Today's Insurance Pulse
Heritage trims reinsurance program, saving $63.2M
Heritage Insurance Holdings renewed its 2026 reinsurance and catastrophe‑bond program with a total limit of $2.2 billion, down from $2.5 billion placed in 2025. The renewal includes $712 million of multi‑year coverage, $550 million from cat bonds and $162 million from private markets. Pricing softness allowed Heritage to cut renewal costs by $63.2 million.
Also developing:
Red and Blue States Alike Want To Limit AI in Insurance. Trump Wants To Limit the States.
A bipartisan wave of state legislation is targeting the use of artificial intelligence in health‑insurance decisions, with at least nine states passing or proposing limits on AI‑driven claim denials and prior authorizations. President Trump’s December executive order seeks to preempt those state rules, arguing that excessive regulation stifles U.S. AI innovation. Insurers and trade groups warn that a patchwork of state mandates will increase compliance costs and slow patient‑care improvements, while the American Medical Association backs transparency measures. Legal scholars predict the federal preemption could be challenged on constitutional grounds.
Matic and nCino Embed Home Insurance Into Digital Mortgages
Matic and nCino have teamed up to embed a home‑insurance marketplace directly into nCino’s digital mortgage platform. The integration lets borrowers compare and purchase policies from more than 70 carriers without leaving the loan application flow. Lenders gain earlier access...
CRE Shows Decent Results, But
#CRE results read OK although clearly the environment is tougher. ShareScope showing fwd p/e 10.9 falling to 6.5 and fwd Divvy 6.6% each of next 2 years. Reinsurance is high risk but it's an interesting business. I don't hold.
OSHA Inspector Ranks Fell Sharply Before Projected 2026 Increase, Agency Says
OSHA’s federal safety‑inspection workforce dropped sharply, falling from 812 officers at the end of fiscal 2024 to 629 by September 2025. The agency projects a rebound to roughly 1,720 inspectors in 2026, a figure that includes staff from state‑plan programs....
Massachusetts OKs Liberty Mutual Affiliate Reorganization
The episode provides a brief news recap announcing that Massachusetts regulators have approved Liberty Mutual's affiliate reorganization, a move that will streamline the company's structure and potentially enhance capital efficiency. It outlines the regulatory rationale, noting the state's focus on...
Insurtech : Branch Extends Partnership with Akur8 Through Discover Adoption
Branch, a Columbus‑based insurer, has expanded its partnership with AI pricing firm Akur8 by adopting the company’s Discover tool. Discover converts unstructured U.S. regulatory documents into searchable data, giving Branch real‑time insight into pricing trends and compliance requirements. The new...
Clearwater Analytics Holdings Inc (CWAN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Corebridge Financial reported a strong fourth‑quarter 2025, posting adjusted pretax operating income of $760 million and operating EPS of $1.22, a 15% year‑over‑year increase. Total sales reached a record $42 billion, up 4%, while the company returned $2.6 billion to shareholders, lifting the...
Verisk Analytics Inc (VRSK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Verisk Analytics reported Q4 2025 GAAP revenue of $779 million, up 5.9%, while GAAP net income fell 6.2% to $197 million due to early debt‑extinguishment costs and the absence of prior‑year investment gains. Subscription revenue, which now represents 84% of total sales,...
Jackson Financial Inc (JXN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Jackson Financial Inc. reported a strong fourth‑quarter 2025, posting adjusted operating earnings of $455 million and a 12% year‑over‑year earnings increase. Retail annuity sales hit a record $20 billion, while full‑year free capital generation rose to nearly $1.4 billion, supporting a $862 million capital...
Doctors Tell Senators CMS Red Tape Is Driving Workforce Exodus, Threatening Access
Physicians, medical educators and health system leaders testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging that escalating CMS regulations—particularly prior authorizations and Medicare quality reporting—are intensifying burnout and prompting many to leave clinical practice. The testimony highlighted that these administrative...
Digital Broker Konkrd Just Changed How You Buy Health Insurance, Using AI
Konkrd, a digital broker founded by former iSelect executives, completed Australia’s first fully autonomous health‑insurance sale using its agentic AI platform. The end‑to‑end process guided a real customer through a needs analysis, policy recommendation, and final purchase without manual intervention,...
Hidden Insurance Costs in Healthcare
The article highlights hidden insurance risk from undertrained nursing assistants and home caregivers, linking credential gaps to higher workers' compensation, liability, and long‑term care costs. It argues insurers should treat frontline training as loss‑mitigation, incentivizing certifications and first‑aid programs. By...
Delaware High Court Rules for Insurers in Ransomware Case
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed a lower‑court dismissal and revived insurers’ claims against Blackbaud for costs incurred after the 2020 ransomware breach. The insurers, who paid more than $2 million for forensic, legal, and credit‑monitoring services, met the state’s notice‑pleading standard...
Munich Re Unit to Cut 1,000 Positions as AI Takes Over Jobs
Munich Re’s primary insurer, Ergo, will eliminate roughly 1,000 positions in Germany, driven by AI automation of routine telephony and claims‑processing tasks. The reductions will be phased over five years, ending in 2030, and support the group’s goal of €600 million...
Car Ownership Cost Estimates, Reality Are Miles Apart
A wave of strategic moves reshaped the global insurance landscape on Feb. 17, 2026, as Aon secured a major reinsurance appointment and Zurich received an extension on its Beazley bid, while Ardonagh acquired a controlling stake in a Hong Kong...
Aon Makes Reinsurance Appointment
Aon announced that Nick Fraccalvieri will assume the role of CEO of global facultative for its Reinsurance Solutions division effective March 1, succeeding Andrew Laing after a decade at the helm. Laing will transition to UK CEO of Reinsurance Solutions while retaining his...
Design and Implementation of Cloud-Native Microservice Architectures for Scalable Insurance Analytics Platforms
A new study presents a cloud‑native microservice architecture designed for insurance analytics, leveraging Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, and Spark to replace legacy monolithic systems. The design enables real‑time data ingestion, continuous AI model deployment, and automated scaling across services. Performance tests...
Dairy Margin Coverage Signup Slow in the Dairy State
Most Wisconsin dairy producers have yet to enroll in the USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, with only 1,616 of the state’s 5,116 licensed farms—31.5%—signed up as of Feb 17. The enrollment deadline is Feb 26, prompting FSA officials and risk‑management advisors...
Howden Re Enhances APAC Cat Analytics Capabilities with New Senior Appointments
Global reinsurance broker Howden Re announced two senior hires to strengthen its catastrophe analytics capability in the Asia‑Pacific region. Renuka Janwalker was appointed Head of Catastrophe Analytics, Asia, bringing over 16 years of modelling and validation experience from Gallagher Re....
Houston Companies to Pay $200K to Workers Fired for Asbestos Concern
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration ordered two Houston construction firms, Rise Construction LLC and Niko Group LLC, to reinstate two workers they fired for raising asbestos safety concerns during a hotel repair after Hurricane Beryl....
Bayer to Make $10.5 Billion Push to Settle Roundup Cases
Bayer AG is set to announce a $10.5 billion settlement initiative to resolve Roundup litigation, combining a $7.5 billion class‑action proposal in Missouri with $3 billion for existing U.S. cases. The German conglomerate has already spent more than $10 billion on verdicts and settlements...
Artificial Labs Introduces AgLabs to Advance Agentic AI in Specialty Insurance
Artificial Labs has created AgLabs, a new division focused on research and product innovation for agentic AI in specialty insurance. The unit targets the pre‑bind interaction layer, using autonomous broker and underwriter agents to share, verify, and standardize risk data....
UnitedHealthcare Tightens Specialist Access for Medicare Advantage Enrollees
The episode examines UnitedHealthcare's new policy requiring primary‑care referrals for specialist visits in its Medicare Advantage HMO and HMO‑POS plans, a change that will fully take effect after April 30. Through the stories of seniors like Theresa Schwartz and Pamela...
L&G to Maintain Exposure to Catastrophe Bonds Despite Spread Tightening
Legal & General Investment Management will keep its catastrophe‑bond exposure despite recent spread compression. The firm’s portfolio, estimated at a minimum of $400 million, remains in diversified multi‑asset funds while it waits for more attractive entry points. Turner and Dietz note...
European Insurance M&A to Accelerate in 2026: Fitch
Fitch Ratings projects a surge in European insurance mergers and acquisitions in 2026 as soft non‑life pricing and stable investment yields curb organic growth. The agency argues that deals can deliver diversification, scale and technology access, but warns of integration...
Convergence: Navigating the Blurred Lines Between Public and Private Credit
In a recent InsuranceAUM interview, Chris Gudmastad, Head of Private Credit, discusses the growing convergence between public and private credit markets. He highlights how blended financing structures are blurring traditional asset class boundaries and reshaping investment opportunities. The conversation underscores...
The Great Opt-Out: Why Patients Are Ditching Insurance for Cash-Pay Digital Care
Vanessa Slowey, CEO of TelyRx, highlights a growing shift as millions of Americans, burdened by rising premiums, limited ACA subsidies and fragile telehealth policies, are opting for cash‑pay digital care. Uninsured rates sit at 27 million, and roughly one‑quarter of insured...
Florida Cargo Theft Ring Busted, Responsible for $7.8M in Losses
Florida Attorney General announced the arrest of six suspects linked to an organized cargo theft ring responsible for 32 cargo thefts and one vessel theft across six counties, causing nearly $7.8 million in losses. The ring, classified as a Major...
Hannover Re Adds Ridwaan Patel as CFO, Hannover ReTakaful & Bahrain Branch
Hannover Re has named Ridwaan Patel as Chief Financial Officer of its Hannover ReTakaful B.S.C. and Bahrain branch, subject to Central Bank of Bahrain approval. Patel, who has served as Chief Risk Officer and Head of Compliance and Risk since...
Reinsurers Show Strongest Engagement with Florida Carriers in Years: Schwebach, Gallagher Re
Reinsurers are re‑engaging with Florida property carriers as 2022‑23 legislative reforms have removed much of the litigation uncertainty that previously drove them away. Adjusted risk models are prompting a reduction in litigation‑related loadings, which could translate into roughly a 5%...
S&P Global Energy and Verisk Partnership to Help Bridge Climate Risk Intelligence Gaps
S&P Global Energy and Verisk have launched a data‑sharing partnership that combines S&P’s Sustainable1 climate risk platform with Verisk’s catastrophe modelling to deliver insured and uninsured loss estimates for future climate events. The integrated solution will provide decision‑grade exposure data...
Intrepid Travel Signs up to to the Safer Tourism Pledge
Intrepid Travel, the B Corp‑certified adventure operator, has signed the Safer Tourism Pledge, the travel industry’s leading framework for traveller risk, health and safety. The company runs more than 900 small‑group trips in over 120 countries, and the pledge adds...
AI Needs Its Own Risk Class: Lockton Re
Lockton Re, together with Lockton International and Armilla AI, released a report urging insurers to treat artificial intelligence as a distinct risk class. The study maps AI‑related exposures across cyber, errors‑and‑omissions, casualty, D&O and employment lines, exposing coverage silences and...
Hiscox Re Unveils Streamlined Structure and New Capital Partners Unit
Hiscox Re has rebranded its reinsurance and ILS business and launched Hiscox Capital Partners, a unified platform that consolidates nearly two decades of capital‑partner activity. The new unit is led by Liz Breeze, who brings over 20 years of insurance...
Half of Americans Believe only the Rich Can Afford GLP-1s without Insurance
A ValuePenguin study finds that a median‑income American household would need to allocate about 7.3% of earnings to afford a two‑milligram monthly supply of Ozempic, the flagship GLP‑1 weight‑loss drug. In the poorest states, the cost can approach one‑tenth of...
Experian Launches Insurance Marketplace App on ChatGPT
Experian has launched an Insurance Marketplace app on ChatGPT, enabling users to compare auto insurance rates from 37 carriers via conversational AI. The service offers real‑time quotes, customized recommendations, and leverages Experian’s data expertise. The company says the tool could...
AIG’s Zaffino: Outcomes From AI Use Went From ‘Aspirational’ to ‘Beyond Expectations’
AIG announced that its generative‑AI platform, AIG Assist, has dramatically outperformed the aspirational goals set at last year’s Investor Day. The tool now handles over 370,000 commercial‑line submissions, edging toward a 500,000 target for 2030, while cutting processing time without...
Challenger Life’s Cat Bond Investments Beat Benchmark in Last Half-Year
Challenger Life, an Australian life insurer, reported that its catastrophe bond and broader insurance‑linked securities (ILS) investments outperformed the Plenum CAT Bond UCITS Fund Index over the last six months. The cat bond segment delivered a return above the index’s...
CSN Expands Into Luxembourg with €110m Acquisition, 7.5% Yield
#CSN buying Scottish Widows Europe SA in Luxembourg for total cash €110m. Adds 46,000 in-force policies and €1.7bn Assets Under Administration. Enables CSN to enter Luxembourg market. ShareScope showing fwd Dividend Yield 7.2% rising to 7.5%; still tasty.
Resilience’s Long: 2026 Cyberthreat Landscape Poses New Challenges for Insurers
The episode examines the evolving cyber‑threat landscape of 2026 and its implications for insurance carriers, focusing on rising ransomware, supply‑chain attacks, and AI‑driven exploits. It highlights how insurers must adapt underwriting criteria, pricing models, and claims handling to address more...
Is Risk the Main Ingredient in Ultra-Processed Food?
Convenience has made ultra‑processed foods a staple, but emerging scientific evidence links them to chronic diseases and early‑onset cancers. A CDC study shows children obtain roughly 62% of daily calories from these products, prompting early product‑liability and public‑nuisance lawsuits. Casualty...
Steve Bowen: Avoid Pricing Risk for Yesterday’s Climate | TRP #161
In this episode, Steve Bowen of Gallagher Re explains why climate risk is non‑linear and why relying on historical loss data can be misleading for pricing and capital decisions. He highlights key findings from Gallagher’s 2025 Natural Catastrophe and Climate...
Deephouse, Lee to Lead IIHS and HLDI Boards
Brian Deephouse, chief actuary at Auto Club Enterprises, was elected chair of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) board for 2026, succeeding Allstate’s Ginger Purgatorio. Dawn Lee, PEMCO Mutual’s chief product and underwriting officer, will continue as chair of...
OpenAI Deleted Word ‘Safely’ From Its Mission – Its New Structure Is A Test
OpenAI’s latest IRS filing removed the word “safely” from its mission, replacing it with a broader pledge to benefit all of humanity. The change coincided with a legal restructuring that split the organization into a nonprofit foundation and a for‑profit...
‘Structural Shift’ Occurring in California Surplus Lines
California’s surplus lines market is undergoing a structural shift accelerated by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The Surplus Line Association of California reports surplus‑line policies have jumped over 500%, rising from about 50,000 in 2023 to 320,000 in 2025, while standard...
Google Alerts for Insurance? Visualping Brings New Technology for Risk Assessment
In this episode, Visualping co‑founder and CEO Serge Salager explains how his company is turning real‑time web monitoring into a "Google Alerts for insurance," delivering instant risk insights to underwriters. He outlines emerging data sources—such as property changes, environmental alerts, and...
Radiologists Urge Cigna to Rescind Coverage Restriction for Key Imaging Procedure
Radiology societies, led by the Society of Interventional Radiology, have asked Cigna to reverse policy 0539, which labels implantable peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) for chronic pain as medically unnecessary. The groups cite robust randomized trials, FDA clearance, and a favorable...
Epic's AI Road Map Should Concern Insurers
Epic Systems, which commands over 35% of the U.S. hospital IT market, is extending its AI capabilities into the payer space through a stack that relies heavily on Microsoft Azure and OpenAI. The article warns that this architectural dependency creates...
Bootstrapped and Profitable AI InsurTech Company Mea Platform Raises €42.2 Million
UK‑based AI InsurTech mea Platform announced a €42.2 million minority growth equity investment from SEP to accelerate product development and customer engagement. The company, founded in 2021, has remained bootstrapped and profitable for four consecutive years. Its domain‑specific AI platform, already...
Alphabet and Meta CDS Explode From Zero to Top Traders
A year ago, CDS on Alphabet and Meta didn't exist. Now they're among the most actively traded single-name contracts in the US market Nobody creates a default insurance market for fun... $GOOG $META