Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Removes AIG from CreditWatch; Rating Outlook Remains Negative
May 23 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed and removed from CreditWatch negative its ‘AA-/A-1+’ counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on American International Group Inc. S&P also...
North Dakota’s Workers’ Comp Rates to Rise 2.5 Percent in July
May 23 2008 // The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) board of directors approved the 2008-2009 premium rate plan on Thursday, May 22nd. While the new rating plan begins July 1, 2008, it calls for no change in statewide...
National Lloyds Upgraded; American Summit Outlook Now Positive
May 23 2008 // A.M. Best Co. affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and upgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a+” from “a” of Waco, Texas-based National Lloyds Insurance...
Officials Say April Earthquake a Dress Rehearsal for Future Events
May 21 2008 // Missouri emergency management officials say they’re better prepared for a major earthquake, thanks in part to last month’s 5.2 quake in southern Illinois. Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency...
Survey: Program Market to Remain Vibrant in 2008
May 21 2008 // The program market continues to grow and will continue to grow in 2008, as insurance companies focus on core concerns of new business production, premium writing and rate profitability, according to a new industry survey...
Cafeterias Cooking Up Explosive Sales, Expansion in Restaurant Market
May 19 2008 // There are more than a half million enterprises in the restaurant and bars market generating approximately $5.5 billion in all lines premium. This is a sector that has enjoyed generally solid to exceptional growth in sales...
Mass. Auto Competition Heats Up – Over Rules and Regulations
May 19 2008 // Existing carriers call high risk exemption for newcomers unfair; agents say Progressive’s Web site misleads After a month of operating under a new managed competition system for auto insurance, Massachusetts is...
Alabama Opens Coastal Home Insurance Market to Captive Insurers
May 19 2008 // The Alabama Legislature has passed a bill that will allow captive insurance companies to sell residential insurance along the Alabama coast. The House and Senate voted without dissent to give final approval to changes in...
Survey: Small Business Customers Depend on Agents’ Expertise
May 19 2008 // Agent expertise in workers’ compensation insurance is a critical factor in small businesses’ choice of carriers, according to a recent national survey conducted by EMPLOYERS, which specializes in insurance for...
Survey: Washington Areas Most Secure Places to Live
May 19 2008 // Olympia, Wash., and its metropolitan area are the safest places in the nation to live, work or raise a family, according to the fourth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance Group of...
State Farm Files Request for California Rate Increase
May 19 2008 // Reflecting the general upward trends in the cost of property and liability insurance claims, State Farm General Insurance Co. has filed a request for an average statewide 6.9 percent rate increase with the California...
Survey: Small Business Customers Depend on Agents’ Expertise
May 19 2008 // Agent expertise in workers’ compensation insurance is a critical factor in small businesses’ choice of carriers, according to a recent national survey conducted by Employers, which specializes in insurance for...
Survey: Small Businesses Don’t Understand Dollars Spent on Workers’ Comp
May 19 2008 // Too many small business decision-makers appear to be spending money on workers’ compensation insurance coverage without understanding how workers’ compensation insurance works, what they get for their premium...
Catlin Q1 Results in-Line with Forecasts
May 16 2008 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited, which also does business in the U.S. and the Lloyd’s Market, has released an interim earnings statement, following the Company’s Annual General Meeting, indicating that...
Claims Pile up from Texas Storms
May 16 2008 // Back-to-back storm systems surprised Central Texas overnight on May 14-15 with intense winds and heavy hail damage in localized areas that has insurance agents and companies responding to thousand of property damage...
Study: Moderate Income Households an Untapped Insurance Market
May 15 2008 // Many low- and moderate-income households need more insurance and want to know more about it, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Overall, these consumers hold positive views about insurance,...
Confessions of an Insurance Geek and the Future of MyNewMarkets.com
May 14 2008 // MyNewMarkets.com users will soon notice changes in the information included on the Web site and available for use. MyNewMarkets.com will soon inaugurate an analysis and technical content database with its first coverage...
Rapid Coastal Growth Places Urgency on Hurricane Forecasts, Chief Says
May 14 2008 // The rapid pace of development along hurricane-prone coasts is adding a new level of urgency for forecasters to more accurately pinpoint potential storm impact zones, the director of the National Hurricane Center...
California Forecasts Stability in Workers’ Comp Insurance Market
May 13 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that, for the first time in six years, an interim pure premium rate advisory will not be issued by his office because of market strength. In the past, the insurance...
Report: Florida Workers’ Comp Reforms of 2003 Impacted Costs Per Claim
May 12 2008 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Florida appear to have decreased in 2004 in the wake of reforms enacted in 2003, but the decrease did not continue in 2005, according to a new study by the Workers...
