AM Best Audio Podcast

Growing economic pressures and political uncertainties are fueling the rise of global strikes, riots and civil commotion, said Srdjan Todorovic, head of political violence and hostile environment solutions, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.

As commercial insurers face decelerating rates, inflation and other risks, some must think about how to manage their gross to net exposure, said Shannon Varney, partner, McKinsey’s Boston office.

Payouts fund three main areas of response: damage assessment, removal of debris and reattaching broken coral heads, said Simon Young, senior director, Climate and Resilience Hub, WTW.

Cyber and homeowners are among the risks beyond traditional auto exposures that insurers should consider when underwriting electric vehicles, said Sandee Perfetto, senior director, personal lines coverage products, Verisk.

The frequency and severity of coastal risk is increasing, so insurers should explicitly consider nature-based solutions such as the restoration of natural infrastructure to mitigate risk, said James Doona, managing director, Munich Re Capital Markets, and Raghuveer Vinukollu, senior vice president, Climate Insights and Advisory, Munich Re.

The policy will provide coverage for rapid coral-reef repair and restoration in Hawaii following damage from hurricanes and tropical storms, said The Nature Conservancy's Makale'a Ane, community program manager in Hawaii; Julia Rose, Hawaii Island marine project manager; and Eric Roberts, senior manager, Climate Risk and Resilience Global Adaptations team.

Steve Kinion, captive director at the Oklahoma Insurance Department, said “I’m taking all that knowledge that I learned in Delaware over the past couple of years and bringing it to Oklahoma.”

Lisa Katterman, president, PAMIC, said the Philadelphia Contributionship, founded by Benjamin Franklin, is one of the oldest mutual insurers in the United States.

Guillermo Franco, head of research, Guy Carpenter, said many mutual insurers have a high degree of trust, making them good candidates to offer parametric coverage. Franco spoke with AM Best TV at the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies' annual conference, held in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Robert Pignataro and Frank Fazio, both of Ultimate Risk Services, said smaller businesses may enact cyber defenses but many have difficulty maintaining them.