tighten up its workplace rules by restricting people from entering Lloyd’s premises who are drunk or under the influence of drugs. The new rule, which was included in a market bulletin...
