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, …

The biggest issues facing reinsurance buyers today are growth, expense management and capital efficiency, according to Mike Schnur, a Partner at TigerRisk. Carriers are focused on growing profitably through new product lines, new teams, as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Carriers feel that there are costs that can be reduced to reduce expense ratios. More and more carriers are …

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 …

Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) president Frank Nutter comments on the evolution of the “blended model” in reinsurance with alternative capital contributing to the way reinsurance provides capacity to insurance companies, not just in the catastrophe area. He sees reinsurance companies diversifying into the insurance business, viewing capital markets as “largely competitive…and complementary.” Mr. Nutter admits that reinsurers have struggled …

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 …

In part one of a two-part Tech Trends in Insurance report, WRIN.tv speaks with Bill Pieroni, President & CEO of ACORD, about the disruptive effect data and technology has had on the insurance industry. He notes that more recently, there are a number of issues that are increasing the importance of technology and data usage today. Mr. Pieroni says forces …

We have observed emerging InsurTech trends in a broad variety of product offerings, which could complement or change the insurance business model. In our view, InsurTech has not developed as far as the banking sector equivalent, FinTech, which is already taking some bank market share. As insurance is highly regulated and capital-intensive, with high barriers to entry, we regard InsurTech …

With losses from Hurricane Mathew and other catastrophe losses, 2016 has seen the highest loss activity in three years. Even so, according to Andrew Marcell, Global Head of Strategy at Aon Benfield, the impact on rates in property reinsurance will be fairly minimal. There are numerous emerging risks from new technologies and the sharing economy. For instance, Aon reports a …

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 …

A new report from S&P Global says the strong capital position in the reinsurance sector makes it more resilient to extreme events. Meanwhile, demand for cover against high-probability exposure has fallen and most reinsurers have taken defensive actions, retroceding more high-frequency risk. As earnings deteriorate, however, some reinsurers’ exposure to one-in-10 year events has increased. Due to increased Cat exposures, S&P …

Mergers and Acquisition activity shows no signs of slowing down. Here Assistant Vice President William Pargeans and Vice President Robert DeRose discuss the motivations of insurers, across sectors, to seek out mergers and acquisitions. According to Mr. Pargeans the life insurance industry is very mature and the only way for insurers to grow in this sector is to buy blocks …

Dr. Robert Hartwig, President of the insurance Information Institute (III), sees cyber insurance as a bog opportunity for insurers. Ina recent III poll of senior executives in the insurance industry, 80% view cyber as a major growth opportunity for property-casualty insurers and reinsurers Dr. Hartwig mentions that number of insurers have rolled out policies in the U.S. and other countries. …

Patricia Kwan, a Director at S&P Insurance Ratings, joins WRIN.tv to discuss the hurdles to revenue and profitability growth insurers face, outlined in a recent report by S&P entitled “Pursuing Global Insurance Profitability Amid Tempered Economic Growth.” According to Ms. Kwan, the most common headwinds impacting insurers’ quest for profitability are “interest rates, excess supply of capital, and tighter capital …