A.m. Best Radio Podcast

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Renee Kiriluk-Hill examines how Hawaii’s homeowners insurers are responding to catastrophic wildfire losses with steep rate increases, tighter risk selection, and strategic decisions that may foreshadow trends in other catastrophe-exposed states.

Melissa Mulhern, assistant vice president of environmental underwriting at Philadelphia Insurance Cos., said their underwriters work with agents and brokers to help them understand that environmental risk includes operational risks not just limited to preexisting contamination.

The revision from negative to stable for the directors and officers liability insurance segment is owed to rate stabilization, low loss ratios, tighter underwriting, and reduced regulatory scrutiny, according to a new Best's Market Segment Report discussed by AM Best Elizabeth Blamble, senior financial analyst, AM Best.

Brooke Shirazi, vice president of property and ocean marine programs at Nationwide E&S Specialty, said policyholders benefit from the program offerings and the program administrator space because of the deep expertise they bring to the table in that segment and their clear understanding of what the insured needs in order to address risk concerns.

AM Best Directors Bridget Maehr and Ann Modica discuss a new Best's Market Segment Report that finds Caribbean insurers are highly reliant on reinsurance to manage capital, risk retention, and to expand their book of business.

BestWire News Editor Dave Pilla reports that abundant global capacity and growing competition are driving lower rates and broader terms in the mining insurance sector, even as recent natural catastrophe losses and mounting liability exposures heighten underwriting challenges.

A new Best's Special Report finds that the U.S. economy enters 2026 from a position of resilience, despite headwinds, said Ann Modica, director, AM Best.

Rob Lewis, CEO, INTX Insurance Software, discusses how Chubb’s aggressive automation strategy reflects deeper structural shifts in insurance technology, workforce skill demands and the growing necessity for unified, modern core systems to enable real AI-driven transformation.

AM Best Associate Director David Blades discusses a new Best's Special Report that finds E&S premium market growth increased by 9.7% through the third quarter of 2025, down from 13.5% in 2024, reflecting the impact of competitive market pressures.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Terrence Dopp discusses the early signs of a softening MGA market, the renewed focus on underwriting discipline and capital management, plus how closer alignment with carriers and reinsurers could shape the sector through 2026.

AM Best and industry experts share their 2026 outlook on the Medicare Advantage business segment, including the key drivers. (Event Date: January 15, 2026)

Associate Director David Blades and Associate Analyst Alexander Winant, both of AM Best, discuss a new Best's Commentary that finds the executive order doesn’t immediately resolve insurance issues for cannabis-related businesses, but the move to reclassify marijuana under federal law could be a significant step for the insurance market.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo breaks down Massachusetts regulatory approval of Liberty Mutual’s affiliate reorganization, including the conversion of several mutual insurers to stock companies and what the move signals about capital access.

Maria Long, chief underwriting officer, Resilience, discusses how emerging cyberthreats are transforming cyber insurance and driving the need for stronger underwriting and enhanced client resilience.

Stefan Holzberger, EVP and COO, AM Best, advises emerging leaders to determine use cases for AI and where they can leverage technology to make their work more efficient and to price risk and handle claims more effectively. Holzberger spoke with AM Best TV at the 2026 Emerging Leaders Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Matthew Genazzini, executive director of the Microinsurance Network, details the emergence of microinsurance as a social safety net in many Asian, African and Latin American nations, while Rishi Raithatha, a member of the network, explains the supporting role of mobile technology in agriculture, life and hospitalization coverage in low-income nations.

Mark Berven, president and chief operating officer, Nationwide Property and Casualty, said that within the next decade, as much as 70% of job skills could be completely different than what they are today.

AM Best Associate Director David Blades and Industry Research Analyst Helen Andersen discuss a new Best's Special Report that finds a benign 2025 Atlantic hurricane season was predominant factor in the P/C industry's enhanced performance through the first nine months of 2025.

Joe Toomey, vice president, underwriting security, Coalition, discusses emerging cyber vulnerabilities such as React2Shell, and how insurers help clients strengthen resilience and manage evolving risk.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Steve Hallo explains how short-term extensions, political battles over DHS funding and immigration policy disputes have left the National Flood Insurance Program in limbo, impacting policyholders and major flood insurers.