Commercial Lines

Commercial-lines rates continued to climb in September, rising by 5 percent compared to the same month a year ago, according to MarketScouts latest analysis.

Global property and casualty insurance rates increased by less than one percent for major lines during the third quarter this year, indicating that prices may be stabilizing, says a report from insurance broker Marsh.

If one compares this years meeting of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers to last year, the most notable change was a lack of anxiety among attendees when discussing the market direction.

Property and casualty insurers saw their first-half net income climb collectively by over 245 percent in 2012 compared to the prior year, as the industry benefited from premium growth and a sharp drop in catastrophe losses, but experts offered mixed opinions on the larger meaning of the figures.

Contractors working overseas for the Department of State can expect big increases in their premiums upon renewal after the government found no insurers willing to take up the insurance program for non-government employees, says an executive with Marsh.

As economies grow ever more connected across international borders, the potential hazards of business travel have inspired policies covering everything from luggage retrieval to extraction from hot spots.