U.S. excess and surplus market is seeing a slight uptick in premiums, a new report reveals. After several years of declines, U.S. E&S insurers saw an increase in the overall amount of direct premiums written in 2011, according to SNL …
Insurance customers are price-sensitive shoppers, and they have become more so given the financial pressures of the struggling economy. Many observers fear that standard coverage is becoming commoditized to the point where customers routinely pick the cheapest policy for a …
The recent acquisition of Roseland, N.J.-based insurance wholesaler Crump Group by BB&T Corp., a major regional bank and insurance broker based in Winston-Salem, N.C., created one of the largest providers of wholesale commercial insurance brokerage and specialty programs in the …
Kemper Corp. has changed the name of its Unitrin Specialty business to Kemper Specialty, effective April 9, 2012. The next step will be to rebrand the Unitrin Direct business in the near future, the company said. “This announcement demonstrates continued …
Some North Carolina homeowners are seeing premium increases this year due to a fire rating change. And North Carolina officials say those increases in insurance premiums stem from the use of technology by insurers and not a change in public …
We frequently hear people ask, “When is the next hard market going to come?” And by that they typically mean double-digit increases in premium growth for a sustained period of time. Of course, no one knows. But perhaps more importantly, …
Moody’s Corp. has acquired Barrie & Hibbert Limited, a provider of risk management modeling tools for insurance companies worldwide. The acquisition broadens Moody’s Analytics suite of software solutions for the insurance and pension sectors. In addition, Barrie & Hibbert’s offerings …
Regulators and consumer groups in Alabama are awaiting the results of a data call from insurers to see if they are quickly handling claims and resolving other residents’ claimants. Commissioner Jim Ridling issued the data call last month in the …
Using a cell phone while driving is not the only distraction leading to automobile crashes today, says a group of insurance carriers. While the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) call for a national ban on cell phone use while …
Florida has added one more name to the growing list of offshore reinsurers who can do business in the state under a new law allowing them to reduce their capital and collateral requirements. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has …
