Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Survey: Claims Handling is the Key to Winning over Agents
Apr 15 2009 // Quality claims handling is the most important factor to independent agents in evaluating an insurer, according to a recent survey of 450 agents conducted by the Professional Insurance Agents Associations (PIA) of...
Survey: Most U.S. Companies Hold Steady on Benefit Plans for Employees
Apr 14 2009 // Despite the pressures of the economic crisis, most U.S. companies continue to view their retirement as a vital part of their workplace relationship with employees, even as they struggle to balance cost and talent...
S&P Analyzes Jordanian Insurance Sector
Apr 13 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report, “Growing Supply Chases Slowing Demand In The Jordanian Insurance Market,” on its RatingsDirect web site. The report states: “The...
Best Revises Liberty Mutual Group Outlook to Negative; Affirms Ratings
Apr 10 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to negative from stable for the financial strength (FSR) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of Liberty Mutual Group, Inc. (LMGI), Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies and Liberty Insurance...
Marsh Finds Growing Demand for D&O Coverage as Claims Rise
Apr 9 2009 // “Concerns about the global economy, shareholder action, litigation, and the increasing engagement by regulators are fuelling demand for Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) insurance,” according to...
Aon Reports Kidnap Insurance Costs up ‘Tenfold ‘ in Gulf of Aden
Apr 9 2009 // A timely report (See above article) from Aon Risk Services warns that “ship-owners navigating the Gulf of Aden are seeing insurance premiums for kidnap and random (K&R) increase tenfold as piracy escalates. This...
S&P Revises Groupama Outlook to Negative; Affirms ‘A+’ Ratings
Apr 8 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook to negative from stable on Franch composite insurer Groupama S.A. S&P also affirmed the Group’s ‘A+’ long-term counterparty and...
Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Costs Continue to Decline
Apr 7 2009 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford has announced a decrease in workers’ compensation costs effective July 1, 2009. The overall loss cost decrease in the voluntary market is 7 percent, while the overall...
Guy Carpenter: Rates Rising on U.S. Property Catastrophe Reinsurance
Apr 7 2009 // A new industry briefing shows reinsurance rates continuing to increase for the U.S. property-catastrophe reinsurance market for April 1, 2009 renewals. According to Guy Carpenter & Co.’s “Rates Up on...
U.S. Forecaster Lowers Atlantic Hurricane Prediction
Apr 7 2009 // Citing cooler seas and the prospect of a weak El Nino, Colorado State University’s hurricane team lowered its 2009 Atlantic forecast Tuesday to 12 tropical storms, of which six could become hurricanes. The research...
S&P Affirms Fortis Corporate ‘A-‘ Ratings; Outlook Negative
Apr 6 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Netherlands-based commercial lines insurer Fortis Corporate Insurance N.V. (FCI)....
Rising Sea Levels in Northeast Putting Cities At Risk to Storm Damage
Apr 6 2009 // Global warming should lift sea levels along the U.S. Northeast nearly twice as fast as global rates this century, putting New York City at risk to damage from hurricanes and winter storm surges, scientists said. “The...
Cat 5 Litigation in the Forecast?
Apr 6 2009 // As 2008 Hurricane Claims Enter Court and New Season Approaches, Katrina Issues Linger The 2008 hurricane season was the sixth most active tropical storm season recorded since data collection began in 1851. Six storms made...
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate on the Rise
Apr 6 2009 // The percentage of auto loans past due 60 days or more rose 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the prior-year period, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. The numbers point to auto...
Calif. Rating Bureau Recommends 24.4% Workers’ Comp Rate Increase
Apr 6 2009 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) has recommended to the California Department of Insurance (DOI) to implement a 24.4 percent increase in pure premium rates that would take...
Central Texas Hail Storm Racks up $160M in Losses
Mar 30 2009 // Many Central Texans are still cleaning up from a large hail storm on last week that knocked out windows, smashed roofs and dented thousands of automobiles causing an estimated $160 million in insured losses. The storm...
S&P Cuts Outlook on Berkshire to ‘Negative’
Mar 27 2009 // Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is at risk of losing its “AAA” credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, after the ratings agency revised its outlook on billionaire Warren Buffett’s company to...
Aon Survey Finds Aerospace Insurance Market Approached Parity in 2008
Mar 25 2009 // Aon’s newly launched “Aerospace Insurance Market Outlook 2009” initially determined that the “average lead premium in the aerospace insurance market continued to decline during 2008, but...
S&P Revises Outlook on ACE Canada to Positive; Affirms ‘A’ Ratings
Mar 25 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Toronto-based property and casualty insurer ACE INA Insurance (ACE Canada) to positive from stable. S&P also affirmed the long-term...
Insurance Agents 40-and-Younger: What Are YOU Thinking? Exclusive Young Agents Survey
Mar 24 2009 // Young property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across the U.S. are being called upon to answer some questions … and have some fun. Who are you? What do you really think about your career? about your industry?...
