Research and Trends News

Studies Find Crash Rates Rise When States Legalize Marijuana; Suggest Link to Alcohol

Researchers report increasing evidence is that motor vehicle crash rates rise when states legalize recreational use and retail sales of marijuana, although what effects marijuana by itself has on drivers remains unclear. Crash rates spiked with the legalization of recreational …

COVID Crisis Cuts Global Macro Resilience, Raises Insurance Protection Gap: Swiss Re

The COVID-19 crisis reduced overall global macro resilience – or the ability of societies to absorb shocks – by 18% in 2020 from 2019, according to a sigma report published by Swiss Re Institute. At the same time, the report …

Study Says Earthquakes Are Increasing in U.S. Oil Regions

The number of noticeable earthquakes has been increasing year after year since 2017 in the key oil producing regions of the U.S., according to an analysis by an independent energy research firm. The analysis of seismic activity by Rystad Energy …

Workers’ Compensation Profit Picture Looks Good in Short Term: Fitch

With favorable results driven by recent reductions in claims frequency and further recognition of material reserve redundancies, workers’ compensation underwriting performance is expected to remain strong in 2021, according to Fitch Ratings. However, this level of profitability is unsustainable longer …

We Can Work It Out: Negotiations Likely on COVID-19 Reinsurance Losses

Catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance contracts “never anticipated an event like a pandemic,” but cedents can still expect compromises from their reinsurers, an industry executive said Thursday. While cedents and reinsurers may often disagree about how the reinsurance contracts apply, …

May’s Global Disasters Include Hailstorms, Floods, Cyclones, Quakes, Volcanic Eruption

U.S. insurers face a multi-billion-dollar payout from May’s convective storms, which spawned extensive hail, tornado, wind and flood damage across a series of separate events during the month, according to broker Aon plc in the latest edition of its monthly …

Global Insurers Face Hefty Costs of $15B-$20B to Implement IFRS 17: WTW

The total cost faced by the global insurance industry to implement IFRS 17 is estimated to be in the range of US$15 billion-$20 billion, according to a new global survey by Willis Towers Watson. While the estimated costs will vary …

First U.S. Artificial Intelligence Czar Seeks ‘Responsible Use’ of AI Tools

Computer scientist Lynne Parker made breakthroughs in getting robots to work together so they could perform difficult missions, like cleaning up after a nuclear disaster, waxing floors or pulling barnacles off a ship. Her job now is getting the U.S. …

Failure of Many ‘Zombie’ Companies Likely to Keep Insurance Rates Rising: Swiss Re

The expectation that hundreds of so-called zombie companies will fail over the next few years and drag on the economy is among the major concerns prompting insurers to reduce risk and charge higher premiums, a trend likely to continue as …

Insurers Must Totally Reassess Approach to ‘Grim’ Cyber Insurance Market: AM Best

With the cyber risk hazard environment—ransomware, business interruption and aggregation—worsening significantly, “prospects for the U.S. cyber insurance market are grim,” according to an AM Best report. According to the global rating agency’s analysts, insurers “urgently need to reassess all aspects …