Personal Auto Profits Stuck in Reverse
Thursday, January 9th, 2003 AutoPersonal automobile insurers will experience disappointing financial results over the next five years, continuing a pattern of mediocrity dating back to 1993, according to a new study from Conning Research & Consulting, Inc. In the study, "Caution Flag for Personal Automobile Insurance," Conning analyzes the personal automobile line over the past nine years against two benchmarks: premium growth equal to Gross Domestic Product growth and return on surplus of 12 percent. Not once during 1993-2001 did the industry achieve both benchmarks in the same year. "Personal automobile insurance shrank as a portion of the U.S. economy and generated a return on surplus of only 7.8 percent during 1993-2001," Michael Weinstein, Director of Research, Conning Research & Consulting, said.
