NAPCO study shows that the U.S. property insurance market is under stress

A new study from NAPCO LLC, a wholesale broker of commercial property insurance coverage, suggests that the national catastrophe property market is quickly moving away from the soft market conditions that have governed insurance prices for several years. While this is typically good news for some insurers, the study shows that a low demand for insurance coverage may restrict the pricing power of insurers. David Pagoumian, CEO of NAPCO, says that property insurers are under heavy pressure to make profits in the current climate and may face even greater pressures…

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Nationwide Insurance reports losses in the third quarter due to natural disasters and poor investment results

Nationwide Insurance has reported its third quarter financial results for this year. The report details a turbulent third quarter, which has been wracked by severe storms and other natural disasters along with costly investment mishaps. Overall, the report shows that the insurer has lost billions in investments and millions in claims relating to storm damage. While Nationwide has an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, there can be no doubt that recent events will encourage changes to be made to the company’s policies. Nationwide reports that its…

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Insurance Technologies LLC receives Most Compelling Case Study Award for the year

Financial services industry sales automation solutions provider, Insurance Technologies LLC, has received the award for the Most Compelling Case Study in 2011, the ACORD Award. The recipient of the award was announced in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the ACORD Implementation Forum conference. Insurance Technologies received the award in recognition of the role it has played in standardizing eLabels – that is, tag values and instances – for any document which can be filled throughout a transaction with ACORD. Every year, the member partners of ACORD who have shown innovative development…

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Health insurers eye climate change as a major concern for the future

Climate change is often a controversial issue, especially when the federal government is concerned. The insurance industry, however, is beginning to take the matter more seriously, as a new report shows that purely environmental factors may be causing the high costs seen in the health care system. The report comes from the Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental advocacy group based in New York. The report suggests that natural disasters that have struck the U.S. in the past decade may be having a significant impact on the health of…

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Liberty Mutual posts Q3 losses due to natural catastrophe and asbestos charges

The Liberty Mutual Group, one of the largest property casualty insurers in the U.S., has posted their third quarter financial report. The report shows that the company has lost millions as the result of natural disasters and a high-profile asbestos lawsuit that was levied against the insurer earlier in the year. Last year, the insurer reported a net profit of $567 million during the third quarter, but 2011 has produced several major natural disasters that have shaken the insurance industry to its core. Liberty Mutual’s losses from catastrophic events for…

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Allstate files $5 million lawsuit in New York as a result of fraud

Allstate Insurance is looking to recover some $5 million in New York that has been lost due to fraud. The company has filed a lawsuit targeting 21 individuals, 17 of which are being accused of misrepresenting public entities. The insurer claims that these people have continuously submitted fraudulent claims on behalf of corporation that were owned and operated by laypersons, as opposed to licensed professionals. The insurer notes that fraud is one of the primary reasons rates have been rising in the state in recent years. Allstate has filed some…

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AIG continues to pay its debt to the U.S. Treasury despite financial turmoil

The U.S. Treasury has received another payment from the American International Group (AIG), one of the nation’s largest insurance organizations. The payment is the latest in a series coming from AIG as part of its massive debt owed to the federal government. To date, the company has repaid $18 billion of the $182 billion provided during 2008’s financial crisis. The company still owes the federal government approximately $50 billion it received from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. This week’s payment totaled $972 million. The insurer has been treading troubled…

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