Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner Hudgens to Step Down at End of Term In 2018
Jul 18 2017 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens will not seek re-election for a third term as Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Insurance. In a...
Devastating S. Europe Drought Scorches Crops; Farmers Question Their Future
Jul 17 2017 // Italian durum wheat and dairy farmer Attilio Tocchi saw warning signs during the winter of the dramatic drought to come at his holding a mile away from the Tuscan coast. “When it still hadn’t rained at the...
Insurance Underwriters See Risks, Opportunities in Speeding Up Infrastructure Projects
Jul 14 2017 // “We’re going to cut a lot of red tape,” President Trump said at a CEO town hall meeting as he unrolled a long, colorful flow chart showing the process required for a state government to obtain the federal...
New Study Reaffirms Virginia Flooding Predictions as Sea Levels Rise
Jul 14 2017 // A new study reaffirms predictions that parts of coastal Virginia will face chronic flooding if nothing is done about sea-level rise. The Union of Concerned Scientists said Wednesday that a city like Poquoson, Va., could...
It’s Not True that Marijuana Dispensaries Increase Crime, Say Researchers
Jul 13 2017 // A new study published in the July issue of the Journal of Urban Economics finds that contrary to popular belief, medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs) reduce crime in their immediate areas. In the study, “Going to...
Windstorm Egon’s Insurance Loss Estimate Rises to US$314.7M: PERILS
Jul 13 2017 // The estimated property insurance losses for Windstorm Egon, which hit France and Germany on Jan. 12-13, 2017, have been revised upwards to €275 million ($314.7 million) by PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company...
Brexit Deal Must Protect Insurance Sector’s Benefits to UK Economy: ABI
Jul 13 2017 // The insurance and long-term savings sector is one of the UK’s most productive industries, adding more than £40 billion (US$51.5 billion) a year to the economy and helping Britain thrive, according to a study...
Nonstandard Auto Insurance Market Continues on Downward Path: A.M. Best
Jul 13 2017 // Loss ratios and operating ratios for the U.S. private passenger nonstandard auto insurance market fell to their worst levels in a decade, according to a report from A.M. Best. The results for the population of insurers...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for New York’s Country-Wide
Jul 12 2017 // A.M. Best has revised its outlook to negative from stable for Country-Wide Insurance Company, a family-owned auto insurance company based in New York, N.Y. A.M. Best also affirmed Country-Wide’s Financial Strength...
Individual Health Insurance Market Stabilizing, Not Collapsing: Kaiser
Jul 12 2017 // Insurer financial data through the first quarter of 2017 suggest the individual health insurance market has been stabilizing and insurers in this market are regaining profitability, finds a new analysis from the Kaiser...
Carrier Poll Shows Many Agents Expect Minor Tech Disruption by 2020
Jul 11 2017 // A new poll conducted by a Seattle, Wash.-based carrier that asked independent insurance agents what’s ahead in 2020 showed that roughly half of agents expect technology disruption to have a minor impact on their...
Insurers Say Legal Malpractice Claims Hold Steady But Defense Costs Rise
Jul 11 2017 // Most leading legal malpractice insurers saw their claims level off in 2016 although their cost to defend claims continued to escalate. A study by insurance broker Ames & Gough finds that while the number of new...
Report: The Southeast’s Storm Surge Risk and Florida’s Hurricane Wake-Up Call
Jul 11 2017 // The Southeast has seen its fair share of natural disasters and flooding in the last several years, including two hurricanes in Florida last year – the first hurricanes to hit the state in more than a decade. But none of...
S&P Lowers Ratings of Allied World After Acquisition by Fairfax; Outlook Stable
Jul 10 2017 // S&P Global Ratings lowered its long-term counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings AG to ‘BBB-‘ from ‘BBB+’, following the completion of the...
Wisconsin’s Church Mutual: Outlook Upgraded; Sensor Technology Recognized
Jul 10 2017 // Merrill, Wis.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries CM Vantage Specialty Insurance Co. and CM Regent Insurance Co. have earned a “positive” outlook for long-term issuer credit rating by A.M....
Florida’s Citizens Requests Rate Increases, Policy Changes for 2018
Jul 10 2017 // Homeowners in South Florida, as well as in many other parts of the state, can expect another rate increase next year from the state-run insurer of last resort. Citizens Board of Governors approved recommended rates and...
5.4M U.S. Homes at Risk from Sea Level Rise, Report Using Census Data Shows
Jul 6 2017 // Nearly 10 million people living in 5.4 million homes have a high risk from rising sea levels and will be adversely impacted by climate change, according to a new report that takes data from U.S. Census tracts near the...
Global Premium Growth Slows in 2016 – with China as Exception: Swiss Re
Jul 6 2017 // Global insurance premiums increased by 3.1 percent in real terms during 2016, down from growth of 4.3 percent reported in 2015, according to Swiss Re Institute’s sigma study. The report described last year’s...
Texas Stamping Office: Surplus Lines Cyber Growth Keeps Up with Demand
Jun 29 2017 // In Texas and across the nation, the surplus lines insurance market is keeping up with the increase in demand for cyber liability protection, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). Surplus lines...
Increase in P/C Insurers’ Losses in 2017 Will Again Be Driven by Auto: S&P
Jun 29 2017 // Private auto net incurred losses will increase by nearly 7 percent in 2017 to a new record of approximately $154 billion, reflecting elevated volume and costs of claims, according to a new S&P Global market...
