A staggering number of billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events have rocked the United States in 2023. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in early September that 23 events with losses exceeding $1 billion each had hit the country last year. That marked the most in a calendar year in more than four decades of record-keeping.

Catastrophes, higher building costs, and inflation are all impacting commercial underwriting performance and insurer profitability. Proper portfolio valuation is becoming exponentially important as the reinsurance market tightens. So, how can insurance companies better manage their books of business now and into an uncertain future? The answer is rooted in addressing valuation issues by tapping third-party vendors. The answer is tied to partnering with a robust digital platform provider. The answer is collaboration.

In the past, it was easy for insurers to dismiss data as untrustworthy because they didn’t want to invest in it. Now, third-party vendors present necessary advances that help to paint the bigger picture. Platforms like OneShield are the glue that brings these tools together. And, not just for underwriting purposes. In the commercial lines business, customers are generally good risk management partners. OneShield and its customers have seen tremendous engagement with agents and policyholders who want to proactively manage risk. Failing to enable that is a missed opportunity.

Inflation, fluctuations in building costs, and hardening reinsurance markets demand new approaches to portfolio management for commercial insurers. As part of our AAIS Webinar Series, AAIS hosted a virtual presentation on March 16, 2023, featuring AAIS Partner OneShield, the cloud-based, core systems platform providing business solutions for MGAs and P&C insurers. The session was hosted by Stephanie Vasey, Product Manager of Commercial Lines and Inland Marine at AAIS, and moderated by John Dunn, Vice President of OneShield. Their discussion explained how to reduce risk overall and addressed the inflationary economic conditions with a greater understanding of insuring commercial properties. Industry panelists Jeff Heine, Chief Revenue Officer of Betterview, and Skip Coan, Vice President of e2Value, Inc., showed attendees how aerial imagery, data analytics, and property estimation tools bring a new level of accuracy and transparency to the commercial property policy lifecycle.

Cannabis is a multi-billion-dollar market that continues to be underserved by the insurance industry. While the majority of states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis in one form or another, less than 30 insurers are participating in the marketplace nationwide. As the number of states moving toward legalization rises, the number of cannabis related businesses (CRBs) multiplies, and public acceptance of legalization increases, it is imperative that the insurance industry understand and normalize cannabis coverage.  

An increasing number of states are legalizing the use of medicinal and recreational cannabis, creating the opportunity for new business ventures and the need for reliable insurance coverage as the industry expands and matures.