Industry Trends

Clients place significant value on the human expertise offered by their independent insurance agent and have mixed feelings about their agent’s artificial intelligence (AI) use.

From artificial intelligence (AI)-driven operational shifts and dynamic climate modeling to heightened cyber and privacy risks, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of transformation for the insurance industry.

Here are highlights of recent and upcoming changes to state regulations about sick, family and medical leave.

2025 is on track to be the lowest claim volume year in recent history, yet cost management remains critical as severity trends continue to increase, according to Verisk.

1. The homeowners market outlook has been upgraded to stable, with AM Best citing stronger catastrophe risk management, steadier reinsurance market conditions and gradually improving pricing adequacy.

While storms may not make landfall in the U.S., they are becoming increasingly unpredictable and intensify rapidly, warns the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Health care costs are predicted to rise 9.6% in the U.S. in 2026, according to WTW’s “2026 Global Medical Trends” report. While next year’s increase will be slightly less than the 9.7% rise in health care costs experienced this year, it will be significantly higher than the 7.6% increase in 2024. Globally, costs are predicted…

A new survey of consumers from the Big “I” reveals growing concern that excessive and abusive litigation is driving up costs for consumers and reforms are needed.

The vast majority of insurance company executives view severe convective storms (SCS) as the leading threat to their balance sheets, according to a Demex survey.

Lawsuits over how businesses collect and use data have surged, driven largely by aggressive plaintiff’s attorneys leveraging decades-old privacy laws in modern contexts.