Latest Trends Headlines

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

Vermont Continued to See Steady Growth in Captives in 2023

Jan 17 2024 // The Vermont Department of Economic Development reported the state licensed a total of 38 new captive insurance companies in 2023, making it now home to 659 captives.That growth made 2023 one of the best years since Vermont...

Red Sea War Risk Insurance Rises With More Ships in Firing Line

Jan 16 2024 // War risk insurance premiums for shipments through the Red Sea are rising after further attacks on merchant vessels by Yemen’s Houthi movement and the expectation that ships with a UK or U.S. connection will be...

Survey: Carrier Connectivity Top of Mind for Agents

Jan 16 2024 // Agents continue to favor carriers and MGAs that offer automation, ranking ease of doing business and time savings at the top of the list of value they get from connectivity, according to a newly released survey by...

OSHA Announces Penalty Increases for 2024

Jan 16 2024 // The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is slightly raising civil penalty amount for 2024, effective Jan. 16.The Department of Labor’s OSHA said maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious...

Commercial Property Rates Not Expected to Increase at Same Pace as 2023: USI

Jan 16 2024 // A new USI Insurance Services report forecasts that in 2024, commercial property insurance rates “are expected to increase, but not at the same pace as seen in 2023.”“Our forecast calls for 5% to 15% rate...

AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Members of Enumclaw in Washington

Jan 11 2024 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” (Excellent) of Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance...

Progressive Files for 19.78% Auto Insurance Rate Increase in West Virginia

Jan 10 2024 // Less than a month after Farmers Direct Insurance filed for a hefty rate increase on West Virginia auto liability policies, Progressive has followed suit with an almost identical request.The West Virginia insurance...

MarketScout: 2023 US Commercial Composite Rate Up 4.56%

Jan 10 2024 // According to the MarketScout Market Barometer, U.S. commercial property/casualty insurance rates rose 5.6% in the fourth quarter of 2023, resulting in a total composite rate increase of 4.56% for the whole of...

Climate Change, Nuclear Verdicts Worry Wealthy North Americans: Chubb Survey

Jan 9 2024 // A new Chubb report has found that 76% of wealthy Americans and Canadians believe exposure to extreme weather due to climate change is among the biggest threats to their homes.Sixty-three percent of respondents to the...

Viewpoint: Cyber Insurance Market Themes to Look Out for in 2024

Jan 9 2024 // After my (relatively) successful effort in looking at 2023 cyber insurance themes, like a gambler on a streak of beginner’s luck, I wanted to have another roll of the dice in offering my thoughts on cyber insurance...

Viewpoint: Scoring Cyber Insurance Predictions of 2023

Jan 4 2024 // Twelve months ago in a rush of blood to the head, I wrote this article with a selection of cyber insurance themes I thought were pertinent for 2023. In the spirit of transparency, I thought I should mark my own homework,...

AM Best Downgrades Ratings of JRG Re; James River Group Gets Negative Outlook

Jan 2 2024 // AM Best has downgraded the financial strength rating of JRG Reinsurance (JRG Re) to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the long-term issuer credit rating to “bbb+” (Good) from “a-” (Excellent),...

Dyad Brand Launches to the P/C Insurance Market

Jan 2 2024 // Dyad, Inc., formerly XDimensional Technologies and I-Engineering, a provider of insurance software and services backed by Serent Capital, has launched today following XDimensional Technologies’ acquisition of...

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Texas Increased by 8% in 2022

Dec 28 2023 // Fatal occupational injuries in Texas rose by 8% in 2022. A report from the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) shows there were 578 workplace fatalities in private and...

Self-Driving Cars Could Be on UK Roads by 2026: Transport Minister

Dec 28 2023 // Self-driving cars could be on some British roads by 2026, the country’s transport minister Mark Harper said on Wednesday.Cars with full self-driving technology are not currently permitted on Britain’s roads but...

US Workplace Stress at All Time High, Survey Says

Dec 28 2023 // Stress at work has reached epidemic proportions and shows little decline in 2023, according to the American Psychological Association’s “Work in America Survey: Workplaces as Engines of Psychological Health...

The Rise of Self-Insurance: Navigating Risk in a Changing Insurance Landscape

Dec 22 2023 // In an era of heightened climate risks and evolving insurance dynamics, the traditional insurance model faces a conundrum. Insurers find themselves grappling with the aftermath of more frequent and severe storms, and...

A&E Loss Payouts on the Rise; Reserves Will Run Off in 8 Years

Dec 20 2023 // A new AM Best segment report details asbestos and environmental (A&E) losses and reserve decline through the end of 2022.AM Best maintains its estimate for net asbestos losses at $100 billion and environmental losses...

Death Toll Climbs in China’s Worst Earthquake in Nearly a Decade

Dec 20 2023 // The death toll from China’s worst earthquake since 2014 rose to more than 130 as the government sent a top official to oversee recovery efforts.Some 113 people were killed in mostly rural areas of Gansu province and...

Alera Group: Personal Insurance Outlook ‘Discouraging’

Dec 18 2023 // Unprecedented industry losses and unprofitability in homeowners and auto insurance will significantly impact pricing and availability in 2024, especially in catastrophe-prone areas and states with challenging regulations,...