Articles

Over the past decade, the insurance industry has undergone an increasingly rapid transformation, driven by advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and now generative AI technologies. These advancements have enabled insurers to automate routine tasks such as data entry, document creation, and various aspects of underwriting and claims processes. Generative AI unlocks new potentia...

The commercial property insurance market is navigating a constantly evolving landscape in 2025, in which rising costs, labor shortages, and the ever-present threat of business interruption are reshaping how claims are managed. In response, many insurers and risk managers are moving away from ad hoc contractor relationships and toward managed repair models that emphasize trusted networks, transpare...

Are property/casualty insurers facing a potential retention problem with small business customers? According to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Small Commercial Insurance Study, just 55% of customers say they "definitely will" renew with their current insurer, down six percentage points from a year ago. The downturn in customer loyalty comes as premiums have been rising, and that could explain why some c...

While the risks in a high-severity industry may seem apparent, it is the small details that can lead to the most disastrous losses when they are overlooked. For brokers serving high-severity niches, recognizing and addressing the easily overlooked risk exposures is critical to effective risk management. At Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM), we've seen countless high-cost losse...

This is part 2 of a guest post series from our friend, Christopher Boggs, Chief Consultant at Boggs Risk & Insurance Consulting. In his prior post, he analyzed how an ISO homeowners policy could potentially respond in the event of the death of the named insured(s). In this post, he is analyzing potential coverage and coverage gaps in the ISO personal auto policy when the named insured dies. Pe...

Whatever line of business, the surplus lines industry continues to play a critical and more prominent role in the property/casualty market. "It's pretty incredible to have watched what the E&S business has become today from the days when I started in this business almost 40 years ago," said industry veteran John Jennings, CEO and one of the founding members of Jencap Group. "It is a major segm...

Death has been on my mind recently. Partly for work reasons, but mostly for personal reasons. Please understand that I'm neither morbid nor morose about death; I'm writing this from a pragmatic perspective. No one likes to think about death, and even fewer talk about death. But death is a reality that cannot be perpetually avoided--regardless of the supplements taken, cardio done, or miracle clean...

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are creating exciting times for just about everyone. The insurance industry is standing on the cusp of an exhilarating technological revolution, primarily driven by AI, writes Anupam Gupta, Applied System's chief product officer, in this issue of Insurance Journal. AI is opening new doors on what is possible and creating lasting value for agencies and their clien...

For many young professionals, the insurance industry isn't exactly top of mind when plotting a career path. But for 23-year-old twins Sam and Noah Zickefoose, it's where they've found purpose, opportunity, and a surprising sense of community. Sam is a producer at an agency in Wilmington, North Carolina, while Noah works as a commercial account manager at an independent agency based in Raleigh. Tog...

The architects and engineers (A&E) sector is changing rapidly as design professionals adopt new project delivery methods and technology tools to increase efficiency and reduce costs. As the sector evolves, A&E firms and their insurance agents are facing new exposures that they should mitigate with effective risk management and professional liability insurance. Here are five evolving trends...

In urban centers across the U.S., property owners and managers are welcoming a return to pre-2020 levels of foot traffic in retail corridors, mixed-use developments, and multifamily buildings. While this rebound signals a healthy recovery for local economies, it also revives a longstanding and often underestimated exposure: assault and battery (A&B) liability. Many property owners assume that...

Mark Gilmartin grew up around golf, playing in national tournaments from a young age and competing in college. When his amateur golf career didn't translate into a spot on the professional tour, he turned his love of golf into a professional occupation: insuring hole-in-one contests. Gilmartin and a former college teammate formed Hole In One International in 1991, a business that provides insuranc...

As colleges and universities prepare to legally pay athletes for the first time in National Collegiate Athletic Association history, collegiate sports programs are exploring insurance policies designed to mitigate the risks that come with dishing out tens of millions of dollars annually to players. A recently approved antitrust settlement deal between the NCAA and five major collegiate sports conf...

Independent agents could be turning away nearly half of their prospective clients. The years of independent agents chasing "standard and preferred" home and auto risks are quickly coming to an end. As the risk landscape evolves, the traditional "ideal" customer profile--stable income, home ownership, clean driving record--is no longer the reliable foundation for agency growth it once was. Economic...

On March 14, 2024, I made a blog post titled "Do You Have The Right Kind of Insurance?" The article was initiated by an email I received through my website from a professional photographer who claimed that one of his photographs was posted on my website without his permission. I was told that, to stop the legal process that had already begun for copyright infringement, I should deposit bitcoin or...