Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Affirms Swiss Re, Europe Affiliates ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jan 31 2014 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd, European...
N.Y. Regulator Talks About Insurance Markets, 2014 Agenda
Jan 30 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...
Senate Begins Amending Bill to Halt Flood Insurance Rate Increases
Jan 30 2014 // The Senate has begun adopting amendments to the bill (S.1926) that seeks to delay flood insurance premium increases called for under the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. The Senate bill would halt premium...
Securities Class Actions Up 9% in 2013 But Below Average
Jan 28 2014 // Plaintiffs filed 166 new federal securities class actions in 2013, a nine percent increase over 2012, however, the 2013 total is still 13 percent below the average from 1997 to 2012 despite being boosted by a second-half...
Case Before Ohio Court May Impact Future Coverage for Fracking Liability
Jan 27 2014 // The oil drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been blamed – rightly or wrongly – for various hazards ranging from earthquakes to water pollution. While the technique has generated a lot of...
Analysts Weigh In on Travelers Earnings, Commercial Lines Pricing Trends
Jan 27 2014 // The Travelers Cos.’ earnings, one of the first major insurance earnings to be reported each quarter, are often closely observed by industry participants as a bellwether for marketplace trends. And the company’s...
Small Increase in Nevada Workers’ Comp Loss Costs In 2014
Jan 27 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...
Part II – Reinsurance: Emerging Markets and Risks – the Road Ahead
Jan 27 2014 // As detailed in Part I, the reinsurance industry faces the task of partially reinventing itself to expand in those sectors where it can achieve growth. Property catastrophe coverage isn’t off the table, but it’s...
Case Before Ohio Court May Impact Future Coverage for Fracking Liability
Jan 27 2014 // The oil drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been blamed – rightly or wrongly – for various hazards ranging from earthquakes to water pollution. While the technique has generated a lot of...
Insurance Industry Trends for Agencies to Exploit in 2014
Jan 27 2014 // In order to be a step ahead of the competition it is best to be proactive. One can do this by understanding and exploiting current and future trends. It is easy to predict trends by understanding recurring cycles and...
P/C Direct Premium Written Up 4.1% Through 3Q 2013
Jan 27 2014 // Direct premium written (DPW) for property/casualty insurance companies continues to increase. At year-end 2012, more than $523 billion of DPW was reported, an all time high for the industry. For 2012, total DPW for all P/C...
Survey: Execs Expect Flood Insurance Delay, TRIA Renewal, Industry Consolidation
Jan 27 2014 // A survey conducted at the Insurance Information Institute’s Property/Casualty Insurance Joint Industry Forum in New York this month asked industry leaders for their outlook on 12 topics – ranging from the Terrorism...
Surplus Lines in 2013: A Stable Market with Moderate Growth
Jan 27 2014 // The Trend Is Expected to Continue 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...
More Couples Saying ‘I Do’ to Insurance As Wedding Costs Rise
Jan 23 2014 // With the cost of the average American wedding reaching about $26,000, insurers have been selling a growing number of policies to protect against losses from extreme weather, illness and, in one firm’s case, even a...
Industry Groups Applaud N.Y. Gov.’s Initiative to Crack Down on Auto Fraud
Jan 22 2014 // Insurance associations are applauding New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal for a multi-pronged approach to combating auto insurance fraud. The initiative was outlined in the 2014–2015 executive budget proposal...
Bloss & Dillard Acquires Agents Insurance Markets in Virginia
Jan 13 2014 // Huntington, West Virginia-based managing general agent Bloss & Dillard Inc. announced it has acquired and now operates Agents Insurance Markets Inc., a managing general agent in Richmond, Virginia. The new acquisition...
Insurance M&A Trends That May Lead to ‘Perfect Storm’ in 2014
Jan 9 2014 // Encouraged by a vigorous period of insurance M&A activity in the second half of 2012, many in the industry had high expectations of robustness in 2013. It’s clear now that 2013 M&A activity did not reach the...
Top 3 Trends for P/C Insurers: Deloitte
Jan 9 2014 // Property/casualty insurers should be thinking about transforming how they do business and how they can better deploy technology if they want to pursue long-term growth, according to the Deloitte Center for Financial...
Tennessee Traffic Deaths Decreased in 2013
Jan 7 2014 // Preliminary figures from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security show the state had 988 traffic fatalities in 2013. That’s only the fourth time in 50 years the number has dipped under 1,000. The 2013...
Long Island, N.Y., Residents Asked to Take Disaster Survey
Jan 2 2014 // A Long Island, N.Y., politician is asking residents to take an online survey to help officials update their plans for dealing with storms and other natural disasters. Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone sent a request...
