Cancer rates

According to the latest figures from the American Cancer Society, cancer death rates in the U.S. have decreased by 18.4% among men and 10.5% among women since the early 1990s. Cancer mortality rates are dropping at a fast rate. Over half a million deaths from cancer were averted during the last fifteen years. Cancer rates for lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer were notable decliners.
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Best Places to Work

Quicken Loans ranked first on the latest list of the 100 Best Places to Work for information technology workers as compiled by Computer World magazine. Among insurance companies, American Fidelity Assurance was highest at 13th. Other insurers making the list: Principal Financial Group, Aflac, Northwest Mutual, USAA, State Farm, Chubb, American Family Insurance, Penn National and Allstate.
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Rental car insurance

Are all rental car customers required to purchase rental insurance? Not all. Check two sources before purchasing rental car insurance. First, check your own auto insurance policy or contact your agent to find out if there are situations in which your policy would not cover a rental. Second, call your credit card company to see if they provide you with rental car insurance.
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Ward's 50

Ward's 50 is an annual ranking of the best performing insurance companies. The Ward Group identifies the top performers among 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies and over 900 life-health insurance companies domiciled in the United States. Each Ward's 50 company has achieved superior performance over the five years analyzed. Ward Group has conducted the analysis since 1991.
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Leverage ratio

In the insurance business, the insurance leverage ratio represents a financial ratio used to measure an insurer’s debt burden in relationship to the resources it has available to support the debt burden. The ratio compares an insurer’s contractual reserves with its capital and/or surplus. Simply put, it is the ratio of reserves to surplus.
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Water damage

According to several insurance surveys, one of the most frequent homeowner claim events is for water damage resulting from a broken or ruptured washing machine hose. Damage from a washing machine hose leak can be significant, especially if the washing machine is located in the first or second floor. Experts suggest to inspect these hoses annually as part of seasonal home maintenance.
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Tornadoes

Tornadoes occur most frequently during the spring and summer months. Most tornadoes in the United States form in an area called "Tornado Alley", which includes includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.
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Topix.com

Topix is a leading online news community providing local, national and world news, as well as news for various industries and interests. Topix provides a free, real-time feed of insurance news for websites. To show a Topix insurance news feed on your site, simply add a small section of code to your web page. Visit Topix.com.
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Life insurance donation

The proceeds from a life insurance policy may be donated to a charity. Policy holders do this by adding the charity as a beneficiary on a policy. Another way is to make annual tax deductible cash gifts to the charity, which the charity uses to make the policy premium payment. State tax laws vary. Some states do not consider a charity to have an insurable interest in a donor.
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Law of Large Numbers

The Law of Large Numbers states that when an experiment is repeated a large number of times, the average result will approach the expected probable outcome. Flipping a coin is a classic example. This concept helps insurance companies calculate appropriate premiums. The Law of Large Numbers was first described by Jacob Bernoulli in 1713.
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Preferred Provider Organization

Nearly 50% of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored health coverage use a Preferred Provider Organization. A PPO is an organization of hospitals and physicians. Those insured through a PPO may select services from the PPO without being limited. Coverage is usually 100%, with a minimal co pay for each office visit or hospital stay.
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National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies

Founded in 1895, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies is a full-service national trade association serving over 1,400 member companies that underwrite more than 40 percent of the property/casualty insurance premium in the United States. NAMIC members benefit through advocacy, public policy and member services. Visit NAMIC at namic.org.
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Claims adjusters

An insurance claims examiner or adjuster is employed to apply due diligence to policy claims. They decide whether claims are covered by the customer’s policy, estimate and confirm payment, and investigate the circumstances surrounding a claim. According to the Bureau of Labor's Occupational Outlook, claims examiners and adjusters will see about 10% growth in employment over the next ten years.
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IED

Some researchers have concluded that road rage drivers may suffer from "intermittent explosive disorder” or IED. A person suffers from IED when he or she has at least three major aggressive outbursts involving property damage and/or threats of physical harm. Road rage is a symptom of IED. The study findings have been the subject of debate as to weather road rage is a mental issue or not.
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Auto insurance myth

A commonly held auto insurance myth is that the color of your car affects your insurance rate. Some believe black or red cars are more likely to be driven fast. The fact is the color of your car does not impact your car insurance rate. The main factors that influence your auto insurance rate are your vehicle's year, make, model, body type, engine size, and your credit history and driving record.
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Exclusive agents

An exclusive agent is an insurance agent that represents one insurance company. Exclusive agents sell insurance products and services for one company and receive a salary plus policy commission from that company. Insurance companies with exclusive agents tend to be highly specialized or extremely large. Exclusive agents are also known as direct writers or captive agents.
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Insurance discounts

Insurance companies commonly offer a discount up to a 15% when you purchase two or more polices with them. Take advantage of this discount by insuring your home and vehicles with the same insurance carrier. In addition to saving money, dealing with one agent or insurance representative will save you time.
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State Farm

G.J. Mecherle established State Farm in Bloomington, Illinois on June 7, 1922. State Farm became America's top auto insurer in 1942, and by 1964 State Farm became the largest insurance writer in the world. Barry Manilow composed State Farm's famous "Like a good neighbor" commercial during the 1970s. Today, State Farm services over 75 million policies in North America.
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State Farm

G.J. Mecherle established State Farm in Bloomington, Illinois on June 7, 1922. State Farm became America's top auto insurer in 1942, and by 1964, State Farm became the largest insurance writer in the world. Barry Manilow composed State Farm's famous "Like a good neighbor" commercial during the 1970s. Today, State Farm services over 75 million policies in North America.
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"high risk"

Auto insurers consider the following drivers as "high risk": a driver with a history of tickets, accidents or convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol; an inexperienced driver, or a driver of sporty or high-performance cars. High risk drivers obtain auto insurance from insurers that specialize in high risk drivers or through their state's high-risk insurance pool.
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Malpractice insurance

Rising malpractice claims and inadequate rates in the early 1970s caused a highly publicized malpractice insurance crisis. Since then, several national and state reform initiatives as well as market-driven responses have attempted to correct medical malpractice issues. Today, doctor-owned malpractice insurance companies provide almost half of all the medical malpractice insurance in the nation.
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National Insurance Crime Bureau

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with insurers and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the identification, detection and prosecution of insurance criminals. The NICB was formed from a 1992. It represents more than 1,000 insurers, self-insured organizations, rental car companies, parking services providers, utility companies and transportation-related firms.
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"No-Pay/No-Play"

"No-Pay/No-Play" laws are designed to limit compensation rights of people who were breaking the law when they were injured. In most no-pay/no play states, uninsured drivers may not sue for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering from an accident. Other states require uninsured drivers pay a large deductible before they can sue for property damages or bodily injury.
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Inernet insurance

The Internet continues to be an important factor in the auto insurance business, both as an advertising tool and a sales tool. According to data collected by the online marketing company ComScore, consumers bought a record 2 million auto insurance policies online in 2007, a 37 percent rise from 2006. Additionally, online shoppers submitted requests for 32 million online quotes, an increase of 15 percent.
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Wild land Urban Interface

The Wild land Urban Interface (WUI) is the zone where natural areas and developed areas meet. The expansion of the WUI into fire-prone areas has made wildfire management an important issue. Research shows that a property's vegetation characteristics and its building materials are the most important factors influencing its survival during a wildfire.
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Insurance regulation

The insurance business in the United States is regulated at the state level. Insurance customers in each state buy policies from agents and brokers who are licensed to do business in that state. Each state has its own set of insurance laws and regulations. Most states base their rules and regulations on model law established by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
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Asbestos-related losses

Asbestos-related losses paid by the U.S. insurance industry will eclipse $60 billion. Asbestos is a fire-resistant mineral that causes a health hazard. The first asbestos product lawsuit was filed in December 1966, in Beaumont, Texas. Asbestos was one of the first hazardous air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act of 1970. The use of asbestos dates back to the Greeks and Romans.
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STOLIs

North Dakota was the first state to ban "stranger-originated" life insurance policies. This scheme, referred to as a STOLI, works as follows: A person promises to pay the premiums for a life insurance policy that covers another individual while providing a one-time cash payment in exchange for being named the policy's beneficiary. That beneficiary collects when the covered individual dies.
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Driving safely

Driving safely and maintaining a good driving record will save you money. In addition to preserving your health and your vehicle's condition, a good driving record will translate into preferred auto insurance rates. DUI's, accidents, speeding tickets, and failure to obey traffic signals, cause insurance premiums to increase. Avoid these issues and pay less for your auto insurance.
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First automobile insurance policy

The first automobile insurance policy was issued in February 1898. The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut extended an individual insurance policy that provided $5,000 to $10,000 of liability coverage to Dr. Truman J. Martin of Buffalo, New York. Dr. Martin's premium for the first automobile insurance policy was $11.25.
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Homeowners insurance

According to data compiled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the state of Texas has the most expensive homeowners insurance in the nation. Wisconsin has the least expensive homeowners insurance premiums. Most of the difference in premium cost is attributable to weather and the risk of natural disaster.
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