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.

As a further sign the insurance-pricing cycle is beginning to shift, Moodys Investors Service says some companies are reporting strong growth in excess and surplus lines business, generally a sign that standard-market carriers are tightening underwriting and shedding business.

The recent passage of legislation reforming Floridas personal injury protection auto-insurance system should help combat rising claims costs and insurance rates in the state, and is credit-positive for insurers, according to Moodys Investors Service.

The recent passage of legislation reforming Floridas personal injury protection auto-insurance system should help combat rising claims costs and insurance rates in the state, and is credit-positive for insurers, according to Moodys Investors Service.

The number of securities class-action settlements fell nearly 25 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, and the total dollar value of settlements fell by 58 percent to $1.4 billion, according to Cornerstone Research.

The number of securities class-action settlements fell nearly 25 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, and the total dollar value of settlements fell by 58 percent to $1.4 billion, according to Cornerstone Research.

Employment in the industry fell in January 2012 compared to both December 2011 and January 2011, with agents and brokers shedding the most jobs, 4,100, from December to January, but Insurance Information Institute President Robert Hartwig says the outcome is typical of industry-employment patterns in January.

The mortgage-insurance sector is expected to continue to report operating losses well into 2013, as losses on legacy books of business will likely outweigh the profitability generated from more recent business written since 2008, according to Standard & Poors.