Exploring Insurance And Financial Industry Trends

Both the insurance and financial industry trends of the early twenty-first century were dramatically re-shaped by the global financial meltdown of 2008 to 2010. Not only did the international crisis lead to the demise of several esteemed institutions, but it shifted perceived notions of the success of Western capitalist ideals. All over the world governments implemented new plans of intervention, however this was tempered by an over-arching pragmatic ideal that removes regulation quickly based on the domestic status.

One of the big concerns of modern corporations is the issue of responsibility and accountability regarding social and environmental decisions. Ernst & Young have printed a white paper showing that in 2010, there was a rise in shareholder resolutions which specifically emphasized the environment or similar issues of company accountability. Last year saw 191 resolutions over the 150 in the previous year.

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.

Many commentators have estimated the price of insurance will increase as a result of the numerous natural disasters across the globe. In early 2011 there was an array of tragic events in Japan, New Zealand and Australia, devastating communities and rocketing insurance claims.

The largest insurers in the world, Lloyds of London, claim the array of natural crises including an earthquake and flooding would raise insurance rates as businesses try to regain and rebuild. This was confirmed by global insurers Caitlin, who said the number of disasters would inevitably lead to an increase in rates.

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