Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Over Decade, Crash Deaths Among Children Have Dropped 43%
Feb 14 2014 // Children are dying less often in traffic accidents: Over a decade, the number who died in crashes dropped by 43 percent, according to a new government report. Health officials say the increased use of car seats and booster...
ID Theft Complaints Up in Illinois, AG Says
Feb 13 2014 // The Illinois Attorney General’s office says the number of identity theft complaints received by her office climbed 18 percent last year. Lisa Madigan says her office received about 3,000 complaints in 2013, up from...
Australia Sees Increased Risks from El Nino Weather Pattern
Feb 11 2014 // Australian climate models indicate an increased chance of an El Nino weather pattern emerging later this year, the country’s weather bureau said on Tuesday, raising the risk of drought and floods in some parts of the...
Scottsdale’s Miller: E&S Market Stable with Moderate Growth in 2013
Feb 10 2014 // The excess and surplus lines insurance industry was in a good place last year, characterized by a stable market and moderate growth, according to one executive who is bullish on the sector. “I think the E&S...
P/C Insurers’ Net Income Up 60%, Combined Ratio at 97.6 for 2013: A.M. Best
Feb 10 2014 // A relatively quiet year for catastrophes helped the U.S. property/casualty industry achieved an underwriting profit for the first time in four years, according to A.M. Best. The industry managed its way to a nearly 60...
Catlin Group Increases Net Income to $392 Million in 2013
Feb 10 2014 // The Bermuda-based, London headquartered, Catlin Group announced very good financial results for the year ended December 31, 2013, with a 27 percent increase in profit before tax to $432 million, compared to $339 million in...
Small Increase in Nevada Workers’ Comp Loss Costs in 2014
Feb 10 2014 // Many Nevada employers will see a small increase in the premiums they pay for workers’ compensation insurance this year. The average premium increase in the voluntary market will be about 3.2 percent. Nevada employers...
Private, Nonprofit D&O: Gallagher’s Norton on Claims, Coverage Expansion and Outlook
Feb 10 2014 // Much has changed in the insurance industry throughout the past 20 years. What hasn’t changed so much is the type of claim to strike the private company and nonprofit directors and officers (D&O) sector. What has...
Securities Class Actions Up 9% in 2013, But Below Average
Feb 10 2014 // Plaintiffs filed 166 new federal securities class actions in 2013, a 9 percent increase over 2012. However, the 2013 total is 13 percent below the average from 1997 to 2012, despite a second-half surge. The slump in...
N.Y. Regulator Talks About Insurance Markets, 2014 Agenda
Feb 10 2014 // A top official from New York State’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently spoke about the state’s property/casualty insurance markets, calling it overall very good but “a bit more of a mixed...
N.H. Gov.: Businesses Need Relief From Rising Workers’ Comp Costs
Feb 8 2014 // New Hampshire’s businesses need relief from rising workers’ compensation costs and more access to capital investment partners. That’s the message from New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan who urged lawmakers...
Commercial Insurance Markets Looking Favorable for Buyers in 2014: Marsh
Feb 7 2014 // The ample capacity and competition that helped temper firming of U.S. commercial insurance rates in 2013 is expected to continue into 2014, unless catastrophe losses turn out higher than expected, according to a report by...
Hannover Re Confirms 2014 Profit Forecast despite Decreased Revenues
Feb 7 2014 // Hannover Re, the world’s third- biggest reinsurer, confirmed its profit target for this year even as the prices it charges customers for coverage fell. “Although the rate level in non-life reinsurance was...
SCOR’s GWP up 8% in 2013; 5% for January 1 Renewals
Feb 7 2014 // France’s SCOR Group confirmed that the reinsurer “booked 8 percent gross written premium growth (at constant exchange rates) for the full year 2013, to €4.85 billion [$6.58 billion]. SCOR Global P&C also...
Allstate Sees No Need for Big Homeowners Rate Increases
Feb 6 2014 // Allstate Corp. aims to grow its share of the U.S. home and auto insurance markets without the need for “abnormally large” rate increases, its CEO said, after the company’s profit more than doubled in the...
European Banks have $3.4 Trillion of Exposures to Emerging Markets
Feb 5 2014 // European banks have loaned in excess of $3 trillion to emerging markets, more than four times U.S. lenders and putting them at greater risk if financial market turmoil in countries such as Turkey, Brazil, India and South...
Hartford Catastrophe Costs Fall, 4Q Profit Rises to $314M
Feb 4 2014 // Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., now focusing on property/casualty coverage, posted a profit in the fourth quarter as catastrophe costs fell. Net income was $314 million, or 65 cents a share, compared with a loss of...
Rate of School Shootings in U.S. Unchanged Amid Increased Security
Feb 3 2014 // There’s been no real reduction in the number of U.S. school shootings despite increased security put in place after the rampage at a Connecticut elementary school in December 2012 left 20 children and six educators...
Best Affirms Mercury General and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Feb 3 2014 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of the insurance entities within the Mercury Casualty Group Best also...
Best Affirms Allstate Group and Subs ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Feb 3 2014 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of the members of Allstate Insurance Group (Allstate). Best also affirmed...
