Trending News & Highlights |
| AM Best expects the profitability of London Market companies to moderate over 2026 but remain positive, subject to normal catastrophe experience, according to new research discussed by Kanika Thukral, associate director, analytics, AM Best.
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| Jason Hopper, associate director, AM Best, discusses a new Best’s Special Report that shows funds held to back individual annuity policies now account for over 36% of the U.S. life/annuity segment reserves, up from 32% in 2007.
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| Hiscox Ltd. has recently combined its reinsurance and insurance-linked securities businesses to more readily deploy capital in a changing market.
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| In the past 30 years, 99% of the counties in the United States have been hit by flood events, but only 4% of homeowners nationwide have flood insurance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It’s a statistic that is being noticed by insurance commissioners across the country.
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| Aegon Ltd. said it will sell its operation in the United Kingdom to Standard Life plc for £2.0 billion ($2.71 billion) as part of its strategy to become a leading U.S. life insurance and retirement group.
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| Progressive Corp.'s first-quarter net income increased 10% to $2.82 billion.
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| First-quarter net income fell for Marsh, partly on a $425 million charge related to Greensill Capital litigation, as the Middle East conflict represents an economic concern more than that of insurance so far, said its chief executive officer.
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| Travelers Cos.' personal lines segment is picking up higher-quality business as it leaves lower-quality risks behind, according to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Schnitzer.
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| Helvetia Baloise Holding AG posted ad hoc earnings of more than 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.28 billion) for 2025 as a combined entity as the Swiss group detailed an integration plan expected to cut up to 2,600 full-time equivalent positions by 2028.
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| U.S. life insurance application activity grew by 14.3% in the first quarter of 2026, posting the highest growth on record and also the highest total volume ever seen, according to MIB's Life Index.
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| WoodmenLife posted a drop in net income to $87.9 million in 2025, from $130.3 million it reported in the prior year, as is its surplus and assets grew during the period.
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| Ameriprise Financial Inc. agreed to pay more than $1.4 million in fines and restitution over exchanges of some variable annuities with guaranteed living withdrawal benefits riders.
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| CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield requested to raise rates for its BlueChoice Inc. — MD small group product by 10.3%, year-over-year, for the third quarter and 10.9% for the fourth quarter, according to regulatory filings.
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| Allstate Corp. said it incurred an estimated $1.24 billion in first-quarter, pretax catastrophe losses after a particularly stormy March.
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| Aon plc added $1 billion of capacity to its proprietary data center lifecycle insurance program, raising total program capacity to $3.5 billion and expanding it to include coverage for existing data centers coming off the first year of operations.
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| Aviva plc is considering a rebrand for its Probitas Lloyd's underwriter as it seeks to unify it global corporate and specialty business.
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| Pool Re launched an incentive scheme for its members in Britain to increase terrorism insurance uptake among small and medium enterprises.
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| Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd. has launched a $300 million casualty reinsurance sidecar to provide underwriting capacity to its casualty reinsurance portfolio.
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| Mutual insurer Grange Insurance Association said it will rebrand as Granwest Insurance at the start of the third quarter, reflecting the name of its carriers.
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| Managing general agent Our Kettle Inc. is among the growing number of companies that make use of parametric insurance to tackle wildfire risk with great success.
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| Bobcats are known for their adaptability, discipline, and for knowing just the right time to strike. These are three qualities Director David Carson quoted as part of the decision to peg the animal as the namesake for the natural catastrophe-focused managing general agent Bobcat Re, which launched in November.
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| The Connecticut Senate confirmed John Hershman to serve as the state’s 34th insurance commissioner, the Connecticut Insurance Department said.
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| A group of four Republicans and a Democrat are running to succeed Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, who has reached his term limit.
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| The Maryland Insurance Administration has announced the death of former Maryland Insurance Commissioner Ralph Tyler at age 79.
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| CompSource Mutual Insurance Co.’s attempt to convert into a stock insurer is on hold due to a temporary restraining order issued over allegations the plan would improperly dilute ownership interest in the carrier.
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| Medical professional liability carriers are being asked to make new rate filings with the New Mexico insurance regulator due to a new state law that caps punitive damages and is expected to reduce premiums.
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| The Maryland General Assembly passed bills that will temporarily pause collection of premium taxes from captive insurers of nonprofit organizations and allow conversion of certain mutual insurance holding companies.
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| The Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund has bound 97 policies and generated more than $12 million in premium savings as private carriers lowered rates to remain competitive, a representative from the fund told state lawmakers.
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| The National Insurance Producer Registry said it did not experience a cyber incident prior to cybercriminals launching a phishing campaign targeting agents with communications that impersonate the licensing and compliance organization.
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| Japan Post Insurance Co. Ltd. said it acquired a minority stake in Hoken Minaoshi Hompo, an insurance distributor in Japan.
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| HW International said it is rebranding to Dubois while bringing its European and Australian operations together under a single global identity.
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Research |
While listed insurers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have delivered improved profitability, regional geopolitical tensions are affecting certain lines of business and investment portfolios, according to AM Best.
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A new AM Best analysis reveals that funds held to back individual annuity policies now account for over 36% of the U.S. life/annuity insurance segment’s overall reserves, which is up from 32% prior to the financial crisis of 2008. It illustrates a shift from traditional, defined benefit retirement and income protection approaches toward strategies more reliant on investment performance to drive yield. Over that same timeframe, a larger portion of these annuity reserves have shifted to companies with an AM Best Credit Rating that is nearly two notches lower, when viewed on a comparative, weighted basis.
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To shake its negative outlook, the United States health insurance segment needs a cooling of growing medical cost and utilization trends, improved loss ratios and a return to overall operating profitability, according to AM Best analysts.
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European managing general agents have shifted in recent years beyond offering just a single line of business as they've become a more crucial part of the insurance market, said Tim Lamm chief commercial officer of Wecoya Underwriting GmbH.
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