Latest Trends Headlines

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

Amerisafe Ratings Affirmed, Positive Outlook Maintained

Apr 30 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of DeRidder, La.-based Amerisafe Insurance Group (Amerisafe) and its members. Amerisafe...

State Auto Income Up for Q1 2010

Apr 29 2010 // State Auto Financial Corp.(STFC), based in Columbus, Ohio, has reported first quarter 2010 net income of $12.9 million versus a net loss of $14 million. The company’s combined ratio for the first quarter of 2010 was...

Aon Report Concludes Aerospace Insurance Costs Continue to Decrease

Apr 27 2010 // Accoring to Aon’s Aerospace Insurance Markets Outlook 2010 report, “the price of insurance for the aerospace industry looks set to continue to decline in 2010, for the fourth year in a row. After 2009’s...

Windstorm Claims Adding Up in Texas After Weekend Storms

Apr 27 2010 // Violent thunderstorms packing winds up to 90 miles per hour struck a six-county area southeast of Dallas early on April 24 causing thousands of windstorm claims, the Insurance Council of Texas reports. One fatality...

Survey: More U.S. Businesses Anticipate Payroll Growth

Apr 26 2010 // More U.S. companies, including those in the insurance industry, plan to increase their work force over the next six months, a survey showed on Monday. The National Association for Business Economics said its industry...

United Fire & Casualty Earned Premiums Down in Q1, Net Income Up

Apr 26 2010 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based insurance company United Fire & Casualty Co. reported a dip in premiums earned in the first quarter of 2010 compared with that in the same period in 2009, but total revenues and net income...

Survey Shows Vermont Companies Safer than Peers

Apr 23 2010 // Vermont’s Department of Labor says companies enrolled in a state voluntary worker safety program have fewer reports of job-site injuries and illnesses than the national average. The Burlington Free Press reports two...

Zenith Affected by Declining Premium, Lower Investment Income

Apr 22 2010 // Zenith National Insurance Corp. based in Woodland Hils, Calif., has reported a net loss for the first quarter 2010 of $0.8 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to net income for the first quarter 2009 of $2.6 million, or...

Flights Pick Up in Europe As Ash Risk Is Lowered

Apr 21 2010 // European airports started to return to life on Tuesday after five days cut off from the rest of the world by a volcanic ash cloud, but some countries were more cautious after reports a new cloud might be on its way. The...

Saudi Arabia Insurance Sector Poised for Growth

Apr 20 2010 // Saudi Arabia’s insurance industry is poised for growth in the coming years if customers overcome misgivings about compliance with Islamic law and companies consolidate to gain critical mass. The world’s top oil...

State Farm Sues TDI; Files to Increase Homeowners Rates in Louisiana

Apr 19 2010 // State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Insurance after the state agency took the unprecedented move of publicizing on its Web site recent rate hike proposals by the...

Sweethearts in Crime: Rise in Married Couples in Securities Fraud

Apr 16 2010 // Jeffery Stone and his wife Janette Diller Stone, one-time operators of a now-defunct New York investment firm called Crescent Fund, are not on any government most wanted list. And they aren’t exactly hiding, either....

Oregon Medical Malpractice Rates Decline

Apr 16 2010 // For the fourth year in a row, most physicians and surgeons in Oregon will see a decline or no change in medical professional liability insurance rates, according to rate changes reviewd by the state Department of Consumer...

P/C Industry’s Net Income Up $25B in 2009; Combined Ratio Improves

Apr 15 2010 // The U.S. property/casualty industry’s profitability as measured by their rate of return on average policyholders’ surplus (or statutory net worth) increased by 5.8 percent in 2009, while private P/C...

Colorado House Bill Aims To Increase Insurance Fraud Fighting Fund

Apr 12 2010 // The Colorado House has passed a bill to increase funding to help fight insurance fund by surcharging insurance companies. Insurers currently are charged $425 annually, and House Bill 1385 that amount to $561. Revenue from...

North Dakota Workers’ Comp Agency Proposes 3% Rate Increase

Apr 9 2010 // North Dakota’s workers compensation agency is proposing a 3.3 percent average increase in its rates, starting in July. Agency director Bryan Klipfel says most of the increase is because of North Dakota’s rising...

Earnings Pressure Encouraging Corporate Fraud in India: Survey

Apr 6 2010 // The incidence of corporate fraud, particularly financial statement fraud, is rising in India, largely due to pressure to meet earnings targets and weak internal control systems, a survey by consultancy KPMG showed. More...

How P/C Agents Can Increase Sales through Employee Benefits

Apr 5 2010 // Broaden Your Agency’s Reach Through Education and Marketing In today’s still challenging economic environment, employees are increasingly looking at employee benefits as a way to strengthen their personal...

S&P Affirms AIG’s Ratings; Outlook Still Negative

Apr 2 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A-/A-1’ counterparty credit ratings on American International Group Inc, as well as its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength...

Survey: Midwest Economy Shows Modest Growth Trends

Apr 2 2010 // Business conditions in the Midwest are generally on an upward swing, according to a survey of supply managers and business leaders in the region. The Creighton Economic Forecasting Group, directed by Creighton University...