Liberty Mutual’s Net Income Rises 55% for FY’25 Amid Lower Cat Losses
Liberty Mutual Holding Company reported FY 2025 net income of $6.8 billion, a 55 % increase over the prior year, while its combined ratio improved to 88.4 % from 95.9 %. The fourth quarter saw net income rise 37 % to $1.7 billion and the combined ratio tighten to 85 %. Lower catastrophe losses—down 28.7 % for the year and 87.2 % in Q4—helped drive profitability, even as net premiums written slipped modestly. Investment income contributed $790 million, adding a meaningful earnings tailwind.
Ariel Re Appoints Sarah Morgan and Reed Gaglio to Property Leadership Roles
Ariel Re announced that Sarah Morgan will assume the role of Head of Property and Reed Gaglio will become Head of E&S Property Reinsurance, both effective 1 April 2026. Morgan succeeds Mike Cornish, who moves to a strategy, product development and special‑projects...
CRO of the Year: Sheldon Lacy, Canopius Group
Sheldon Lacy marked his 10th year as chief risk officer and his 50th birthday while steering Canopius Group through rapid growth and a shifting insurance market. Since the 2019 AmTrust acquisition, the firm’s gross written premiums have surged 130%, and...
Homeostatic Compliance Management in GRC 7.0 – GRC Orchestrate
GRC 7.0 – GRC Orchestrate introduces a homeostatic compliance model that turns compliance from a periodic check into a continuous, adaptive system. It integrates regulatory intelligence, structured obligation management, digital twins, and agentic AI to sense, interpret, and orchestrate changes across...
‘Stupendous Potential’: Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance Would Cut Costs And Traffic Violence
Governor Kathy Hochul is pursuing auto‑insurance reforms that would curb lawsuit payouts for crash victims, while experts argue a simpler solution—pay‑per‑mile (usage‑based) insurance—could lower premiums and improve safety. Pay‑as‑you‑drive policies tie rates to actual mileage, potentially reducing high‑risk driving by...
Group Benefits Enters Decisive Phase
Group benefits platforms are entering a decisive phase as consolidation creates complex, hybrid "frankenstacks" that increase rigidity. The industry’s rapid shift toward flexible benefit design, digital enrollment, and AI‑driven services demands architectures that can be reconfigured quickly. Mergers often prioritize...
Your Blended Combined Ratio Is Lying to You
The CIAB Q4 2025 survey shows the first large‑commercial premium decline since 2017, with nine lines down 2.1% overall. Commercial auto’s 6.6% growth is now the sole driver of a seemingly healthy blended combined ratio, while property, GL, and workers’ comp...
Swiss Re Names Tamas Bown as Head L&H Reinsurance, APAC
Swiss Re announced that Tamas Bown will become Head of Life & Health Reinsurance for the Asia‑Pacific region, excluding China, starting 1 April 2026. Bown returns to APAC after previously leading Swiss Re’s L&H client markets in Japan and chairing the Asia...
Strategic Risk & Resilience Management
Enterprises can no longer rely on a stable operating environment; geopolitical shifts, regulatory expansion, rapid technology change, cyber threats, and climate events now create simultaneous, systemic disruptions. Michael Rasmussen argues that many firms still treat strategic decisions as if risk...
Specialty MGA Appoints Davood Khalaghizadeh to Lead D&O Underwriting
Specialty MGA, a member of the MNK Group, has appointed Davood Khalaghizadeh as Senior Underwriter for Directors and Officers (D&O) liability. Khalaghizadeh arrives with senior roles at AIG, QBE, CV Starr, Aspen and Volante, where he managed diverse D&O portfolios...
Guy Carpenter Adds QBE’s Paas as Head of European Capital & Advisory
Guy Carpenter, the global reinsurance broker within Marsh & McLennan, has appointed Al Paas as Head of European Capital & Advisory. Paas will steer the firm’s expansion and deepen its investment‑banking capabilities across Continental Europe. He brings over 30 years of...
Guest Post: Will Allowing Companies to Block Shareholder Suits Create a D&O Mess?
In September 2025 the SEC overturned decades‑old guidance and now allows public companies to include forced arbitration clauses in their IPO registration statements. The change is expected to drive up legal expenses for securities claims, as firms will face dozens...
Projected Prices and Volatility Factors for 2026
The Risk Management Agency released 2026 projected prices and volatility factors for corn and soybeans after February’s price‑discovery period. Corn’s projected price fell to $4.62 per bushel, $0.08 below 2025, while soybean’s rose to $11.09, $0.55 higher than last year....
AI Creates a Mandate... And a Gift
AI deployment in claims processing now forces organizations to adopt real‑time instrumentation, exposing a decades‑long blind spot in operational visibility. Traditional dashboards offered static, delayed metrics, while AI’s speed and scale demand continuous monitoring of model outputs, drift, and edge...
Entries Open for InsuranceERM Americas Awards 2026
InsuranceERM has opened entries for its 2026 Americas Awards, a flagship programme that spotlights excellence in insurance risk and capital management across the region. The competition, free to enter, invites re/insurers, risk teams, asset managers, consultants and technology vendors to...
Consilium Introduces Insurance Policy Tailored for Private Equity Firms
Consilium, a specialty re/insurance broker, has launched a dedicated policy for private‑equity firms within its Professional & Executive Risks division. The product, crafted with in‑house legal counsel, covers professional liability, crime, directors‑and‑officers, cyber and portfolio‑company risks under a single solution....
Africa Specialty Risks Names Kotran as Head of Business Development, Middle East & Turkey
Africa Specialty Risks (ASR) has appointed Joseph Kotran as Head of Business Development for the Middle East and Turkey. In his role, Kotran will lead regional growth initiatives, work with underwriting teams, and coordinate with the DIFC‑based staff to build...
New Deductible Rules Allow for $31,000 Out-of-Pocket Maximum
The Trump administration is proposing a rule that revives catastrophic, or "junk," health plans with a $31,000 family deductible, effectively undoing the ACA’s ban on such high‑deductible products. These plans, once sold by major insurers like Cigna, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare,...
New Commodity Program Base Acres
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will automatically add up to 30 million new commodity base acres for the 2026 crop year, making them eligible for ARC and PLC payments. Farms qualify if they planted or were prevented from planting a covered...
Jörg Bruniecki to Succeed Charles Goldie as MS Re CUO
MS Reinsurance announced that Group Chief Underwriting Officer Charles Goldie will retire on 1 April 2026, transitioning to a senior advisory role. Jörg Bruniecki, currently CUO for Global Specialty Lines, will succeed him as CUO, overseeing the firm’s worldwide underwriting strategy. The change...
Oklahoma Adds 14 New Captives in 2025
The Oklahoma Insurance Department licensed 14 new captive insurers in 2025, while four existing captives were dissolved, delivering a net gain of ten captives for the state. Among the new formations are HK Captive, backed by The Hanor Company of...
Canada Life Completes £80m Pensions Buy-In with Safeway Pension Scheme
Canada Life has completed an £80 million buy‑in transaction for the Safeway Pension Scheme, covering more than 350 deferred members and 1,450 pensioners. The deal was brokered by Aon, with Hymans Robertson providing investment advice and Clifford Chance and Gowling WLG handling...
Businesses Now Face Material Threat From Rising Gray-Zone Aggression, Says Willis
A new Willis Research Network report warns that gray‑zone aggression has become a material threat for businesses across all sectors. Previously limited to aviation and shipping, these ambiguous, deniable tactics now disrupt supply chains, insurance coverage and operational continuity. The...
Rokstone Launches Rokstone Velocity and Appoints Senior Casualty Specialists
Rokstone has launched Rokstone Velocity, a new division dedicated to underwriting complex casualty risks emerging from the digital economy, beginning with the U.S. market. The unit is led by Andrew Cooper, a veteran with 25 years of insurance experience, and...
Steadfast’s Underlying Revenue Rises 14.6% to $1bn in H1’26
Steadfast Group reported underlying revenue of $1 billion for H1 2026, a 14.6% year‑on‑year increase. Underlying EBITA rose 12.6% to $293.6 million, while NPATA and NPAT grew 6.3% and 7.3% respectively. The Australasian Network brokers generated $6.4 billion in gross written premiums, up 4.4%,...
Delos and ROAR Partner to Deliver Comprehensive Disaster Risk Exposure Strategy
Delos Insurance Solutions and ROAR Partners have formed a strategic collaboration to deliver a full‑stack disaster risk exposure strategy for wildfire‑prone regions, beginning with California. The partnership targets low‑development‑risk zones, builds multi‑stakeholder alliances, and offers integrated investment, financial, and insurance...
EPIC Names Miranda Rodriguez as Head of National Real Estate Practice
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has created a new Program Development Leader role for its national real estate practice, appointing Miranda Rodriguez to drive growth and integration. Rodriguez will oversee program design, strategic partnerships, and technology initiatives while coordinating existing...
SPG Acquires Logistiq to Merge with Anova Marine Insurance
Specialty Program Group (SPG) acquired Logistiq Insurance Solutions and merged it with its previously purchased Anova Marine Insurance, creating a unified, tech‑forward Cargo & Logistics platform. The integration combines Anova’s ocean cargo and digital underwriting capabilities, Logistiq’s domestic transportation risk...
Tokio Marine Kiln Appoints Lauren Storer as Underwriter in Property & Motor Division
Tokio Marine Kiln has appointed Lauren Storer as an underwriter in its Property & Motor division, reporting to divisional head Neil Robertson. Storer brings over 13 years of underwriting experience, most recently as senior underwriter at Lancashire Insurance where she...
Alternative Life Capital in the UK - a Distant Dream?
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has floated proposals to widen the pool of capital available to UK life insurers, encouraging the sector to tap alternative sources such as pension funds, sovereign wealth and private‑equity investors. Insurers welcomed the idea, seeing...
Uncovering Hidden Fraud Networks
Entity resolution, knowledge graphs, and geospatial analytics together dismantle hidden fraud networks across government programs and insurance lines. By linking fragmented records—tax filings, social media, transaction logs—into unified 360‑degree profiles, investigators can spot duplicate registrations, synthetic identities, and collusive entities....
Accelerant Expects Revenue to Rise 51% for FY’25
Accelerant Holdings announced a preliminary FY 2025 revenue forecast of $913 million, representing a 51% year‑over‑year increase. The company expects Q4 2025 revenue of $248 million, up 30% from the same quarter last year. Total exchange written premiums are projected at $4.19 billion, a 35%...
Galaxy Insurance Consultants (Singapore) Obtains MAS Reinsurance Broking Licence
Galaxy Insurance Consultants (Singapore) received a Reinsurance Broking Licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, allowing it to act as an intermediary for global reinsurance contracts. The approval strengthens Galaxy’s role as a trusted broker across the Asia‑Pacific region and...
Consilium Establishes Energy Risk Solutions Division and Names Johnny Hilliard as Managing Partner
Consilium, a global specialty re/insurance broker, announced the creation of an Energy Risk Solutions Division and the appointment of Johnny Hilliard as Managing Partner. Hilliard, who joins after a 16‑year career at Amwins Global Risks and other firms, will lead...
Aon Advises on Pension Risk Settlement for Mouchel Business Services Scheme
Aon acted as lead adviser on a risk‑settlement transaction for the Mouchel Business Services Money Purchase scheme, protecting the retirement benefits of its 220 members. The scheme combined a defined contribution plan with a defined benefit underpin, creating insurance‑coverage challenges...
Ascot Adds Walch-Watson and Gallagher to Board of Directors
Ascot Group Limited announced the appointment of Patrice Walch‑Watson and Christopher Gallagher to its Board of Directors. Walch‑Watson, senior managing director and chief legal officer at CPP Investments, brings deep legal, regulatory and corporate‑governance expertise. Gallagher, a three‑decade insurance veteran...
AM Best Upgrades Outlooks to Positive for Starr Subsidiaries
AM Best upgraded the outlooks for Starr International’s U.S. and Bermuda subsidiaries from stable to positive while reaffirming their Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and Long‑Term Issuer Credit Rating of a+ (Excellent). The agency cited stronger underwriting trends, a...
1089 Collaborates with Price Forbes & Oka to Launch Carbon Asset Insurance Framework
1089 Inc., together with Price Forbes and Oka, has launched a carbon asset insurance framework aimed at the transportation and energy sectors. The programme embeds institutional safeguards, disciplined financial architecture, and verifiable data integrity into 1089’s CX89 Advanced Fuels Carbon...
Oman Re and Gallagher Re Support New Mandatory Nat Cat Cover for Motor Insurance
Oman has become the first GCC market to mandate natural‑catastrophe coverage within its Unified Motor Insurance Policy, effective 19 February 2026 after a one‑month alignment period. The scheme, built with Oman Re, Gallagher Re and the Oman Insurance Association, automatically protects third‑party...
Gen AI Could Unlock $50-$70bn in Insurance Revenue, Estimates McKinsey & Company
McKinsey estimates generative AI could generate $50‑$70 billion in incremental insurance revenue, driven by gains in marketing, customer operations and software engineering. The firm highlights the sector’s fragmented workflows and rich data assets as fertile ground for AI‑enabled automation and predictive...
FCA Targets Q3 for Captive Rules Consultation
The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority will launch a joint consultation in the third quarter of 2026 on a new regulatory framework for captive insurers, with the rules expected to take effect in 2027. The timetable was...
Claims Automation Must Shift Priorities
Claims automation has delivered unprecedented speed, but insurers now recognize that speed alone is insufficient. The industry is shifting toward decision quality, fairness, and defensibility, driven by rising claim complexity, fraud risk, and regulatory scrutiny. AI‑powered decision engines are emerging...
AI Patents Emerge as Competitive Weapon
AI patents are rapidly becoming the insurance industry's most potent competitive lever, yet the majority of carriers lack a coherent strategy to leverage them. A handful of property‑and‑casualty insurers have filed 77% of all AI‑related patents, creating a steep concentration...
Can We Use AI for ICFR and SOX?
AI can be leveraged to automate and enhance internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) and SOX compliance, especially through agentic AI that creates documentation, scans evidence, and tests controls. However, compliance officers must ensure that AI testing validates control design,...
Is AI-Based Data Overwhelming Insurers?
Nearmap’s VP of AI & Computer Vision, Dr. Michael Bewley, explains how AI‑driven aerial imagery is reshaping property insurance. Supervised machine‑learning models can identify roof conditions, quantify damage likelihood, and feed into faster catastrophe response. However, the flood of heterogeneous...
What Landlord Insurance Policies Don’t Cover When It Comes to Short-Term Rentals
Landlord insurance policies are generally unsuitable for short‑term rentals (STRs) because they exclude many risks inherent to hospitality operations. Instead, property owners need a commercial homeowners or dedicated STR policy that provides broader liability limits, coverage for guest‑caused damage, equipment...
Two More States Are About to Jump Ship Onto Their Own ACA Marketplaces
Oregon and Oklahoma are set to launch their own state‑based ACA exchanges, bringing the total to 23 states (including DC) that will operate independent marketplaces by 2028. This shift will push state‑run exchanges past the 50 percent population mark, a milestone...
Florida Set to Allow PCC Formations
Florida Senate Bill 990 authorizes protected cell companies (PCCs), expanding the state’s captive insurance framework. The bill outlines governance, formation, capitalization, operation, and regulatory oversight requirements. PCCs will allow multiple segregated risk cells under one legal entity, aligning Florida with...
Willis Launches Global Digital Infrastructure Group to Tackle Data Centre Risks
Willis, a WTW business, has launched a Global Digital Infrastructure Group led by Alastair Swift to address data‑centre risks across the entire lifecycle. The new cross‑functional team combines expertise in construction, energy, technology, cyber, real estate, supply‑chain and finance. It...
West of England P&I Club Names Alexis Wildman as Head of Products
West of England P&I Club has appointed Alexis Wildman as Head of Products, succeeding Richard Turner who will retire later this year. Wildman will report to Chief Underwriting Officer Bart Mertens and oversee the club’s diversified product portfolio, including collaboration...