Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Revises Outlook to Stable on Zurich Operating Companies
Apr 1 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised the outlooks on the various operating entities of Switzerland’s Zurich Financial Services (collectively ZFS) to stable from negative. ZFS...
FERMA Survey Polls Commercial Buyers for Feedback to Insurers
Apr 1 2010 // The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) announced that it is presently conducting, “a wide-ranging, risk management benchmarking survey,” aimed at compiling data to let insurers know...
State Farm Files to Increase Homeowners Rates in Louisiana
Mar 31 2010 // State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. has filed an average 9.9 percent rate increase request for homeowners coverage in Louisiana, according to the Associated Press. State Farm is Louisiana’s largest home insurer with...
Last Chance to Join IJ’s 2010 Agency Salary Survey
Mar 30 2010 // Insurance Journal is calling on all insurance agents and brokers nationwide to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. It’s the last chance for agents and brokers to participate in the 2010...
Terrorism Insurance Market in State of Uncertainty
Mar 30 2010 // The threat of terrorism in the U.S. is rising but the future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) is in question. At a time when top U.S. officials warn of an imminent attack that might be hard to prevent, the...
Best Affirms Hartford’s ICR – Outlook Negative; Other Ratings Affirmed
Mar 29 2010 // A.M. Best Co. affirmed the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb+” of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. with a negative outlook. The rating agency also affirmed the FSRs of ‘A’ (Excellent)...
Nurse Practitioner Liability Claims Costs Rising 2.3% a Year: CNA HealthPro
Mar 29 2010 // The average indemnity and expense payments in nurse practitioner liability claims have increased at a rate of 2.3 percent per year over the past 10 years, according to an insurer’s review of...
Study: Road Woes Cost North Carolina Drivers $1,350 a Year
Mar 26 2010 // North Carolina’s big-city motorists are losing nearly on average the cost of a tank of gas every week to pay for their troubles from pot holes, longer waits in traffic and perilous roads. A national transportation...
Zurich Targets Emerging Public Companies With Management Liability
Mar 26 2010 // Zurich’s Specialties’ Management Solutions Group has created a new practice aimed at offering management liability insurance to public emerging growth companies with revenues under $500 million. The new...
Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System? Find Out … Join IJ’s Survey
Mar 23 2010 // Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its annual search to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. Don’t miss out on your chance to participate. The 2010...
Survey: Michigan Firms Plan to Hike Wages Over Next 6 Months
Mar 22 2010 // While a growing number of Michigan’s small- to mid-size businesses are not satisfied with the economy, a recent survey indicates that more businesses plan to increase wages over the next six months. In the...
8 New Markets in Response to Current Trends
Mar 22 2010 // Insurance Companies Generate New Programs to Bring in Additional Premium The last few years of the soft market have forced many carriers and agencies to get creative when it comes to bringing in additional premium. This...
Survey Ranks California’s Lawsuit Climate Among Worst in the Nation
Mar 22 2010 // A new national survey finds that California’s lawsuit climate is among the worst in the country and on par with states including Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Among local jurisdictions, Los Angeles’...
P/C Industry Operating Profits Up Markedly in 2009: Fitch
Mar 18 2010 // Operating profits improved substantially during 2009 across the U.S. property/ casualty insurance industry, with most market participants reporting double-digit operating returns on capital, according to Fitch Ratings in a...
S&P Revises Hartford’s Outlook to Negative; Debt/Hybrids Assigned Ratings
Mar 17 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BBB’ issue rating to Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s (HIG) proposed $1.1 billion senior debt offering. S&P assigned a...
Swiss Re ‘sigma’ Study: Insured 2009 Disaster Losses Cost $26 Billion
Mar 16 2010 // Swiss Re’s annual sigma study has calculated that “natural catastrophes cost insurers $22 billion in 2009, while man-made disasters cost an additional $4 billion. Insured losses were highest in North America,...
Report: Calif. Workers’ Comp Insurance Market Still Needs Improvement
Mar 16 2010 // California workers’ compensation claims and disability costs have dropped significantly since the state’s workers’ compensation system was overhauled in 2003 and 2004. Yet “many of the same...
Zurich Considering New China Life Fundraising; Future P/C Growth
Mar 16 2010 // Zurich Financial Services is actively talking with sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp and major steelmaker Baosteel on fundraising plans for their venture New China Life Insurance, a Zurich Financial executive...
Calif. Low Cost Auto Insurance Program Participation Up 30%
Mar 15 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that in February, the California Low Cost Auto Insurance Program (CLCA) saw the highest number of enrollees in any one month during the past three years. The CLCA...
Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 Explorers Begin Sea Ice Mission
Mar 15 2010 // A team of veteran polar explorers on Sunday began a 500-kilometer [312 mile] trek across the floating sea ice of the Arctic Ocean as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey 2010, an international scientific mission to learn how...
