In this edition of “Focus”, WRIN.tv looks at trends in “Claims Management with Rohit Verma, Global Chief Operating Officer of Crawford & Company, where the process is tailored to the needs of industries using a combination of technology and people on the ground. At the January 1 renewals, insurance companies did not see much difference in the rates they were …

Kimberly Muccia, a Financial Analyst at A.M. Best Company, comments on the impact of catastrophic losses on the financial strength of insurers. Among the catastrophes affecting the auto and homeowner lines of business in 2018 were hurricanes and wildfires, resulting in about $17 billion for the Mutual Insurance segment alone. Despite the losses, Mutuals posted approximately a 6 percent increase …

Rohit Verma, Global COO of Crawford & Company, believes data will continue to be a big asset to insurers, and the companies that can mine data effectively will see the biggest benefit. While advanced technology is necessary to leverage data, companies need to develop the mindset to incorporate insights in day-to-day work. Mr. Verma also sees “lack of talent” as …

Roger Morris, Chief Communications Officer with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), says technology has been a disruptor  when it comes to insurance fraud.  Anti-theft devices have helped deter crime and provide better analytics to detect fraud. The industry also has to contend with hackers trying to defeat the system. Mr. Morris points to electronic devices that can open and start …

Pypestream Chief Customer Officer, Donna Peeples, discusses realities insurers face as disruptive innovation creates greater symmetry between insurance companies and consumers. According to Ms. Peeples, in recent years, “the pendulum of control has swung hard away from brands in favor of customers.” Over the past hundred years, insurance has been a “low interest, low involvement category.” Insurers need to thing …

The 2017 Hurricane Season brought over $100 billion in insured losses. According to John Kapitan, an SVP at RMS, “the (insurance) industry has coped well.” There are numerous improvements in the industry since the storms of 2004/2005. The industry is better capitalized, (over $600 billion). From a risk management perspective, Mr. Kapitan says few insurers or reinsurers were surprised by …

2017 has been a very active year for catastrophes…and traditional seasons are shifting. That according to Sean Kevelighan, President and CEO of the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.). Mr. Kevelighan points to 367 tornadoes in the first quarter of 2017, which surpasses the average of 93 by a large margin. The I.I.I. had estimated an active hurricane season, and forecasts were …

In this AAIS Advisory, Carol King, SVP Canada at Aisus and Chairperson for XML Best Practices and Data in Motion for ACORD, says “companies need to start thinking ahead from an information standpoint.” In a fast-paced world, people want information in the format they want and when they want it. Ms. King explain that a consumer may want to know …

In this edition of WRIN.tv’s Tech Trends in Insurance, The Institutes President and CEO Peter Miller describes the way Blockchain will change the business of insurance in the future. “It is the plumbing.” Blockchain has the potential to reduce costs, decrease transaction time, improve customer service, enable new product development and affect better financial results – the impact is significant …

With the Hurricane Season underway, WRIN.tv speaks with Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) President and CEO Sean Kevelighan about the forecast for 2017, and a change in focus from ‘recovery’ to ‘resilience.’ Mr. Kevelighan drew from a recent announcement jointly published by the I.I.I., the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU) and the Tropical Meteorology Project (TMP), which forecasts “near-average …

Saad Mered, Group Chief Claims Officer at Zurich, lays out key concerns of risk managers today including the emergence of liability internationally, the frequency of claims, and the unexpected impact of “lone wolf terror” attacks. Mr. Mered sees the rapid evolution of liability frameworks in many countries as surprising to risk managers and carriers alike. The trend is emerging even …

Over the next several years, multinational firms expect to expand trade in foreign markets or increase trade in international markets they already do business in. Managers dealing with international risk are challenged to manage their existing risk management programs, especially when exposures from physical plants, increased revenue and loss trends changing. That according to Richard Friesenhahn, Head of Multinational for …

Petra Riga, Head of Distribution for Zurich in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), joins WRIN.tv to discuss the issues risk managers face when dealing with multinational regulations and rules and expectations of local regulators around the world. Ms. Riga says risk managers are challenged by increased international regulation. She notes that risk managers of multinational companies must consider insurance …

Chad Hollingsworth, President of Triax Technologies, discusses the impact of wearable technologies on businesses and the management of risk and claims.  In order to be more attractive to business, wearables must be easy to use, deployable with a long battery life. Triax focuses on wearables as a safety tool for construction companies. He says simply knowing the number of workers …

Healthcare fraud in the auto insurance industry is a focus of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Roger Morris, Chief Communications Officer of the NICB, discusses schemes across the country that support fraud against the insurance industry, and an Aggregated Medical Data Base and Medical Fraud Task Forces set up by the NICB to combat major medical fraud. Mr. Morris …

With recent earthquake activity in the Pacific and new reports on major risks of loss in North America, insurers are taking note of an exposure that could have devastating consequences. According to Dr. Robert Muir-Wood, RMS Chief Research Officer, the November 22 earthquake off the coast of Sendai, Japan is probably another aftershock triggered by the Tohoku quake in March …

Monica Ningen, Head Property Underwriting US & Canada at Swiss Re, discusses how Hurricane Matthew served as a reminder for insurers. She also addresses the Protection Gap and product development and distribution strategies evolving in the insurance and reinsurance market. Hurricane Matthew, while not as big a loss as was predicted, was a reminder that a big event is possible. As a …

Hurricane Matthew was the largest tropical storm to hit the Southeastern US in over a decade, causing billions of dollars in insured losses and threatening the National Flood Insurance Program, which recently announced it would acquire reinsurance. CoreLogic estimates that Matthew will have caused an estimated $4 to 6 billion in insured property losses, 90 percent from wind, 10 percent from storm …

Joe Louwagie, AVP at Property Claim Services (PCS-a Verisk Analytics business), joins WRIN.tv to assess the 2015 Nat Cat season, its impact on the insurance, reinsurance and capital markets, and how developments in data management and technology are affecting risk and claims management. Mr. Louwagie says the current Cat season continues a trend PCS has seen for the past few …

Shaun Crawford, Global Insurance Sector Leader at Ernst & Young, speaks with WRIN.tv during the 2015 Global Insurance Forum, about growth opportunities presented by demographic changes and ways to prevent catastrophes. Mr. Crawford sees opportunity for insurers in changing demographic and retirement. When a person retires in a developed market at 60-65 years of age, they will likely live another …