Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

Insurtech Corvus Launches Smart Cyber Excess Insurance with $10M Limit

Mar 14 2019 // Boston-based insurtech company Corvus Insurance has expanded its underwriting appetite for its Smart Cyber Insurance product lines with the launch of an excess cyber insurance policy designed to give brokers the ability to...

Aon, Insurtech Zesty.ai Partner to Enhance Property Underwriting with AI Data

Mar 13 2019 // Aon has formed a strategic alliance with Zesty.ai, a San Francisco-based insurtech startup, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance insurers’ property underwriting. Zesty.ai’s technology provides...

H.W. Kaufman, Burns & Wilcox Canada Buy TRU Transportation Risk Underwriters

Mar 8 2019 // H.W. Kaufman Group and Burns & Wilcox Canada announced they have acquired Toronto-based TRU Transportation Risk Underwriters Ltd. (TRU), a Canadian managing general agent (MGA) with expertise in providing risk...

Maine’s The MEMIC Group Appoints Austerman to Senior Production Underwriter

Mar 5 2019 // Workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group has appointed Beth Austerman to senior production underwriter to support continued growth in the Central and Western New York markets. Austerman has more than 14 years...

HDI Global Specialty Acquires Neon Underwriting’s Bloodstock Team

Feb 28 2019 // HDI Global Specialty SE, the new specialty lines insurer, has acquired Neon Underwriting’s bloodstock team. The team is led by Mark Edwards, who has been Neon’s head of Specialty and class underwriter...

Berkshire Hathaway Sale of Applied Underwriters Said Due to ‘Channel Conflict’

Feb 27 2019 // In a rare move, Berkshire Hathaway is selling one of its companies, leading workers’ compensation specialist Applied Underwriters, in order to avoid conflict with its other workers’ compensation...

A.M. Best Sees $12 Billion P/C Insurance Underwriting Loss for 2018

Feb 27 2019 // The U.S. property/casualty industry is expected to report that 2018 was its third consecutive year with an underwriting loss. A new A.M. Best analysis projects an estimated net underwriting loss of $12.1 billion in 2018,...

QBE Takes Another Step to Reporting Strong Results, Consistently, with 2018 Profit

Feb 27 2019 // QBE Insurance Group took another step in its quest to achieve strong results, consistently, by reporting a cash profit after tax of US$715 million during 2018, a significant improvement on the cash loss of US$262 million...

Berkshire P/C Insurance Reported Q4 Loss, Profit for Full Year 2018

Feb 25 2019 // In the conglomerate’s annual report published on Saturday, Berkshire Hathaway’s Chair Warren Buffett recommended that readers focus on operating earnings, reviewing a year in which insurance operations...

Allstar Underwriters Expands HO-6 Condo Insurance Program to Three Eastern States

Feb 25 2019 // Allstar Underwriters (AUI) has expanded its HO-6 Condo Insurance Program to three additional states. The expansion covers Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. Through the HO-6 expansion, AUI aims to continue developing...

New Investor Property Insurance Program Webinar to be Held Thursday, February 28

Feb 25 2019 // Atlanta, GA, February 25, 2019 — Jared Mathis, executive vice president and head of the Blue River Underwriters’ specialty property group will be presenting an informational webinar on a new investor property...

Berkshire Hathaway in Talks to Sell Workers’ Compensation Unit Applied Underwriters

Feb 22 2019 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is in advanced discussions to sell its Applied Underwriters workers compensation unit to a consortium of insurance firms, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The...

Lloyd’s Managing Agency Antares Appoints Battle as Chief Executive Officer

Feb 19 2019 // Antares the Lloyd’s managing agency and member of the QIC Group announced the appointment of Jonathan (Joe) Battle, the current active underwriter, as chief executive officer (subject to necessary regulatory...

J.M. Wilson Adds Jefferson as Transportation Underwriter in South Carolina

Feb 19 2019 // J.M. Wilson has added Jasmine Jefferson as Transportation underwriter in their North Charleston, S.C., office. Jefferson is responsible for underwriting new and renewal commercial transportation business, corresponding...

Midwest Ratings Roundup

Feb 18 2019 // Upgraded Ratings for Northwest G.F. Mutual Insurance AM Best upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bbb” from “bbb-” of...

Insurtech-Driven MGA, Agile, Appointed as StarStone Partner in Australasia

Feb 15 2019 // Agile Underwriting Services Pty Ltd., the insurtech-driven managing general agency (MGA) and Lloyd’s coverholder, announced it has been appointed as a representative agent for global specialty insurer, StarStone, in...

New Ventures, Driver Shortage Among Challenges in Trucking Insurance Market

Feb 15 2019 // 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...

Pennsylvania’s Ascinsure Specialty Risk Promotes Keinard

Feb 14 2019 // Ascinsure Specialty Risk LLC has promoted Steve Keinard as its assistant vice president and underwriting manager. Within this new role, Keinard will provide leadership, support and guidance to Ascinsure’s...

InsurTechs Take Note: Chubb’s Digital Marketplace Serves 1,000 Agents a Day

Feb 13 2019 // Giant global insurer Chubb is on a mission to transform itself into a digital enterprise. The company is making substantial investments in digital technologies including cloud, mobile, APIs, security, chatbots, analytics...

Safety National Casualty Makes Underwriting Management Changes

Feb 12 2019 // Safety National Casualty Corp., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, has made organizational changes and enhancements to the company’s casualty field underwriting management roles. Steve Cotnoir Dennis Zervos Steve...