Latest Trends Headlines

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

HURRICANE FORECASTS

Apr 16 2001 // As of early April, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team led by William Gray has upped the numbers for 2001 just slightly, suggesting a normal season. For the June 1-Nov. 30, 2001 season, the scientists...

P/C Earnings Fall 7.5 Percent in 2000; Surplus Down for First Time Since 1984

Apr 11 2001 // The property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes fell 7.5 percent last year to $20.2 billion from $21.9 billion the year before, Insurance Services Office Inc. and the National Association of...

Hurricane Team Revises Outlook Upward; Predicts Average Season

Apr 9 2001 // As of early April, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team led by William Gray has upped the numbers for 2001 just slightly, suggesting a normal season. For the June 1-Nov. 30, 2001 season, the scientists...

Cracking Down on the Industry’s Fraud Problem

Apr 2 2001 // Fraud investigators in June busted a Tampa fraud ring that crashed cars at a private site, scooped up the debris and moved the wreckage to a public roadway. The members then called police so that they could file fraudulent...

Cracking Down on the Industry’s Fraud Problem

Mar 26 2001 // Fraud investigators in June busted a Tampa fraud ring that crashed cars at a private site, scooped up the debris and moved the wreckage to a public roadway. The members then called police so that they could file fraudulent...

ALLSTATE HIKES UP RATES

Mar 26 2001 // Allstate Insurance, which insures 2.1 million drivers in California, plans to raise premiums by 6.9 percent-a move that could force other companies to do the same. The increase is scheduled to take effect May 18. Rate...

Swiss Re Study Finds Lower Cat Losses, Rising Rates

Mar 16 2001 // A recent study released by Swiss Re, confirms that insured catastrophe losses for 2000 totaled $10.6 billion, falling significantly below those in 1999, which reached $32.9 billion.The survey also concluded that p/c...

DIGGING UP OFFSHORE FRAUD

Mar 12 2001 // The California Department of Insurance (CDI) Criminal Investiga-tions Branch reported evidence that fraudulent certificates of insurance have been issued to more than 100 taxicab companies operating throughout California,...

Gambled on His Future

Mar 12 2001 // John Blanton Breland of Lodi pled guilty to four felony counts last month in San Joaquin Superior Court. The 52-year-old insurance agent was originally charged with 11 felony counts consisting of theft from an elder or...

Seattle Earthquak Wracks Up Insured Losses

Mar 12 2001 // The most telling number about the earthquake that hit Western Washington on Feb. 28 was neither its 6.8 magnitude nor the fact that it was the largest temblor in the state in more than half a century; it was its depth,...

Workers’ Comp Insurers Suffer 86 Percent Profit Decline Since 1998

Mar 8 2001 // The nation’s workers’ compensation insurers suffered an 86 percent decline in profits, to $144 million during the first nine months of 2000 from a $1 billion peak during the same period in 1998, according to...

RSA Profits Down on Flood Losses

Mar 1 2001 // The U.K.’s Royal & Sun Alliance confirmed previous estimates that claims from the floods which struck Britain in October and November would cost it around £200 million ($290 million), and reduced operating...

AMP Profits Rebound on Strong Growth, Cost Reductions

Feb 28 2001 // Australian insurer AMP announced that its net after tax profit had rebounded sharply to A$1.152 billion ($604 million) for the year 2000, following 1999’s $225 million loss. The company cited strong growth in its...

CGNU Profits Down Due To Storm Losses, Investments

Feb 27 2001 // As expected, CGNU, the U.K.’s largest insurer, announced a drop in operating profits for the year 2000 to £1.02 billion ($1.48 billion) between £200 and £400 million ($290 and $580 million) less...

Progressive Survey Finds Agents Still in the Driver’s Seat

Feb 27 2001 // Results of an extensive countrywide survey by Progressive Insurance show that while people ages 18 to 34 were more likely to use the Internet to purchase auto insurance than people ages 35 to 64, a majority of consumers...

Safeware Survey: Accidental Damage Poses Biggest Risk for PC Owners

Feb 27 2001 // Accidental damage — the type of loss least likely to be covered by standard homeowners and business insurance — poses the biggest single risk for personal computer owners, according to a new insurance industry...

Homeowners Premiums in Ireland to Increase

Feb 26 2001 // Home insurance premiums are expected to increase by as much as 30 percent this year as building costs push up underwriting losses from weather-related claims. Royal and Sun Alliance, with a 28 percent market share in...

Rise in Reinsurance Rates Propelled By a More Cautious Approach

Feb 26 2001 // The long-awaited hardening of reinsurance rates may finally be occurring, as companies reassess their capacity commitments and take a more critical look at their risk exposures, particularly concerning natural...

New Swiss Re sigma Study: Insurance Industry in Central and Eastern Europe — Current Trends and Pro

Feb 21 2001 // The latest sigma study from Swiss Re provides a detailed overview of Central and Eastern European insurance markets with an analysis of the latest developments in life and non-life insurance in 27 countries, including the...

More Cautious Approach Propels Reinsurance Rate Rise

Feb 19 2001 // The long awaited hardening of reinsurance rates may finally be occurring, as companies reassess their capacity commitments and take a more critical look at their risk exposures, particularly concerning natural...