Personal-auto insurers have continued to implement rate increases to counter weakness in the segments performance over the last several years, but unusual catastrophe losses and rising claim severity prevented strong improvement in underwriting performance for 2012, says Fitch Ratings.

Personal-auto insurers have continued to implement rate increases to counter weakness in the segments performance over the last several years, but unusual catastrophe losses and rising claim severity prevented strong improvement in underwriting performance for 2012, says Fitch Ratings.

Regional insurers saw a significant improvement in 2012 underwriting results compared to 2011, but only one of six such companies studied by Fitch Ratings managed an underwriting profit for the year, and regionals posted a higher 2012 combined ratio than any other subsector Fitch analyzed.

Nineteen U.S. reinsurers comprising the Reinsurance Association of America reported a gain of over $1 billion in 2012 net income compared to 2011, as written premiums increased and underwriting results improved.

Future success for independent agents depends in part on them continuing to fight for their share of the private-passenger auto-insurance market, and to do so, they cannot continue to cede domination of the Internet and mobile communication to direct writers, a new report says.

Commercial-insurance rates climbed by almost 7 percent in Q4 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, a recent survey shows, although the upward-rate acceleration seen since the start of 2011 appears to have slowed.

Property and casualty carrier employment fell in January, virtually erasing the gains made in December 2012, according to an analysis of the latest figures from the U.S. Labor Departments Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Property and casualty carrier employment fell in January, virtually erasing the gains made in December 2012, according to an analysis of the latest figures from the U.S. Labor Departments Bureau of Labor Statistics.