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Articles by Chad Hemenway

Chad is National News Editor at Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Journal. He has been covering the insurance industry since 2007, reporting on trends and coverage in most lines of insurance as well as natural catastrophes, modeling, regulation, legislation, and litigation. Chad can be reached at chemenway@wellsmedia.com

Fitch Ratings: US Cyber Premium Growth Slows in 2023

The U.S. cyber insurance market saw what Fitch Ratings called an unexpected 1% decline in direct written premiums in 2023 following a 160% increase from 2020 to 2022. According to Fitch Ratings’ U.S. Cyber Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Market Update, standalone cyber written …

Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Council: Home Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Spend Tops Household Income Growth

According to the Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Council (IRC), the average homeowners insurance expenditure has become less affordable for U.S. consumers over time. Looking at the the years 2001 to 2021—the latest year in which relevant data is available—homeowners spent about 2% …

Hospital Operator Ascension ‘Making Progress’ to Restore Systems After Cyberattack

Hospital operator Ascension said on Monday that it “worked around the clocked” over the weekend to handle a recent ransomware attack that disrupted operations. “We are focused on restoring systems safely. We are making progress, however, it will take time …

Berkshire’s Jain on Cyber: ‘The Mindset Should Be You’re Not Making Money’

While describing cyber insurance as a “fashionable” and profitable business, Berkshire Hathaway’s head of insurance operations said aggregation and loss costs have kept the company away from the risk for the most part. Yes, profitability has been “fairly high” for …

Hartford Q1 Income Up 41% on Commercial Lines as Auto Results Improve

The Hartford CEO Christopher Swift told analysts late last week that the insurer’s first quarter results included “progress toward restoring targeted profitability in auto” as it turned in an improved combined ratio for the quarter of 103.9 in the line …

Chubb CEO Greenberg: Some Financial Lines Underwriting Practices ‘Simply Dumb’

According to Chubb CEO Evan G. Greenberg, the insurance industry’s underwriting practices for a number of financial lines are “simply dumb.” In a call with analysts to discuss Chubb’s earnings for the first quarter, Greenberg said rates for financial lines …

Berkley CEO: Property E&S Momentum Slows but ‘Some More Hay’ to Be Made

When it comes to observations of the excess and surplus lines market, there is a difference between the momentum of liability and property lines, said W.R. Berkley CEO W. Robert Berkley, Jr. Addressing some talk that has painted a picture …

Jury Awards $80M to 3 Former Zurich NA Employees for Wrongful Termination

Zurich North America was ordered by a California jury to pay three former employees a total of about $80.2 million to end a wrongful termination case earlier this month. Melinda Brantley, Nicholas Lardie, and Daniel Koos worked as claims examiners …

Chubb Records 13.3% Uptick in Q1 Net Income on Underwriting

Chubb started 2024 off with first quarter net income up 13.3%, compared to the same time a year ago, to about $2.1 billion. The first three months of 2024 followed a year Chubb CEO Evan G. Greenberg called the “best …

OPTIS: Å˽ðÁ«´«Ã½Ó³»­ Agency M&A Down 18% in Q1 2024

The first quarter of 2024 was the slowest for insurance agency mergers and acquisitions since the middle of the pandemic, according to investment banking and financial firm OPTIS Partners. OPTIS Partners’ M&A database counted 155 announced insurance agency mergers and …