Beyond the Text

As underwriting conditions evolve and interest rate tailwinds normalize, investment strategy is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for property and casualty insurers. The latest episode of Beyond the Text explores how insurers are approaching portfolio construction in today's market. Alyssa Gittleman speaks with Matt Reilly about the growing role of structured credit, private market...

GLP-1 drugs are rapidly reshaping the insurance landscape, influencing everything from healthcare costs to underwriting and long-term risk assessment. In this episode of Beyond the Text, Alyssa Gittleman and Mary Pat Campbell explore how these therapies are driving new complexities for U.S. health and life insurers, particularly around access, adherence, and the misalignment between short-term cos...

Private equity is becoming an increasingly influential force across healthcare, and its impact is beginning to extend into the medical professional liability market. In this episode of Beyond the Text, Alyssa Gittleman and Richard Sbaschnig examine how private equity ownership is influencing risk profiles, claims dynamics, and competitive positioning in MPL. The discussion explores how insurers ar...

Reinsurance will remain essential for industry growth, with success hinging on capital efficiency, disciplined execution, and strong governance. The newest episode of Beyond the Text explores the evolving landscape of life and annuity reinsurance, emphasizing its growing role in insurers’ strategies for managing growth capital and long-term risk. Richard Sbaschnig and Scott Hawkins provide insight...

In the latest episode of Beyond the Text, Alyssa Gittleman speaks with Matt Reilly, Managing Director and Head of Insurance Solutions at Conning, about insights from Conning’s newest Insurance Investment Risk Survey and what they signal as insurers move further into 2026. While 77% of respondents remain optimistic, risks are top of mind, particularly market and asset price volatility, inflation, a...

This podcast episode from Conning discusses the significant transformation happening at Lloyd's of London, one of the world's most iconic insurance marketplaces. Host Alyssa Gittleman interviews Lauryn Kothavale and Richard Sbaschnig, co-authors of Conning's new report 'Lloyd's: Transforming for Tomorrow.' The discussion covers Lloyd's unique marketplace model, which brings together syndicates, ma...

The middle market is one of the most dynamic yet misunderstood segments in commercial insurance—representing over $150 billion in premium opportunity. In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa sits down with Jay Sarzen, author of Conning’s 2025 Middle Market Study, to explore why this space is gaining attention and what it means for insurers in 2026 and beyond. We unpack: • Why defining the...

Join host Alyssa Gittleman as she sits down with Conning analysts Jay Sarzan and Richard Sbaschnig to unpack the forces shaping the property and casualty reinsurance market in 2025. From record-setting catastrophe losses and disciplined underwriting strategies to shifting rates, capital flows, and emerging growth opportunities, this episode dives deep into the trends and challenges impacting reins...

Join host Alyssa Gittleman and Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research at Conning, as they unpack the forces driving the individual annuity market’s remarkable growth. From the impact of retiring baby boomers and 1035 exchanges to the rise of MYGAs, RILAs, and index annuities, this episode explores key trends shaping the future of retirement income solutions. Scott also shares his outlook on reg...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, Conning’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Alyssa Gittleman, sits down with analyst Alan Dobbins to unpack the findings from Conning’s latest report, “2025: Commercial Auto Insurance Market - Challenges and Opportunities.” Together, they explore over a decade of underwriting losses in the commercial auto sector, the impact of economic and social inflation,...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa Gittleman, Head of Marketing and Communications at Conning, sits down with John Rup, Director and author of Conning’s latest viewpoint, to explore the evolving role of funding agreements in the insurance industry. As insurers face mounting pressure from booming annuity sales and tightening public bond spreads, funding agreements may offer a scalable,...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, Conning’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Alyssa Gittleman, sits down with Vice President Lauryn Kothavale to unpack the findings from Conning’s 12th annual MGA report and the newly released Fronting Carrier report. Together, they explore the dynamic forces driving growth in the U.S. program market, including talent, technology, and evolving capacity model...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa Gittleman welcomes back Alan Dobbins, lead analyst in Conning’s Insurance Research department, to revisit the devastating Palisades and Eden wildfires in California. With insured losses estimated between $28 billion and $45 billion, these fires rank among the costliest in U.S. history. Alan breaks down the evolving claims landscape, regulatory pressu...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa Gittleman sits down with Manu Mazumdar, Head of Data Analytics and Technology at Conning, to unveil key findings from Conning’s 2025 AI Adoption in Insurance survey. Together, they explore how generative AI, machine learning, and large language models are transforming the insurance industry at an unprecedented pace. With 55% of surveyed firms already...

Join Alyssa Gittleman, Head of Marketing & Communications at Conning, in this insightful episode of Beyond the Text. Alyssa welcomes Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research, to discuss the recently released "Pension Risk Transfer Market Annual Review – 2025" report. Dive deep into the world of Pension Risk Transfers (PRTs) as Scott explains the concept, the factors driving market growth, and...

In this episode of "Beyond the Text," host Alyssa Gittleman welcomes Jay Sarzen, Director and Property-Casualty analyst at Conning, to discuss the findings of their latest report, "Eyes of the World: Using Data and AI to Fight Workers Comp Insurance Fraud." Jay shares insights on the profitability of workers comp insurance, the emerging challenges, and the sophisticated fraud schemes that insurers...

Join host Alyssa Gittleman as she delves into the complexities of the liability insurance industry with expert insights from Julia Brinson, Vice President at Conning. In this episode, they explore the latest trends reshaping the market, including the impact of social and economic inflation, the rise of nuclear verdicts, and the evolving legal landscape. Discover how ESG pressures are transforming...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa Gittleman and guest Matt Riley dive into Conning’s latest Investment Risk Survey to uncover how insurers are adjusting their strategies for 2025. With optimism cooling and risk-taking still on the rise, we explore key concerns—from market volatility to private asset growth—and what they mean for the industry. Tune in for expert insights on how insure...

In the latest episode of Beyond the Text, Conning's podcast host Alyssa Gittleman discusses the findings of the Workers' Compensation Focus report with Jay Sarzen, a director in Conning's Insurance Research Department. The report, titled "Workers' Compensation: Wearable Technologies Slow Acceleration to Preserve the Reserve," examines the current state of the workers' compensation market, highligh...

In the latest episode of Beyond the Text, Conning's podcast, host Alyssa Gittleman and guest Alan Dobbins, head analyst in Insurance Research at Conning, discuss the 2025 outlook for the property casualty (P&C) insurance sector. Reflecting on 2024, they note persistent inflation and the ongoing homeowners insurance crisis, particularly exacerbated by the recent LA wildfires. Looking ahead, the...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, Alyssa Gittleman, Director and Head of Consulting and Customer Operations at Conning, discusses the 2025 Insurance Industry Outlook with Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research and Managing Director at Conning. The conversation covers key themes impacting the insurance industry, including the need for flexibility in response to political changes, technological...

In this insightful episode of "Beyond the Text," host Alyssa Gittleman, Director and Head of Consulting and Customer Operations at Conning, engages in a detailed discussion with Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research and Managing Director at Conning. The conversation delves into Conning's 2025 outlook for the life annuity industry, reflecting on the successes and missteps of 2024, and providing...

In this episode of Beyond the Text, host Alyssa Gittleman, Director and Head of Consulting and Customer Operations at Conning, is joined by Lauryn Kothavale, Vice President in Conning’s Insurance Research department, to explore the findings of the recently released report, New Challenges, New Solutions: The E&S Market. Together, they discuss the drivers behind the impressive growth of the Exce...

In the latest episode of Beyond the Text, Alyssa Gittleman hosts Lauryn Kothavale from Conning and Kelly Maheu from Vertafore to discuss the transformative impact of technology on Managing General Agents (MGAs) in the insurance industry. The conversation highlights how MGAs are leveraging advanced technologies such as real-time data analytics, AI, and machine learning to enhance underwriting, stre...

In this episode of "Beyond the Text," host Alyssa Gittleman, Director and Head of Consulting and Customer Operations at Conning, delves into the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the insurance industry. Joined by Jay Sarzen, Director in the Insurance Research department, and Manu Mazumdar, Director and Head of Data Analytics and Insurance Technology, the discussion covers key tak...