In October of last year, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) issued a request for commentary on how to modernize health insurance regulations. The commentary period ended in December with the agency receiving more than 150 suggestions on what to do. Now, the FIO is using the comments it has received to help build a report regarding the regulatory system in the U.S. When completed, the report will be given to Congress and used to help plan a course of action for the future. Michael McRaith, director of the FIO, attended…
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ING Group to abandon plans for combined insurance and investment operations in Europe and Asia
The ING Group, a Dutch financial institution working in the banking and insurance industries, has announced that it will be abandoning its plans for a combined European and Asian insurance investment operation. The company cites economic turmoil in the European region as the primary reason for its change of heart. Future investment and insurance plans are still a possibility for the future, if the European financial crisis is resolved appropriately. The company still has a keen interest in the Asian market, however, and plans to pursue alternative schemes to expand…
Read MoreVermont licensed more than 40 new captive insurance companies in 2011, expects to license more this year
The Vermont Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration has released new data that shows the state has added 41 new captive insurance companies in 2011. The state is home to more than 590 active captive insurance groups currently, with a total of 952 licensed insurers.2011 was the sixth consecutive year in which Vermont added more than 40 new captives to the market, showing the growing trend of captives in the state’s insurance industry. Captives have always been popular in the insurance business, but more insurance organizations are opting to…
Read MoreA.M. Best Co. releases updated outlook for American health insurance sector in 2012
A.M. Best Co. has issued a briefing that provides a revision on its initial outlook for the United States Health Insurance sector in 2012, raising it from being negative to being stable. Last year at this time, A.M. Best had confirmed its negative forecast for that sector, primarily over worries about the capability of that sector of the insurance industry to be able to put into place and maintain the various requirements for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), in addition to concerns over the chance that there…
Read MoreChina insurance industry to face major challenges this year, according to Regulatory Commission
China may be home to one of the fastest growing insurance markets on the planet, but Xiang Junbo, chairman of the Chinese Insurance Regulatory Commission, says that the industry is faced with major challenges this year. Last year, Chinese insurers saw return on investment results drop by 3.6%. When coupled with the now notorious natural disasters of 2011, the results have rocked the nation’s insurance industry somewhat. Regulators say that if the coming challenges cannot be overcome, the growth of the insurance market may grow beyond the industry’s ability to…
Read MoreNatural disasters from 2011 cost private insurance companies over $32 billion
As a result of the insured losses from natural disasters in 2011, private sector insurance companies will have paid over $32 billion in claims to assist businesses and homeowners to rebuild after damages caused by those events. According to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), this figure breaks the records for all previous years in terms of federal disaster declarations. The I.I.I. president, economist Dr. Robert Hartwig, CPCU, the catastrophes that occurred in the United States in January through September resulted in 32.6 billion in losses that were directly insured. This…
Read MoreInsurers wary of disastrous year on the heels of the infamous 2011
A new year has dawned and as celebrations from the holidays die down, insurers turn a wary eye toward a potentially chaotic future. 2011 has gained infamy as one of the worst years in recent history in terms of natural disasters. While some insurance organizations claim the total cost of worldwide catastrophes hovers in the range of $100 billion, Munich Re, a global reinsurance and risk solutions firm, asserts that the real total of global disasters is at $310 billion. Risk modelers have yet to release their predictions regarding the…
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