Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Zurich Insurance Seeking to Increase Sales to Corporate Clients
Dec 23 2013 // Zurich Insurance Group AG, Switzerland’s biggest insurer, says a business unit selling insurance to corporate clients will become more important as the companies expand abroad. “Companies growing beyond their...
Best Affirms CNA Financial and Subs’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 20 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of the property/casualty subsidiaries of CNA Financial Corporation (CNAF),...
The Agency Manager-Employee Operations Gap and E&O Risk: Survey
Dec 19 2013 // Agency managers tend to have a rosier view of agency operations than their employees do, according to a survey that also suggests this gap could present errors and omissions (E&O) implications. The survey reveals that...
Questionable Insurance Claims on the Rise in Texas: Report
Dec 18 2013 // Questionable insurance claims rose by 38 percent in Texas from 2010 through 2012, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports. Questionable claims (QC) are those claims that NICB member insurance companies refer to...
NICB: Questionable Insurance Claims on the Rise in New York, New Jersey
Dec 18 2013 // New York State’s questionable claims rose 29 percent from 2010 to 2012, while New Jersey’s questionable claims were up 63 percent during the same period, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)....
NICB: Massachusetts Posts 57% Increase in Questionable Insurance Claims
Dec 17 2013 // Questionable claims in Massachusetts rose 57 percent from 2010 through 2012, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) 2010-2012 Massachusetts questionable claims referral reason...
AmTrust Financial Refutes Negative Report, Says Future Has ‘Never Been Brighter’
Dec 17 2013 // AmTrust Financial Services Inc. (AFSI), a New York-headquartered insurer whose stock price fell last week in wake of a negative report from research firm GeoInvesting, is assuring investors its business is strong. The...
Best Affirms W. R. Berkley Corp. and Subs ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 16 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of the Delaware-based Berkley Insurance Company (BIC) and 24 of its...
Health Care D&O Rates Rise Over Obamacare Antitrust Concerns: Marsh
Dec 16 2013 // Health care organizations paid significantly more for their directors and officers liability insurance in the third quarter of 2013 amid growing concerns over antitrust issues arising from implementation of the Affordable...
U.S. Insurance Broker Sector Outlook Positive for 2014: Fitch
Dec 16 2013 // Revenue and earnings growth for U.S. insurance brokers in 2014 is expected to improve modestly over 2013, according to a report by Fitch Ratings. Fitch, which issued a stable rating outlook and positive sector outlook for...
Broker Pleads Guilty in NYC Charity Theft, Faces Up to 25 Years in Prison
Dec 13 2013 // An insurance brokerage owner has admitted to helping a longtime Jewish community leader steal more than $7 million from a prominent New York City charity has pleaded guilty to charges The New York Times says Joseph Ross...
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts ‘Soft Insurance Rate Landing’
Dec 12 2013 // U.S. property/casualty insurers’ and brokers’ operating earnings are expected to modestly improve in 2014, and the overall insurance rate increases will “probably moderate into 2015,” said...
Commercial Lines Price Gains Slowing Down
Dec 12 2013 // Price gains are slowing down after commercial insurance prices increased for the 11th straight quarter, rising by 5 percent in aggregate during third-quarter 2013, according to Towers Watson. The professional services...
The Agency Producer Activity Gap and How to Close It: Survey
Dec 11 2013 // Agency producers are not spending enough of their time on the sales-related activities that they and their managers think they ideally should. Instead they are spending more time than they think they should on...
Study Forecasts Growth for Professional Indemnity Insurance in Europe
Dec 10 2013 // New research by market research consultancy London-based Finaccord forecasts that the market for professional indemnity insurance across ten European countries – namely, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,...
Commercial Lines Price Gains Slowing Down: Towers Watson
Dec 10 2013 // Even though commercial insurance prices increased for the 11th straight quarter—rising by 5 percent in aggregate during third-quarter 2013—price gains are slowing down, according to Towers Watson. According to The...
NCCI Proposes Increase for Workers’ Comp Loss Costs in Rhode Island
Dec 9 2013 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) recently delivered a workers’ compensation loss cost filing to the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation. Based upon its review of the most recently...
QBE Shares Drop Most in 12 Years on Unexpected U.S. Loss Forecast
Dec 9 2013 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd., Australia’s second-largest insurer by market value, plunged the most in 12 years after forecasting an unexpected loss due to write-downs at its North American operations. The company...
Some Flood Insurance Rates to Rise in Kansas’ Douglas County
Dec 6 2013 // Some property owners in Douglas County, Kansas, could soon pay more for federal insurance. The federal government’s decision to phase out subsidized insurance in special flood hazard areas will increase costs for 168...
U.S. Insurance Broker Sector Outlook Positive for 2014: Fitch
Dec 6 2013 // Revenue and earnings growth for U.S. insurance brokers in 2014 is expected to improve modestly over 2013, according to a report by Fitch Ratings. Fitch issued a stable rating outlook and positive sector outlook for the...
