Articles by L.S. Howard

Amazon Pulls Plug on UK Home Insurance Venture

Amazon has pulled the plug on its UK home insurance venture – a comparison website – after launching in October 2022. “Over the last year, we have been evaluating various businesses and programs, and as a part of that we’ve …

Reinsurance Market Likely to Begin Softening in 2025 as Capacity Rises in 2024: Fitch

Reinsurers’ underwriting margins are expected to peak in 2024 on the significant price rises and tighter terms and conditions achieved during 2023 and in the January 2024 renewals, which will likely lead to softer market conditions in 2025, according to …

A Return to Balance: Brokers Say Reinsurance Renewals Were ‘Stable’

This year’s January reinsurance renewals were described by brokers as “stable,” “predictable,” “orderly,” “calmer,” “disciplined,” with “increased appetites” and a return to supply/demand balance. What a difference in tone from last year’s grueling January renewals. “In a marked change on …

Reinsurers’ Casualty Appetites Varied, but Capacity Was ‘Ample’ During 1/1 Renewals

Reinsurers had varied appetites for casualty reinsurance during the January 2024 renewals; while capacity was sufficient, they still maintained underwriting discipline, according to reinsurance brokers in their renewal reports. “Some reinsurers adopted a tougher stance ahead of the January 2024 …

Insured Price Tag for Natural Disasters Was $95B in 2023 With Economic Cost of $250B

Natural catastrophes in 2023 caused global economic losses of US$250 billion, with insurers and reinsurers paying US$95 billion of that amount, according to Munich Re. Last year’s insured losses of US$95 billion are close to the five-year average of US$105 …

AM Best: Japan Quake’s Effect on Insurers ‘Manageable; KCC Says Losses to Hit $6.4B

The earnings impact on the major domestic non-life insurers of claims from the Jan. 1, 2024 earthquake in Japan is expected to be manageable relative to the sector’s net profit, according to AM Best in a market commentary. Japan’s four …

January’s Property Cat Renewals See Biggest Price Hikes in Turkey, Italy and US

While the reinsurance market indeed stabilized during the January 2024 reinsurance renewals (from the chaotic January renewals of last year), buyers with loss-affected programs experienced further upward pressure on retentions and prices, according to reinsurance brokers in comments about the …

A Return to Balance: Brokers Say Reinsurance Renewals Were ‘Stable’

This year’s January reinsurance renewals were described by brokers as “stable,” “predictable,” “orderly,” “calmer,” “disciplined,” with “increased appetites” and a return to supply/demand balance. What a difference in tone from last year’s grueling January renewals. “In a marked change on …

Top International Insurance Journal Stories of 2023

Yes, another year has flown by, and it’s once again time for the top international Insurance Journal stories of 2023. This year, they are a real hodgepodge of topics, ranging from hard market trends, to faulty wind turbines, to the …

Aon-NFP Merger a Win-Win for Middle Market Segment, Aon Says

A merger between Aon and NFP will be a win-win for both brokers, creating a company that will be greater than the sum of its parts. While those weren’t the exact words used by Aon’s CEO Greg Case, they were …