Earnings squeeze on U.S.

U.S. insurers will feel the earnings pinch this year, with many companies forced to take on riskier investment exposures to bolster their bottom-lines, says Ernst & Young’s 1999 “State of the Insurance Industry” report.

Other findings warn the U.S. property and casualty insurance industry of increased foreign competition and international mergers which will likely lead to several major company overhauls. Furthermore, the report points to the rise of non-insurers offering alternative risk management products which will intensify the market’s pricing war.