Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Independent currents:Survey Says: Agency Systems are Stronger
Oct 2 2000 // Silicon Valley operatives like to gloat about a shrinking independent agency system. Today there are 42,000 independent agencies in the U.S., down from 46,000 in 1992. Nearly three out of 10 independent agencies have been...
Calif. Sits on Epicenter of National Quake Survey
Oct 2 2000 // According to the first national survey of earthquake risks, 75 percent of all losses are expected to occur in California. But quakes are not a problem for just the Golden State, as the study shows that other areas of the...
Independent currents Survey Says: Agency Systems are Stronger
Oct 2 2000 // Silicon Valley operatives like to gloat about a shrinking independent agency system. Today there are 42,000 independent agencies in the U.S., down from 46,000 in 1992. Nearly three out of 10 independent agencies have been...
InsWeb Raises Revenue Outlook for Second Half of 2000
Sep 29 2000 // Updating its previously announced revenue expectations for the second half of fiscal 2000, Redwood City, Calif.-based InsWeb raised its previous outlook of $8 million to now exceed $9 million. Hussein Enan, InsWeb CEO,...
S&P Revises Outlook on Reliance (Europe) to Negative
Sep 22 2000 // Following yesterday’s announcement that Candover Investment Plc was pulling out of talks to acquire Reliance National Insurance Co. (Europe) Ltd., a subsidiary of U.S. insurer Reliance Group, Standard &...
Munich Re Posts 15 Percent Rise in 1st Half Premium
Sep 22 2000 // Munich Re’s 1st half results seem to indicate that maybe reinsurance rates are finally firming. The world’s largest reinsurer posted a 15 percent increase in gross premium revenues for the period to €15.2...
California Sits on Epicenter of National Quake Damage Survey
Sep 21 2000 // According to the first national survey of earthquake risks, 75 percent of all losses are expected to occur in California–but quakes are not just a problem for the Golden State, as the study shows that other areas of...
BEST FORECASTS DETERIORATiON
Sep 18 2000 // Despite a recent hardening of prices in the property/casualty industry, underwriting performance worsened during the first half of 2000, according to A.M. Best Co.’s six-month report. The industry’s average...
ZFS Outlook Stable
Sep 18 2000 // The outlook of Zurich Financial Services (ZFS), the Switzerland-based holding company of the ZFS Group, was revised to stable from negative by S&P. Key factors in the rating action included the group’s improved...
Fitch Adopts Negative P/C Outlook
Sep 15 2000 // It’s not hell-in-a-handbasket yet, but the outlook for the property and casualty industry is far from good. On Thursday, Fitch, the international rating agency formed through the June merger of Duff & Phelps...
WCIRB Proposes 10.1% Pure Premium Rate Increase
Sep 15 2000 // After completing its analysis of accident year experience valued as of June 30, 2000, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) announced it will amend its pure premium rate filing. The...
Guy Carpenter Reinsurance 2000 Report Sees Firming Market
Sep 14 2000 // Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance arm of Marsh Inc. has just issued a comprehensive 64 page study of the state and prospects for the property/casualty reinsurance market in the year 2000. The report sees an industry in...
Michigan Basic HO Rates Up 4.1 Percent
Sep 13 2000 // The Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services announced that Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association homeowners premiums are increasing 4.1 percent, effective Oct. 1, 2000. “Consumers that are...
Rendezvous Confirms Gloomy Reinsurance Outlook
Sep 11 2000 // The recently concluded Reinsurance Rendezvous 2000 in Monte Carlo confirmed the somber state of the industry. Although the delegates heard some good news, the consensus opinion was that the problems the industry has had...
Survey Says Nearly All Consumers Satisfied With HO, Auto Cos.
Sep 8 2000 // Almost all respondents to a recent Insurance Research Council survey of U.S. households said that they are satisfied with their personal property insurance companies. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents who were asked...
NAPSLO Survey Shows Net Revenues for MGAs, Brokers Grow
Sep 4 2000 // Average pretax profit and net retained revenues for MGAs and brokers increased in 1999, according to the results of the Income & Expense Survey recently completed for the National Association of Professional Surplus...
U.K. AUTO RATES ON THE RISE
Sep 4 2000 // Drivers in the U.K. face automobile insurance premium increases of 25 percent or more within the next 12 months, warned Mintel, a marketing research firm. The average premium in 1999 was £226 ($336). It’s expected...
Readers’ Survey: How Do You Plan to Use the Surplus Line Market in 2001′
Sep 4 2000 // Is the way you use the surplus line market changing? Has the Internet drastically influenced the way you conduct your business, or do the traditional methods still hold water? Let us know how you intend to use the surplus...
Commentary: Time To Start Evaluating the Future of Your Agency
Sep 4 2000 // The pace of consolidation within our industry is accelerating much faster than anticipated a few short years ago. In addition to the fact that the total number of players are shrinking, those remaining—specifically the...
AFG Outlook Revised to Negative
Sep 4 2000 // The outlook on American Financial Group Inc. (AFG) and related entities was revised from stable to negative by S&P, which indicated it would be meeting with the company to discuss strategies for improving...
