Intel

Following several years of double-digit rate increases and restrictive adjustments to Terms and Conditions (T&C), the Property Insurance sector has reached a point of relative stability. Rates are largely modest as insurers secure the required premium, now applying rates against a proper exposure basis—Insurance to Value (ITV). With few exceptions of traditional CAT-prone perils in specific geographies, most carriers are…

Consumers will spend a record-breaking $6.4 billion on Valentine\'s Day jewelry purchases this year, according to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation. The annual survey shows that total Valentine\'s Day spending in the U.S. will reach $14.2 billion, another record, INSTORE Magazine reported Jan. 30. Although consumers expected to spend an average of…

Many of the primary factors that influenced the status of the Property & Casualty (P&C) market in 2023 are likely to remain in 2024. We continue to operate in a comparatively hard environment marked by rising but moderating rates on some lines of business, where it is often necessary to layer available capacity that includes carefully worded terms and conditions…

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…

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…

While the number of dog bite claims has dipped, the cost of dog bite claims has been growing significantly, new data from the Insurance Information Institute shows. Last year, the number of claims decreased 2.2%, but claim costs grew 32% to a per-claim average of $64,555, Property Casualty 360 recently reported. These claims totaled $1.3 billion in 2022, representing a…

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…

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…

A 3-year-old girl required 180 stitches to her face and spent days in the hospital after being tragically attacked by a dog April 2 at a home day care in Hemet, California. The attack is one of multiple incidents involving home day care facilities to make headlines in recent weeks. On April 22, police responded to a hospital in Stafford,…