Insurers can take steps including viewing flood as a primary peril, writes Jason Richards, CEO of UK & I for Swiss Re.

Depression is now the leading cause of disability in the world. Companies need to start by acknowledging that, and then open to the door to help employees, said Noreen McMullan, chief people officer, AXIS.

The prospect of a long, hard market is driving businesses to make more use of self-insurance instead of handing premium over to carriers.

Lloyd's is expecting claims from the Ukraine/Russia war to be an earnings event, not a capital event, said Hank Watkins, regional director of the Americas for Lloyd’s. He spoke with Insider Engage at the RIMS conference in San Francisco.

As construction costs continue to rise, as many as 75% of properties may be underinsured, said Lori Flemming, managing director of fixed asset advisory services for Kroll.

For $40 a month, bad actors can use ransomware as a service to attack businesses, said Scott Sayce, global head of cyber for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and Allianz Group.

Insurers are scrutinizing their books to see how the far-reaching implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an uptick in civil and political unrest around the world may impact their business.

Cyber insurers are working to marry risk management with cyber insurance to prevent losses before it happens, said executives at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

The monitors and sensors that changed personal lines are moving to commercial lines, said Mo Tooker, head of middle and large commercial for The Hartford. He spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

Jonathan Monks, Sompo International’s EVP and Head of Business Development for North American Insurance, said factors including inflation are driving rate across the market. He spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

The overall hard market has exacerbated the cyber insurance market, said Mario Vitale, CEO of Resilience Cyber Insurance Solutions. He spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

The cyber market remains turbulent due to increased claims, said Bob Parisi, head of cyber solutions North America, Munich Re. He spoke with Insider Engage at the RIMS 2022 conference in San Francisco.

It may be impossible to stop cyber attacks altogether, but companies can take steps to become cyber resilient, said David Shluger, vice president, Cyber Risk Engineering, Zurich North America. Shluger spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

Insurers now know what the 'minimum' requirements are to make companies safer from cyber attacks, but still face systemic risks, said Dan Trueman, global head of cyber, AXIS Insurance. Trueman spoke with Insider Engage at the RIMS 2022 conference in San Francisco.

Mergers & acquisitions reached record levels in 2021, which could result in higher claims for reps & warranties insurers, said Toria Lessman, senior vice president and head of transactional liability for QBE North America. She spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

From climate change to geopolitical risks to cyber attacks, insurers are trying to navigate unsure ground. Here are the highlights of exclusive Insider Engage interviews with key executives at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

The environmental insurance market continues to evolve and grow, said John O'Brien, head of environmental for Ascot Group. He spoke with Insider Engage at the RIMS 2022, conference in San Francisco.

It may be impossible to stop cyber attacks altogether, but companies can take steps to become cyber resilient, said David Shluger, vice president, Cyber Risk Engineering, Zurich North America. Shluger spoke with Insider Engage at RIMS 2022 in San Francisco.

While the COVID-19 pandemic shut down offices and in-person meetings, Aon used the time to revamp its claims review process.

Property damage, forced abandonment, currency and convertibility are among the political risk coverages potentially exposed, said Laura Burns, SVP, US Political Risks, America, WTW said during an interview with Insider Engage at RIMS in San Francisco.

With all asset classes producing negative returns, insurance asset managers are searching for creative ways to manage their investments, said Rip Reeves, chief investment officer and treasurer for AEGIS Insurance Services.

The biggest challenge facing insurers today is the need for the industry to come together to collaborate and find solutions for emerging risks, said Chris Sparro, CEO North America, Sompo International Commercial P&C Insurance.

Geopolitical tensions have put pressures on cyber criminals, who may look to move to other countries where it's easier to operate, John Bennett, managing director, Kroll's Cyber Risk Practice said in an interview with Insider Engage at the recent RIMS conference in San Francisco.

In other industries outside of insurance, competitions have been a mainstay for creating a environment where companies can gain notoriety, venture investors can discover companies and companies can compete to win. But in the insurance industry, it's only recently that competitions have become a way to highlight startups, said David Gritz co-founder of InsurTech NY.

Climate change presents significant risk for the insurance industry on both sides of the balance sheet, and KBRA offers a new metric to help investors dimension an otherwise amorphous aspect of climate risk to specifically move beyond assuming the level of credit risk is related to total emissions.

Insurers can play a leading role in closing the protection gap by helping people plan to reduce the risk of disasters before they strike, and by providing financial help after, said Denis Duverne, chairman, Insurance Development Forum, and chairman of AXA, in an exclusive interview with Insider Engage.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifies, the international conflict is disrupting global energy supply chains since Russia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifies, companies in the US, EU, and other regions are facing increasing stakeholder pressure to restrict services and product sales in Russia. In response, a growing number of corporations have taken measures to halt business there. Global corporate action on the Russia-Ukraine conflict underscores the growing role consumers are playing in international policy.

For a long time diverse-owned companies have faced a number of challenges when it comes to accessing capital, however business diversity programs are making this a thing of the past, enabling diverse-owned companies to expand their network and unlock potential business opportunities.

Over the past two years US insurance companies' interest in integrating economic, social and governance (ESG) factors into their investment strategies has grown significantly.

Carbon emissions reduction targets are often important goals for major cities today, with municipalities and local governments across the globe coming up with individual or joint plans based on existing mechanisms or ones that reflect the circumstances and priorities of a particular city.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a “call for evidence” on February 3 as it begins a formal review of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings market in the European Union (EU).

President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law on November 15, investing $550 billion above baseline levels (the equivalent of approximately 1% of GDP) in US infrastructure over the next five years.

There has been a great deal of debate about what it will take for individual companies to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Many argue that either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade program is the most viable option. Some even maintain that such policies should include all greenhouse gases (GHG), including methane and nitrous oxide.

This KBRA report is a follow-up to a research publication on KBRA’s general approach to incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in KBRA’s credit rating process across corporate, financial, and government (CFG) ratings, which we describe as ESG Management. While our previous publication provided a broad overview of KBRA’s ESG Management approach, this report focuses on the potential influence of ESG topics on KBRA’s analysis of corporate ratings. It is important to note that this research is not methodology. KBRA’s cross-sector ESG methodology can be found here.

Low interest rates and market volatility have pushed insurance asset managers into less familiar territory during the pandemic. Though appetite for alternative asset classes and responsible investing seems here to stay.