Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Aon’s 2009 Marine Insurance Outlook
Jun 4 2009 // According to Aon’s 2009 Marine Insurance Outlook, “ship owners are facing challenging negotiations at 2009/10 renewals as marine insurers seek rates increases on all classes of business.” However...
S&P Affirms Hannover Re’s Ratings, But Revises Outlook to Negative
Jun 3 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on German reinsurer Hannover Rueckversicherung AG and its subsidiaries (collectively Hannover Re) to negative from stable. S&P also affirmed the...
Report: Bank Insurance Brokerage Income Falls Slightly in 2008
Jun 3 2009 // Bank holding companies’ (BHC) insurance brokerage income overall experienced a 3.6 percent drop in 2008, the first decline in total BHC brokerage income since 2001, according to a new industry report. “BHCs...
Ohio Workers’ Comp Board OKs Safety Rules, Rate Decrease
Jun 2 2009 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors has approved rule changes associated with the safety standards in the Ohio Administrative Code for several industries. Ohio law allows BWC to adopt...
Quality and Protectionism in the Insurance Market
Jun 1 2009 // Why Market Blocking Is Not Best for the Consumer or the Industry The insurance business needs to lose a vestige of the insurance marketplace of the last century. Let’s become more friendly to competition and the free...
Premium Growth: Top 25 Premium Gainers in 2008 Versus 2007
Jun 1 2009 // What is the impetus for growth? Why do some insurers emphasize growth and others do not? In his Sept. 25, 1961, address to the United Nations, President John F. Kennedy described conformity as “the enemy of...
Summary of Forecasts for 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 29 2009 // Private weather forecaster Planalytics predicted Wednesday that the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will produce 10 tropical storms, of which six will become hurricanes. The company said one or two of the storms were likely...
New Report Cites Climate Change as Cause for 315,000 Deaths a Year
May 29 2009 // Climate change kills about 315,000 people a year through hunger, sickness and weather disasters, and the annual death toll is expected to rise to half a million by 2030, a report said on Friday. The study, commissioned by...
California Workers’ Comp Insurer Files for 15% Premium Increase
May 29 2009 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund has filed a mid-year rate plan that reflects a 15 percent increase in collectible premium. The revised rates will apply to new and renewal workers’ compensation...
Some Alabama Beach Pool Insurance Rates Going Up July 1
May 29 2009 // Rates for some coastal property owners insured through the residual market insurance organization known as the Alabama Beach Pool are going up July 1. The overall average hike will be 5.5 percent, according to the Alabama...
Best Revises Selective and Subs Outlook to Negative; Affirms Ratings
May 28 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has revised its rating outlook to negative from stable, but has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Selective...
Marsh Survey Concludes UK Insurance Rates ‘Continue to Fall’
May 28 2009 // According to findings from Marsh, “Insurance rates in the UK continued to fall, but at a slower rate, across all major lines of business in the first quarter of 2009.” The figures are based on business placed...
Pretty Normal Hawaii Hurricane Season Forecast
May 27 2009 // The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Hawaii is forecasting three to five tropical cyclones forming in the central Pacific during the 2009 hurricane season, which begins June 1. An average season has four or...
Medicus Insurance Decreases Rates 6.7% In Nevada
May 26 2009 // The Nevada Division of Insurance has approved an overall rate decrease of 6.7 percent for physicians and medical professionals insured by Medicus Insurance Co. “Our claims experience in Nevada has been...
New York Barn Burns Decades after Blaze Hit Same Spot
May 26 2009 // A fire has decimated an upstate New York barn more than 30 years after a blaze destroyed another barn on the same spot and killed two children. Edward Tyler remembers the first time his family’s barn in northern Rome...
ASI Enters South Carolina Homeowners Insurance Market
May 22 2009 // Florida-based American Strategic Insurance Corp. (ASI) has entered the South Carolina marketplace and is offering homeowners’ insurance coverage for coastal property owners through independent agents. “As the...
Coastal Insurance Rates Could Rise if Federal Tax Law is Enacted
May 21 2009 // As it girds for hurricane season, Texas has plenty to worry about. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) – which provides coverage for high risk coastal properties – has ended up at the brink of...
CII Skills Survey Underlines Industry Commitment to Staff Training
May 21 2009 // The UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute’s third annual skills survey, confirmed that “two thirds of people in insurance and financial services believe that the sector should remain committed to maintaining...
Fitch Advises Florida Insurance Market Remains ‘Fragile’
May 20 2009 // Fitch Ratings agency is advising that the Florida property insurance market is “fragile” and remains a “peak risk zone.” The Florida assessment is included in a Fitch report for investors right...
Auto Thefts Down Dramatically in Texas But Car Burglaries Rise
May 20 2009 // Praise the work of auto theft task forces or new car manufacturers or both for the dramatic drop in auto thefts in Texas. Criminals are stealing older vehicles simply because they’re finding it harder to bypass...
