Canadian wildfire season expected to have limited impact on insurers: Morningstar DBRS
Morningstar DBRS, a global credit rating agency that provides independent credit analysis and ratings in financial markets, has assessed the potential impact of Canada’s 2026 wildfire season on the country’s property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. While massive wildfires in northwestern Ontario have led to evacuation orders, transportation disruptions and smoke-related air quality issues in…
Kemper appoints Eric Kappler as EVP and President, P&C
U.S. insurance company Kemper Corporation announced the appointment of Eric Kappler as executive vice president and president of property and casualty insurance, effective July 30, 2026. Kapler replaces Matthew Hunton, who is leaving the company after seven years. In his new role, Kappler will lead Kemper’s unified property and casualty organization, which includes specialty personal…
Reinsurers need to use the soft market to position for the next hard market: Oxbow Partners
Rather than simply limiting growth in soft markets, reinsurers should actively use periods of market weakness to prepare and position themselves for the next hard market, Oxbow Partners said. According to Oxbow research, the most successful reinsurers achieve their best inter-cycle performance by pursuing growth throughout the cycle. After years of superior profitability, peak pricing,…
Santam Syndicate 1918 expands underwriting expertise with senior London Market hires
Santam Syndicate 1918, the Lloyd’s Group subsidiary of Santam Group, Africa’s largest non-life insurance company, has strengthened its underwriting team with the appointment of two experienced London market professionals. The company has hired Neil Smith to build and lead its international automotive business, while Stephen Kiedish joins as a senior underwriter in the real estate…
RLI’s gross premiums written rise 3% to $579.7m in Q2’26
Specialty insurer RLI Corp. reported gross written premiums (GPW) of $579.7 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 3% from $562.3 million in the same period last year. RLI said the growth in total premiums was driven by its casualty division, which generated $339 million in premiums. Properties generated $199.3 million, while guarantees generated…
Goosehead names Mark Jones, Jr. as CEO, Mark Miller to retire at year-end
Goosehead Insurance, an independent personal insurance agency, has appointed Mark Jones, Jr. as its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2027. Mark Miller will retire on December 31, 2026. Currently, Jones, Jr. serves as Goosehead’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Additionally, following his retirement, Miller will continue to serve on the company’s board…
Chubb CEO says AI token costs are minor relative to efficiency gains
Evan Greenberg, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of global insurance company Chubb, said the company’s artificial intelligence tokens cost only a fraction of the efficiencies and improvements it will gain. During Chubb Limited’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, Greenberg was asked about how the company balances rising technology deployment costs with its ability to save…
Abundant capacity and competition drive 6% global commercial insurance rate decline in Q2’26: Marsh
According to the latest Global Insurance Market Index (GIMI) released by Marsh, global commercial insurance rates fell 6% in the second quarter of 2026, the eighth consecutive quarter of decline, driven by ample capacity and fierce competition from insurers across all major product lines. “Insurers’ strong profitability, excess capital, lower reinsurance costs and improving investment…
Consilium appoints Samuel Outram as Managing Partner for Energy Risk Solutions Division
Global specialist reinsurance brokerage Consilium has appointed Samuel Outram as managing partner of its energy risk solutions division, expanding its specialist energy capabilities. Outram is a broker with over 17 years of experience in the upstream and midstream energy markets, with deep expertise in operator well premiums/controls, energy-related PD and energy packages. Most recently, he…
BirdsEyeView expands Australian insurance presence through Market Lane partnership
BirdsEyeView, a technology provider of natural hazard modeling and risk management solutions to the insurance industry, has announced a multi-year partnership with Market Lane Insurance Group, one of Australia’s largest independently owned Lloyd’s underwriters. Through this partnership, Market Lane Insurance Group and its related brands will leverage BirdsEyeView’s CERA® platform to support their catastrophe risk…