Latest Trends Headlines

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

Rating Outlooks for United Equitable, American Heartland Insurance Revised to Negative

Nov 6 2020 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of C++ (Marginal) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “b” for United Equitable...

RMS: Total Onshore U.S. Insured Zeta Losses Could Rise to $5B

Nov 5 2020 // Catastrophe risk modeler RMS has estimated that insured on losses from Hurricane Zeta could rise to as high as $5 billion in the U.S. That figure is slightly higher than estimates announced by catastrophe modelers AIR...

U.S. P/C Insurer Impairments Rise Slightly in 2019: AM Best

Nov 5 2020 // The U.S. property/casualty industry saw 13 new insurance company impairments in 2019, two more than in 2018, involving entities operating in a mix of lines of business and a variety of states, according to a new AM Best...

California’s Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2021 Increasing

Nov 2 2020 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the 2021 minimum and maximum temporary total disability rates will increase on Jan. 1, 2021. The minimum TTD rate will increase from $194.91 to $203.44...

Michigan Insurance Market at a Glance

Nov 2 2020 // The reform of Michigan’s auto insurance market, which went into effect on July 1, 2020, brought the promise of much-needed premium relief for Michigan drivers. An April 2019 study by the Insurance Research Council...

1 in 4 Businesses Has Experienced Cyber Event, Travelers Survey Finds

Nov 2 2020 // Nearly one in four respondents (22%) out of more than 1,200 business leaders surveyed in 2020 Travelers’ Cyber Risk Index said their firm was the victim of a cyber event — the highest percentage since the...

Agency E&O Survey: More See Premiums on the Rise

Nov 2 2020 // According to Insurance Journal’s 2020 Agency E&O survey, slightly more than half of all respondents (50.2%) saw an increase in their E&O renewal premium from 2019 to 2020, and 53.8% expect another increase at...

Florida Property Insurance Market Inches Closer to Crisis – Part 2

Oct 30 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is monitoring the state’s property insurance situation that is seen as in a crisis by those in the industry. The regulator said the insurance market has been buffeted by...

Florida Property Insurance Market Inches Closer to Crisis – Part 1

Oct 29 2020 // After years of warnings that the Florida property insurance market was heading towards an availability crisis, many in the industry say the moment of reckoning has arrived. They blame unchecked claims litigation from...

Hanover Insurance Enters Maryland Personal Lines Insurance Market

Oct 27 2020 // The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. (THG) has expanded its business in Maryland to include personal lines insurance and appointed a group of independent agents in the state to serve its growing customer base. The Hanover has...

W.R. Berkley Says Rate Increases Averaging 14.5% Contributed to Solid 3Q Results

Oct 26 2020 // W.R. Berkley Corp.’s 2020 third-quarter financial results landed on the strong side despite a dip in net income and more COVID-19 losses, a result the company credits to rate hikes and underwriting discipline. The...

Remote Workforce to Double in 2021 Due to Improved Productivity: CIO Survey

Oct 26 2020 // The percentage of workers around the world that is permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021 as productivity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey from U.S.-based Enterprise...

More Companies Turn to Captives as Rates Rise, Terms & Conditions Tighten

Oct 26 2020 // Fed up with rising prices and more stringent terms and conditions for their insurance policies as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, companies are turning to in-house insurance firms. These so-called...

Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Continued to Rise During Pandemic

Oct 22 2020 // Having fewer auto insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic appears to have given insurers time to refine their customer experience and deliver higher higher quality claims service. According to the J.D. Power 2020...

1 in 4 Businesses Has Experienced Cyber Event, Travelers Survey Finds

Oct 22 2020 // Nearly one in four respondents (22%) out of more than 1,200 business leaders surveyed in 2020 Travelers’ Cyber Risk Index said their firm was the victim of a cyber event – the highest percentage since the annual...

Nearly 50% of UK Firms Less Prepared for Brexit Because of Coronavirus: Survey

Oct 21 2020 // About half of UK firms are less prepared for Brexit compared to last year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a sign of Britain’s vulnerability to disruption when it quits the European Union’s single...

COVID-19 Crisis Accelerates Labor Shift from Humans to Robots: WEF Survey

Oct 21 2020 // Robots will destroy 85 million jobs at mid-sized to large businesses over the next five years as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates changes in the workplace likely to exaggerate inequalities, a World Economic Forum (WEF)...

Survey Finds 78% of Risk Managers Now Buying Cyber Insurance

Oct 20 2020 // The tenth year of the Zurich North America and Advisen Cyber Survey reveals that 78% of risk managers now purchase some level of cyber insurance — compared to only 34% in 2011. Of this record of 78% with some cyber...

Report: Cost of Damage from August Midwest Windstorm Up to $7.5B

Oct 20 2020 // Damage estimates from a rare windstorm that slammed Iowa and some other parts of the Midwest in August are growing, with the total now at $7.5 billion, according to a new report. The Aug. 10 storm hit Iowa hard but also...

California Workers’ Comp Premium for First Two Quarters of 2020 Down 11%

Oct 19 2020 // Written workers’ compensation premium in California for the first two quarters of 2020 was 11% below that for the first two quarters of 2019, according to a new report out. The Worker’s Compensation Insurance...