In this insightful episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, Stewart Foley, CFA, speaks with Elisabeth Colleran, Vice President at Loomis, Sayles & Company, about the dynamic world of emerging market debt. Elisabeth details the innovative tools her team developed to evaluate and construct EM portfolios, emphasizing how these tools allow them to slice and dice the market to find value across various sectors and regions. By leveraging proprietary analytics and technology, they offer bespoke solutions that cater to the unique needs of insurance clients, whether it’s managing risk, targeting specific geographies, or adhering to strict investment-grade guidelines.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, host Stewart Foley, CFA, welcomes back Connell Hasten, Partner at Victory Park Capital, to discuss the ever-evolving world of private credit, particularly asset-backed lending in a higher interest rate environment. Connell shares valuable insights on how private credit has grown tenfold since the Global Financial Crisis, outlining the reasons for its popularity among insurance companies today. He breaks down the different sectors of private credit, such as cashflow and asset-backed lending, highlighting the latter’s importance for mitigating risks, especially in today’s volatile economic climate.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, host Stewart Foley, CFA, sits down with Dan Kubiak, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Invesco Real Estate US Income Strategy, to discuss the state of US commercial real estate. With questions swirling around office space and market valuations, Dan shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities in today's real estate landscape. He also addresses the impact of rising interest rates, the office market's struggles post-COVID, and whether the negative headlines reflect reality.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com Podcast, Stewart Foley, CFA, hosts Paul Sanabria and Jeff Hammer, Senior Managing Directors and Global Co-Heads of Secondaries at Manulife Investment Management, to dive into the growing world of secondary market investments. With secondaries now exceeding $100 billion annually, the conversation explores the evolution of the market from its early days, focusing on the rise of GP-led transactions and the broader opportunities across asset classes like real estate, infrastructure, and private credit.

In the inaugural episode of the new podcast series Due Dilly, hosts Stewart Foley and John Patin are joined by TJ Durkin, Managing Director at Angelo Gordon, to delve into the world of specialty finance and structured credit. This deep-dive discussion unpacks Angelo Gordon's structured credit strategy, exploring opportunities in both public and private markets, with a focus on asset-based finance, warehouse lending, and non-QM mortgages.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, host Stewart Foley is joined by Tod McDonald and Chris McCall, co-founders of Valid8, to discuss how advanced technology is revolutionizing fraud detection. Tod and Chris share the fascinating backstory of how Valid8 emerged from a high-profile Ponzi scheme case and explain how their platform helps professionals uncover fraud by analyzing vast amounts of financial data with speed and precision. From bank statements to complex financial transactions, Valid8 offers tools that streamline fraud investigations and provide transparency in areas where fraudsters typically thrive.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, host Stewart Foley welcomes Ken McCullum, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Principal Financial Group. Ken shares insights into the evolving role of a CRO, addressing the risks and challenges faced by insurers today, including the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on mortality and morbidity, economic uncertainty, and the importance of strong asset-liability management. With 144 years of history, Principal's approach to risk management emphasizes a steady hand through market cycles and the ability to thrive while taking well-understood risks.

In this episode of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast, Stewart Foley hosts an insightful discussion on insurance companies' use of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Joining the conversation are Ben Woloshin, Head of SPDR Insurance at State Street Global Advisors, and Raghu Ramachandran, Head of US Insurance Asset Channel at S&P Dow Jones Indices. Together, they explore the significant 23% drop in insurance holdings of ETFs in 2022, the first of its kind since insurers began investing in ETFs. The episode covers key factors driving the decline, such as market valuations and asset allocation decisions, while delving into how ETFs serve as strategic tools for liquidity, sector exposure, and interim beta for insurance companies.

Welcome to another edition of the InsuranceAUM.com podcast. I'm Stewart Foley. I'll be your host. Today's topic is a very good one for almost any insurance company, municipal bonds. Municipal bonds make up about 10% of all insurance holdings, but significantly higher for P&C. And we're joined today by Karel Citroen, Managing Director and Head of Municipal Credit Research at Conning.