Research and Trends News

Insurers Ink $90 Billion in Merger Deals as They Pursue Post-Coronavirus Clout

Insurers pummeled by the pandemic are looking to deals as they race to see who’ll emerge strongest when the outbreak subsides. The takeover of RSA Insurance Group Plc and Allstate Corp.’s largest acquisition ever have helped push industry deals announced …

Workers With Second Jobs May Be Factor in Nursing Home COVID Risk: Study

Nurses and other long-term care workers in nursing homes who hold multiple jobs may be one of the factors contributing to the spread of COVID-19 in these facilities. According to a new study published in Medical Care Research and Review, …

‘Urgent Action’ Needed to Help Stranded Sailors and Avoid Supply-Chain Risks

Fidelity International is calling for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis and supply-chain risks caused by the more than 400,000 seafarers who are stranded aboard vessels and a similar number who remain ashore with little prospect for work or …

Middle Market Firms May Be Untapped Telematics Opportunity

Middle market business owners may be more interested in vehicle telematics insurance products than their agents realize. Approximately 14 percent of agents surveyed for insurer Nationwide responded that they don’t believe their clients would pay for telematics. At the same …

2020 Western U.S. Wildfire Season Gave Us Gigafire, Several Massive Blazes

Want more proof that 2020 will go down as a year we should all try hard to forget about? With some 9 million acres burned in wildfires across Western U.S. this year, and the introduction of a new and terrifying …

Tracking Odors in Dangerous Places. The Smellicopter Flies to the Rescue.

One huge advantage of drones is that these little robots can go places where people can’t, including areas that might be too dangerous, such as unstable structures after a natural disaster or a region with unexploded devices. Researchers have been …

U.S. Commercial Insurance Rates Rise Again in Q3 But Show Signs of Stabilizing

For the second quarter in a row, U.S. commercial lines insurers enjoyed average rate hikes that neared 10 percent but the rocket ship rate hike trend might be moderating “While commercial insurance prices continued to rise this quarter at a …

Global Reinsurance Sector Receives ‘Stable’ Market Outlook as Rates Keep Hardening

The outlook of the global reinsurance sector is “stable,” which is mainly a reflection of hardening pricing conditions and tighter terms and conditions, according to AM Best and Fitch Ratings in two reports. AM Best said the market has seen …

Expansion of Workers’ Compensation for COVID-19 in 6 States Created Narrow Benefit

While at least 17 states have passed laws or issued orders that expanded access to workers’ compensation benefits for employees who contract COVID-19, many of those directives are creating new exposure for only a sliver of the workforce, new research …

Meatpacking Plants Linked to Up to 8% of Early U.S. COVID Cases

As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings highlight …