Latest Trends Headlines

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

US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report

Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...

Climate Change Leads to ‘Arctic Opening,’ Creating Key Emerging Risk: Swiss Re

Jul 17 2023 // Climate change is the cause of a key emerging risk identified by Swiss Re’s SONAR report, which is leading to the opening of previously frozen waterways in the Arctic and the creation of new shipping and trade...

E&O Claim Frequency Is Increasing

Jul 17 2023 // Through my recent discussions with clients and carriers, it is clear to me that agencies are incurring substantially more errors and omissions (E&O) claims. A significant difference exists between the number of claims...

Will S&P Change ‘Negative’ Reinsurance Outlook to ‘Stable’ in 2023?

Jul 14 2023 // While no one directly asked the question of this article’s headline at the S&P Global Ratings June annual insurance conference, the prospect that an outlook change is near came into view during the industry...

Severe Weather Causes First-Half 2023 Losses of at Least $1B in Seven States: Report

Jul 13 2023 // Seven states experienced at least $1 billion in total insured severe weather loss for the first half of 2023, according to an update from BMS Group.Texas led all states with insured severe weather loss of $7.2 billion...

TWIA Committee Recommends 5% Increase in 2024 Residential Rates, 8% for Commercial

Jul 12 2023 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Actuarial & Underwriting Committee met Tuesday, July 11 and voted to recommend increasing rates for residential policies by 5% and commercial policies by 8% for 2024.The TWIA...

Lack of Heat Safety Standards Puts Texas Workers at Risk, as Heat-Related Deaths Continue to Rise

Jul 12 2023 // Maynor Estuardo Álvarez used to stand the Texas heat, but not anymore.Something changed in his body last summer while working as a painter in an apartment in Houston. It was the afternoon, the temperature had surpassed...

Property Insurers’ Ratings Under Pressure as Risk Rises, Morningstar Says

Jul 12 2023 // The credit ratings of global property insurers are coming under pressure as rising reinsurance costs force them to cut back on cover and retain more risks themselves, DBRS Morningstar analysts said in a research note on...

Report: Top Emerging Liability Trends in the Professional Services Sector

Jul 12 2023 // Inflation, new technology, evolving legislation and hackers for hire are just a few of the exposures facing professional services firms including management consultants, auditors, accountants, architects, engineers,...

Study: 96% of Injured Texas Workers Return to Work Within Three Years

Jul 11 2023 // More than 9 in 10 injured Texas employees returned to work within one year post-injury and 96% returned to work three years post-injury, according to an analysis of return-to-work (RTW) outcomes for the Texas...

Insurance Claims From French Riots Rise to $716 Million

Jul 11 2023 // Some 11,300 claims for damages from riots in France had been filed as of July 7 for a total cost of €650 million ($716 million), the insurers federation said in a statement Tuesday.The number of claims has doubled...

Automated Weather Insurance Could Offer Help in an Increasingly Hot World

Jul 11 2023 // Carlos José Báez experienced the full brunt of Hurricane Maria when it made landfall in Puerto Rico as a catastrophic storm in 2017.The auto paint shop owner, who lives in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, saw his home badly...

Washington Commissioner Sends Climate Risk Disclosure Survey to Insurers

Jul 7 2023 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler sent out his annual Climate Risk Disclosure survey, requiring insurance companies with more than $100 million in written premiums in the United States in 2022 to respond, his...

Q2 Commercial P/C Rates Hold; Personal Lines Slightly Decrease: MarketScout

Jul 7 2023 // Like the first quarter of 2023, the composite rate for U.S. commercial property/casualty lines increased 5% in the second quarter, according to MarketScout’s Market Barometer.The Dallas-based distribution and...

World Sees Hottest June on Record as North Atlantic Temperatures Rise

Jul 7 2023 // Last month was the warmest June of the past three decades globally, with several places in western Europe hitting all-time records for the month, according to a report by Europe’s earth observation agency...

AM Best Issues Improved Outlooks for Barnstable Group in Massachusetts

Jul 6 2023 // AM Best has revised its outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed its Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a” (Excellent) for the members of Barnstable Group,...

Global Cyber Premiums Could Exceed $50B by 2030

Jul 6 2023 // The cyber insurance market potential is huge, with premiums likely to exceed $50 billion by 2030, according to a new report by global insurance broker Howden.With the potential to rival major P&C lines, future growth...

Theft is on the Rise: Is your construction site secure?

Jul 5 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by IAT Insurance Group. Here are two true claims stories:In Dallas, a 2018 Lincoln Ranger Welder and tools in a 20-foot container were stolen from an elementary school jobsite. Since...

Know the Plaintiff Side Through Data, Drive Down Litigation Costs

Jul 5 2023 // One of the most significant challenges facing property and casualty (P&C) insurers is the sheer volume of unstructured data from various sources needed to make informed decisions. The claims process is complex, often...

UBI-Use Rises as Customer Satisfaction Declines

Jul 3 2023 // Auto insurance rates are rising and that is leading consumers to look at usage-based insurance (UBI) options to help defray some costs.About one third of auto insurance customers in the U.S. reported a rate increase in the...