Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Top 25 Workers’ Compensation Insurers Show 34% Increase in Premium Growth
Sep 6 2010 // Results Based on Premium Growth June 30, 2010, Versus June 30, 2009 Approximately one year ago, I discussed the premium growth reported by insurers with the top 25 gains in workers’ compensation insurance premium...
Dog Bite Claims Top $400 Million in 2009; Rise 30% in Last 6 Years
Sep 6 2010 // Dog bite claims cost the insurance industry $412 million in 2009, an increase of 6.4 percent from 2008. Dog bites account for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims paid out in 2009, says the...
P/C Industry Shows Slight Premium Growth in Q2, But No Gain in Profits
Sep 6 2010 // The U.S. property/casualty industry experienced modest growth in premiums written but overall the industry saw deterioration in underwriting profitability in second-quarter 2010, fueled by trends among personal lines...
Fee Schedule Slowed Growth of Illinois Injured Workers’ Medical Costs
Sep 3 2010 // Medical costs per workers’ compensation claim in Illinois showed slower growth in 2007 following implementation of the medical fee schedule in 2006, according to a study from the Workers Compensation Research...
Pennsylvania Ponders Increased Auto Liability Limits
Sep 3 2010 // A new bill introduced to the Pennsylvania senate would double the minimum liability amounts of auto insurance policies in the state. Current laws set minimum liability limits for bodily injury at $15,000 per person, and...
Florida Workers’ Comp Reform Slowed Cost Growth
Sep 3 2010 // Reform of Florida’s workers’ compensation fee schedule in 2003 achieved its intended results, significantly increasing the prices paid for physician services and reducing the average payment per service for...
U.S. P/C Reinsurers’ Premiums Decrease $12.8B in First Half of 2010
Sep 1 2010 // A group of 19 U.S.-based property/casualty reinsurers wrote $12.3 billion of net premiums during the six-months ended June 30, 2010, a decrease from the $12.8 billion net premiums written in the first six months of...
A Stronger Property Insurance Market in Louisiana Post-Katrina
Sep 1 2010 // Despite the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the state’s insurance market is stronger now and that the “outlook for continued market recovery is...
Study: Compound Drugs, Co-Packs Increase Calif. Workers’ Comp Costs
Aug 31 2010 // The use of compound drugs, medical foods, and so-called convenience packs that combine prescription drugs and medical foods, increased dramatically in the second quarter of 2007 — driving up costs in the...
S&P Affirms Markel’s ‘BBB’ Ratings; Outlook Negative
Aug 26 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘BBB’ unsolicited counterparty credit rating on Markel Corp. However, S&P said the “outlook on Markel remains negative.” Credit...
Fitch: Profits Decline for Most U.S. P/C Insurers in First-Half of 2010
Aug 26 2010 // First-half 2010 operating profits declined for most publicly traded property/casualty insurance companies that Fitch Rating follows, according to a new report. However, the $16.2 billion of aggregate net earnings reported...
Best Affirms Allied World, Operating Affiliates ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Aug 25 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Bermuda-based Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd. and its operating...
Kentucky’s WC Loss Costs Down for Fifth Time
Aug 24 2010 // An annual filing most insurance carriers will use to develop rates for workers’ compensation coverage in Kentucky shows the fifth consecutive overall decrease in loss costs, Department of Insurance Commissioner...
Florida Insurance Department to Survey on Sinkholes
Aug 23 2010 // Starting this month, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is going to begin surveying Florida property insurers about their experience with sinkhole claims, in an effort to get to the bottom of the simmering...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Seeks 5% Rate Increase
Aug 20 2010 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has filed for 5 percent increases in both its residential and commercial rates, effective Jan. 1, 2011. The state’s insurer of last resort provides wind and hail coverage in...
Workplace Fatalities Decline in 2009 Over 2008
Aug 20 2010 // Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries show a decline in workplace fatalities in 2009 compared with 2008. Last year, 4,340 workers died from...
Calif. Workers’ Comp Insurance Rating Bureau Wants 30% Rate Increase
Aug 20 2010 // As expected, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California has submitted a pure premium rate filing to the California Insurance Commissioner recommending among other things a 29.6 percent increase...
P/C Industry Shows Slight Premium Growth in Q2, But No Gain in Profits
Aug 19 2010 // The U.S. property and casualty industry experienced modest growth in premiums written but overall the industry saw deterioration in underwriting profitability in second-quarter 2010, fueled by trends among personal lines...
ICC Survey Concludes Economy is Rebounding ‘at a Slower Pace’
Aug 18 2010 // The world economy continued its rebound from the worst recession in decades, according to the quarterly ICC/Ifo World Economic Survey released today, but at a slower pace. The survey concluded that “some regions,...
Survey: Health Reform Leading to Changes for Large Employers
Aug 18 2010 // Many of the biggest U.S. companies are removing spending limits from their employees’ health plans and taking other steps to comply with the new healthcare law, according to a report released on Wednesday. Most of...
