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 …

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 …

David Anderson, Head of Credit & Political Risk at Zurich Insurance Group, explains the key findings from a recent study released along with the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington DC. The report entitled “Our World Transformed: Geopolitical Shocks and Risks”, looks at global risks with geopolitical consequences and interconnections. Mr. Anderson says, for example, if multiple economies start …

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 …

Brian Elowe, Marsh’s U.S. Client Executive Leader, reviews the key findings from the 14th annual Excellence in Risk Management report, published jointly by Marsh and RIMS. He sees a gap between the use of ‘disruptive technologies’ and the understanding of the risks that come with it. Mr. Elowe, who co-authored the report, begins by recognizing examples of ‘disruptive technologies’ such …

Ron Davis, Chairman of the Spencer Educational Foundation and EVP/Head of Customer Management at Zurich, explains why the insurance industry needs to attract and encourage young talent. He says there is a large number of people leaving the industry right now, and that is causing a gap…a need for people with the right skillset and attitudes. He notes that the …

Kevin Kelley, CEO of Ironshore, addresses the key concerns of risk managers today, including emerging technology, the “Trump effect”, PPPs, M&As, and more. One of the biggest concerns of risk managers is technology and how digital transformation will affect their business and how exposures may change as a result. Emerging technologies are having a significant impact on risk managers. According …

John Heft, SVP and Director of the Real Estate Practice at New Day Underwriting, reviews the dynamics of today’s Environmental Liability marketplace.  He notes that Contractors Pollution Liability is the largest among segments of the market, with 50-60 carriers offering coverage.  Mr. Heft says Contractors Pollution Liability coverage is very profitable, and coverage continues to expand as a result. With …

Lorie Masters, a Partner at Perkins Coie, looks at the risks associated with operating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones, for operations and provides advice on ways to manage them. While still at the dawn in the use of UAVs, Ms. Coie sees several risks emerging from their use, including first-party risks associated with the cost of the drone, and …

Amidst accusations that Russia was involved in hacking that affected the U.S. Presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump met with executives from some of the largest technology companies to discuss support for their businesses …once he takes office. Yahoo announced that it had suffered the largest cyber breach in history back in 2013, exposing more than one billion accounts, double the …

Richard Poirier is CEO of Church Mutual Insurance, which focuses primarily on the risks of faith-based ministries, as well as public schools, assisted living facilities, non-profits and secular and religious camps.  Mr. Poirier points out some risks to physical plants of social service facilities, including workplace violence, active shooters, cyber security, and the unpredictable weather. According to Mr. Poirier, flood …

Business Insurance (BI) relaunched its trusted industry magazine this month. BI Editor Gavin Souter joined WRIN.tv at the PCI Annual Meeting in Dallas to report on the “good news” he heard for risk managers at the conference, and to share insights into the changes and editorial focus at the “re-new BI.” Mr. Souter says that news from PCI will be …

ARLINGTON, VA, October 26, 2016 — The marketplace for property, casualty and other lines of commercial insurance will continue to favor insurance buyers in 2017, particularly those with comprehensive strategic risk management and risk transfer strategies, according to global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson’s (NASDAQ: WLTW) 2017 Marketplace Realities report. The report, published today, serves as a …

In this edition of Issues in Risk Retention, host Joe Deems, Executive Director of the National Risk Retention Association (NRRA), welcomes Janice Abraham, President & CEO of United Educators, to discuss issues in assessing and insuring risks at educational institutions. Ms. Abraham recalls a time when the traditional property/casualty insurance market had “abandoned colleges, schools and universities.” At a time …

In this edition of WRIN.tv’s Cyber Report, a Gartner study forecasts that 6.4 billion things will be inter-connected worldwide in 2016, with spending on support for the Internet of Things (IoT) to hit $235 billion. A cyber-security guru described the Internet of Things as “The Internet of Threats”, as the U.S. Federal Government says the global Internet of Things will …

WRIN.tv speaks with Siri Gadbois, President and CEO Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators, about current market conditions and the future of the industry. She says conditions in the commercial and captive sectors are “flexible and low priced with a lot of capacity.” Ms. Gadbois believes the industry has moved away from the cyclical nature of pricing common years ago. While …

Vermont bills itself as the “Gold Standard” of captive domiciles, with more than 1,000 captives, including 48 of the Fortune 100. WRIN.tv speaks with Sandy Bigglestone, Director of Captive Insurance for the State of Vermont, about how the State cultivates attracts captives and RRGs. Ms. Bigglestone notes that Vermont’s regulatory approach has been “perfected over the years.” She also believes …

Former NRRA chairwoman Rebecca Smart, discusses the challenges and progress she sees in regulation with regard to captives and risk retention groups (RRGs), particularly within the NIAC. She is Corporate Secretary & Legal Counsel for Lenders Protection Assurance Company. Ms. Smart has observed more acceptance of RRGs over time, while new standards and some new regulation continue to emerging within …