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 …

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 …

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 …

Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) offer good value to institutional investors in today’s environment. According to Marcus McGregor, Head of Master Limited Partnership Strategy at Conning, MLPs compare favorably to other asset classes, such as investment-grade corporates, utilities and REITs, from a valuation perspective. Mr. McGregor points out that MLPs “screen as cheap” relative to other asset classes in the 3-year …

According to Sherry Manetta, Head of Global Operations, Risk Solutions at Conning, insurance companies need a good economic scenario generator (ESG) to evaluate risks in external markets as well as internal business risks. While it aids in management decision making, it is also required by regulators and rating agencies to support risk management and solvency capital calculations. Ms. Manetta says …

Bo Kratz, CEO of Conning in Asia Pacific, discusses common threads and differences between institutional investors in Asia Pacific versus the rest of the world. According to Mr. Kratz , institutional investors in Asia Pacific face many of the same challenges experienced by others around the world: low yields, high correlations and changing regulatory frameworks. He also notes that there …

Investment strategies for insurers over the past few years have been driven by market actions and insurer reactions. According to Dan Mainolfi, a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Conning, insurers have added complexity to their investment strategies, including more equities, and reduced expectations going forward. On a standalone basis, Mr. Mainolfi says insurers need to reconsider adding some risk …

Soft market conditions, low interest rates and regulatory oversight were among the issues Tim NeCastro, President and CEO-designate of Erie Indemnity, discussed at the 2016 PCI Meeting in Dallas. He expresses concern about the “strident tone” from Federal regulators and the broad brush targeting the banking and financial services industry unfairly including the insurance industry. Mr. NeCastro says the Erie’s …

Institutional investors in the insurance industry face challenges from record low or negative interest rates, slow and slowing economic growth, and a wave of increasing regulation. According to Conning Chairman and CEO Woody Bradford, these are the same challenges faced by other institutional investors around the world. These factors are forcing investors to take more risk in their portfolios, and to …

Karen Furtado, a Partner at Strategy Meets Action, discusses “New Norms” and “Game Changers,” and how insurers can take advantage of emerging technologies. The “New Norms” happening in insurance are all around the tide of change.  Ms. Furtado looks at how the pace of change is affecting insurers and the risks they cover, their internal operations, new technologies and tools. She …

According to Owais Rana, Head of Investment Solutions – Pensions & LDI at Conning, Liability-Driven Investment (LDI) is an investment framework that links a pension plan’s investment strategy to its underlying obligations. Over the past few decades, corporate defined benefit pension clients have experienced changes in pension accounting treatment, funding regulations, mortality assumptions and continual increases in PBGC premiums.  Furthermore, …

Hermine peaked as a Category 1 hurricane, the first to hit Florida since 2005. The storm system then crossed into the Atlantic Ocean leaving a path of destruction, power outages, severe flooding and two fatalities up and down the east coast. As the tropical storm lingered off the New England Coast, large waves continued to cause life-threatening surf and significant beach erosion. Early …

AIG has agreed to sell United Guaranty Corporation (UGC), its mortgage-guaranty unit, to Arch Capital for about $3.4 billion – $2.2 billion in cash – the rest in Arch Capital stock. In January, AIG said it would spin off the mortgage insurance unit to fend off activist shareholders Carl Icahn and John Paulson. AIG’s President and CEO Peter Hancock says …

Steve Crim is a founding partner of C&S Specialty Underwriters, specializing in commercial casualty risks. He speaks with WRIN.tv about the causes and impact of prolonged soft market conditions on the insurance industry. Mr. Crim says the soft market, caused by excess capital in the insurance system is putting pressure on insurance rates, negatively impacting underwriting margins. He believes “most …

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 …

At the 2015 National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) Convention in San Diego, WRIN.tv asked Jeremy Johnson, President & CEO of Lexington Insurance, to comment on the insurance industry’s need to draw top next generation talent. He believes it is “critical”, not only to create a pipeline of professionals to bring up through an organization, but also to …

Blue Marble Microinsurance (formerly Microinsurance Consortium and Venture Incubator) was established during the World Economic Forum in January 2015 to provide insurance and risk protection in developing countries. WRIN.tv spoke with Blue Marble CEO Joan Lamm-Tennant during the IIS Global Insurance Forum at the United Nations, about microinsurance, the problems it can address, and where Blue Marble will focus in …

  The importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) was a key theme at the Global Insurance Forum. Here, Gary Reader, Global Head of Insurance at KPMG, discusses developments in PPPs, and the importance of collaboration between industry and governments. According to Mr. Reader, there are many issues facing governments today, including climate change, resiliency of infrastructure, and economic stability. Given the …

Shaun Crawford, Global Insurance Sector Leader at Ernst & Young, speaks with WRIN.tv during the 2015 Global Insurance Forum, about the need for the insurance industry to recruit talent. According to Mr. Crawford, acquiring and retaining “talent” is a significant issue for the insurance industry. With much of the core tasks in the industry now handled by machines, insurers are …

WRIN.tv spoke with Arch Capital Chairman, President & CEO Dinos Iordanou during the recent IIS Global Insurance Forum, about trends in capital strategies…and the impact of regulation. Highlights of his discussion include: Even with positive steps, insurance regulatory burdens are escalating instead of de-escalating   Influx of new capital lowers insurance prices for consumers but hurts insurer margins Arch seeking growth …