Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
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...
