P&C Outlook Stable but Under Pressure

Is the property & casualty insurance economic picture better from the outside looking in, or the inside looking out? A panel of outside experts, followed by a panel of insurance company CEOs, considered this question at the Property/Casualty Insurance Joint Industry Forum, held Jan. 13 at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria.

When asked by moderator Robert P. Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute and an economist, about the 2015 financial outlook for P&C insurers, experts describe the economic picture as mixed, with all lines facing rate pressure. Matthew Mosher, senior vice president, Global Ratings at A.M. Best Co., says that personal lines should be stable on rates and loss costs; however, he has a more negative outlook for commercial lines. Reinsurance companies, especially, are dealing with rate pressure, new entrants into the marketplace and shrinking reserves.