Insurance news, interviews, rating announcements and more.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/16/15/59e55ccf-8336-45b8-b341-d502d02727dc_2026-10_beyer_mixdown.mp3

Marcel Beyer, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, explains how European insurers initially fled to safer bonds at the onset of COVID-19 market turmoil, then moved decisively into high-yield corporate debt, revealing a liquidity-driven, countercyclical investment strategy.

Goethe-Universität Frankfurt’s Beyer: How European Insurers Shifted From Safety to High Yield During COVID-19 Stress

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/16/15/cd28f6e4-2392-471a-8105-38ebdae5d9a8_2026-10_issues_and_answers_merchants_mixdown.mp3

Elisabeth Sandersfeld, chief financial officer for Merchants Bonding Co., said that disciplined underwriting is the most important part of being an insurance company. “For us, we call it common sense underwriting. That’s our hallmark.”

Issues & Answers: Strength Built To Last

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/16/15/880fe636-02f3-42f6-8ef8-2ee06e78bd35_2026-10_kohlberg_la_mixdown.mp3

The offshore annuity channel is driving growth in the US life reinsurance market, according to a new Best&#39;s Market Segment Report discussed by Edward Kohlberg, director, and Lou Silvers, senior financial analyst, both of AM Best.

AM Best: Global Life/Annuity Reinsurers Remain Poised for Steady Growth

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/16/12/49b73442-bf44-4c82-aa11-2d6ba4cd1a6a_2026_08_limra_mixdown.mp3

Karen Terry, corporate vice president and director of insurance research, LIMRA, discusses rising U.S. life insurance sales and how digital distribution and shifting consumer demand are creating new growth opportunities.

LIMRA’s Terry: US Life Insurance Sales Gain Momentum as Policy Growth Accelerates

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/16/14/c12b3961-8d34-406e-bfc9-17ebe464bbbb_2026-10_taylor_evans_mixdown.mp3

Taylor Evans, manager, marketing &amp; communications, IAT Insurance Group, discusses how the What’s Brewing podcast evolved into a fast, engaging platform delivering timely insights on trends, including AI.

IAT Insurance Groups Evans: Podcast Is Brewing Insurance Insights

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/8/19/24da4f3b-75ba-477a-9cd5-d44b5591c1f8_202610_msig_mixdown.mp3

Carrie Brodzinski, chief underwriting officer at MSIG USA, said as underwriting becomes more data- and AI-enabled, the role of the underwriter becomes more sophisticated.

Issues & Answers: Underwriting the Future

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/9/13/fc95f182-1672-4cda-9dec-7e5571ebb73f_202610_seaman_mixdown.mp3

Attorney Scott Seaman, partner, Hinshaw &amp; Culbertson, discusses his book, “America 250: The History of Insurance and Insurance Coverage Law and Litigation in the United States,” examining insurance&#39;s legacy and the risks shaping its future.

Hinshaw & Culbertson’s Seaman: Insurance Has Been a Cornerstone of America’s Growth for More Than 250 Years

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/8/19/85d608e3-156c-4935-a12e-688188df8376_2026_ln_data_2_mixdown.mp3

Reena Batra, vice president, data science, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, discusses elevated auto insurance shopping, changing consumer behavior and how insurers can leverage data to strengthen retention and identify new growth opportunities.

LexisNexis' Batra: Auto Insurance Shopping Remains Near Record Highs

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/8/19/8e901f2e-113d-4132-9f14-a82c0833d39a_2026-10_issues_and_answers_elara_mixdown.mp3

Ingrid Flores, CEO, Elara Spatial, said AI and computer vision can help insurers resolve property claims faster while giving adjusters more time to focus on the human side of the claims process.

Issues & Answers: Using AI To Speed Up Claims

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/8/19/a4555f52-bcd3-49a7-bfa1-91d166310838_202610_issues_and_answers_nationwide_mixdown.mp3

David Nelson, executive vice president, Nationwide E&amp;S Wholesale, said disciplined underwriting, smarter data and technology are key to navigating complexity and capturing opportunity in E&amp;S.

Issues & Answers: Navigating E&S Complexity

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/2/14/5160de50-3cfd-4f9b-be59-af70b2c82f49_2026-09_terry_dopp_mixdown.mp3

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Terry Dopp discusses steady investment yield growth among U.S. life/health insurers, 2025 ranking shifts and trends across nearly $9.9 trillion in invested assets.

US Life Insurers’ Investment Yields Edge Higher

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/2/14/21e79c64-0cac-4e90-bb89-b4f6670eca03_2026-10_issues_and_answers_phly_mixdown.mp3

Nick Colletta is vice president of underwriting - human services, Philadelphia Insurance Cos. talks about how religious organizations need confidence that their carrier understands their mission, their operation and the unique ensitivity of the claim.

Issues & Answers: PHLY Gets Religious Organizations

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/2/14/0c165d59-a4f0-46c0-889e-e687dd4c2bcf_2026-10_accenture_mixdown.mp3

Technology is reshaping the life and annuity insurance industry, from modernization and artificial intelligence to customer experience and business transformation. Shay Alon, global managing director and head of Accenture Life Insurance and Annuity Platform, discussed how insurers can leverage technology to drive growth and prepare for the future.

Interview with Best’s Review: Tech Transformation Drives Insurance Innovation

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/2/14/382593a1-7fde-4c05-9614-173622e175f7_2026-10_pinnacle_mixdown.mp3

Joe Griffin, senior consulting actuary with Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, said that dynamic data is changing the game for territorial ratemaking.

Issues & Answers: Ratemaking With Dynamic Data

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/2/14/50374e87-d289-4371-965f-b3db613b3cf2_2026-10_fa_xceedance_mixdown.mp3

Xceedance has built its business around helping insurers harness technology, data and expertise to improve how they operate and grow. Arun Balakrishnan, chairman and CEO of Xceedance, discussed how the growing use of AI by plaintiff attorneys could reshape liability claims, litigation strategies, claim severity and insurers’ reserving assumptions.

Xceedance: The AI-Powered Plaintiff Playbook

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/25/15/bdf525c3-6a91-48a8-a46d-3b3753ffd253_2026-10_issues_and_answers_hannover_mixdown.mp3

Bryan Salvatore, executive vice president, president, specialty at The Hanover Insurance Group, said agency consolidation requires carriers to think beyond the transaction.

Issues & Answers: The Agency Ties That Bind

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/25/15/ef63dfa5-d105-439e-be4a-daff089b0357_2026-10_issues_and_answers_further_ai_mixdown.mp3

Aman Gour, co-founder and CEO of FurtherAI, said the insurance industry’s AI opportunity goes well beyond automating individual tasks, arguing that AI can fundamentally reshape operating models while keeping human judgment at the center.

Issues & Answers: AI – From Assistant to Teammate

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/9/14/7e18f3f9-ed9b-4693-b613-f0f8aa94e803_2026-09_bill_borden_oskar_health_mixdown.mp3

Bridget O’Donnell, Oscar Health’s vice president of technology strategy and operations, discusses how technology is not “going to be about adding more chatbots to today’s insurance experience,” but a focus on being proactive about assisting plan members to understand coverage benefits.

Oscar Health’s O’Donnell: Improved Tech Doesn’t Mean More Chatbots

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/9/14/e99c8ef7-6b29-432e-bc81-3582f4f94386_2026-08_bill_borden_joe_park_mixdown.mp3

Joe Park, executive vice president and chief digital &amp; information officer at State Farm, provides an outlook about how technology will reshape property/casualty insurance and build value, but maintaining trust is a key priority for the insurer.

State Farm’s Park: Tech Improvements Show Value, But Trust is Paramount

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/23/19/e7b06c21-cb46-48f1-8220-77440f7864d8_2026-08-23_iii_mixdown.mp3

Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communications, and Lewis Nibbelin, research writer, both with the Insurance Information Institute, discuss the expanding U.S. wildfire threat and how insurers are adapting underwriting, modeling and resilience.

Triple-I’s Ruiz and Nibbelin: US Wildfire Risk Expands; Insurers Must Rethink Risk and Resilience

AM BestAudio Podcast

Insurance news, interviews, rating announcements and more.