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- Insurance News Digest 2-26-2026
Insurance News Digest 2-26-2026
From across the industry we are hearing commercial P&C is softening, with more capacity and tougher competition reshaping renewals. This week we include two quick reads on what’s driving the shift and who feels it most.
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Insurance News Trivia: Which US state has the most brokers and agents per capita?
Top 10 Articles Of The Week
In the 2026 State of the Union, President Trump urged ending direct ACA payments to insurers and routing funds to consumers. He cited huge insurer stock gains, but the article notes broader averages are lower and subsidy totals smaller.
Fragmented legacy systems make customers and service teams bounce between billing, claims, and service tools. A unified 360° customer record, built via stepwise modernization, data governance, and APIs,can speed service and enable personalization.
Ahead of NYC’s biggest snowstorm in a decade, the long-running GFS model consistently flagged a major hit while newer AI forecasts wavered. Meteorologists say fast-forming nor’easters still demand human judgment and multiple models.
Gallagher Re reports global InsurTech investment rose 19.5% in 2025 to $5.08B, with Q4 jumping 66.8% on mega-rounds. AI-centered firms captured about two-thirds of funding, highlighting where carriers are placing bets.
CMS issued an RFI on AI/ML tools that could personalize Medicare plan recommendations, simplify language, and automate routine call-center inquiries. Vendors must address privacy, security, and fairness; responses are due March 31, 2026.
Insurers’ telematics can flag hard-braking hot spots before crashes pile up. A Google analysis found strong links between near-miss signals and historic crashes, giving agencies faster, more consistent safety data.
One year after the Palisades and Eaton Fires, first-party property disputes are still climbing and expected to keep rising. Lawyers cite slow, incremental replacement-cost increases, then sudden “done adjusting” stances and weak service.
Ransomware, vendor exposure, and escalating extortion are pushing health care cyber from compliance to resilience. The piece notes 605 HHS-reported breaches in 2025 impacting 44.3M people, with average costs estimated at $7.42M.
Volvo will replace battery modules in more than 40,000 EX30 SUVs after an overheating risk raised fire concerns. Owners are told to cap charging at 70% until repairs, underscoring how costly EV battery defects can be.
With disasters rising, the article argues resilience upgrades can cut future claim frequency and improve customer outcomes. It cites 23 U.S. billion-dollar weather events in 2025 and calls for insurer-government alignment on funding and incentives.
Focus Of The Week: From across the industry we are hearing commercial P&C is softening, with more capacity and tougher competition reshaping renewals. Here are two quick reads on what’s driving the shift and who feels it most.
CIAB’s Q4 2025 survey shows commercial P&C premiums up just 0.2% across account sizes, the softest quarter since 2017. Nine lines declined (D&O -3.8%), while commercial auto still rose 6.6% amid capacity pressure.
A rush of capacity is turning commercial property into a buyer’s market, but pricing is inconsistent for the same risk. Lower reinsurance costs, including mid teens cat cuts at Jan 1, 2026, are intensifying competition, especially for “good” risks.
Trivia Answer: Florida, with 369,938 agents according to insurancebusinessmag.com.
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