Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
A.M. Best: Outlook Stable for Louisiana’s Stonetrust Commercial Insurance
Feb 6 2015 // A.M. Besthas removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” of Stonetrust Commercial Insurance...
El Nino Forecasts Flop as Puzzled Scientists Search for Answers
Feb 6 2015 // When it comes to El Nino, 2014-15 may be the years that launched a thousand academic papers. Since last March, forecasters have said an El Nino was on the way. The only trouble is, it hasn’t arrived. Call it the...
Beazley Bets on U.S. Unit to Offset Declining Rates at Lloyd’s Business
Feb 6 2015 // Beazley plc is targeting 5 percent growth for 2015 as the insurer looks to its U.S. unit to help offset falling prices for coverage at its Lloyd’s of London business. Beazley, the first of its peers to report...
Louisiana Roadway Deaths Down 29% Between 2007 and 2013
Feb 5 2015 // The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says traffic fatalities dropped by 29 percent between 2007 and 2013. Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, the commission’s executive director, said the state had 993 traffic fatalities in...
Report: Tennessee DUI Arrests up in 2014
Feb 4 2015 // A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report says there were more Tennessee residents charged with driving under the influence in 2014 than 2013. The report, which must be submitted to lawmakers, says law enforcement...
Fraud Adds Up to 17% to Auto Insurance Injury Claims: IRC
Feb 4 2015 // A new study estimates that fraud and claim “build-up” add between $5.6 billion and $7.7 billion in excess payments to auto injury claims paid in the United States. The excess payments represented between 13...
Though Rising, Ohio Home and Auto Insurance Rates Still Low
Feb 3 2015 // Combined, average homeowners and auto insurance premiums in Ohio are nearly $500 less than national averages, according to the state’s insurance department. Personal lines premiums in the state are among the lowest...
Top Vehicle Claims Trends from 2014
Jan 30 2015 // The top five states in which a person was most likely to file an auto claim last year were all on the East Coast. December had the lowest volume of all vehicle claims of any month. Those facts are just two of those mined...
Highway Deaths in Kentucky Increased in 2014
Jan 29 2015 // State officials say highway fatalities in Kentucky increased last year after a record low in 2013. The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety says preliminary figures show that 667 people died on Kentucky roadways last year, up...
Delaware OKs Decreases in WC Voluntary Loss Cost, Residual Market Rate
Jan 28 2015 // Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart today announced the approval of the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau’s (DCRB) workers’ compensation amended rate filing, resulting in overall average...
Traffic Fatalities Rose 16 Percent in Utah in 2014, Report Shows
Jan 26 2015 // The Utah Department of Transportation says 256 people died on roadways across the state in 2014, up 16 percent from 2013. It was Utah’s highest death toll since 2008, and it reversed a trend that saw fatalities drop...
Ballinger on Growth, Professionalism in Texas Surplus Lines Market
Jan 26 2015 // Phil Ballinger retired at the end of December 2014 as executive director of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT), a post he’s held for more than two decades. During his tenure at SLSOT, the organization...
Independent Agents See Carriers’ Online Sales As Major Threat: Accenture Survey
Jan 26 2015 // Independent insurance agents’ strengths in customer service and risk management could be challenged by changing consumer behaviors, new technologies and the evolving competitive landscape, according to a new report...
Willis Exec Warns on Increasing Urbanization Risks
Jan 22 2015 // One of the principal concerns for the movers and shakers meeting in Davos has been the increasing tendency of global populations to move from villages and farms to cities. With up to three-quarters of the global population...
Construction Insurance Trends to Watch in 2015
Jan 21 2015 // Bolstered by a resurgent economy and renewed optimism, the construction industry is showing signs of significant growth. Payrolls are increasing, more projects are coming online and the scope of work is increasing. Ample...
WCIRB: Continued Increase in California Claim Frequency
Jan 20 2015 // Workers’ compensation indemnity claim frequency in California has continued to rise unlike in most other states, according to the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau. The WCIRB recently...
Allianz Survey: Businesses Face New Challenges in Interconnected World
Jan 15 2015 // Business interruption (BI) and supply chain, natural catastrophes and fire/explosion are the major risks that occupy the attention of companies at the start of 2015, according to the fourth annual “Allianz Risk...
California Surplus Lines up Considerably in 2014, Report Shows
Jan 14 2015 // Premiums for California wholesalers rose considerably in 2014 from a year earlier, showing that segment of the industry outperformed the rest of the state’s economy, according to a report from the Surplus Lines...
Paris Terror Attacks Not Unexpected; Demand for Political Risk Cover Is Up
Jan 14 2015 // Terrorism, security and political risk experts from Willis provided some broad observations about last week’s terror attacks in Paris and how insurance buyers are responding. “The tragic events in Paris are a...
Texas Auto Injury, Fatality Crashes Rise Again in 2014
Jan 13 2015 // Contrary to a nationwide trend, Texas automobile crashes resulting in injuries and fatalities have risen for the past three years, the Insurance Council of Texas reports. Nationally, roadway crashes involving injuries and...
