Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Capital Capacity Softens January Renewal Rates up to 25%: Willis Re Report
Jan 2 2014 // According to Willis Re’s January 2014 Reinsurance Renewals Report, “a heady cocktail of converging factors has fuelled a soft buyers’ market in nearly all lines of business at the 1 January 2014...
Select Insurance Markets Adds Kendrick as Marketing Representative in Texas
Dec 31 2013 // Select Insurance Markets LP of Houston, Texas, has added Heather Kendrick as a marketing representative. Kendrick’s responsibility will include adding new agents, as well as field support for the existing group of...
Commissioner: Louisiana Workers’ Comp Insurance Rates to Decrease
Dec 31 2013 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced that rates for workers’ compensation insurance will decrease in Louisiana effective May 1, 2014. Commissioner Donelon recently approved a 5.1 percent decrease...
Reinsurance Rates Down by 11% for January Renewals: Guy Carpenter Survey
Dec 30 2013 // Guy Carpenter & Co. has reported that reinsurance rates-on-line fell at the January 1, 2014 renewal in nearly all classes and regions. The reinsurance broker’s global renewal report pointed to “strong...
Best Affirms Cincinnati Financial and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 24 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of The Cincinnati Insurance Company, The Cincinnati Indemnity Company and...
Cellphone Records Call Up Fraud Against Washington Woman
Dec 23 2013 // An investigation by Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s office has resulted in charges of theft and fraud against a Tacoma woman who attempted to collect insurance money for a car she claimed was stolen...
Best Affirms Tokio Millennium Re ‘A++’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 23 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating of “aa+” of Swiss-based Tokio Millennium Re AG (TMR), both with stable outlooks. Best explained...
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...
