Latest Trends Headlines

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

Washington Proposes 3% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates

Oct 6 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has proposed a 3 percent increase in 2009 workers’ compensation rates. Average premiums would go up by under 2 cents per hour worked. “We are...

HDR Insurance Offers Insurance Market for Plumbing Contractors

Oct 2 2008 // HDR Insurance Services has a new market for commercial, residential and commercial service and repair plumbers in Arizona, California and Nevada. The admitted policy includes coverage for commercial auto, general liablity,...

Blues’ Study: Health Insurance Purchasing Groups Drive Up Costs

Oct 2 2008 // A new actuarial analysis finds health insurance purchasing arrangements – also called connectors, exchanges, and health insurance purchasing cooperatives – lead to higher health insurance premiums and fail to...

Greenberg Seeks Chance to Bid on AIG Assets Put Up for Sale

Oct 1 2008 // Maurice Greenberg, former chief executive of American International Group, has asked the company’s current chief executive, Edward Liddy, for the chance to bid on AIG assets as the company seeks to repay an emergency...

Real Estate Lawyers Face Rising Malpractice Claims

Oct 1 2008 // Legal malpractice claims related to real estate are up approximately four percentage points according to the just-released American Bar Association study of legal malpractice claims for 2004-2007 compared to the previous...

Okla. Traffic Fatalities Down From 2007

Sep 29 2008 // The number of people killed in traffic accidents in Oklahoma continues to fall below the numbers in 2007. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says 500 people have died on the state’s roadways in 2008 compared to 544 at this...

Study Shows Increase in Treatments per Workers’ Comp Claims

Sep 26 2008 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance, headquartered in Florida, posted a new research study regarding a continuing increase in treatments per workers compensation claims. NCCI says in recent years, workers’...

Aon Study Concludes Airline Insurance Market ‘Hardening’

Sep 25 2008 // A bulletin from Aon’s London office concludes that the airline insurance market “is hardening for the first time in five years, with a five percent increase in lead hull and liability premium between January...

Too Early to Tell if Kentucky Windstorm will Increase Insurance Rates

Sep 24 2008 // The Kentucky Office of Insurance says it’s too early to tell if the severe winds caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ike will result in insurance rate hikes. The Courier-Journal reported insurers have received tens...

Marsh Notes Increase in UK Class Actions Spurs Coverage Demands

Sep 23 2008 // A combination of “class action contagion from the US and growing economic uncertainly have spurred an unprecedented surge in the demand for management liability insurance among the UK’s top firms,”...

Kentucky’s ‘Worst Storm on Record’ Prompts Disaster Declaration Request

Sep 23 2008 // Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear requested a presidential disaster declaration to help recover costs for public damages suffered in some 70 counties and cities across the commonwealth. As of Sept. 19, Beshear said 29 counties...

Conning: D&O Market Finds Way to Grow Even In Overall Soft Market

Sep 22 2008 // Over the past decade, the directors and officers liability market has grown faster than the broader property/casualty market, at nearly double the rate of the commercial lines average. Premium growth has come from pricing,...

Fitch: P/C Profits Decline Sharply in First-Half 2008

Sep 22 2008 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry reported mixed results in the first six months of 2008. Profitability declined due to poor investment performance and deteriorating accident-year underwriting results, which...

Illinois Mayor Charged with Insurance Fraud Steps Down

Sep 22 2008 // Niles, Ill.’s long-time mayor, Nicholas Blase, is stepping down after 47 years. In a statement on the village Web site, Blase, 80, said his retirement was effective Sept. 1. The Village Board is expected to appoint...

Washington Proposes 3% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates

Sep 19 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has proposed a 3 percent increase in 2009 workers’ compensation rates. Average premiums would go up by just under 2 cents per hour worked. “We...

Lloyd’s Execs Comment on ‘Mixed Outlook’ for Marine Sector

Sep 17 2008 // Rolf Tolle, Lloyd’s Franchise Performance Director, speaking at the International Union of Marine Insurers’ Conference in Vancouver, noted that low inflation, huge rises in commodity prices and the growth of...

Mo. Workers’ Comp Claims Decline, Sparks Debate Between Officials

Sep 17 2008 // The number of workers’ compensation claims has gone down since a 2005 Missouri law made it harder to prove workplace injuries. Insurance premiums also have declined for businesses. Republican Gov. Matt Blunt touts...

Oregon Workers’ Compensation Costs To Decrease About 6%

Sep 15 2008 // Employers in Oregon will pay nearly 6 percent less on average for workers’ compensation coverage in 2009, the Department of Consumer and Business Services announced. The reduction in the workers’ compensation...

S&P Report Analyzes 10 Years Of Natural Catastrophe Bonds

Sep 12 2008 // A report from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services notes that the “natural catastrophe (nat-cat) bond market has come a long way since S&P rated its first true nat-cat bond a decade...

Bristol West Decreases Washington Auto Rates 10 Percent

Sep 12 2008 // Davie, Fla.-based Bristol West Insurance Co. announced it is decreasin automobile insurance rates up to 10 percent for current and new customers in Washington. The rate decrease is effective Sept. 16, 2008, and is based on...