A.m. Best Radio Podcast

Tanner Hackett, CEO, Counterpart, said new machine learning and similar systems help insurers synthesize huge data sets for better underwriting, marketing and more. Hackett spoke with AM Best TV at the InsurTech Spring Conference in New York City.

Stephen Crewdson Sr., director, insurance business intelligence, J.D. Power, details a report with TransUnion that shows after months of decreasing auto insurance shopping, consumers are now returning to looking for better deals from carriers. 

Insurance risk experts who spoke with AM Best TV at the Verisk Insurance Conference in Orlando, Florida, said governments are at the early stages of grappling with this issue, which intersects with science, business, public policy and land use.

Srdjan Todorovic, head of political violence and hostile environment solutions at Allianz Commercial, details the findings of a new risk report that shows terrorism, civil unrest and environmental activism as intensifying risks in a volatile geopolitical environment.

Public entities such as municipal governments are increasingly the targets of cyberthreats, said Munich Re Specialty’s Lauren Tredinnick, president, public entity solutions, and AVP Maria Long, cyber underwriter & risk management portfolio leader.

Swiss Re’s Chief Property Underwriter Mohit Pande said strikes, riots and similar events are growing in frequency and severity as rising concentrations of populations in major cities create a higher density of valued assets within a heightened risk landscape. 

Betsy Myatt, vice president & chief program officer of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and executive director of the IICF’s Northeast Division, Wendy Houser, chief wholesale officer at Markel and Jodie Kaufman Davis, executive vice president, H.W. Kaufman Group, discuss progress in getting women into the C Suite and what must continue to make the insurance workspace a fully diverse and inclusive environment.

Chris Graham, senior industry analyst, Credit Rating Criteria Research & Analytics, AM Best, said cyber may surpass D&O in premium volume due to its rapid growth and changing market demands. Graham spoke with AM Best TV at the 2024 PLUS Cyber Symposium in New York City.

Mark Garrett, director of claims intelligence for J.D. Power, discusses the company’s 2024 Property Claims Satisfaction Study, which finds the industry is at a seven-year low for customer claims satisfaction.

Maura Freiwald, head of casualty for Munich Re US, and Jim Whittle, vice president and counsel to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, explain how legal-system abuse and litigation funding are leading to nuclear verdicts against insurers and what the industry is doing to combat the practice.

David Straughan, an automotive writer and researcher breaks down the companies considered to be the best auto insurers based on a number of criteria including AM Best ratings.  

David Blades, associate director, credit rating criteria research & analytics, AM Best, said fewer IPOs and securities class action suits are reducing demand in the D&O insurance market. Blades spoke with AM Best TV at the 2024 PLUS D&O Symposium in New York City.

Mark Bernacki, chief underwriting officer, Amwins discusses the significants of an election year for insurers saying that there continues to be plenty of private capital in the P&C sector thus eliminating the need for government involvement at this time.

Insurance policies are meant to provide peace of mind, but they can be a source of frustration for both the insured and the insurer if they are built on inaccurate information. This is particularly true for property coverage and the relationship between the value of the covered property and the coverage provided. As important as this aspect of property insurance is—a concept known as insurance-to-value (ITV)—there is an epidemic of inaccurate information when it comes to property values throughout the insurance industry.

Arun Balakrishnan, Chairman and CEO of Xceedance said just because you have data, it doesn't mean it is useful.  

 In their book, The Salesperson's Guide to Growing a Business, Q4intelligence Founding Partner Kevin Trokey and Partner Wendy Keneipp share tips on how businessowners can engage teams, craft a future vision and move from surviving to thriving.

Isabelle Santenac, EY’s global insurance leader, discusses the findings of an EY-Institute of International Finance survey that finds cybersecurity at the top of the list of concerns for chief risk officers followed closely by geopolitical risks.

AM Best Industry Analyst Helen Andersen discusses new Best's Special Reports that find the rise in 2023 P/C downgrades was primarily due to the personal lines segment while affirmations represent about 80% of life/health rating activity.

Maroun Mourad, president, Verisk Claims Solutions discusses the need for modern and efficient claims solutions saying that it can not only save money, but enhance the ever critical customer experience

Hosts Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feldman discuss how their podcast attempts to help agents with the challenge of running a consistently profitable and productive agency.