Advertise on podcast: Insurance Speak

Four years ago, Chuck Chamness stepped away from his 18-year tenure as president and CEO of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. He looked around at the state industry he'd long worked for and with, and he saw a mélange of strong businesses facing seemingly insurmountable headwinds: Inflation, catastrophe costs, regulatory uncertainty, public perception problems, and the poky pace of technology adoption all served as fiscal stressors for insurance carriers; particularly smaller, regional, mutual insurance operators. In this January 2025 interview, Chamness expands on what he views as pressing business issues facing the insurance industry and offers ideas about how to move forward.

Deidre LeBlanc of Travelers joins us for a discussion on wedding worst-case scenarios and how insurance can safeguard a couple's big day.

Historically, hobbies were thought of as both frivolous and productive. It is worth noting, however, that some major advances happened as the result of hobbyists. Consider Comet Hale-Bopp, which was discovered in 1995 by two amateur astronomers. On this episode of Insurance Speak, we capitalize on Insurance Careers Month to talk with three insurance executives about the ways in which their hobbies inform their careers. With an eye toward illuminating the types of skills and interests that can translate well to the insurance world, Grace Global Capital Managing Director Grace Vandecruze; PAK Programs Risk Management Specialist Justin Guerra; and INSTANDA CEO and Co-Founder Tim Hardcastle each discuss their personal passions and how those preoccupations advance their professional lives.  

In this episode of Insurance Speak, KwH Analytics CEO Jason Kaminsky talks about jiw company's annual Solar Risk Assessment, a report that aims to advance the solar and renewable-energy storage industries. This research is designed intentionally for a non-technical financial community. It provides investors, insureds and insurance organizations with the latest insights on the evolution of solar facility risk and mitigation strategies.

Insurance protections for greenwashing and ESG claims Description: Carolyn Rosenberg of Reed Smith discusses how greenwashing claims have evolved and how businesses can protect themselves with the right insurance.

Today's CFOs worry about economic uncertainty, market competition, talent retention, cyber threats and a host of other operational concerns. It's no wonder: These C-Suite leaders are taking on more responsibility than ever before, and that includes making decisions about insurance, according to the Travelers 2024 CFO Study. Being a CFO is "a much more complex role" than it used to be, explains Joan Woodward, executive vice president of Public Policy for Travelers and president of the Travelers Institute. She also hosts the topical weekly podcast, "Wednesdays with Woodward." In this conversation, Woodward discusses the results of the 2024 CFO Study and shares insights about what it takes to succeed in today's corporate world.

Roger Spears of Schneider Downs discusses how businesses can evaluate their cybersecurity practices and limit their vulnerability to online threats.

In 2024, cyber insurance prices are down and coverage options have expanded as carriers become ever more savvy regarding cybersecurity measures. Here, we look at how far the cyber insurance market has come over the last two years, with insights from Flow Specialty's midyear Cyber Insurance State of the Market Market Report, as compared to this archival interview with a HSB cyber expert.

Ken Huening, CEO of CoverSeal, discusses rodent-related vehicle claims and how drivers can proactively protect their rides from the climate change-driven increase in these incidents.

Influencer. It's a word and an idea that a decade ago seemed like a fad. But thanks to the cross pollination of niche communities on the internet and digital-marketing smarts, today's social-media celebrities are hotter than ever. Such "influencers" have built an industry that's worth millions and hold sway over significant segments of humanity. With all of that influence comes murky and often misunderstood risk, liability and insurance concerns. On this episode of Insurance Speak, Katie Pope, vice president of Executive Lines at The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, illuminates the growing legal and liability concerns surrounding social-media influencers.

Kathleen Bonczyk, founder of the Workplace Violence Prevention Institute, discusses the role insurers can play in reducing workplace violence.

Surplus lines insurers in 2023 reported another year of improved underwriting and operating results, with most performance metrics outpacing the broader P&C industry, according to the annual wholesale insurance market report card compiled by AM Best and the WSIA Education Foundation. The report's authors say this indicates just how essential wholesale insurance options have become. "The wholesale and specialty channel is there to provide solutions when the standard market either cannot or will not take on the risk," WSIA President and CEO Brady Kelly said on this week's episode of Insurance Speak. Kelly sat down for an interview in the run-up to his organization's 2024 Annual Marketplace, an event in which thousands of insurance professionals converge in San Diego to fortify business relationships and forge new ones.

If there's one subject that concurrently fascinates and exasperates insurance professionals, it's cyber risk. At the same time that society becomes ever more reliant on digital tools and transactions, bad actors seem to lurk behind every virtual corner constantly finding new ways to scam and steal. Since joining the specialty insurer CFC early in 2024 as the organization's head of Proactive Cyber, Jason Hart has made it his mission to simplify conversations around cybersecurity and cyber insurance. On this episode of Insurance Speak, Hart shares his unique perspective on the cyber risk landscape and the insurance response to this evolving threat.

Jen Martinez of VIU by HUB discusses how insurers can integrate digital tools into customer service while still maintaining human relationships.

Three themes have dominated big-picture insurance conversations in 2024. The first is inflation and its impact on policy pricing. The second is extreme weather, as the increased frequency and severity of natural catastrophes strain the insurance-claims system along with carriers and reinsurers. And the third is litigation and its companion, "social inflation," or the impression that insurers are bad corporate actors with deep pockets and must correct societal wrongs via exorbitant legal settlements. On this episode of Insurance Speak, Robert Gordon, senior vice president of the policy, research and international division of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), weighs in on these and other issues impacting insurance affordability and availability