
Winning with Progressive
The podcast features Corey Fiser, General Manager of Agency Distribution at Progressive, who outlines the company’s dual‑channel strategy and his team’s responsibilities. Fiser explains that Progressive’s agency channel writes roughly 49% of the carrier’s total premium, with independent agents delivering loss ratios on par with the direct sales arm. Key operational insights include the agency team’s ownership of salesforce deployment, agent‑focused technology platforms, licensing compliance, compensation programs, and analytics. Progressive deliberately prices both channels to achieve similar profitability, using direct experience to inform agency pricing while maintaining distinct models. Fiser emphasizes the brand advantage, noting Progressive’s $4‑5 billion annual advertising spend and a best‑in‑industry four‑agent portal that streamlines quoting. He adds, “We want to be where customers want to be,” highlighting the need to serve both online‑savvy shoppers and those who value personal agent counsel. The discussion underscores that independent agents remain vital distribution partners, offering choice and personalized service that direct channels cannot match. For insurers, balancing direct and agency models enables broader market reach while preserving profitability and brand equity.

Strait of Hormuz & Persian Gulf Update | March 4, 2026 | US Sub Sinks Iranian Ship | Russian LNG...
On March 4 2026, a series of maritime incidents escalated tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters. A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian corvette near Sri Lanka, a container vessel was struck by a projectile in the Hormuz corridor, and a...

AM Best: Outlook for US D&O Revised to Stable
AM Best announced a revision of its outlook for the United States directors and officers (D&O) liability market, moving the rating from negative to stable. The change reflects a broader market shift after a period of aggressive pricing and deep...

Is Optum Reshaping Healthcare? What It Means for Prices & Referrals
The Health Affairs paper discussed on the podcast examines UnitedHealth’s Optum unit and its aggressive vertical integration strategy—specifically, the acquisition of physician practices and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). By linking insurer, provider, and pharmacy functions, Optum aims to capture...

AM Best: Losses From Winter Storms to Carve Into 2026 First Quarter Earnings
The video features AM Best industry analyst Helen Anderson discussing how the twin winter storms—Hernando and Fern—are expected to erode property‑casualty insurers’ first‑quarter 2026 earnings. Anderson notes that while the hit will be material, it will not match the severity...

Issues & Answers: Program for Success
Nationwide E&S Specialty introduced a specialized Program for Success targeting property and ocean marine lines. Vice President Brooke Shirazi emphasized that the program’s deep segment expertise translates into tailored risk solutions for policyholders. The dedicated program administrator space allows insurers...

RiskyProject 8: New Features
RiskyProject has launched version 8, the latest iteration of its project risk‑management platform, promising a more predictable and efficient workflow for project managers and risk professionals. The upgrade introduces a fully revamped user interface modeled after Office 365, an import/export hub for seamless...

The Hidden Tax Crushing the U.S. Housing Market
The video spotlights a “hidden tax” – soaring homeowner‑insurance premiums – that is eroding U.S. housing affordability. Data from Reventure shows premiums have doubled since 2013, with the national average now around $2,500 per month, and some high‑risk markets...

Oh No… Now It’s European Private Credit
The video highlights a growing crisis in Europe’s private‑credit market, echoing the turmoil already seen in the United States. Two of the continent’s largest insurers, AXA and Allianz, have issued statements that they are "distancing" themselves from new private‑credit allocations,...

Ambulatory Fall Prevention
Ambulatory Fall Prevention video, presented by Wendy Alderman, senior risk management consultant at Pro Assurance, highlights that falls remain a leading patient‑safety issue in outpatient settings such as medical offices, surgery centers, imaging and mental‑health clinics. CDC data shows unintentional...

Financial Futures: Trust, Tech & Tomorrow
The interview on Insurance Business TV spotlights Primama Life Insurance’s CEO John Adams discussing how trust, technology and personalized advice shape financial futures for middle‑income Canadians. The conversation follows Primama’s recent double win as Life and Health Insurer of the...

Cyber Market Shake-Up: Softening Trends, Rising Claims, and Broker Strategies for 2025
The panel on Insurance Business TV examined the evolving cyber‑insurance landscape, noting that the market remains soft and is further softening as insurers trim premiums and tighten risk selection. Premiums have fallen 10‑15% in the mid‑tier space, driven by new capacity...

5-Star Insurance Innovator 2025: Nearmap’s Portfolio Intelligence Redefines Risk Insight
Nearmap was highlighted as a 5‑Star Insurance Innovator for its Portfolio Intelligence platform, which fuses high‑resolution aerial imagery with AI‑driven analysis to deliver granular risk insight for Australian and New Zealand insurers. The company operates its own camera fleet, capturing centimeter‑level detail...

Bringing Carriers and Brokers Together to Close Protection Gaps
At the WSIA marketplace in San Diego, brokers and carriers emphasized stronger broker-underwriter communication and transparency to navigate the hard market and justify rising rates. Panelists called for continued tort reform and clearer disclosure of third-party litigation funding, while also...

Closing the Protection Gaps in Insurance
At the WSIA marketplace in San Diego, industry leaders emphasized the need for greater transparency between brokers and underwriters to close protection gaps in property insurance. Delwood executives said accurate valuation and identifying gaps—such as law and ordinance, flood and...

Why It's Time to Embrace Al
At the WSIA marketplace in San Diego, insurance executives described a rapid shift from digitized intake to enterprise AI—deploying large language models across underwriting divisions with six-week, augmented workflows that compare submissions to firm guidelines in real time. The rollout...

Motor Fleet at a Crossroads
Canadian motor-fleet insurers and brokers warned that rapid vehicle-technology advances and sharply higher repair costs are driving commercial-auto premiums up, prompting Saskatchewan’s public auto insurer to seek a 3.75% rate increase for 2026–27. Panelists said insurers have been slow to...

US-Iran Tensions: What the Options Market Is Telling Investors
The video examines how the options market is reflecting investor expectations amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions, highlighting that traders are pricing in a more hostile scenario. Data points show the put‑call skew on the S&P 500 (Triple Q) is as wide as...

Trump's New 10% Tariff Takes Effect; Dimon Warns on Credit Risks | Bloomberg Brief 2/24/2026
The Bloomberg Brief highlighted the rollout of President Trump’s new 10% global tariffs, the first step in a broader trade‑war strategy after the Supreme Court struck down earlier measures. Officials indicated that Section 232 national‑security investigations and Section 301 unfair‑trade probes will...

Dimon Sees Rivals Doing 'Dumb Things' In Credit, AI Scare Trade Returns |The Opening Trade 2/24/2026
The Opening Trade program highlighted several market‑shaking themes: Jamie Dimon’s warning that banks are reverting to pre‑2008 “dumb” lending practices, a fresh AI‑related scare trade that hammered software, delivery and credit‑card firms, and a volatile tariff environment as the Trump...

Trump's 10% Global Tariffs Kick In | Daybreak Europe 2/24/2026
The Daybreak Europe broadcast focused on the immediate implementation of President Trump’s 10% global tariff, a move that follows a Supreme Court decision overturning his earlier sweeping duties and signals a possible hike to 15% pending a formal order. The...

AI Shock And Tariff Fears Split Markets Winners And Losers | Insight with Haslinda Amin 02/24/2026
The episode focused on the twin shocks of artificial‑intelligence market anxiety and a wave of U.S. tariff actions following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down earlier levies. President Trump’s team announced a 10% tariff on batteries, electronics and other...

How a Potential U.S. Strike on Iran Could Affect Oil Volatility
The video examines how a potential U.S. military strike on Iran could reverberate through global oil markets, focusing on the risk of heightened volatility amid ongoing nuclear negotiations. Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz argues that, structurally, the market is currently...

Mining Insurance Market Stays Competitive Despite Rising Nat Cat Losses
Mining insurers are navigating a surge in natural‑catastrophe losses while maintaining ample capacity, according to brokers cited by AM Best. Recent high‑profile events in Australia and Indonesia have tested the market, yet underwriters continue to offer competitive terms, keeping the specialty...

Stocks Slide as Oil Jumps on Rising US-Iran Tensions | The Close 2/19/2026
The Close highlighted a sharp equity sell‑off on Feb 19, 2026 as Brent crude surged to its highest level since July amid escalating U.S.–Iran tensions. The S&P 500 slipped about 0.6% and the Nasdaq 100 fell roughly 0.7%, while the VIX nudged back...

US Runs Annual Trade Deficit Up to $901 Billion, One of Biggest Since 1960
U.S. trade data released this week showed the annual deficit expanding to $901 billion, the widest gap since the early 1960s. After a brief narrowing in the first half of last year, imports surged in the second half, pushing the balance...

Figma's AI Outlook, Blue Owl Stokes Credit Concerns | Bloomberg Businessweek Daily 2/19/2026
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily highlighted two contrasting stories on Thursday, February 19: Figma’s AI‑driven growth trajectory and Blue Owl Capital’s liquidity curtailment in a private‑credit fund. The market backdrop featured modest equity declines, a VIX edging toward 21, and oil prices...

Income-Focused Investing Often Leaves Too Much on the Table, Says Kathmere CIO
Amplify’s chief investment officer, Christian, used a recent market‑volatility roundtable to argue that traditional income‑focused strategies often leave performance on the table. He outlined how the firm’s “yield‑smart” ETFs combine dividend exposure with tactical covered‑call writing to generate 5‑6% yields...

AM Best: Administration’s Executive Order Could Provide Impetus Towards Stabilizing the Cannabis I
An executive order from President Trump to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III could rapidly change the legal and commercial landscape for cannabis-related businesses, AM Best analysts say. Rescheduling would permit medical prescriptions and long-term institutional research, generating...

Consolidation and Integration in Health Care: What It Means for Patients, Payers, and Policy
Speakers outlined how decades-long consolidation in U.S. health care has accelerated into new forms of vertical integration: hospitals acquiring physician practices, insurers buying providers and PBMs, and conglomerates building end-to-end platforms. While companies argue these moves improve coordination and efficiency,...

Previsico on the Next Era of Flood Intelligence for Insurers
Provisico used its ITC London stage to unveil Flood Intelligence 2.0, a next‑generation forecasting platform aimed at insurers grappling with rising surface‑water flood risk. The company, which counts Liberty, Zurich and Generali among its clients, is shifting from a deterministic single‑outcome...

Dorian Jorry - Olino - Paris Fintech Forum
The Paris Fintech Forum featured Dorian Jorry, co‑founder of Olino, a three‑year‑old insurtech startup that originated in a university classroom. Olino has secured more than €2 million in seed funding and is now scaling its platform that embeds B2B insurance products...

Mauricio Monroy - Equisoft - ITC LATAM 2023
Mauricio Monroy, senior executive at Equisoft, spoke at ITC LATAM 2023 in Miami, highlighting the Canadian firm’s end‑to‑end software solutions tailored for the insurance sector. Equisoft’s portfolio spans CRM, illustration and quoting engines, electronic applications, policy‑admin systems, customer portals and a...

The COB: Premium Payday
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,007 points, a 0.5% gain that pushed the index above the psychologically important 9,000 mark for a third straight session. National Australia Bank led the market, posting a 16% rise in first‑quarter cash earnings and...

February 2026 Random Ramblings
The February 2026 episode of "Yet Another Value" is a free‑form monologue by host Andrew Walker, focused on the growing AI‑induced panic across software‑as‑a‑service (SaaS) and other asset‑light sectors. Walker frames the discussion as a “monthly random rambling,” noting that...

AM Best: Caribbean Insurers’ Reinsurance Costs, Capacity Constraints Moderate, Climate Vulnerability
AM Best reports that reinsurance costs and capacity constraints for Caribbean insurers have moderated amid an accelerated softening in property reinsurance pricing and modest easing of some terms and conditions. Favorable insurer results through 2024 reflect a low catastrophe year...

Chesnara CEO on €110 Million Acquisition of Scottish Widows Europe, Pipeline and Future Prospects
Chesnara PLC announced the €110 million purchase of Scottish Widows Europe, adding roughly 1.4 million policies and an administrative hub in Luxembourg to its portfolio. The deal is projected to generate €250 million of lifetime cash, with about €100 million expected in the first five...

INSURING MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES
On the Complex Podcast, Katrina Green interviews Eric Rich of McGowan Insurance Group about insuring multifamily properties, opening with his industry credentials (CAWC and CIC) and tracing his path into insurance from a modest upbringing through roles in retail, hospital...

Stefano Bison - Generali - How Innovation In Payments Are Changing Insurance
In a recent discussion, Stefano Bison of Generali highlighted how digital payment innovations are reshaping the insurance value chain. He emphasized that the payments ecosystem is already highly monetized and digitized, allowing insurers to experiment with new payout models without...

Bastiaan De Goei - Instabase - How AI Ensures A Speedy And On-Time Payment
Instabase showcases how artificial intelligence can streamline insurance claim workflows, turning lengthy, multi‑person processes into near‑instant payouts. The platform ingests contractor or field‑adjuster reports—photos, descriptions, liability decisions—and automatically extracts claim amounts and relevant data, eliminating the need for a desk‑based...

Bastiaan De Goei - How Using AI In Insurance Helps Customers In Times Of Need
The video features Bastiaan De Goei explaining how artificial intelligence can transform insurance companies from passive pay‑out entities into proactive partners that help customers before a crisis deepens. By treating insurers as data‑processing organizations, AI platforms such as Instabase unlock...

Showing Value and Capitalizing on Insurance Opportunities
Insurance Business TV captured insights from leading professionals at the WSIA annual marketplace conference in San Diego, focusing on how financial‑lines carriers are adapting to emerging risks. Speakers highlighted the importance of a diverse product portfolio, rapid service, and consistent...

How the Industry Needs to Adjust Its Approach to Catastrophic Events
The conference highlighted that casualty catastrophe losses, once rare, now occur almost every year, forcing insurers to rethink how they price, model, and underwrite these risks. Speakers argued that the industry must adopt a property‑catastrophe‑style framework for casualty exposures, accounting for...

Creating Opportunities in Both the Admitted and E&S Markets
The discussion at the WSIA marketplace in San Diego focused on how carriers and brokers can jointly leverage modern distribution platforms to expand both admitted and non‑admitted (ENS) insurance offerings. Panelists highlighted that AI‑powered quoting engines, property analytics and real‑time weather...

ScyAI Makes Risk Intelligible
ScyAI (Saiai), launched out of stealth by founder Bernhard Ranneger, uses generative and agentic AI to turn complex physical-risk models and qualitative submission materials into actionable, decision-ready risk strategies. The startup layers AI atop catastrophe and climate analytics to automate...

Sweeping Affordable Care Act Changes Proposed for 2027 (Katie Keith)
The Health Affairs podcast aired on February 13, 2026, unpacked a sweeping 577‑page proposed rule that would reshape the Affordable Care Act for the 2027 coverage year. Released unusually late in the rule‑making cycle, the proposal gives stakeholders just weeks...

Pollution, PFAS and Property: Is Environmental Liability the Next Big Coverage Gap?
The Insurance Business TV round‑table examined whether environmental liability – especially pollution, PFAS and asbestos – is becoming the next major coverage gap in Australia and New Zealand. Participants highlighted a surge in public and regulatory pressure, illustrated by a...

First Look at 2026 Crop Insurance Decisions
The University of Illinois Extension hosted a Farm Do webinar to preview the 2026 crop‑insurance landscape, emphasizing the March 15 enrollment deadline that Midwest corn and soybean growers must meet. Speakers Todd Gleason, Gary Schniki and Nick Pollson walked participants through recent...

AM Best: Surplus Lines Market Premium Moderates Through Nine Months of 2025
AM Best’s latest report shows that U.S. excess and surplus lines (ENS) premium growth moderated during the first three quarters of 2025, signaling the market’s transition from the rapid expansion seen in previous years. Total ENS premium rose 9.7% year‑over‑year, down...

Integrating Geopolitical Risks and Emerging Trends: How Can Risk Leaders Conquer Complexity?
The interview with Massimo focuses on how financial institutions are integrating geopolitical risk into their broader risk‑management agenda, moving the issue from strategic planning into the daily purview of chief risk officers and finance teams. He argues that vendors such...