Connect with us

Business

State Farm announces $5 billion dividend; $100 average refund coming to car insurance customers

Published

on

State Farm announces  billion dividend; 0 average refund coming to car insurance customers


State Farm on Thursday announced a historic $5 billion dividend for its car insurance members, the largest in the mutual insurance company’s 103-year history.

“This dividend is possible due to State Farm Mutual’s financial strength and a stronger than expected underwriting performance, which has been reported industry wide,” the company said in a statement.

Customers can expect to receive refunds of $100 on average, though State Farm says the amount will vary by state and by the amount of premium paid.

State Farm reports it has also lowered premiums by about 10% across 40 states, totaling $4.6 billion in cost savings for customers.

That’s a trend across the motor vehicle insurance industry. Auto repair costs are starting to decline, and the frequency of accidents declined in 2025. 

But car insurance premiums have soared. By early 2025, rates had climbed by more than 50% over three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest inflation for motor vehicle insurance in 50 years.

Affordability became a primary concern for many customers and led them to shop around for better deals.

TransUnion recently issued a report showing insurance shopping has become a routine activity for consumers, rather than a rare event prompted by a car or home purchase.

“At this point we can safely say that regular insurance shopping is just the new normal,” Patrick Foy, the senior director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s insurance business, told CNBC in an interview.

The report noted that the main drivers behind the rate shopping are economic pressures pushing consumers to find ways to reduce household expenses. At the same time, insurers are investing heavily in marketing and setting competitive rates.

Travelers, Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico, Root and Chubb compete with State Farm and USAA and other mutuals, where customers are also shareholders.

Progressive in particular has been pressuring State Farm’s dominance in auto and was among major auto insurers announcing significant financial returns to customers in 2025. The company paid $1 billion in dividends to its customers in Florida, where state laws require insurers to return excess profits.

USAA announced a $3.8 billion payout to its members across states in 2025.

The auto insurance business represents 63% of State Farm’s property and casualty insurance business. Customer loyalty in auto insurance often leads to loyalty in homeowner’s insurance too, where State Farm told CNBC it is not seeing its claims costs subsiding and it’s still working to charge adequate rates to compensate.



Source link

Business

Greggs to reveal trading amid pressure from cost of living and weight loss drugs

Published

on

Greggs to reveal trading amid pressure from cost of living and weight loss drugs



Greggs is to shed light on demand from customers as the high street bakery chain contends with the rise of weight loss treatments and cost of living pressures on shoppers.

The high street chain is also wrestling with other factors including increases to labour costs and tax changes.

As a result, on Tuesday March 3, Greggs is expected to reveal pre-tax profits of around £173 million for the year to December 27, representing a 9% drop.

In its previous update shortly after Christmas, Greggs pointed to a strong finish to 2025 as sales growth accelerated in the final quarter of the year.

Like-for-like sales growth rose from 1.5% in the third quarter to 2.9% in the final months of 2025.

Totals sales were up 7.4% in the final quarter amid a boost from the group’s continued store opening programme.

The company opened 121 stores last year.

However, analysts at Deutsche Bank said expectations “have already been set low” for 2026 and are “unlikely to change”.

In January, Greggs said it was “cautious but hopeful” about its outlook for 2026, highlighting “subdued” consumer confidence.

Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, also warned alongside its previous update that there was “no doubt” appetite-suppressing medication is having an impact on the bakery chain’s business.

It may provide more detail on how this continues to change customer eating habits.

Meanwhile, the group also announced that inflation was likely to be shallower than last year.

The group increased the price on a number of products and deals last year, so shareholders will also be keen to see how these changes have continued to impact trading.

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Investors are keen to hear how 2026 is shaping up in the early months.

“While the picture on the cost front is beginning to look more favourable, Greggs has plenty of other challenges still to wrestle with.

“Unhelpful changes to tax rules and minimum wages, slowing UK economic growth, and cost-conscious consumers are all weighing on the outlook.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

India’s GDP grows at 7.8% in Q3 FY 2025-26: Top highlights from first data under new series – The Times of India

Published

on

India’s GDP grows at 7.8% in Q3 FY 2025-26: Top highlights from first data under new series – The Times of India


India GDP growth (AI image)

India’s real GDP grew at a robust 7.8% in the third quarter of FY 2025-26 according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). This is the first GDP data that has been released by MoSPI under the new series which revises the base year for calculation purposes.India’s economy grew at 7.8% in the October–December quarter of 2025-26, compared with 7.4% in the corresponding period a year earlier, according to the revised national accounts series.MoSPI on Friday released the updated annual and quarterly national accounts estimates based on the 2022-23 base year, replacing the earlier series that used 2011-12 as the reference year.

India’s Q3 FY 2025-26 GDP data: Key Highlights

1. Under the revised series, GDP growth for the current financial year is projected at 7.6 per cent, slightly higher than the 7.4 per cent estimate provided in the ministry’s advance projections issued in January. Nominal GDP is projected to increase by 8.6 per cent in FY 2025-26. 2. The growth estimate for the July–September quarter of 2025-26 has been revised upward to 8.4 per cent from the earlier 8.2 per cent. 3. In contrast, the estimate for the April–June quarter has been lowered to 6.7 per cent from the previously reported 7.8 per cent.4. The overall economic performance in FY 2025-26 has been supported mainly by strong real growth recorded in the second quarter at 8.4 per cent and in the third quarter at 7.8 per cent.5. The economy has maintained steady growth momentum, with real GDP rising by 7.2 per cent in FY 2023-24 and 7.1 per cent in FY 2024-25.6. Nominal GDP growth stood at 11.0 per cent in FY 2023-24 and 9.7 per cent in FY 2024-25.7. Following the base year revision, the manufacturing sector has emerged as a key contributor to the economy’s resilience over the past three financial years, seeing double-digit growth in FY 2023-24 and again in FY 2025-26.8. Growth in both the secondary and tertiary sectors has also strengthened economic performance, with each recording growth of more than 9 per cent in FY 2025-26.9. Within the services segment, the “Trade, Repair, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to Broadcasting and Storage” category registered growth of 10.1 per cent at constant prices in FY 2025-26.10. On the expenditure side, Private Final Consumption Expenditure and Gross Fixed Capital Formation each recorded growth exceeding 7 per cent during FY 2025-26.



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Video: The Web of Companies Owned by Elon Musk

Published

on

Video: The Web of Companies Owned by Elon Musk


new video loaded: The Web of Companies Owned by Elon Musk

In mapping out Elon Musk’s wealth, our investigation found that Mr. Musk is behind more than 90 companies in Texas. Kirsten Grind, a New York Times Investigations reporter, explains what her team found.

By Kirsten Grind, Melanie Bencosme, James Surdam and Sean Havey

February 27, 2026



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending