Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Survey: Young Drivers Know Risks But Text Anyway
May 21 2012 // Most young American drivers agree that it is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows. While eight in 10 said they knew of the risks, about 29 percent...
Staying Positive: Premium Growth Levels Not Seen Since 2006
May 21 2012 // Property/Casualty Direct Premium Growth – Year-End 2011 Versus Year-End 2010 Despite the economic uncertainties, for the year ending Dec. 31, 2011, property/casualty insurance companies in total increased direct...
Survey: Agencies Seek Carrier Help to Expand Into New Niches
May 21 2012 // The challenges of today’s economy appear to be driving some independent agents into new niche insurance markets and product lines. Almost 60 percent of independent agents say they have begun to or plan to expand into...
Jones: Low Cost Auto Insurance Decrease Up To 9% Across California
May 16 2012 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced that beginning May 15 the cost of an annual premium for the California Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program has decreased up to 9 percent across California’s 58...
Massachusetts Drivers See Insurance Rates Rise
May 16 2012 // Massachusetts drivers are starting to see higher auto insurance rates, four years after they tumbled when the state opened the market to more competition. Many of the state’s largest auto insurers have raised rates...
Home Insurance Rates Rose 19% Nationwide in 2011: Report
May 16 2012 // Homeowners insurance premiums went up 19 percent on average nationwide, according to a report from an online insurance provider. Homeinsurance.com said the typical premium for a new policy in December 2011 was $810...
Louisiana-Based Amerisafe Sees Premium Growth in Q1 2012
May 11 2012 // Amerisafe Inc., a specialty provider of hazardous workers’ compensation insurance headquartered in DeRidder, La., saw a 19 percent growth in premium written during the first quarter ended March 31, 2012, compared...
Catlin Group Records 12% Increase in Gross Premiums in Q1 2012
May 11 2012 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited’s interim management statement for the first quarter of 2012 highlighted a 12 percent increase in gross premiums written to $1.642 billion for the period, compared to $1.465...
Louisiana Commissioner: Property Insurance Market Has Recovered
May 10 2012 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon told an Alexandria civil club that the state’s property insurance market is “more competitive than ever.” The Town Talk reports Donelon spoke on May 8 to the...
Allianz Preliminary Q1 2012 Figures Forecast $1.8 Billion Profit
May 10 2012 // German insurance giant Allianz SE has released preliminary figures for the first quarter of 2012, which indicate that total revenues will be over €30 billion [$38.80 billion] slightly above the €29.9 billion [$38.45...
Future Vision: Will Driving Become Too Safe to Insure?
May 8 2012 // What would happen to the auto insurance industry if automobile safety improves to the point that vehicle collisions become relics of the past? That’s the question explored by global consulting and research firm,...
Duplicate Regulation Drives Up Commercial Premiums, Says Iowa Researcher
May 8 2012 // Buyers of commercial liability insurance pay as much as 31 percent more in insurer compliance costs if their insurance company has to comply with regulations from multiple states instead of just a single regulator,...
Young Drivers Know Risks But Text Anyway: Survey
May 8 2012 // Most young American drivers agree that it is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows. While eight in 10 said they knew of the risks, about 29 percent...
Travelers Reports $806M Q1 Income; Renewal Rates Are Up
May 7 2012 // The Travelers Companies Inc. reported $806 million in net profit for the 2012 first quarter. The first-quarter profit was down 4 percent when compared to one year ago, but the result during the year-ago period was boosted...
AIG Revises Up 2010-2011 Income by $5.1B
May 7 2012 // American International Group Inc. said last month it revised up net income from 2010 and 2011 by a combined $5.096 billion after adopting an updated industry accounting standard from the Financial Accounting Standards...
Insurance Jobs Outlook: Getting Better, Region by Region
May 7 2012 // The property/casualty insurance jobs outlook is slowly, gradually getting better – or at least not getting worse. A growing number of insurance businesses are hiring more workers this year. Meanwhile, many others are...
15 Trends in P/C Insurance Employment
May 7 2012 // The current P/C insurance employment picture, much like the economic outlook, is mixed. Employers remain cautious about adding to payroll, but there are opportunities depending on the region of the country and job type....
In East Region, Insurance Sector Hiring Is ‘Slightly Elevated’ in 2012
May 7 2012 // The insurance employment market in the East and Northeast regions — as in most other parts of the country — can be summed up the following way: hiring is “slightly elevated” compared to last year, but there...
Best Affirms, Upgrades SCOR’s No. American Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable
May 4 2012 // Following its rating actions on the parent company, France’s SCOR SE, A.M. Best has upgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR)...
