State Farm has announced that although they faced a significant number of payments for catastrophe claims from some of the largest events in the quarter century history of the company, it has been able to maintain its financial strength. In 2011, State Farm’s combined net worth fell by $0.4 billion by the end of the year, bringing it to $60.8 billion. This includes the drop by $0.2 billion in the insurance company’s net worth in connection with the unaffiliated stock portfolios of the property and casualty companies. Moreover, those figures…
Read MoreTag: insurance industry data
Dental problems force uninsured Tennessee residents into ERs
A report issued by The Pew Center on the States has shown that residents of Tennessee suffering from toothaches and other dental problems are finding themselves in hospital emergency rooms as many of them cannot afford preventive care and are not covered by dental insurance. Residents of that state have made over 55,000 visits to emergency rooms since 2009 due to issues with their teeth or because of jaw disorders. Adults do not receive dental coverage by TennCare, and many employers within Tennessee do not include dental coverage in their…
Read MoreFederal Housing Administration plans to raise premiums for mortgage insurance
According to a press release from the Federal Housing Administration, the agency intends to raise the premiums for up-front mortgage insurance by 0.75 percent in order to help to rebuild its insurance fund, which has been exhausted by the real estate crisis over the last few years. Also to see increases, will be the annual premiums that will be paid on the loans themselves. Carol Galante, the acting commissioner for the Federal Housing Administration, released the statement this week, which explained that by taking these actions, it will be possible…
Read MoreTax benefit causes AIG profits to skyrocket
American International Group Inc. (AIG) has announced a fourth quarter 2011 profit of $19.8 billion following a large tax benefit that it received after it submitted its predictions regarding its ability to maintain the generation of profits over the upcoming years. The bailed-out insurance company received tax benefits worth $17.7 billion within the last three months of last year. This was a sum that was significantly greater than the $1.6 billion operating income that it received from its insurance businesses and other branches throughout that same time. Equally, though, the…
Read MoreInsurer santalucía trusts SAS® to help address Solvency II and integrate risk management
MADRID – Building on its successful use of SAS in actuarial activities, Spanish insurer santalucía will use SAS Risk Management for Insurance to help meet Solvency II, Pillar I requirements to manage risks and calculate metrics. SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, is a risk analytics solutions leader for the insurance industry. With 370 agencies, 9,000 employees and 7.5 million clients throughout Spain, santalucía chose SAS to undertake multidimensional risk analysis that includes both the standard model approach and the ability to develop integrated internal models in…
Read MoreNew York regulators to investigate insurer’s rate proposals for accuracy
As complaints regarding insurance rate hikes begin to weigh on regulators in New York, the state’s Financial Services Superintendent, Benjamin Lawsky, has announced a new investigation into the matter. Regulators will be investigating the data submitted by insurance companies to justify their premium increases. The goal is to determine the accuracy of the data that these insurers use. These investigations will work alongside the regular rate review process and insurers will not know when they will be investigated. Lawsky notes that any errors made by insurers in their requests for…
Read MoreAmerican insurance industry feeling the pinch of weak investments and catastrophes
A new report released by A.M. Best Co. Inc., has stated that the unprecedented number of natural disasters, poor returns from investments, and an economy that continued to struggle in 2011, has made it exceptionally difficult for the American property and casualty insurance industry’s commercial insurance and reinsurance sectors to grow and has caused notable hurt to their operating performances. It’s estimated by the rating agency, based in Oldwick, New Jersey, that last year’s underwriting losses from underwriters in the commercial property and casualty sector were approximately $15.2 billion. This…
Read More