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…
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Cover-All Technologies acquires BlueWave Technology
The Delaware-based Cover-All Technologies Inc., has announced that it has acquired BlueWave Technology’s assets, including all of its innovative software solutions for insurance claims, called PipelineClaims. The acquisition was made in cash and came into effect as of December 30, 2011. The browser-based software solution for claims administration will now be marketed by Cover-All as both a fully integrated component into its existing products for Policy and Business Intelligence, and as a standalone product. This way, Cover-All hopes to be able to provide its customers will a full function, fully…
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…
Read MoreDespite disasters, global insurance industry sees only modest rate hikes in 2011
This year, the global insurance industry saw more than $100 billion in insured losses due to natural disasters. Normally, losses are accompanied by rate increases, but many insurers have not been raising premiums as much as analysts and consumers had expected. The fact that insurers have issued only modest rate hikes throughout the world has had a profound impact on the investment business. Investors are now having trouble figuring out which companies are good targets for the 2012 fiscal year, as many have emerged from 2011 catastrophes will healthy capital…
Read MoreReport shows the rocky road of the property casualty insurance industry during 2011
ISO, a risk assessment firm specializing in the property/casualty insurance industry, and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) have released a new report showing the impact natural disasters had upon the P/C insurance industry in 2011. This year has become infamous for the number of severe storms and other natural disasters that have rocked the U.S. and other nations. The report notes that while the property/casualty industry grew in some aspects, it saw steep losses in others, with the most severe losses coming in a short 9-month period.…
Read MoreAllstate makes changes to its controversial agent commissions plan
Allstate has announced that it will be revising its compensation plans for independent insurance agents. The company will be revising its commission strategy and pay system for agents, with the changes to take affect beginning in 2013. The new changes will be enforced throughout 2013, but the insurer has not yet revealed plans on what will happen thereafter. Allstate’s changes aim to reduce compensation for most agents, save for captive agents that work solely with the company. The insurer plans to cut commissions by 1%, bringing independent agents’ base commission…
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