A.m. Best Radio Podcast

Tobias Grimm, head of climate advisory and natural catastrophe data with Munich Re’s climate change solutions department, says that the first half of 2024 has been a costly year for P/C insurers due to increased tornado activity and regional weather extreme events.

Andrew Johnston, global head of insurtech for Gallagher Re, details the findings of a recently published report about levels of investment and funding for insurance-related technology including artificial intelligence.

Firmly established for years as the leading open-invitation market presentation event at the Rendez-Vous in Monte Carlo, this briefing is a unique opportunity for reinsurance market insight and opinion ahead of busy bilateral meeting schedules. Key discussion points include: AM Best's trend analysis on the global reinsurance sector; if pricing discipline will be maintained; AM Best’s global reinsurance outlook and the drivers of future rating movements; the impact of alternative capital and ILS; and key rating issues impacting all reinsurers.

Dawn Walker of AM Best was recently interviewed on the Insurance Nerds podcast, on which she detailed advantages of a Performance Assessment for delegated underwriting authority enterprises in providing transparency.

Jessica Ruggles, corporate vice president, New York Life, said baby boomers are more likely to have savings than other generations, while younger workers, including Gen Z, are recognizing the importance of early planning.

In his book, The Anxious Salesman, sales author J. Sheldon Snodgrass provides a roadmap for insurance professionals to replace their inner critic with empowering dialogue, fostering sales success and inner peace.

Insurtech Building Blocs, a podcast hosted by AgencyBloc CEO Tim Robinson and CTO Cory Schmidt, takes a macro look at health benefits and senior market Insurtech industry happenings.

Chris Myers, enterprise capital strategist at New England Asset Management, said risk-adjusted returns and benchmarks can be very effective.

Jamie Langes, vice president of environmental underwriting for Philadelphia Insurance, said that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known commonly as PFAS, represent an opportunity for significant losses for companies in a wide range of industries.

Mike Marks, AVP, emerging markets, Nationwide Excess & Surplus and Specialty, says that his dedicated team brings the capability to Nationwide to explore and discover emerging and unmet customer needs to address these unique opportunities.

Manish Khetan, president and co-founder of Xceedance, said that the speed at which artificial intelligence technologies have grown has allowed insurance companies to evolve faster than ever.

Neil Sprackling, CEO Life & Health Reinsurance US, Swiss Re, said that coming out of the worst stages of the pandemic, excess mortality stood at around 4%. 

Tim Antonelli, head of insurance multi-asset strategy for Wellington Management, says insurers should refocus their investment efforts to be more dynamic and opportunistic.

Matt Daly, managing director, head of Conning North America said that the higher interest rate environment has been impacting clients. 

Sabrina Hart, president and CEO, Munich Re Specialty - North America, said that risk taking is a core competency for the company.

Yan Jin, professor of crisis communication leadership at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; Curt Harris, a professor in the College of Public Health and director of the University of Georgia’s Institute for Disaster Management; and James Carson, head of the Department of Insurance in the Terry College of Business and a professor of risk management, discuss a new graduate certificate in Crisis, Risk, and Disaster Communication. The program is designed to equip students with the skills necessary for proactive readiness, and to address complex communication challenges in disaster situations.

Stephen Crewdson, senior director, insurance business development at J.D. Power discusses the latest report that shows the highest quarterly shopping/quote rate for private passenger auto insurance since the company’s loyalty indicator shopping trends (LIST) has been published.

AM Best's analytical captive team and industry experts discuss the recent performance of the captive sector and other alternative risk transfer (ART) instruments.

Lee Shavel, president and CEO, Verisk Analytics explains how there is a need in the insurance industry to accelerate and expand both the data and insights that data generates.

Lauryn Kothavale, vice president, insurance research, Conning, said growth in the MGA market is driven by talent, technology and specialization. Fronting companies play an increasing role, while Lloyd's remains the top capacity provider.