Latest Trends Headlines

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

WIS. COMP COSTS RISE 11%:

Aug 23 2004 // The average medical payment per claim to injured workers in Wisconsin continued to grow at a double-digit rate, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The study of 12 states...

S&P Report Says Singapore’s Life and Nonlife Insurance Industries Stay Resilient; Outlook Stable

Aug 18 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a new report on Singapore’s insurance industry, which concludes that it is expected to record a satisfactory operating performance, and that the outlook for...

New Mexico’s Med-Mal Rates Up 9.8 Percent

Aug 16 2004 // The high cost of medical care just got higher. R. Kevin Clinton, president of American Physicians Capital Inc., told leaders of the New Mexico Medical Society that medical malpractice insurance premiums have increased an...

S&P Revises Outlook Swedish Club to Positive

Aug 12 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on Gothenburg-based marine mutual insurer The Swedish Club to positive from stable. S&P also affirmed its ‘BBB-‘...

ABD to Present 2004 Cybersure Benefit Report Preview

Aug 10 2004 // Redwood City, Calif.-based ABD Insurance and Financial Services, a provider of global risk management and employee benefits solutions, will present a preview of the ABD 2004 Cybersure Benefit Report Aug. 12th at 8 a.m. at...

COMMISSIONER SAYS CALIF. WORK COMP RATES ARE GOING DOWN:

Aug 9 2004 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced that workers’ compensation rate filings illustrate a downward trend, but still fall short of his pure premium rate advisory of minus 20.9 percent issued on...

WCRI: Pennsylvania Comp Medical Costs Per Claim Continue Growth

Aug 9 2004 // The average medical payment for workers’ compensation claims in Pennsylvania rose nearly 14 percent during the most recent period studied, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The study...

Bank Holding Companies’ Agency Fee Income Rises to $8.4 Billion in 2003

Aug 9 2004 // Bank holding companies (BHCs) earned a record $8.36 billion in insurance agency commissions and fee income in 2003, according to Michael White’s Bank Holding Company Insurance & Investment Fee Income Report...

A Decade of Improving Club Safety and Coverage

Aug 9 2004 // If you have ever insured or considered insuring golf and country clubs, you know that their risks can’t be classified or managed easily. They have kitchens and restaurants, clubhouses used for daily activities and...

Survey: No Relief from Litigation for Big Firms

Aug 4 2004 // Litigation involving U.S. business has receded slightly overall, but large corporations have experienced a surge and see no relief from lawsuits in sight. In a new survey of national litigation trends by law firm Fulbright...

Tower Group: North American Insurers See Growth in Emerging Markets for Asia, Europe and Latin America

Aug 3 2004 // North American insurers currently are pursuing global expansion at a pace rivaling that of European insurers’ entry into U.S. markets in the early 1990s. According to TowerGroup, more favorable economics, key...

Quality Customer Service Vital for Satisfaction, Progressive’s Survey Says

Aug 3 2004 // Proactive and personalized service are an important part of what consumers say they want from their independent insurance agent or broker. And while most independent agents say it’s important to provide this level of...

Growing U.K. Compensation Culture Poses Major Threat to Profitability, Jobs, Survey Reveals

Aug 1 2004 // U.K. businesses are being increasingly hampered by the costs of dealing with the burgeoning compensation culture, which in turn is diverting management resources and financial investment away from core business and revenue...

Bank Holding Insurance Underwriting Income Up 2% to $25 Billion in 2003

Jul 29 2004 // Bank holding companies (BHCs) reported insurance or reinsurance income of $25.1 billion in 2003, according to Michael White’s Bank Holding Company Insurance & Investment Fee Income Report (BHC-FIR) published by...

Fitch: Reinsurance Sector Rating Outlook Revised from Negative to Stable

Jul 27 2004 // Fitch Ratings has revised its Rating Outlook for the global reinsurance sector to Stable from Negative. Prior to this change, Fitch had maintained a Negative Rating Outlook on the sector since 2001. Fitch’s revised...

A.M. Best Report: Canada’s P/C Industry Rebounded Strongly in 2003

Jul 27 2004 // As 2002 fades from memory as the worst performance year by the Canadian property/casualty insurance industry, 2003, on the other hand, will be remembered for the industry’s return to underwriting profitability and...

AIA: Senate Bill Boosts Momentum to Extend Terrorism Insurance Law

Jul 22 2004 // The introduction of legislation in the Senate on Thursday to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) by two years “adds to the momentum for congressional action in 2004, and demonstrates bipartisan...

WCIRB to Propose Increase in Pure Premium Rates in January 2005

Jul 22 2004 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will propose a 3.5 percent average increase in the advisory pure premium rates for policies incepting on or after Jan. 1, 2005, based on an analysis of loss and loss...

Rightfield Solutions Joins with Pa. Insurer in Fight Against Rising Med-Mal Claims

Jul 22 2004 // An agreement announced recently by executives with Professional Casualty Association (PCA), a provider of insurance coverage to physicians in Pennsylvania, and Rightfield Solutions LLC, developers of Emmi, Expectation...

Survey: Market Index Shows Continued Softening for Commercial P/C Market

Jul 21 2004 // The commercial property/casualty insurance market showed signs of continued softening in the second quarter of 2004, with one-third of the small accounts and more than half the medium and large accounts experiencing...