AM Best Audio

Global Captive Podcast host Richard Cutcher explains how firsthand insight from captive owners, risk managers and industry leaders help uncover emerging trends and innovative risk-financing strategies.

Professors Mary Kelly, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Anne Kleffner, University of Calgary, discuss their research on California wildfire risk, exploring how it is reshaping insurance and the role of risk-sharing in sustaining insurer participation.

Over 10,000 acres of uncontained, fast-moving wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes, according to a newly released Best's Commentary discussed by AM Best Senior Director Sridhar Manyem.

In his book "The Forms and Functions of Tort Law (Concepts and Insights), Sixth Edition," University of Virginia School of Law Professor Kenneth Abraham explores tort law's evolving landscape and its impact on liability, insurance and risks.

The D&O insurance landscape continues to face mounting external pressures, including geopolitical instability, economic volatility, regulatory uncertainty and sustained soft market conditions. These dynamics are reshaping corporate risk profiles and influencing how organizations, boards and insurers assess governance, liability and exposure management. This briefing examined the key developmen...

Senior Associate Editor Dave Pilla discusses AM Best’s 2026 rankings that show California still leading the nation in private passenger auto direct premiums written, followed by Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia.

Keith Golembiewski, AVP and director of annuity research, LIMRA, discusses the forces behind record annuity sales, rising demand for retirement security and the key trends driving the next phase of annuity growth and innovation.

NAIC's new principles-based bond definition went into full effect in 2025, according to a new Best's Special Report discussed by Kaitlin Piasecki, industry research analyst, AM Best.

The outlook remains stable owing to rising interest rates, implementation of the Japan Insurance Capital Standard, and greater regulatory oversight, among other factors, according to a new Best's Market Segment Report discussed by AM Best Senior Financial Analyst Charles Chiang.

BestWire Senior Associate Editor Terry Dopp discusses TruStage Financial Group's response to a recently disclosed cybersecurity incident, the impact of the company's network shutdown on customers, and what the event signals about the growing cyber challenges facing the insurance industry.

Michel Léonard, chief economist and data scientist, Insurance Information Institute, discusses the improving underwriting outlook for property/casualty insurers and how emerging risks, stress testing and AI are shaping the industry’s future.

The maturing MGA market will need greater discipline in building portfolios and adept adoption of newer technologies to produce coverage solutions for emerging risk, according to research discussed by AM Best Associate Director David Blades and Industry Research Analyst Helen Andersen.

Sarah Griffin, senior vice president, Nationwide personal lines product and underwriting, said her company sees a real opportunity to help homeowners prepare, rather than just react, through the right education and protection.

Rob Walling, principal and consulting actuary with Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, said the province of Alberta is demonstrating an encouraging, business-forward approach to captive insurance.

Data center development and construction would benefit from innovative P/C industry solutions to meet non-traditional insurance coverage needs, according to a new Best's Special Report discussed by AM Best Senior Director Sridhar Manyem and Associate Director David Blades.

BestWire Senior Associate Editor Renee Kiriluk-Hill reviews AM Best's latest rankings of the nation's largest pet insurers, highlighting strong premium growth, rising competition among the market leaders, and continued expansion of the fast-growing pet insurance sector.

Charles Symington, president and CEO, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, discusses independent agency growth, Big I’s 2026 Market Share Report findings and what lies ahead for agents and insurers.

The U.S. personal lines segment's underwriting profit almost quadrupled to more than $45 billion, and the commercial lines segment 's profit more than doubled to over $19 billion in 2025, according to Best's Special Report discussed by David Blades, associate director, and Christopher Graham, senior industry research analyst, both of AM Best.

Sidecars can diversify fee-based earnings versus spread-based earnings, according to a new Best's Special Report discussed by AM Best Associate Director Jason Hopper.

Professor Olivia Mitchell, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, explains how misunderstanding longevity risk fuels widespread retirement regret, and why better “longevity literacy” could reshape saving, annuitization, and Social Security claiming decisions.

Paul Tyler, host of That Annuity Show, discusses how his long-running podcast has become a platform for industry leaders to explore innovation, policy, technology and the evolving role of annuities in retirement planning.

A new Best's Special Report discussed by Wai Tang, senior director, AM Best, finds that no AM Best rated companies became impaired in 2025.

Katherine Antonello, president and CEO of Employers, says workers’ compensation is one of the healthiest P/C business lines, but the sector is facing difficulties in California. Antonello also discusses a new AI feature to get quicker price quotes for prospective customers.

Senior Associate Editor Renee Kiriluk-Hill breaks down the latest Best’s Rankings of the nation's largest mutual property/casualty and life/health insurers, highlighting State Farm's commanding lead in P/C, New York Life's continued dominance in L/H, and notable shifts among the top writers.

Senior Associate Editor Terry Dopp discusses his BestWire reporting on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which is responding to a cybersecurity breach that investigators have linked to the ShinyHunters hacking group.