In a world moving quickly, property casualty insurers need to keep their products up-to-date in a timely way, while taking advantage of new technologies used to deliver them. According to Mark Brannon, a Principal at Merlinos & Associates, keeping up with the competition and other changes in the marketplace is a challenge. Many carriers are partnering with companies with advanced …

Chuck Chamness, CEO of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), discusses the challenges of working with a new Congress. He notes that there several major issues to address with the House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking and the Trump Administration such as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Terror Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). Mr. Chamness points …

The property-casualty insurance industry gives about $1 billion each year to charitable causes. That according to a McKinsey Study conducted for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). IICF CEO Bill Ross says the industry supports a variety of charities across the US, with a focus on education as well as health and human services. He says it important for companies …

David Sampson, president and CEO of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), discusses the challenges he faces in dealing with a dysfunctional government, the priorities for the year ahead, and the strength gained by the recent merger of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) with the American Insurance Association (AIA). During the 2019 Federal Government shutdown, Mr. …

The year was 2000, and the annual reinsurance industry’s St. Patrick’s Day party, held at Jim Brady’s pub in Manhattan, becomes the first St. Baldrick’s event. The goal of shaving 17 heads and raising $17,000 turns into 19 bald heads and $104,000 donated to fund the research of the Children’s Oncology Group. NAMIC CEO Chuck Chamness explains the history of the …

During the IBM Blockchain Summit for Insurance in New York, AAIS CEO Ed Kelly, and Craig Bedell, IBM Global Insurance Industry Executive, as well as Bertrand Portier, a Distinguished Engineer in IBM’s Financial Services Sector all commented on the promise that blockchain holds for the insurance industry. Mr. Kelly believes it’s the inherent features of blockchain itself that make it …

The uptick in GDP has had a positive impact on the insurance industry, according to Laura Favinger, Chief Administrative Officer for the Insurance Information Institute (III). In the first half of 2018, insurance carriers nearly doubled their net income over the same period in 2017. The III sees exposures broadening a bit due to business development, consumer consumption and construction, …

Andrea Keenen, Senior Managing Director and Head of Industry Relations at A.M. Best Company, shares her thoughts on the “protection gap”, technology, and the impact of economic growth on insurance. The “protection gap” exists around the world, including the United States. Many people are simply not buying the insurance they need. She notes that governments around the work and the …

BriteCore CEO and Founder Phil Reynolds provides insights into the risks, challenges and opportunities affecting the changing insurance market due in large part to data. He says many insurers simply so not understand what their data means. The data collected on policies, claims, losses and consumer behaviors is a gold mine, and most don’t even know it. He notes that …

Craig Bedell, Global Insurance Industry Executive at IBM, sees many challenges facing the insurance industry, including the buying habits of personal lines or commercial lines customers. New data and technologies are mitigating, but sometimes increasing risks faced by consumers. Security and privacy surrounding risk information is also important for insurers. Even more basic, according to Mr. Bedell, is the changing …

Insurers are doing a balancing act between operational excellence and the changing insurtech landscape. Karen Furtado, a partner at Strategy Meets Action sees insurers struggling with how to adapt, how to adopt, and how to change their culture to deal with the ‘new reality’ while maintaining a high degree of service. Ms. Furtado sees endless opportunity in today’s economy. Insurers …

Autonomous vehicles will have a huge impact on the personal insurance industry. Automation, robotics and the potential for on-shoring of manufacturing could have a major impact in the commercial insurance space. That, according to Kevin Surace, renowned American technology innovator, speaker, creator of a AI Based Software QA platform, and Inc. Magazine’s 2009 entrepreneur of the Year. He adds that …

Regulation and technology are the biggest challenges facing insurers today. That, according to Fred Karlinsky, Co-Chair of the Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice Group at Greenberg Traurig. On the regulatory front, Mr. Karlinsky notes a large amount of regulation affecting carriers at the federal and State level, as well as internationally at the IIAS (International Association of Insurance Supervisors). He …

Attracting talent remains biggest challenge for insurers. According to Matt Masher, EVP and COO at A.M. Best, the need for talent is greatest in the information technology (IT) area. The industry has done a lot to attract underwriting and claims professionals. But attracting the industry struggles in attracting IT talent needed to deal with insurtech issues, efficiencies in distribution and …

Fragmentation is a major issue within the insurance industry today, according to Phil Reynolds, CEO & Co-Founder of BriteCore. Traditionally carriers sold products through agents, and were backed by reinsurers. Now, insurtechs are challenging traditional distribution and underwriting models, while reinsurers are going directly to the market through MGAs (Managing General Agents). There is a lot of flux. As a …

According to James Dodge, the “umbrella disruptors” to the insurance industry are the Internet of Things (IoT) along with the data it provides and the cyber risk that is inherent. Mr. Dodge is Practice Leader, Advanced Analytics & Data Solutions at Milliman. He sees profound changes in computing technologies and the “as a service cloud business model” mitigating the advantages …

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 …

According to The Institutes President & CEO Pete Miller, disruption in the insurance industry “is all about data” and related technologies. Insurance is the “original big data industry”, and Mr. Miller sees a confluence of new technologies coming that will enable better decision making around data. Mr. Miller sees adoption as a challenge to the insurance industry. Those that do …

Roosevelt Mosley is a Principal and Consulting Actuary at Pinnacle Actuarial Resources. Data and technology represent challenges to the insurance industry, with issues like Big Data, autonomous vehicles, and usage based insurance (UBI) being likely disruptors. Still, Mr. Mosley sees “the speed and pace of change… and the ability of insurers to be able to keep up” as possibly the …

NAMIC President & CEO Chuck Chamness comments on the major disruptors affecting the insurance industry, during the 2018 Joint Industry Forum.  While he notes technology is a considerable disruptor, he suggests public policy and the political environment within Washington and the State capitals may be the biggest factor affecting insurers.  He sees the populist movement creating difficulty for an industry …