Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Swiss Re <em>sigma</em> Report Notes $83B Insured 2005 Cat Losses
Feb 28 2006 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma report examines the natural catastrophes and man-made disasters of 2005. Among other findings it notes that “more than 97 000 people lost their lives” as a result of one of the...
N.Y. Homeowners Insurance Market: Strong or Weak?
Feb 28 2006 // New York’s homeowners insurance market is either strong, stable or fragile depending upon whether the speaker is an agent or an insurer. Also, Allstate Insurance Co.’s decision to limit its business in eight...
Pa. Shuts Down Pro-Tel Prescription Drug Plan Sale to Seniors
Feb 28 2006 // Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that a Pennsylvania business will refund consumers, pay fines and get out of the health care business following claims that it used deceptive marketing tactics to lure...
Futures Trading Begins on Snowfall Index for Boston, N.Y. City
Feb 26 2006 // Trading on snowfall futures has begun. Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which bills itself as the world’s largest and most diverse financial exchange, began Feb. 26 listing and trading snowfall futures and options on...
QBE Reports 2005 Profits Up 27% to $806 Million
Feb 23 2006 // The directors of Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Limited announced that net profit after tax for the 2005 financial year increased by 27 percent to A$1.091 billion (US$806 million). Profit before tax was up 37...
Lloyd’s Underwriter Survey; ‘Cycle’ Remains Primary Concern
Feb 22 2006 // According to Lloyd’s newly released annual underwriter survey, “managing the insurance cycle as the most important challenge facing the global industry for the second year running.” The survey also found...
Fitch Upgrades FSR of Encompass Companies; Outlook is Stable
Feb 21 2006 // Fitch Ratings has upgraded the insurer financial strength ratings of the Encompass companies to ‘AA+’ from ‘A-‘. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The upgrade reflects Allstate’s acquisition of...
State Auto Financial Reports 2005 Net Income Up 14%
Feb 21 2006 // Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Financial Corporation reported that revenue for the year 2005 was $1.14 billion, up from $1.09 billion for the same 2004 period. For the year 2005, State Auto achieved record net income of...
comScore: 24% Growth in Auto Quotes and 29% Gain in Online Policy Purchases in 2005
Feb 21 2006 // Consumers flocked online to research and purchase auto insurance in 2005 according to an analysis released this week by comScore Networks, a provider in the use of the Internet to measure and understand consumer behavior...
Excess and surplus lines wholesalers see a steady wave of growth in 2006
Feb 20 2006 // Excess and surplus lines experts expect to see steady premium growth in 2006, with commercial property and contractors business leading the way, according to an exclusive Insurance Journal survey. Nearly 85% of survey...
S&P reports favorable workers’ comp outlook
Feb 19 2006 // The outlook for the U.S. workers’ compensation sector in 2006 is good, with the ratings impact for insurers expected to be neutral on the whole, according to a report from Standard & Poor’s Ratings...
Special Report: E&S Snapshot Survey
Feb 19 2006 // Excess and surplus lines wholesalers see a steady wave of growth in 2006 Excess and surplus lines experts expect to see steady premium growth in 2006, with commercial property and contractors business leading the way,...
Best Continues Negative Outlook on U.S. Commercial Sector
Feb 17 2006 // A.M. Best Co. has completed its assessment of the U.S. commercial market and is extending its negative outlook for 2006. As a consequence, A.M. Best anticipates that there will be few rating upgrades or positive rating...
Best Maintains Stable Outlook on Personal Lines Market Segment
Feb 16 2006 // A.M. Best Co. maintains a stable outlook for the personal lines segment in 2006 based on its favorable risk-adjusted capitalization and consistently strong operating profitability. Despite the impact from an unprecedented...
ING Group 2005 Net Profits up 25.3% to $8.56 Billion
Feb 16 2006 // ING Group, the Netherlands-based international banking, financial services and insurance company, posted strong results for 2005 with net profits up 25.3 percent to €7.21 billion ($8.56 billion). Other earnings...
Best Maintains Negative Outlook on U.S. and Bermuda Re Sectors
Feb 16 2006 // A.M. Best Co. announced that after completing an assessment of the U.S. and Bermuda reinsurance markets, it is extending its negative outlook for 2006. Best said it “anticipates that there will be few if any rating...
Survey Says Men and Women Differ on Bad Weather Driving Expertise
Feb 16 2006 // Men and women don’t see eye to eye when it comes to rating the driving skills of their significant others, according to a Chrysler Group “Bad Weather Driving” survey that polled more than 1,000 adults and...
Munich Re January Reinsurance Treaty Renewals Show Rate Increases
Feb 15 2006 // Munich Re followed Swiss Re’s announcement yesterday (See IJ Web site Feb. 14) with its own upbeat report on the January reinsurance treaty renewal season. The world’s largest reinsurer said that as of Jan. 1...
Happy Valentine’s Day Survey for U.K.’s Over 50’s
Feb 14 2006 // A recent study by RIAS, a U.K. carrier that specializes in providing insurance products for the over 50s age group, shows that love at first sight isn’t confined to teenagers and 20-somethings.The survey found that...
Hearings Slated in Orlando, Fla. on American Strategic’s Rate Increases
Feb 13 2006 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will conduct public hearings Monday in Orlando, Fla. concerning rate filings by American Strategic Insurance Corporation/ASI Assurance Corporation. American Strategic is proposing...
