Insurance Speak

Managing general agents and underwriters occupy a distinct space in the insurance world due to their broad policy oversight and administrative responsibility. Many MGAs must lean on limited resources while delivering an entire insurance experience, from underwriting to claims resolution. This is where technology solutions such as AI-powered automation can have a far-reaching impact. On this episode of Insurance Speak, Michael Parcelli, senior vice president and head of the MGA business at Xceedance, discusses the ability of AI to drive efficiency and profitable growth at MGAs.

Meg O'Toole Herman, agency owner with Goosehead Insurance, shares her advice for helping insureds prepare their homeowners' policies for a potentially active hurricane season.

It’s a common misconception that the Eastern Seaboard of the United States is shielded from the threat of earthquakes due to the region’s distance from tectonic plates. But that conventional thinking was challenged on Fri., April 5, 2024, when a magnitude 4.8 tremor rattled New Jersey and New York. The USGS says its epicenter was about 45 miles from the Big Apple, where New Yorkers reported shaking floors and furniture. In fact, the rumbling was felt as far north as Maine and as far south as Virginia. For Megan Linkin, Senior Parametric Nat Cat Structurer at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, this temblor was a reminder of how imperative it is for the East Coast to prepare for the possibility of a major earthquake. On this episode of Insurance Speak, Linkin shares more of her perspective on earthquake risk and insurance solutions.

Andrew Sabolic of the WCI discusses the organization's work and what makes an excellent workplace safety program.

Individuals and groups with shared occupations or preoccupations often have similar insurance and risk-management needs. That's where affinity insurance marketing and sales come in, explains Ann Dieleman, executive director at the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA). Dieleman elaborated on the topic during this episode of "Insurance Speak." In it, she talks about why affinity insurance programs remain crucial, and where they fit with the growing push for digital transformation.

Mark McKinney, Vice President of Market Intelligence at Gryphon.ai, joins us to discuss how insurers may need to adjust their practices in light of new robocall regulations.

The recent uptick in "nuclear verdicts" or "runaway verdicts" reflects the growing power of the plaintiff's bar to influence juries and secure record-setting wins – a phenomenon due in part to social inflation, or the stereotype that large corporations are bad actors with deep pockets. The trend has far-reaching implications for the insurance industry, which often must shoulder the cost of such lawsuits along with the verdicts and settlements they produce, as well as the average consumer, who can count mounting lawsuit expenses as one of the reasons that insurance rates are inching ever higher. And of course, insurance carriers must defend against their fair share of lawsuits. In this episode of "Insurance Speak," James Whittle with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association dives into the impact of what the organization has dubbed "legal system abuse."

Sara Kane, EVP, power and renewables practice leader at CAC Specialty, delves into insurance and risk trends in power and renewable energy in 2024.