WRIN.tv spoke with Chuck Chamness, President and CEO of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), about the state of the Mutual insurance sector. Mr. Chamness says 2016 was a good year for Mutuals; it was a good year for the insurance industry overall. Most Mutuals had profitable years and growth. He does, however, point to several challenges facing …

WRIN.tv speaks with David Sampson, President and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), about trends in insurance regulation, the new Trump administration, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and growth in cyber and energy-related sectors. Mr. Sampson believes the industry had reached a “tipping point” In 2016 with regard to State insurance regulators overstepping their authority. …

On the Road at the Joint Industry Forum in New York, WRIN.tv asked several insurance trade association executives to consider the impact of the new Trump Administration on various sectors of the insurance industry. Here, we share the hopes, concerns and expectations of: Michael Morrissey, President & Chief Executive Officer of the International Insurance Society (IIS) David Sampson, President and …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Leslie Rippley, VP of Commercial and Agricultural Lines at AAIS, sees a lot of change in the small business insurance segment with regard to technology, appetite, and a continuing flow of capital. Ms. Rippley says the carriers that introduced BOP (Business Owner Policy) products in the 1980s once dominated the small business category. Now, new entrants, news capital, new distribution …

In a new report, the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) says Commercial Property-Casualty rates decreased by an average of 3.9 percent in the second quarter of 2016. Carriers appear to be pricing new business aggressively, while trying to hold rates steady on renewals. According to CIAB President & CEO Ken Crerar, The Council is keeping a close eye …

The evolution and innovation in drone technology appears to be outpacing the regulatory process. While initial FAA regulations for commercial drone use go into effect by the end of August, the FAA has assembled an Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team to assess drone-use more closely. The FAA’s Safety Team will provide recommendations to ensure that drones do not put people or …

The augmented reality game Pokémon GO  has earned more than $200 million in net revenue since it launched in July.  Avid Pokémon GO players have chased cartoon monsters onto private property, cemeteries and national monuments….and here come the lawsuits. A New Jersey resident is seeking a class-action suit against Niantic and Nintendo on behalf of all Americans whose properties have …

The Global Risks Report 2016, published by the World Economic Forum and its Global Competitiveness and Risks Team, draws attention to ways that global risks may evolve and interact in the next decade. The 11th edition of the report includes perspectives from nearly 750 experts regarding the impact and likelihood of prevalent global risks, including economic risk, environmental, geopolitical, societal …

A.M. Best Vice President Andrew Colannino explains the rating agency’s ‘negative’ outlook on the commercial lines segment of the U.S. property/casualty (P&C) industry, despite relatively solid aggregate results over the past several years. He says A.M. Best’s expects more downgrades than upgrades in the coming year. The negative outlook largely reflects the concerns that have been prevalent in recent years: …

Low interest rates, pressure on pricing, M&A activity, and disruptive technology are all shaping the outlook for the risk and(re)insurance industry for 2016. Here, WRIN.tv summarizes several of the recent forecasts published by industry analysts and thought leaders. Swiss Re sees economic momentum supporting growth in the insurance sector, even with headwinds like slower growth in China, lower commodity prices …

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 …

In this edition of “Issues in Risk Retention”, Jim Cutts, Editor and Publisher of The Risk Retention Reporter, joins host Joe Deems, Executive Director of the National Risk Retention Association (NRRA), for a discussion on the state of the Risk Retention Group (RRG) industry. Mr. Cutts notes that there were only ten new RRGs formed in 2014. He believes the …

Wes Robinson, National Property President at Risk Placement Services (RPS), discusses the state of the E&S property insurance market with WRIN.tv during the recent NAPSLO Convention. He says the market conditions in the surplus property market as “very soft.” For the past several years property rates have been declining. This past year saw significant declines, particularly in the catastrophe market. …

David Kodama, Senior Director for Research and Policy Analysis at PCI, speaks with WRIN.tv about the opportunities for insurers arising due to technological advances, cyber risk, natural catastrophes, telematics and the “sharing economy.” He also reviews PCI’s role in regulation, public awareness and risk mitigation. Mr. Kodama notes that technological advances have propelled the U.S. economy. While innovations have created …

John Horton, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at AMRISC, speaks with WRIN.tv about lessons learned in ten years since Hurricane Katrina, the still-softening property insurance market, alternative capital, big data risks and more. Ten years after Katrina, and beyond the human tragedy and poor government response, the insurance industry has seen many changes in demand surge and storm surge. Demand …

Risk Placement Services (RPS) President Joel Cavaness discusses the company’s acquisition strategy, the effects of El Niño and the Affordable Care Act on the insurance industry, cyber risk and more, during the recent NAPSLO Convention in San Diego. Mr. Cavaness acknowledge the effects of the changing weather patterns on heat, flooding and the types of storm activity the U.S. is …

Matt Power, EVP and Head of Strategic Development at Lexington, joins WRIN.tv to discuss the global economy, the ten year anniversary of Katrina, the Affordable Care Act and emerging risks from cyber-attacks, drones and more. When Mr. Power considers the economy, he focuses on how technology and globalization have created tremendous “connectivity.” He points to the impact of Greece and …