Weekly Articles
Insurance Market
Acrisure Secures $2.1 Billion Funding Round Led by Bain Capital | Bain Capital
Acrisure has secured a $2.1 billion funding round led by Bain Capital, boosting its valuation to $32 billion and marking a nearly 40% increase since its last raise. The capital will support refinancing, strategic acquisitions, and further development of its technology-driven financial services platform.
Financial Information as of 31 March 2025 - Generali Group
In 2024, Generali reported gross written premiums of €95.2 billion and assets under management totaling €863 billion. The company is currently executing its "Lifetime Partner 27: Driving Excellence" strategic plan, focusing on customer-centric services, digital innovation, and sustainability. Recent structural reorganizations have streamlined its core businesses of Insurance and Asset Management, including the integration of acquisitions like Conning Holdings and Liberty Seguros to bolster its global presence.
Generali reports 8.6% rise in operating result for Q1’25 with strong P&C performance Generali’s Q1 2025 operating result rose 8.6% to €2.1B, driven by strong P&C performance and improved combined ratio. Net result grew 7.6% to €1.2B. Life net inflows surged 30%, while the Group maintained a 210% Solvency Ratio.
HDI Global starts 2025 with positive results and continues growth path
HDI Global SE reported strong financial results for the first quarter of 2025, with insurance revenue rising to €2.6 billion from €2.3 billion in the same period last year. Operating profit increased to €195 million, and net income grew to €141 million, despite large losses during the period. The combined ratio improved to 91.1% from 91.8%, reflecting effective underwriting and risk management. CEO Dr. Edgar Puls highlighted the company's resilience amid increasing natural catastrophe severity, emphasizing the importance of prevention and the company's commitment to supporting clients and brokers throughout 2025.
Lloyd’s Q2 Market Message 2025
In Lloyd’s Q2 2025 Market Message, Chief Underwriting Officer Rachel Turk discussed current market conditions, oversight, delegated business, and claims. Chief Financial Officer Alexandra Cliff addressed capital and reserving considerations, and Chief of Markets Patrick Tiernan concluded with reflections on his tenure over the past four years.
Marsh has launched its Data Centre Insurance and Risk Management Services to support global clients across the entire lifecycle of data center operations. This offering addresses the unique challenges faced by data center operators and related sectors, providing tailored insurance solutions and comprehensive risk management strategies to safeguard critical assets and ensure business continuity.
Slide Insurance Holdings has filed for an IPO, aiming to list under ticker SLDE. The Florida-focused property insurer reported Q1 net income of $92.5M, up 69%. Led by Bruce and Shannon Lucas, Slide targets high-risk coastal markets amid limited IPO activity.
Underwriters of the Future Are Constant Partners With Agents, Carrier Exec Says
Underwriting’s future lies in carriers deeply partnering with agents, using data to guide growth, prioritize high-impact policies, and coach over time. Chad Combs emphasized proactive support, long-term nurturing, and shifting focus from just new business to smarter renewals and sustained performance.
Reinsurance Market
Aon and Moody’s Expand Reinsurance Casualty Collaboration into Commercial Risk
The article discusses the expansion of the collaboration between Aon and Moody's from casualty reinsurance into broader commercial risk. This development is significant for the reinsurance market as it enhances analytical capabilities and risk assessment tools. Aon has appointed Lambros Lambrou as its new Chief Strategy Officer, effective immediately. In this role, Lambrou will oversee key initiatives central to Aon's "Aon United" strategy and 3x3 Plan, including the integration of NFP, a firm Aon acquired a year ago to enhance its middle-market presence. He will collaborate closely with NFP CEO Doug Hammond, with both reporting directly to Aon CEO Greg Case.
CPRI demand surges while market lags – Howden Re
Howden’s 2025 report shows a 33% surge in political risk insurance demand amid global instability. Despite strong performance, CPRI market growth lags behind other sectors. Howden urges innovation, flexibility, and expanded capacity to meet rising client needs and emerging risks.
Deutsche Rück: Deutsche Rück Konzern: Geschäftsjahr 2024
In the 2024 financial year, Deutsche Rück Group reported strong growth, with gross premiums written rising by 18.3% to approximately €2.1 billion and a post-tax profit of €14.5 million. The motor lines grew particularly strongly, up 23.9%, while property insurance—which accounts for more than two-thirds of gross premiums—increased by 16.5%; the company also expanded its life and health reinsurance business into the Middle East and North Africa.
European Reinsurers Still On Track for 2025 Targets
Fitch Ratings reports that European reinsurers remain on course to meet their ambitious 2025 financial targets, despite significant losses from the Los Angeles wildfires in the first quarter. Strong property and casualty underwriting performance and robust capital positions have enabled firms like Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re, and SCOR to absorb these losses without altering their full-year guidance.
Guy Carpenter forecasts above-average 2025 hurricane season
Guy Carpenter forecasts an active 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, driven by warm sea temperatures and La Niña conditions. Rapid intensification near coastlines adds unpredictability. Insurers face heightened risk, despite wide variability in landfall and loss outcomes from storm activity.
MS Reinsurance reported a net profit of $346 million for 2024, slightly down from $366 million in 2023, but achieved a significant improvement in its combined ratio to 88.7% from 90.5%. The company also saw a 17.6% increase in gross written premiums, reaching $3.6 billion, driven by favorable market conditions and its diversified portfolio strategy.
Munich Re Ventures Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary with New $125 Million Fund from HSB
Munich Re Ventures (MRV) has announced a new $125 million fund from its founding limited partner, HSB, marking MRV's fifth fund and bringing its total assets under management to $1.2 billion. This milestone coincides with MRV's ten-year anniversary, reflecting its sustained commitment to investing in innovative startups across sectors such as InsurTech, cybersecurity, and climate resilience.
Commercial Lines
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Expands Executive & Professional Lines in Italy
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has expanded its Executive & Professional Lines offerings in Italy by introducing Miscellaneous Professional Indemnity and Public Offering of Securities Insurance policies. These additions, following the launch of BHSI’s proprietary Directors & Officers Liability Insurance in December 2024, reflect the company's commitment to providing clear, flexible coverage tailored to the Italian market. BHSI's approach emphasizes straightforward policy wordings and local decision-making, aligning with its "CLAIMS IS OUR PRODUCT" philosophy to deliver responsive service from underwriting through claims.
Best’s Market Segment Report: Changing Environment Brings New Risks to D&O Insurers
AM Best's latest Market Segment Report highlights that U.S. directors and officers (D&O) liability insurers experienced their most favorable loss ratios in over a decade during 2024, driven by reserve releases from prior accident years and improved underwriting practices. However, the report cautions that emerging risks—such as artificial intelligence, evolving cyber threats, corporate disclosure issues, and macroeconomic uncertainties like tariffs—pose significant challenges, potentially undermining recent profitability and leading to sustained pricing pressures amid declining premiums.
Eliminating Outdated Excise Tax on New Trucks Would Benefit Safety: ATRI
Repealing the 12% federal excise tax on new trucks could prevent 729 crashes and 8 deaths annually, saving $13.4 billion over 10 years. The move would encourage adoption of safer, modern vehicles, benefiting small fleets and improving highway safety.
Ryan Specialty Acquires 360° Underwriting
Ryan Specialty has acquired 360° Underwriting, an Ireland-based managing general underwriter focused on commercial construction, marking its entry into the Irish market. The acquisition strengthens Ryan Specialty’s capabilities in construction-related insurance products and will integrate 360° into its Underwriting Managers division to support further growth.
We Have Entered A New Era of Auto Claims Complexity
The auto claims process is evolving amid rising costs and complexity. Key drivers include alternative powertrains, widespread ADAS adoption, and larger vehicles. Repair costs have surged nearly 100% since 2009, demanding new tools, training, and collaboration across the insurance ecosystem.
Emerging Risks & Technologies
AF Group Claims Exec Embracing AI, But He Won’t Measure Success by Replacing People
AF Group is integrating artificial intelligence into its claims operations to enhance employee efficiency and customer experience, focusing on tools like "smart summary" and "smart documents" that streamline information processing. Senior Vice President of Claims, Kim Leggette, emphasized that the initiative aims to support staff and improve service quality, not to reduce workforce numbers, with success measured by employee engagement and customer satisfaction rather than headcount reductions.
AI Regulation Ban Meets Opposition From State Attorneys General
A Republican proposal to impose a 10-year federal moratorium on state-level regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) has met opposition from a bipartisan group of 40 state attorneys general. These officials argue that the measure, included in President Trump's tax cut bill, would hinder states' ability to protect consumers from high-risk AI applications. California Attorney General Rob Bonta emphasized the importance of allowing states to develop and enforce common-sense regulations in response to evolving AI technologies. The proposed moratorium would preempt recent state laws addressing issues such as unauthorized deepfakes, AI-generated explicit content, and AI use in healthcare decisions
AM Best Comments on Decommissioning of NOAA’s Billion-Dollar Climate Disaster Database
AM Best has expressed concern over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) decision to decommission its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database, which has been a critical resource for tracking and analyzing major U.S. natural catastrophes since 1980. The discontinuation of this database, following a year with 27 such events in 2024, may hinder insurers' ability to model secondary perils, price risk accurately, and structure catastrophe bonds that often rely on NOAA data.
Aviva has partnered with CyberCube to enhance its cyber risk management strategy by integrating AI-driven threat intelligence into its exposure management processes. Utilizing CyberCube's 'Portfolio Threat Actor Intelligence' service, Aviva aims to identify vulnerabilities within its commercial portfolio and tailor its underwriting and risk mitigation efforts accordingly.
Department of Labor Keying in on Workplaces with Highest Injury Rates
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is intensifying inspections of non-construction businesses with 20 or more employees that exhibit high or rising injury and illness rates. Utilizing data from OSHA Form 300A for 2021–2023, the Site-Specific Targeting program focuses on establishments with injury rates significantly above or below industry averages, as well as those failing to submit required reports in 2023.
Markets/Coverages: CFC Adds Cyber Proactive Response to More Industry Products
CFC has expanded its Cyber Proactive Response (CPR) coverage to existing policies for digital health, fintech, and technology sectors, effective immediately. The enhanced coverage includes proactive cyberattack prevention services, affirmative coverage for AI-related events, protection against income loss from missed bids, and emergency continuity costs to ensure operational resilience during cyber incidents.
Sedgwick: Number of Recalled Products in US Rose 25% in First Quarter
In the first quarter of 2025, the total volume of products recalled in the U.S. surged by 25% to 125.37 million units, despite a slight decrease in the number of recall events to 775. This increase was primarily driven by significant rises in the pharmaceutical and FDA-regulated food sectors, while consumer product recalls reached a 14-year high with 101 events. The report also highlights that recent policy changes, including tariff adjustments and reductions in federal agency staffing, are contributing to regulatory uncertainty and may impact future recall enforcement and approval processes.
'Significant amount' of private data stolen in Legal Aid hack
A significant data breach has compromised the UK Legal Aid Agency's online system, resulting in the theft of over two million records dating back to 2010, including sensitive information on domestic abuse victims, criminal defendants, and family law cases. The Ministry of Justice is collaborating with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate the breach, while advising the public to remain vigilant against suspicious activity and to update potentially exposed passwords.
The Vital Role of Claim Professionals After Cyberattacks
The article emphasizes the critical role of insurance claim professionals in managing cyberattack incidents. They assist insured parties in understanding the hybrid nature of cyber insurance policies, which encompass both first-party and third-party coverages, and guide them through the complexities of coverage determination, forensic investigations, regulatory compliance, and potential litigation.
Tinubu Raises $45 Million to Accelerate Specialty Insurance SaaS Leadership
Tinubu, a Paris-based provider of cloud software for the specialty insurance industry, has raised $45 million in growth capital led by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital. The funding will support Tinubu's continued product innovation and expansion into new specialty insurance lines, following its acquisition of no-code enterprise software provider Innoveo.
Litigation & Mass Torts
AIG Settles Lawsuit Against E&S Rival Dellwood and Former Employees
American International Group (AIG) has reached an out-of-court settlement with Dellwood Insurance, an excess and surplus (E&S) lines firm founded by former AIG executives. The lawsuit, initiated in April 2024, alleged misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition; the settlement, finalized on May 17, 2025, led to the case being dismissed with prejudice, though specific terms remain confidential
Boeing Reaches Nonprosecution Deal With US Over 737 Max Crashes
Boeing reached a tentative deal with the U.S. DOJ to avoid criminal prosecution over two fatal 737 Max crashes. The agreement, pending court approval, comes ahead of a scheduled trial and follows multiple related settlements with victims’ families.
Capital One to Pay $425M to Settle Litigation Over Savings Accounts
Capital One has agreed to a $425 million settlement to resolve nationwide litigation alleging it misled 360 Savings account holders by not informing them about higher-yielding 360 Performance Savings accounts. The settlement includes $300 million to compensate for lost interest and $125 million in additional interest for current 360 Savings account holders, covering accounts held since September 18, 2019.
Corporate Nuclear Verdicts Surged to New Record High in 2024, Report Says
In 2024, the number of "nuclear verdicts"—jury awards exceeding $10 million—against corporate defendants surged to a record 135 cases, marking a 52% increase from the previous year, with total awards reaching $31.3 billion. Factors contributing to this rise include corporate mistrust, social pessimism, erosion of tort reform, and public desensitization to large numbers. Notably, product liability cases dominated, with significant verdicts against companies like Bayer AG and Exxon Mobil. Texas led in the number of such verdicts, while Nevada recorded the highest total award amounts due to multi-billion-dollar judgments against Real Water.
Court Says Google, AI Firm Must Face Mother’s Lawsuit Over Suicide of Son
A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Alphabet's Google and AI startup Character.AI must face a lawsuit filed by a Florida mother alleging that a chatbot contributed to her 14-year-old son's suicide. The judge rejected the companies' arguments that the chatbot's outputs were protected free speech, allowing the case to proceed and potentially setting a precedent for AI-related liability.
Ships Have Been Hitting Brooklyn Bridge for Years But Without Fatalities Until Now
A fatal collision between the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc and the Brooklyn Bridge marked the first deadly maritime strike in the bridge’s history. Though past mast hits date back to 1878, none had caused deaths until this 2025 incident.
People Moves
Chubb Limited has appointed Tim Boroughs as Vice Chairman of Chubb Group and Executive Chairman of Asset Management. Chris Hogan, who joined Chubb in 2023 from Goldman Sachs, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Chubb Group and Chief Investment Officer, reporting to Boroughs. Additionally, Zurich North America has named Tobias “Toby” Cushing as Head of Construction, where he will oversee the company's construction portfolio and execute growth strategies.
Canopius has strengthened its Asia Pacific (APAC) leadership team with two key appointments: Chen Zhang as Head of Claims, APAC, effective May 5, 2025, and Channing Chiu as Regional Strategy and Transformation Lead, effective May 19, 2025. Chen brings over 15 years of experience in claims adjusting and engineering risk assessment, while Channing offers a diverse background in underwriting, portfolio management, and operations across multiple Asian markets.
Jon Kattman Named Head of Inland Marine - Aspen
Aspen Insurance has appointed Jon Kattman as Head of Inland Marine, effective May 21, 2025. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Kattman will oversee Aspen's Inland Marine underwriting team, focusing on underwriting strategy and risk management capabilities.
Karen Green and David Priebe Join Hamilton Board of Directors | Hamilton
Hamilton Insurance Group has appointed Karen Green and David Priebe to its Board of Directors, effective May 15, 2025, as longtime board member Bill Freda retires. Green brings corporate governance expertise from roles at Phoenix and Aspen, while Priebe offers decades of reinsurance and capital markets experience from his tenure at Guy Carpenter.
Lockton Appoints Vince Gaffigan as U.S. Market Strategy and Engagement Group Leader
Lockton has appointed Vincent J. Gaffigan as the U.S. Market Strategy and Engagement Group Leader, where he will lead a team focused on enhancing relationships with insurers and wholesale partners. With over 35 years of industry experience, Gaffigan aims to strengthen Lockton's market presence and deliver innovative solutions across various product lines and sectors.
Steve Prymas Appointed CEO of Tokio Marine Highland | Tokio Marine Highland
Steve Prymas has been appointed CEO of Tokio Marine Highland, effective June 1, 2025, succeeding Norman Heinrich, who steps down after over 30 years with the company, including serving as CEO since 2022. Prymas brings more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, having held leadership roles at firms such as Hiscox, Embroker, Gen Re, The Hartford, Marsh, and Reliance National.
World Insurance Associates Names Michelle Youshock As New Head Of Personal Lines
World Insurance Associates has appointed Michelle Youshock as Head of Personal Lines, bringing nearly two decades of insurance industry experience, including leadership roles at Assured Partners. Youshock is recognized for her expertise in sales performance, team development, and client retention, and she will oversee the strategic direction and growth of the personal insurance division.
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