Latest Underwriting Headlines

All the headlines from our Underwriting Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Texas’ Hochheim Mutual Insurers Removed From Credit Watch Negative

Nov 19 2018 // S&P Global Ratings has removed Texas-based Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Assn. (HPFMIA) and its subsidiary, Hochheim Prairie Casualty Insurance Co. (HPCIC, collectively Hochheim) from Credit Watch Negative,...

Medical Professional Liability Insurers Post Underwriting Loss Again

Nov 19 2018 // U.S. medical professional liability insurers reported an underwriting loss again last year, according to Fitch Ratings in a new report that says the results are drawing more scrutiny around reserves that are shrinking. For...

People

Nov 19 2018 // Terry Miller has been named president and chief executive officer at Bloomington, Minnesota-based SFM Mutual Insurance Co. Miller has worked at SFM for more than 30 years, serving as the company’s original...

People

Nov 19 2018 // Jackson Sumner & Associates (JSA) has hired Adam Winfree as the company’s Virginia marketing representative. Winfree joins the company as a 13-year veteran of the insurance industry, having worked previously as...

Can Commercial Auto Insurers Get to Profit Before Autonomous Vehicles Arrive?

Nov 9 2018 // Commercial auto insurance hasn’t produced an industrywide combined ratio below 105 in the United States since 2010, according to a Guy Carpenter analysis, which says the line’s poor performance is a key factor...

HDI Adds to U.S. Engineering Lines & Construction Division in Chicago

Nov 6 2018 // HDI Global Insurance Co., headquartered in Chicago, has expanded its Engineering Lines & Construction Division with several new hires. John Sprague has been appointed senior construction liability underwriter. He will...

WKFC Underwriting Managers Hires Reisig in New York

Nov 5 2018 // WKFC Underwriting Managers has hired Mark Reisig as chief underwriting officer of its Property division, based at the company’s headquarters in Melville, N.Y. Reisig joins WKFC with more than 30 years of property...

Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Underwriting Gains in 3Q

Nov 5 2018 // Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s insurers dodged the worst of losses caused by Hurricane Florence as the businesses kept up their rebound from a rough 2017. The company’s operating profit doubled last quarter,...

Pressure’s on the Trucking Sector

Nov 5 2018 // The transportation industry is considered a barometer of the U.S. economy. If freight is trending up, so too is the U.S. economy. But capacity constraints for trucking – including a shortage of qualified drivers, low...

Changing World for P/C Insurance Underwriters: Guy Carpenter

Nov 5 2018 // Property/casualty insurers’ operating environment today is very different than just a few short years ago. Lines that were stable are now volatile and those that have struggled are looking profitable, reinsurance...

AIG Executives Outline Path to Underwriting Profit in 2019

Nov 2 2018 // “We do see it coming. We expect that in 2019 we’re going to be in an underwriting profit position, not a great one, but a profit. And we’ll move from there to a great one.” So said Brian...

QBE Restructures Operations, Creating 3 Global Units; Executive Team Named

Nov 1 2018 // QBE announced changes to its structure, designed to further simplify its operations and build a more streamlined, agile and customer-oriented business. Following the underwriting remediation in Asia, which is now largely...

AIG Again Battered by Catastrophes But Reinsurance Lowers 3Q Net Loss

Oct 31 2018 // Catastrophe losses in Japan and North America pushed American International Group to a net loss of $1.3 billion for the third quarter of 2018, compared to a net loss of $1.7 billion in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted...

Brit Global Specialty USA Appoints King as Chief Underwriting Officer

Oct 31 2018 // John King has been named chief underwriting officer for Brit Global Specialty USA. King moves to BGSU, based in Chicago, from his current role as group executive underwriter at Brit Global Specialty in London. King brings...

It’s a Very Different World for P/C Insurance Underwriters, Says Guy Carpenter

Oct 29 2018 // Property/casualty insurers’ operating environment today is very different than just a few short years ago. Lines that were stable are now volatile and those that have struggled are looking profitable, reinsurance...

Better Underwriting, Lower Taxes Behind The Hartford’s Strong Q3 Results

Oct 26 2018 // The Hartford reported third quarter 2018 net profit of $427 million compared with $145 million in third quarter 2017. The $282 million increase was due to higher commercial lines, personal lines, group benefits and mutual...

Appalachian Underwriters Names Schnarre as Midwest External Marketing Rep

Oct 23 2018 // Appalachian Underwriters Inc. has named Nick Schnarre as external marketing representative for Illinois, Indiana and Missouri agents. He will be working remotely in the St. Louis, Missouri, area, helping agents in those...

To Insure Cyber or Not to Insure Cyber: Cautions and Caveats for Carriers

Oct 22 2018 // While there are some issues with the data, virtually every report shows the cyber insurance market growing. Aon Benfield had it growing 37 percent last year to $1.8 billion. It’s profitable and the loss ratio is in...

Danish Insurer Qudos Ceases Underwriting, Pending Restructuring

Oct 19 2018 // Copenhagen-based Qudos Insurance will cease underwriting new business with immediate effect, pending a restructuring of the business, announced parent company New Nordic Advisors. New Nordic said it aims to re-launch the...

Appalachian Underwriters Adds St. Clair as Garage Underwriter for Midwest

Oct 19 2018 // Appalachian Underwriters Inc. has hired Joanna St. Clair as a garage underwriter. She will be working remotely in the Austin, Texas, area, primarily underwriting garage risks for Midwest agents. St. Clair comes to AUI with...