Sunday, September 4, 2011

Exploring Insurance And Financial Industry Trends

By Ed Hulse


The insurance and financial industry trends were both rocked by the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2010. The crisis triggered a string of collapses of prestigious financial institutions and brought into question the established economic ideals of West capitalism. However many analysts claim that after significant restructuring, economies all over the world decided to balance an interventionist schema with a pragmatic approach that can deregulate swiftly based on domestic conditions.

One of the most visible recent financial trends is a greater focus on corporate social and environmental responsibility. Ernst & Young published a white paper stating that in 2010 there was a noticeable rise is the number of shareholder resolutions in the US that were focused on environmental or other forms of social accountability. While in 2010, these resolutions numbered 191, the year prior had seen only 150.

Many analysts claim issues of social responsibility and a greater awareness of the environment are soon to be the main priorities of corporations in the United States. Shareholder resolutions with a specific focus on these issues have been increasingly raised at annual general meetings for the past six years. Recently 26% of the shareholders of ExxonMobil told the company to be more transparent to the public regarding its extraction process, claimed by critics to harm the environment.

The financial crisis has ushered in new corporate attitudes towards unfettered growth. No longer is the emphasis on meeting unfeasible growth projections, but rather on the sustainability of corporate growth over the long term. While also linked to environmental goals, sustainability is the ability of a company to maintain growth without artificially straining for it.

Corporations have faltered and in some cases collapsed as a result of unrealistic growth projects that bet heavily on markets and regions or because they could not sustain expansion in a turbulent economic climate. The modern corporate strategy of sustainability requires strong leaders who can appease investor expectations and locate where the new engines of growth will begin.

The series of natural catastrophes at the start of 2011 is expected by many to raise insurances rates worldwide. Disasters in Australia, Japan and New Zealand were tragic occurrences that hugely increased the number of claims.

Lloyds of London expects the high rate of natural calamities to result in a higher rates of insurance as damaged companies seek to rebuild. This was also the view of Caitlin, another global insurer, who thinks the catastrophes of 2011 will inevitably raise insurance prices.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment