Latest Market Headlines

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

What’s Ahead in Agency E&O

Nov 5 2012 // Firmer insurance prices and an upward trend in agency revenues are signs of good times for most independent agencies. These same trends, however, are reflected in today’s insurance market for agency errors and...

Q2 Direct Premium Written Up Nearly 5% for P/C Companies

Nov 5 2012 // Overall, property/casualty insurance companies continued to serve their clients during an increased number of catastrophic events in 2011 as well as the tough economic conditions that have defined the better part of the...

Astonish Announces QQ Solutions as a Silver Sponsor for its Fourth Annual eAgent Summit Taking Place This Oct. 28-30

Oct 26 2012 // Warwick, Rhode Island, 10/26/12 – Astonish, the leader in insurance digital marketing solutions, is pleased to announce QQ Solutions, Inc., www.qqsolutions.com, as a Silver Sponsor for its fourth annual eAgent Summit...

Rebounding Economy Spurs Growth in Cargo, Supply Chain Risks

Oct 22 2012 // A slow trend toward economic recovery in the U.S. may mean good news/bad news for insurance agents and brokers who handle commercial accounts with cargo and supply chain vulnerabilities.The good news is growth in sales and...

Oklahoma Tribes Exploring Opportunities in Insurance Industry

Oct 18 2012 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak told state lawmakers and tribal leaders that he welcomed a partnership with Oklahoma tribes to create additional insurance opportunities for all Oklahomans, according to an an...

Chairman Nelson Talks About the Future of Lloyd’s

Oct 16 2012 // Lloyd’s of London Chairman John Nelson knew when he acceded to his post one year ago that his predecessor, Lord Peter Levene, would be a hard act to follow. Levene served for nine years and oversaw significant...

Astonish’s 4th Annual E-Agent Summit is Close at Hand – Join Over 500 Insurance Professionals at One of the Biggest Insurance Marketing Events of the Year

Oct 16 2012 // Warwick, RI, 10/16/12 – Astonish is a digital marketing solutions and insurance sales training company focused on growing local insurance agencies into successful, selling powerhouses prepared to serve the modern...

Insurance Industry’s Text-to-Give Campaign Supports 4 Charities

Oct 15 2012 // A new text-to-give campaign as part of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Week of Giving will generate donations for four well-known national nonprofits. During October, insurance employees can donate $5...

Best Reports Italy’s Non-Life Insurance Sector Faces Shifting Landscape

Oct 11 2012 // The Italian non-life insurance market faces changes as the sector is subject to new legislation and industry consolidation, while the country’s ongoing economic challenges constrain demand for coverage, according to...

Global Federation of Insurance Associations Launched

Oct 10 2012 // Thirty-one of the world’s most important insurance associations, who represent 87 per cent of worldwide insurance business, formally established the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) on October...

IICF Week of Giving Carries On Volunteerism, Adds ‘Text to Give’

Oct 10 2012 // The property/casualty sector of the insurance industry gave an estimated $500 million in charitable funding in 2010, according to a 2011 study by McKinsey & Company. The research report noted: “Most of this...

India’s Battered Insurers May Need More than Foreign Investment

Oct 10 2012 // India’s proposal to allow more foreign investment in its $41 billion insurance business provides a lifeline for an industry starved of capital and squeezed by regulation – but it may not pass parliament and it...

Astonish now Integrates with QQ Solutions to Provide a Complete Solution for Insurance Agency Management and Digital Marketing

Oct 10 2012 // Warwick, RI, 10/10/12 – Astonish, a leading insurance digital marketing system in the U.S., today announced its integration with QQ Solutions, Inc.’s agency management system, QQ Evolution 2. QQ Solutions, Inc. is...

Slow and Steady: Optimism Good for Surplus Lines Market in 2012

Oct 9 2012 // Despite catastrophic events in 2011, low investment yields and competitive pressures, surplus lines specialists — especially market leaders — generated healthy operating profits and returns on both revenue and...

KBW: ‘No Acceleration of Rates’ Into Traditional Hard Market

Oct 8 2012 // Analysts at investment research firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods recently published a note recapping KBW’s annual insurance conference, held last month in New York.Analysts observed that while the general tone of...

Space Insurance Agency Aims to Help Florida’s Space Business Take Off

Oct 8 2012 // A new partnership formed between Space Florida, the spaceport authority and aerospace development organization for the state, and insurance agency Assure Space is counting on new space insurance capabilities driving more...

Moving Forward

Oct 8 2012 // One result of an improving economy is increased demand for commercial insurance coverages.The economy is improving, slowly. And the property/casualty insurance industry is seeing growth, as well. Don’t take my word...

Chairman Nelson Charts Future Course for Lloyd’s

Oct 8 2012 // Lloyd’s of London Chairman John Nelson knew when he acceded to his post one year ago that his predecessor, Lord Peter Levene, would be a hard act to follow. Levene served for nine years and oversaw significant...

Report Points to Insurance Industry’s Vulnerability to Climate Change

Oct 8 2012 // A report out late last month urges the insurance industry to act to protect itself and the community against the increasing frequency of extreme weather due to climate change.In short, the report, its authors and those...

Slow and Steady: Surplus Lines Industry Reverses Downward Trend; Optimism Good for 2012

Oct 8 2012 // Despite catastrophic events in 2011, low investment yields and competitive pressures, surplus lines specialists — especially market leaders — generated healthy operating profits and returns on both revenue and...