Intel

Despite the continued “flight toward profitability” for most carriers, moderation in both rate and capacity is occurring in many insurance sectors. Most rates are rising, but the level of increases is slowing. Capacity is generally available but often requires creativity. On the Casualty side, some classes remain stressed while carriers are competing for business in others. These and other trends…

The title of this quarter’s overview and forecast could easily be: “Profitability Matters.” That is especially true in the Property space for both Personal and Commercial policies. The industry faces daily challenges from CAT storms and events, making every state subject to immediate loss from hurricanes, wildfires, and convective storms—defined as severe local storms associated with wind, thunder, lightning, heavy…

The Transportation Insurance sector has been in a hard market for roughly a decade in the United States. It has since turned softer as a result of increased competition for business. Throughout the first six months of 2023, carriers have been more willing to write an account and offer quotes for specific risks. This has led to: Interest from carriers…

Boxes of french fries spilled onto Interstate 15 in Provo, Utah, on June 18 after a semi-truck hit a light pole on the median and overturned. The driver suffered minor injuries in the crash, which temporarily shut down four southbound lanes and two northbound lanes as fries and packaging debris were strewn across both sides of the interstate, Fox 13…

We have seen few changes in the Property & Casualty (P&C) marketplace from Q1 through Q2 of 2023, however, the broader picture is becoming clearer now that 2022 year-end financial filings are available. According to ALIRT Insurance Research, the discrepancy between Personal and Commercial Lines Composite underwriting is historically wide. Namely, the Personal Lines Composite combined ratio of 109 percent…

2022 was a year that few in the Property and Casualty (P&C) sector could have predicted. Instead of stability, the market remained largely volatile, especially in the Property sector and the reinsurance marketplace. Many carriers suffered through unprofitable years thanks to Hurricane Ian, inflation, and an adverse property insurance environment primarily in Florida and Gulf coast states. Above all, losses…

The fourth quarter began very different than how the majority of the summer months had transpired from a Natural CAT perspective; as Hurricane Ian used the final few days of Q3 to take aim at Florida’s densely populated gulf coast. Despite mandatory evacuations, fairly accurate forecasting of its path and the usual several days to prepare, its damages were devastating.…

Macroeconomic trends, namely inflation and rising interest rates, are having a profound effect on the Property & Casualty (P&C) market as we head into the second half of 2022. Inflation impacts everything—from rapidly changing property values to challenges with mid-year reinsurance renewals. These are truly generational inflationary pressures that most professionals within the industry have never personally experienced. Even with…

About 15,000 pounds of hot dog filler spilled onto the highway near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 20 when the driver of a semitractor-trailer lost control of the vehicle and crashed onto the shoulder. The tractor-trailer hit several trees and overturned, leaving the driver and a passenger with minor injuries and a portion of Interstate 70 covered in the pink slime. According…

As we enter the long-awaited season of Spring which conjures up thoughts of new beginnings, I draw parallels to the Excess & Surplus (E&S) Insurance industry. Several years of disciplined underwriting, including increased rates, adjusted limit deployment, and careful tweaking of policy language, coupled with a tamping of COVID-19 restrictions is resulting in this renewed sense of optimism. Carriers are…

Three monkeys were found and euthanized after escaping from the scene of an accident in Danville, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 21 when a dump truck collided with a pickup hauling 100 monkeys in an enclosed trailer. The ​​cynomolgus macaque monkeys had just been flown in from the island nation of Mauritius and were headed to a CDC-approved quarantine facility when the…

Cargo thefts and the return of pre-pandemic traffic levels are currently among the most pressing concerns for Canadian transportation firms. To learn more about Transportation Insurance in Canada, we spoke with John McGlynn, Director, Transportation, Burns & Wilcox, Toronto, Ontario. What are the greatest transportation risks in Canada today? J.M.: Generally speaking, one of the greatest risks would be traffic…