Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ironshore Increases Capacity to $25 Million for Energy Risks
Mar 25 2014 // Ironshore Energy Property has increased capacity to $25 million for energy risks throughout its global platform. This increase in capacity is available across all classes within the energy sector, including refineries,...
Best Affirms Markel and Affiliates Ratings; Outlooks Stable
Mar 25 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of the members of the Markel North America Insurance Group, as well as the FSR...
Future Tsunamis Planned for by Handful of California Harbors
Mar 24 2014 // Five California harbors are preparing for future tsunamis under a new state project that arms them with maps that identify potential problem areas. Officials with the California Geological Survey said Friday the...
Report: Majority of Wisconsin Businesses Plan on Investments in 2014
Mar 24 2014 // A recently released BMO Harris Bank study found that the majority of business owners/executives in Wisconsin plan on investing in their business in 2014. Upgrading or purchasing new equipment, along with adding to their...
Survey: Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System?
Mar 21 2014 // For the second year in row, salaries and total compensation rose in independent insurance agencies across the nation. That’s according to Insurance Journal’s annual Agency Salary Survey 2014. This year all...
Best Revises Outlook on Chubb and Subs ICR Ratings to Positive; Affirms FSR
Mar 21 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook of the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and the ICRs of “aa+”of the...
Best Affirms Arch Capital and Subs ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Mar 21 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Bermuda-based Arch Reinsurance Ltd. and its strategic affiliates. Best...
Scientists Report Solar Blasts Narrowly Missed Earth in 2012
Mar 20 2014 // Fierce solar blasts that could have badly damaged electrical grids and disabled satellites in space narrowly missed Earth in 2012, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. The bursts would have wreaked havoc on the...
MAPFRE Details Future Plans – U.S. Expansion, Increased Operating Revenue
Mar 17 2014 // Spanish insurance group MAPFRE’s Chairman and CEO, Antonio Huertas, referred to the strategic objectives for the next three years, as he announced the highlights at its Annual General Meeting. The group forecast...
Report: Majority of Wisconsin Businesses Plan on Investments in 2014
Mar 14 2014 // A recently released BMO Harris Bank study found that the majority of business owners/executives in Wisconsin plan on investing in their business in 2014. Upgrading or purchasing new equipment, along with adding to their...
Alternative Capital Softening P&C Reinsurance Market: Towers Watson CFO Survey
Mar 12 2014 // A new survey from Towers Watson confirms that “over half (55 percent) of property & casualty (P&C) insurance chief financial officers (CFOs) believe the property reinsurance market is softer than the primary...
Competition Softens Rate Hikes for Architects, Engineers in 2014: Survey
Mar 12 2014 // Although most insurers providing professional liability insurance for architects and engineers sought to raise rates last year, the size of the increases generally failed to meet their expectations. Nevertheless, nearly...
Best Finds Gulf Growth Outpacing Developed and Other Emerging Markets
Mar 11 2014 // A new report from A.M. Best concludes that “growth rates in the insurance markets of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remain higher than those of developed markets and have kept pace with those of some key...
Rise in Auto Injury Medical Costs Tops Inflation While Severity Declines
Mar 10 2014 // Medical expenses reported by auto injury claimants continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation, in spite of the fact that the severity of the injuries themselves remains on a downward trend. A new study by the...
FEMA to Delay Some Flood Insurance Premium Increases
Mar 10 2014 // Some flood insurance premiums required under a 2012 law now won’t be raised until the fall of 2015 at the earliest. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says delays passed by Congress will put off higher premiums...
Report Projects L.A.’s Vulnerability to Future Sea Level Rise
Mar 10 2014 // Los Angelenos may expect to experience sea level rise of as much as two feet by 2050 due to climate change, according to current projections. A team from USC partnered with Los Angeles to gauge the impact of the rising...
Study Says N.Y. ‘Scaffold Law’ Drives Up Building Costs, Causes Injuries
Mar 10 2014 // A new study published in February is challenging the claim that New York’s Labor Law 240, also known as the “Scaffold Law,” improves workplace safety. The study argues New York incurs additional workplace...
4-State PIA Survey Shows Prices Rising, But at Slower Pace
Mar 10 2014 // In January 2014, the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) affiliates in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York conducted their second-annual Market Trends Survey and found that the heralded hard market may not...
The Future of Drones in the Insurance Industry
Mar 7 2014 // After a catastrophe hits, mobile units filled with adjusters are on site to evaluate property damage. Flash forward five years and an insured may never meet the property adjuster handling his or her claim. Instead, a drone...
National Weather Service Warns Accuracy of Forecasts in Danger Over Damaged Buoys
Mar 7 2014 // The National Weather Service is set to start repairing 70 towering buoys used to track El Nino and La Nina patterns, whose damage has led scientists to warn the accuracy of forecasts is in danger. The Tropical Atmospheric...
