Latest Trends Headlines

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

Why Downpour in South Florida Just Wouldn’t Stop, Portending Future Floods

Apr 17 2023 // In some ways, it was the Florida Man of storms – not quite knowing when to say when.Usually, thunderstorms fizzle out after they run out of rain or get cold air sucked in. But not Wednesday, when the storm that hit...

High Inflation Hiked P/C Claims Costs Up to 7.5% in 2022

Apr 17 2023 // High inflation alone led to an increase in property/casualty claims of 5%-7.5%, across five key markets in 2022, according to Swiss Re research.“In 2023, we expect that inflation should lead to an additional increase...

APCIA Says Property Insurance Market ‘Hardest in a Generation’

Apr 17 2023 // A combination of historic high inflation and a growing frequency of natural catastrophes is creating the hardest market in a generation for property insurance, the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association...

D&O 2022: Prices Down; Loss Ratios Up; Top Carriers Ranked

Apr 17 2023 // Although analysts at Fitch Ratings estimate that combined ratios for the directors and officers liability line remained below breakeven in 2022, with competition fueling price declines and the economic conditions...

Thieves Blow Up German ATMs Every Day, With Attacks Rising 40%-Plus Since 2019

Apr 14 2023 // In the German town of Ratingen, exploding cash machines are a hot-button topic.Two got blown up early on the same morning last month, at branches of Santander and Deutsche Bank across the street from each other close to...

CSU Research Team Forecasts Slightly Below Average 2023 Hurricane Season

Apr 14 2023 // The hurricane research team at Colorado State University in its early forecast of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is predicting slightly below-average activity.The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is predicting 13...

March Results Dampen Progressive Q1 Net Income Momentum

Apr 13 2023 // Progressive Corp. today reported first quarter net income of about $448 million – a 43% increase compared to the same time last year – though the insurer booked a nearly $152 million loss for the month of March.At the...

Kremlin Warns Outlook for Extending Black Sea Grain Deal Is ‘Not so Great’

Apr 13 2023 // The Kremlin warned on Wednesday that the outlook for extending a deal beyond May 18 that allows the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizer from several Ukrainian Black Sea ports was not great as Russia’s own...

U.S. Proposes 56% Vehicle Emissions Cut by 2032, Requiring Big EV Jump

Apr 12 2023 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed sweeping emissions cuts for new cars and trucks through 2032, a move it says could mean two out of every three new vehicles automakers sell will be...

Western Australia Could Be Hit by Biggest Cyclone in Almost a Decade

Apr 11 2023 // Western Australia could be hit by the largest cyclone in almost a decade this week, with the weather system predicted to cross the coast near a major export port for iron ore that’s to be cleared of vessels.Tropical...

Q1 Commercial P/C Rates Hold Steady, Up 5%: MarketScout

Apr 10 2023 // In a “deliberate and modest fashion,” the composite rate for commercial property and casualty lines increases 5% during the first quarter 2023, according to MarketScout.The Dallas-based distribution and...

Viewpoint: Optimizing Agency Relationships; A Data-Driven Approach to Premium Growth

Apr 10 2023 // Reported demise of the independent insurance agency as a sales and distribution channel have been greatly exaggerated. Over the course of a decade or more of predictions about the growth of the direct-to-consumer models,...

Maryland AG Report Chronicles Decades of Child Sex Abuse and Church Cover-Up

Apr 6 2023 // Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has released his agency’s report documenting a long history of widespread child sex abuse and systemic cover-up by clergy and others associated with the Archdiocese of...

13 Years Later, Oil Drilling in Gulf Safer, But Concerns Persist, Study Shows

Apr 6 2023 // Thirteen years after the massive Deepwater Horizons spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist, a new...

More Severe Weather Forecast for Battered South, Midwest

Apr 5 2023 // OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – While residents across parts of the South and Midwest pummeled by deadly storms and wildfires sifted through the wreckage of their homes Monday, forecasters warned of more severe weather and fire...

Distraction, Speeding, Alcohol Drive Up 2021 Traffic Deaths

Apr 5 2023 // Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2021, the highest number in 16 years with deaths due to speeding and impaired or distracted driving on the rise.The 2021 final numbers, released Monday by the National...

McDonald’s Risks Employee Ire by Joining Trend of Virtual Layoffs

Apr 4 2023 // McDonald’s Corp. is the latest company asking staff to work from home during layoffs, a practice that has sparked criticism from other companies’ employees and management experts.The fast-food chain told...

Texas Auto, Homeowners Premiums Grew Double Digits in 2022, Report Shows

Apr 4 2023 // The Texas market for auto and homeowners insurance grew double digits in 2022, according to an annual report put out by the Texas Department of Insurance.Texas insurers reported direct premium written for private passenger...

U.S. Commercial Rates Increased in Q4 — But at Slower Pace: WTW

Apr 3 2023 // U.S. commercial insurance prices grew in the fourth quarter of 2022 by an average of 4.8%, down from the rate of 5.2% in the previous quarter (Q3 2022), according to WTW’s most recent Commercial Lines Insurance...

WCRI: Consolidation of Health Care Driving Up Prices in Work Comp

Apr 3 2023 // Consolidation of physician services into larger groups owned by hospitals and health care systems is driving up the cost of care in workers’ compensation, according to a new study by the Workers’ Compensation...