Search Results

Reserve releases were higher in 2011 than in 2010 and 2009 for personal- and commercial-lines companies followed by ALIRT Insurance Research, shaving 2.4 points off of those companies 2011 combined ratio, the firm notes.

Insurance-rate increases could extend beyond 2012 as insurers reduce their reserve releases and deal with deteriorating calendar-year underwriting profitability, says a financial analyst.

The soft-market cycle has come to an end, at least according to Dallas-based insurance exchange MarketScoutwhich declared so in its November Market Barometer.

Insurance-company executives, a global broker and analyst firms are weighing in on whether the market is hardeningand their responses include yes, maybe, and a debate over whether the traditional hard- and soft-market cycles are even relevant anymore in the marketplace.

The pricing cycle is entering a phase that is not in any way a traditional hard market, according to analyst firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, as prices have bottomed and even risen in some cases, but capital remains plentiful.

A day after a Chartis executive questioned whether micro cycles might replace traditional market turns, analyst firm ALIRT Insurance Research weighed in on the question of whether the traditional cycle might be a thing of the past.

The insurance industry performed poorly for the first half of this year, primarily due to an unprecedented level of catastrophes, and while the results may point to premium-price increases, other factors may keep a lid on them.

The insurance industry performed poorly for the first half of this year primarily due to an unprecedented level of catastrophes and while the results may point to premium price increases, other factors may keep a lid on them.