Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Survey: Agents Suggest How Carriers Can Move from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’
Jun 23 2017 // One would expect to see high levels of satisfaction between an independent agency and its top carrier, but that isn’t always the case. Peeling back the layers usually reveals fertile ground for improvement and shows...
Cyber Insurance Premium Volume Grew 35% to $1.3 Billion in 2016
Jun 23 2017 // Property/casualty insurers wrote $1.35 billion in direct written premium for cyber insurance in 2016, a 35 percent jump from 2015, according to reports by Fitch Ratings and A.M. Best. The largest cyber insurance writers...
Drone Delivery Fleets Counting on Hyperlocal Weather Forecasts
Jun 22 2017 // Imagine a weather report so precise it provides wind-gust forecasts for individual city blocks. Such micro-weather data may soon become a reality—and a necessity for future fleets of delivery drones. As Amazon.com Inc.,...
QBE Warns Emerging Markets’ Division Hit by Higher Claims
Jun 21 2017 // Sydney-based QBE announced that its Emerging Markets’ division has experienced “significantly higher than expected claims activity during the first five months of the year.” As a result, this division is...
Ed Taps Execs from Willis Towers Watson & BMS to Grow Professional & Executive Risk Team
Jun 21 2017 // Ed, the London-based reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker, announced the expansion of its professional and executive risks offering with five appointments. The team, led by Paul Richards, managing director,...
Florida’s Citizens Approves Policy Changes, 5.3% Statewide Rate Increase for 2018
Jun 21 2017 // Homeowners in South Florida, as well as in many other parts of the state, should expect additional rate increases next year from the state-run insurer of last resort. Citizens Board of Governors approved recommended rates...
California Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2018 to Increase
Jun 20 2017 // California’s 2018 minimum and maximum temporary total disability rates will increase on Jan. 1, 2018, the state’s Division of Workers’ Compensation announced on Tuesday. The minimum TTD rate will increase...
Medical Professional Insurance Market in Good Health for Now: A.M. Best
Jun 19 2017 // The U.S. medical professional liability (MPL) insurance sector is stable, with strong capitalization and profitable, albeit declining, operating performance, plus the prospect of positive earnings in the medium term,...
Minding Your Business: Agency of the Future
Jun 19 2017 // Yogi Berra once said: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Ignoring that wisdom, what will the insurance agency business model look like in 10 years or 20 years? Right now there...
Survey of Agents Reveals Underwriting Disconnect in Commercial Lines
Jun 19 2017 // Independent agents want to talk about underwriting, and they’re urging their carriers to listen. Preliminary results from the 2017 Channel Harvest Research survey indicate agents want to see companies put greater...
Research Finds New Hampshire Seacoast Roads Under Rising Sea Level Threat
Jun 19 2017 // Research out of the University of New Hampshire has found that some roads, as far as two miles from the shore, are facing a new hazard that currently cannot be seen by drivers – rising groundwater caused by...
New Chicago Program Aims to Reduce Car Crashes by 2026
Jun 15 2017 // Chicago officials are launching a new program to help reduce roadway crashes by 2026. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office announced the program this week. Officials say it’ll approach traffic safety as a public health...
Report: California Wage Increase Will Require Hike in 2018 Comp Benefits
Jun 14 2017 // California’s State Average Weekly Wage rose more than 3.6 percent to $1,206.92 in the year ending March 31, which the California Workers’ Compensation Institute said will boost temporary total disability and...
Issuer Credit Rating Outlook for Wisconsin County Mutual Group Downgraded
Jun 14 2017 // A.M. Best says it has revised the outlook to negative from stable for the long-term issuer credit ratings (Long-Term ICR) and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the long-term ICRs of...
Protectionism, Cloud Accumulation, Water Stress Among 20 Emerging Risks Facing Insurance Industry: Swiss Re
Jun 13 2017 // Reduced market access, regulatory fragmentation, the return of inflation and cloud risk accumulation pose the largest challenges with the highest downside risk potential in the short term, according to experts at Swiss...
Miami Neighborhood Considers Relocating Homes Amid Sea Rise Concerns
Jun 13 2017 // A mainland Miami neighborhood prone to regular flooding from high tides and storms could be relocated amid preparations for rising seas under one scenario being studied by local officials. Government officials in South...
Cape Town Hit by Worst Storm in 30 Years, Threatening Insurers’ Outlook
Jun 8 2017 // South Africa’s property and casualty insurers face an even tougher year than expected after Cape Town experienced its worst storm in 30 years and dozens of fires engulfed the region around the town of Knysna this...
S&P Revises AIG Outlook to Negative Citing Commercial Lines Challenges
Jun 7 2017 // Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has revised its rating outlook to negative from stable for American International Group (AIG). The move came despite AIG recently hiring a new CEO, Brian Duperreault. At the same...
Cyber Liability Sales Show More Growth, Price Stability: Report
Jun 5 2017 // Businesses are buying more cyber insurance and prices for the coverage are stabilizing, according to the latest survey by The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers. According to the survey of about 100 commercial lines...
Research Finds New Hampshire Seacoast Roads Under Rising Sea Level Threat
Jun 2 2017 // Research out of the University of New Hampshire has found that some roads, as far as two miles from the shore, are facing a new hazard that currently cannot be seen by drivers – rising groundwater caused by...
