Latest Market Headlines

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

S&P Says WTC Trial Outcome Not a Rating Factor For Insurers

Feb 19 2004 // As the signature lawsuit from Sept. 11, 2001, makes its way through the federal court system, there is no foreseeable impact on insurer ratings, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.“Under the...

ING to Exit Argentine Insurance Market

Feb 18 2004 // Holland’s ING Group announced that it will reorganize its insurance activities in Argentina, effectively leaving the market with the resulting loss of 650 jobs.A company announcement said it had made the decision...

PMA Capital Appoints Three New Directors

Feb 18 2004 // Philadelphia-based PMA Capital Corporation announced that Peter S. Burgess, Richard Lutenski and Vincent T. Donnelly have been elected as directors of the Company. It also noted that Paul I. Detwiler, Jr. and Louis N....

Swiss Re Reports 7% P/C Renewal Premium Growth

Feb 17 2004 // Swiss Re announced that it has registered a seven percent increase in P/C premium growth following the latest round of renewals, occasioned by a “combination of further rate increases and portfolio...

Lisa Colletto Named Partner in Pinnacle

Feb 11 2004 // Pinnacle Training & Consulting, headquartered in Simsbury, Conn., a leading provider of training, implementation services, and insurance education to the insurance industry, announced that Lisa Colletto has been named...

RIMS: Commercial Rates Going Down; Benfield: Reinsurance Rates Holding

Feb 9 2004 // As Abbott and Costello famously observed, “Who’s on First?” A new report from independent insurance intermediary Benfield concludes that despite “ample capacity and signs of resurgent competition,...

Talking Tort with Colorado Commissioner Doug Dean

Feb 9 2004 // Washington Governor Bill Owens appointed Doug Dean commissioner of Insurance in January 2003. As commissioner, Dean heads the Division of Insurance, which is one of eight divisions within the Department of Regulatory...

RIMS: Commercial Rates Going Down; Benfield: Reinsurance Rates Holding

Feb 9 2004 // As Abbott and Costello famously observed, “Who’s on First?” A new report from independent insurance intermediary Benfield concludes that despite “ample capacity and signs of resurgent competition,...

Three Years Later, Industry Puts Toxic Mold into Perspective

Feb 9 2004 // Whatever became of mold? Only three years ago, newspaper headlines, fueled by overzealous trial attorneys and misguided scientific information, trumpeted mold as “the next asbestos.”Since then, however, mold...

“2004 Will Be the Real Test” Lord Levene Tells Insurers

Feb 4 2004 // Lloyd’s Chairman Lord Peter Levene does not mince words. So, while he reflected on 2003 as a relatively benign, and for Lloyd’s a very profitable, year, his audience at a meeting of the City Forum in London sat...

Poe Financial Group Announces New President and CEO

Feb 2 2004 // Poe Financial Group announced the promotion of their Executive Vice President, James E. Wurdeman, to President and Chief Executive Officer. William F. Poe, Sr., the current CEO, will remain Chairman of the Florida-based...

ISO Acquires Quality Planning Corporation

Jan 30 2004 // Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO) has acquired Quality Planning Corporation (QPC), a San Francisco-based provider of analytic methods for helping auto insurance companies achieve greater rating integrity. Terms were not...

D&O Liability Premiums Jump 33 Percent; Tillinghast Study Reports Hard Market is Stabilizing Despite Record Premiums

Jan 27 2004 // Directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance premiums grew approximately 33 percent on average from 2002 to 2003, according to the Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin’s 2003 Directors & Officers...

Ohio’s First Woman Insurance Director Tackles Med-Mal Crisis

Jan 26 2004 // Ohio Insurance Director Ann Womer Benjamin’s first year in office since her appointment by Republican Gov. Robert Taft has been marked principally by her efforts to get a handle on the state’s medical liability...

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Jan 26 2004 // Education benefits the next generation of insurance consumers.During my 34-year tenure in the insurance industry, I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard, “Don’t they understand?” It’s...

Natural Disasters More Severe and More Costly

Jan 26 2004 // According to a recently released report from Munich Re, fatalities caused by natural catastrophes were up 450 percent in 2003, while insured losses reached $15 billion. More ominous was the reinsurer’s conclusion...

Earlybird Forecast for 2004: Street Sees Premium Growth in Store

Jan 26 2004 // Each year the Insurance Information Institute invites a panel of Wall Street stock analysts and industry professionals to review the prospects for the industry in the current and coming year. The survey reveals that the...

Tillinghast Says More Consolidation in 2004

Jan 26 2004 // The insurance industry is at a critical juncture, with issues surrounding consolidation, pricing, legislative reforms and capital concerns shaping the market for 2004, according to year-end industry predictions from...

You Can’t Keep a Good State Down

Jan 26 2004 // Louisiana, Louisiana. They’re tryin’ to wash us away, They’re tryin’ to wash us away Louisiana, Louisiana They’re tryin’ to wash us away, They’re tryin’ to wash us...

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Jan 26 2004 // Education benefits the next generation of insurance consumers.During my 34-year tenure in the insurance industry, I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard, “Don’t they understand?” It’s...