Articles by Susanne Sclafane

Sclafane is Executive Editor of Carrier Management, a publication of Wells Media Group serving property/casualty insurance carrier executives. She is a media professional with deep background in the P/C insurance industry including 25 years as editor and reporter for trade magazines, online news services, digital journals. Her prior experience includes 14 years as a casualty actuary.

Uncertainty Keeps Prices Up; No Prior-Year Loss Development: Travelers

With its personal lines business benefiting from the impact of rate increases earning into the book, and the commercial lines insurance premium changes staying in double-digits, Travelers reported $1.1 billion in net income for the first quarter. Still, it was …

2023 Underwriting Losses Improve but Persist in US P/C Industry

The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry recorded a slight underwriting improvement in 2023, but losses persisted, according to a new AM Best report. Preliminary data from the global credit rating agency shows that the industry posted a $21.2 billion net underwriting …

Worst Is Over: Most of Casualty Reserve Hole May Be Filled, Analyst Says

Predictions that the property/casualty insurance industry is in the midst of repeating the type of loss reserving cycle that accompanied the hard market of the beginning year of this century may be overblown, according to an analyst. In fact, William …

2023 Underwriting Losses Improve but Persist in US P/C Industry

The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry recorded a slight underwriting improvement in 2023, but losses persisted, according to a new AM Best report. Preliminary data from the global credit rating agency shows that the industry posted a $21.2 billion net underwriting …

Worst Is Over: Most of Casualty Reserve Hole May Be Filled, Analyst Says

Predictions that the property/casualty insurance industry is in the midst of repeating the type of loss reserving cycle that accompanied the hard market of the beginning year of this century may be overblown, according to an analyst. In fact, William …

Liberty Mutual Execs See Q4 Momentum as 2023 Income Falls

Although Liberty Mutual reported worse underwriting results and lower net income in 2023 compared to the prior year, executives pointed to the momentum of the final quarter as an indicator of what’s ahead. “We made solid progress toward our 95 …

Destination Progressive… or One of These Other Carriers

Commissions are more certain than insurance losses. Those were not exactly the words that a Progressive executive used when he described the work the insurer has been doing to help customers meet all their insurance needs—sometimes through the policies of …

GEICO’s ‘Eye-Popping’ 2023 Insurance Profits, Falling Employee Counts

Even though Berkshire Hathaway’s latest annual report featured Warren Buffett’s forecast that the days of “eye-popping performance” for the giant conglomerate are over, readers focused on property/casualty insurance saw numbers that jumped off the pages. Among them were: A 2023 …

More P/C Carriers With Less Surplus: Aon Ward Analysis

As we continue into 2024, many property/casualty companies are primed to grow their businesses, but not all have adequate levels of surplus to support premium growth, an Aon Ward executive said during a December 2023 webinar. Jeff Rieder, partner and …

No Sugarcoating: Availability Before Affordability, California Regulator Says

If the old adage “As California goes, so goes the nation” is true, then 2024 will be another year of industry retooling as insurers and regulators set a path for the future of the U.S. P/C property insurance market. Homeowners …