Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
A.M. Best: Outlook Stable for MGA Insurance in Dallas
May 24 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the long-term issuer credit rating (long-term ICR) outlook to stable from positive and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the long-term ICR of “bbb” of MGA...
Rhode Island Insurance Agents Have New Coastal Insurance Market
May 24 2017 // Independent insurance agencies in Rhode Island have a new market for coastal homes – Spinnaker Insurance Company. Spinnaker’s New England distributor, Insurance Agency and Customer Service Company (IACSC) of...
Insured Losses for Europe’s Windstorm Thomas Rise to $279.2M: PERILS
May 23 2017 // The latest property insured loss estimate for Windstorm Thomas, which on Feb. 23-24 hit the British Isles, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, is €249 million (US$279.2 million), according to PERILS, the independent...
Cyber Insurance Sales Continue to Grow, Prices Stabilize, Brokers Report
May 23 2017 // Businesses are buying more cyber insurance and prices for the coverage are stabilizing, according to the latest survey by The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers. According to the survey of about 100 commercial lines...
Weather Co. Updates Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast
May 22 2017 // In its second seasonal tropical forecast for the North Atlantic basin for the 2017 season, IBM’s The Weather Co. said it now expects a total of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, a slight...
Crewless Ships: Safer, Faster, Cleaner, Cheaper Future of Shipping – Opinion
May 22 2017 // It sounds like a ghost story: A huge cargo vessel sails up and down the Norwegian coast, silently going about its business, without a captain or crew in sight. But if all goes as planned, it’s actually the future of...
New York Board Proposes 4.5% Workers’ Compensation Rate Decrease
May 16 2017 // New York businesses could soon see some slight relief in workers’ compensation premiums, according to an announcement from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The governor’s office released a statement Monday saying that the...
Louisiana Flood Damage Survey Help Sessions Planned
May 15 2017 // Louisiana is holding outreach sessions to help homeowners with damage from last year’s floods to fill out a survey that is the initial step to requesting aid from the state. Six events are scheduled across Louisiana...
Survey: Agents Suggest How Carrier Partners Can Move from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’
May 15 2017 // You might expect to see high levels of satisfaction between an independent agency and its top carrier, but that isn’t always the case. Peeling back the layers usually reveals fertile ground for improvement and shows...
Organic Growth Under Pressure: Agencies Show Weakest Growth Since 2011, Reagan Consulting Reports
May 15 2017 // Agencies and brokerage firms reported that their organic growth fell to 3.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017, the weakest growth rate since 2011. According to Reagan Consulting’s Organic Growth and Profitability...
Study: Expected Increase in Tornadoes Raises Risk to Mobile Homes
May 15 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
Illinois’ Cost per Workers’ Comp Claim Trending Down
May 15 2017 // The average total cost of a workers’ compensation claim in Illinois has dropped by 6.4 percent since 2010, but the state still has relatively high costs per claim, according to a report by the Workers Compensation...
Michigan Workplace Fatalities Rise in 2016
May 15 2017 // A state agency says 43 people were killed on the job in Michigan last year, and that’s the state’s highest number of workplace fatalities in a decade. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
Louisiana Worker’ Comp Rates Are Down, but Costs per Claim Growing
May 15 2017 // Workers’ compensation rates decreased statewide in Louisiana on May 1 by 9.8 percent, marking the fourth year in a row rates have dropped in that state, according to insurance regulators. In January, the Louisiana...
Study: Expected Increase in Tornadoes Raises Risk to Mobile Homes
May 15 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
How a Border-Adjustment Tax Would Hurt Louisiana’s Insurance Market
May 12 2017 // Louisiana already has some of the highest property insurance rates in the nation. But they could creep higher still—an estimated $1.11 billion higher over the next decade—should congressional tax-reform efforts limit...
Medical Professional Insurance Market in Good Health for Now: A.M. Best
May 12 2017 // The U.S. medical professional liability (MPL) insurance sector is stable, with strong capitalization and profitable, albeit declining, operating performance, plus the prospect of positive earnings in the medium term,...
Experts Expect Simultaneous Cyber Attacks on Multiple Firms: Survey
May 12 2017 // Nine in 10 global cyber security and risk experts believe that cyber risk is systemic and that simultaneous attacks on multiple companies are likely in 2017, according to a study by American International Group. More than...
Texas’ State National Companies: Revenues Up in Q1 2017
May 11 2017 // State National Companies Inc., a Bedford, Texas-based specialty provider of property/casualty insurance services, reported an 18 percent increase in total revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017. The company...
Transamerica Owner Aegon’s Profits Up; Shares Drop on Solvency Concerns
May 11 2017 // Aegon, the Dutch insurer that does most of its business in the United States, on Thursday reported first-quarter net income of 378 million euros ($411 million), helped by the performance of its investment...


