AM Best Radio Podcast

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo discusses how ACA, Medicaid and Medicare changes are reshaping U.S. health insurers' strategies and margins in 2026.

This session, ideal for agents and brokers who need to efficiently track insurer financial strength, shows you how to set up custom notifications, monitor the carriers you work with and use timely alerts to protect your clients and stay ahead of competitors. (Event Date: February 26, 2026) View the Powerpoint Presentation.

Nick Abraham, CEO, Amwins Global Risks, discusses how abundant capacity, social inflation concerns, and growing delegated authority opportunities are shaping broker strategy and client outcomes in the London specialty insurance market.

Michael Streit, president, Ivans, discusses how real-time insights and seamless workflows are helping carriers become the partners of choice in today's insurance market.

Professors Albert Cohen of Michigan State University and Annette Hoffman of the University of Cincinnati, discuss their study, Regretful Risks, revealing how the fear of future regret, rather than rationality, drives decisions about risk management.

Northeastern blizzard is expected to result in significant, but manageable losses for P/C insurers, according to a new Best's Commentary discussed by AM Best Industry Research Analyst Helen Andersen.

David Benyon, host of The Political Risk Podcast, explains how he connects geopolitical flashpoints from war, hybrid threats, trade policy and expropriation with the evolving needs of specialty insurance and reinsurance markets.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo explains how state proposals to limit credit scores could impact insurance pricing and risk assessment.

Keith Golembiewski, AVP, director, annuity research, LIMRA, discusses 2025's record-breaking annuity market and the evolving role of indexed products in retirement planning.

BestWire News Editor Dave Pilla reports how renewed investor interest and a push for capital efficiency are fueling rapid growth in reinsurance sidecars, reshaping capacity strategies and adding new dynamics to traditional pricing and long-term capital stability.

A new Best's Market Segment Report finds improved P/C underwriting and pricing, combined with moderate catastrophe losses, anchor strong 2025 results, with investment income a key earnings driver in 2026 despite headwinds, according to Jacqalene Lentz, senior director, and David Blades, associate director, both of AM Best.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Renee Kiriluk-Hill examines how Hawaii's homeowners insurers are responding to catastrophic wildfire losses with steep rate increases, tighter risk selection, and strategic decisions that may foreshadow trends in other catastrophe-exposed states.

Melissa Mulhern, assistant vice president of environmental underwriting at Philadelphia Insurance Cos., said their underwriters work with agents and brokers to help them understand that environmental risk includes operational risks not just limited to preexisting contamination.

The revision from negative to stable for the directors and officers liability insurance segment is owed to rate stabilization, low loss ratios, tighter underwriting, and reduced regulatory scrutiny, according to a new Best's Market Segment Report discussed by AM Best Elizabeth Blamble, senior financial analyst, AM Best.

Brooke Shirazi, vice president of property and ocean marine programs at Nationwide E&S Specialty, said policyholders benefit from the program offerings and the program administrator space because of the deep expertise they bring to the table in that segment and their clear understanding of what the insured needs in order to address risk concerns.

AM Best Directors Bridget Maehr and Ann Modica discuss a new Best's Market Segment Report that finds Caribbean insurers are highly reliant on reinsurance to manage capital, risk retention, and to expand their book of business.

BestWire News Editor Dave Pilla reports that abundant global capacity and growing competition are driving lower rates and broader terms in the mining insurance sector, even as recent natural catastrophe losses and mounting liability exposures heighten underwriting challenges.

A new Best's Special Report finds that the U.S. economy enters 2026 from a position of resilience, despite headwinds, said Ann Modica, director, AM Best.

Rob Lewis, CEO, INTX Insurance Software, discusses how Chubb's aggressive automation strategy reflects deeper structural shifts in insurance technology, workforce skill demands and the growing necessity for unified, modern core systems to enable real AI-driven transformation.

AM Best Associate Director David Blades discusses a new Best's Special Report that finds E&S premium market growth increased by 9.7% through the third quarter of 2025, down from 13.5% in 2024, reflecting the impact of competitive market pressures.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Terrence Dopp discusses the early signs of a softening MGA market, the renewed focus on underwriting discipline and capital management, plus how closer alignment with carriers and reinsurers could shape the sector through 2026.

AM Best and industry experts share their 2026 outlook on the Medicare Advantage business segment, including the key drivers. (Event Date: January 15, 2026)

Associate Director David Blades and Associate Analyst Alexander Winant, both of AM Best, discuss a new Best's Commentary that finds the executive order doesn't immediately resolve insurance issues for cannabis-related businesses, but the move to reclassify marijuana under federal law could be a significant step for the insurance market.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo breaks down Massachusetts regulatory approval of Liberty Mutual's affiliate reorganization, including the conversion of several mutual insurers to stock companies and what the move signals about capital access.

Maria Long, chief underwriting officer, Resilience, discusses how emerging cyberthreats are transforming cyber insurance and driving the need for stronger underwriting and enhanced client resilience.

Stefan Holzberger, EVP and COO, AM Best, advises emerging leaders to determine use cases for AI and where they can leverage technology to make their work more efficient and to price risk and handle claims more effectively. Holzberger spoke with AM Best TV at the 2026 Emerging Leaders Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Matthew Genazzini, executive director of the Microinsurance Network, details the emergence of microinsurance as a social safety net in many Asian, African and Latin American nations, while Rishi Raithatha, a member of the network, explains the supporting role of mobile technology in agriculture, life and hospitalization coverage in low-income nations.

Mark Berven, president and chief operating officer, Nationwide Property and Casualty, said that within the next decade, as much as 70% of job skills could be completely different than what they are today.

AM Best Associate Director David Blades and Industry Research Analyst Helen Andersen discuss a new Best's Special Report that finds a benign 2025 Atlantic hurricane season was predominant factor in the P/C industry's enhanced performance through the first nine months of 2025.

Joe Toomey, vice president, underwriting security, Coalition, discusses emerging cyber vulnerabilities such as React2Shell, and how insurers help clients strengthen resilience and manage evolving risk.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo explains how short-term extensions, political battles over DHS funding and immigration policy disputes have left the National Flood Insurance Program in limbo, impacting policyholders and major flood insurers.

Join AM Best and market executives for a discussion on the evolving global reinsurance landscape and an update on AM Best's global reinsurance outlook. The panel will share perspectives on the 2026 outlook and reflect on themes emerging from the recent renewal season. The conversation will touch on broader market developments, strategic considerations and the forces shaping reinsurer performance in the year ahead.

Danny Aronson, co-founder and CEO of hearing health specialist Tuned, explains how preventative digital hearing care can improve productivity, reduce health care costs, and close an overlooked gap in employer benefits, positioning hearing health alongside dental and vision as foundational offerings.

Cambridge statistics Professor David Spiegelhalter discusses in his book, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk, and Luck, how insurers use probability and risk assessment to navigate threats and make informed underwriting decisions.

AM Best Senior Director Michael Lagomarsino discusses a new Best's Market Segment Report that finds reinsurance pricing is softening at an accelerating pace in property lines, but overall market conditions support underwriting profitability and solid overall operating performance in 2026.

Justin Sydnor, department chair of risk and insurance, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses new research on how artificial intelligence, data analytics and automation are transforming risk assessment, consumer behavior and the long-term value proposition of insurance.

AM Best and industry experts share their 2026 outlook on the Medicare Advantage business segment, including the key drivers. (Event Date: January 15, 2026)

Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Insurance Information Institute, discusses how insurers are shifting from recovery to resilience one year after the L.A. wildfires, applying lessons learned to promote smarter rebuilding and enhance wildfire preparedness.

AM Best Associate Director Dan Hofmeister discusses a new Best's Special Report that finds the non-life runoff market continues to exhibit healthy transaction volumes, but its composition is becoming increasingly concentrated.

Paul Vacquier, CEO, Beagle Services, discusses how severe winter freezes are fueling costly water-damage claims, and why monitored leak detection is key to preventing losses.

Amwins co-presidents Sam Bagg and Jeff McNatt break down where pricing pressures are easing, how capacity and E&S submissions are evolving across key lines, and why AI, tort reform, and geopolitical risk will shape insurance strategies this year and in the future.

Please join us for an interactive discussion with industry experts on the latest developments shaping the non-life run-off market. The session will touch on recent research insights, notable activity over the past year and expectations for the year ahead. The panel will provide a broad look at how the market has been evolving, including the growing presence of specialist participants and the continued refinement of the run-off model. The discussion will also highlight general themes around product structures, the types of needs these solutions address and the industry's ongoing efforts to navigate and reshape long-standing perceptions of the legacy space. (January 14, 2026)

AM Best Senior Industry Research Analyst Christopher Graham and Associate Analyst Alexander Winant discuss a new Best's Special Report that finds the annual change in the industry's underwriting expense ratio is much less than year-to-year variability in its loss and loss adjustment expense ratio.

Technology is playing a part in improving workplace safety and acting as a constraint in workers' compensation premiums, according to Paul Zamora, ICW Group's chief underwriting officer, commercial lines.

Sarah Owen, chief product officer, One Inc, discusses new research that shows how speed, flexibility and clear communication in the auto claims payment experience are becoming decisive drivers of customer trust and long-term loyalty for insurers.

Chief Data Officer Anurag Shah, SIAA, explains how agents and brokers can avoid common data missteps, leverage real-time business intelligence and turn rapid technological change into a competitive advantage.

Senior AM Best analytical staff walk through the 2026 outlooks and the global, economic, social and technological trends that are shifting the industry and key factors expected to shape results in 2026. (Event Date: December 9, 2025)

George Hosfield, vice president, Home Insurance, LexisNexis, discusses key findings from the 2025 LexisNexis Home Trends Report, examining rising loss severity, surging catastrophe claims and what intensifying weather-driven risks mean for homeowners insurers.

Eric Wedin, head of North America financial lines, Allianz Commercial, discusses findings from the company's latest D&O Insurance Insight Report, examining how geopolitical instability, cyber incidents, and other global factors are reshaping directors and officers liability exposures heading into 2026.

Torbjorn Soltvedt, associate director of political violence, Verisk Maplecroft, explains how growing political polarization, fiscal strain and the amplified role of social media are driving a global increase in disruptive protests, with commercial property increasingly targeted.

Xceedance Americas President Travis MacMillian outlines six key technology trends, including real-time underwriting, that are redefining insurer operations, governance and customer engagement in 2026.