In 2023, the habitational insurance marketplace presents many challenges for property placements. Years of low rates and low valuations, combined with the impact of catastrophe events has created a perfect storm for the hard market. Property owners, insurers, and brokers find themselves grappling with a new reality where traditional underwriting models must contend with the weight of severe and frequent claims as well as the persistent specter of climate-related perils. Navigating this marketplace demands a deliberate balance between creativity, sound risk assessment, and adaptability to secure coverage.

At 1:30 am on June 24, 2021, residents of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida, woke to a deafening crash. When they looked outside, residents saw the complex's South Tower had partially collapsed. It appeared as if the building had disappeared into thin air (source 1). Ninety-eight people died in the tower collapse, and hundreds more were temporarily homeless. The investigation into the collapse is entering its third year, and a final report isn’t expected until late in 2024. The cause of the collapse remains unknown (source 1).

The REDY Index leverages CRC Group’s collection of actionable data – the wholesale industry’s largest. It provides critical pricing analysis monthly, giving you a snapshot of the marketplace. The REDY Index generates instant intelligence on pricing trends by industry or coverage, enabling our retail partners to set accurate data-driven expectations with their clients. Removing the guesswork empowers CRC team members to negotiate competitively, consistently producing better outcomes, better deliverables, and better results.

Louisiana’s property insurance market has been challenging after the state was hit by record hurricane activity during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Louisiana suffered from a string of hurricane hits with Laura, Delta and Zeta hitting the state in 2020, followed by Ida in 2021. That heightened hurricane activity generated approximately 800,000 claims in those two years alone, resulting in $25 billion in paid losses that caused insurers to pull back from the Louisiana market (source 4). In fact, 11 insurers writing homeowners coverage in Louisiana were declared insolvent between July 2021 and February 2023. Twelve additional insurers withdrew from the state and 50 companies stopped writing new business in hurricane-prone parishes, creating a capacity crisis. On top of capacity issues, legal system abuse had become a persistent issue in recent years with strict bad faith laws contributing to inflated claims payments and awards (source 1).

Gone are the days when antivirus software was enough to protect businesses from cyber threats and malware attacks. Modern cybercrime is constantly evolving to produce more complicated, stealthy attacks that require companies to employ proactive security solutions. In this new landscape, endpoints are often the most common target with 81% of companies reporting malware attacks on business devices.1 Fortunately, endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions are available to provide complete visibility of all endpoint devices and activities, which is vital to discovering adverse incidents with the potential to cause data loss, system intrusions, or malware attacks (source 1).

In recent years, home-sharing or home stays have become a popular lodging option for travelers, allowing them to stay in a place that best fits their needs and perhaps offers a more unique experience. As of 2022, there were nearly 4 million hosts offering more than 6.6 million Airbnb listings alone worldwide (source 1). Nearly 1.4 million of those listings are in the United States with the number of U.S. listings growing 23.2% from 2021 to 2022 (source 2). In addition, home rentals are offered by several other well-known home share sites including FlipKey, HomeAway, and VRBO.

Nevada is taking a chance on a new law that’s upping the ante in the state’s admitted liability insurance market. The Silver State recently became the first to comprehensively ban widely used ‘defense within limits’ provisions from admitted liability insurance policies. Such provisions subtract defense costs from an insured’s available limits, effectively eroding coverage.

The REDY Index leverages CRC Group’s collection of actionable data – the wholesale industry’s largest. It provides critical pricing analysis monthly, giving you a snapshot of the marketplace. The REDY Index generates instant intelligence on pricing trends by industry or coverage, enabling our retail partners to set accurate data-driven expectations with their clients. Removing the guesswork empowers CRC team members to negotiate competitively, consistently producing better outcomes, better deliverables, and better results.

The REDY Index leverages CRC Group’s collection of actionable data – the wholesale industry’s largest. It provides critical pricing analysis monthly, giving you a snapshot of the marketplace. The REDY Index generates instant intelligence on pricing trends by industry or coverage, enabling our retail partners to set accurate data-driven expectations with their clients. Removing the guesswork empowers CRC team members to negotiate competitively, consistently producing better outcomes, better deliverables, and better results.

The REDY Index leverages CRC Group’s collection of actionable data – the wholesale industry’s largest. It provides critical pricing analysis monthly, giving you a snapshot of the marketplace. The REDY Index generates instant intelligence on pricing trends by industry or coverage, enabling our retail partners to set accurate data-driven expectations with their clients. Removing the guesswork empowers CRC team members to negotiate competitively, consistently producing better outcomes, better deliverables, and better results.

The REDY Index leverages CRC Group’s collection of actionable data – the wholesale industry’s largest. It provides critical pricing analysis monthly, giving you a snapshot of the marketplace. The REDY Index generates instant intelligence on pricing trends by industry or coverage, enabling our retail partners to set accurate data-driven expectations with their clients. Removing the guesswork empowers CRC team members to negotiate competitively, consistently producing better outcomes, better deliverables, and better results.

In June 2023, multinational industrial conglomerate 3M, reached a historic settlement with public water suppliers over the presence of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The settlement concludes multiple class-action suits against the company. Under the settlement, 3M will pay $10.3 billion to plaintiffs over a 13-year period (source 1).

Cyber risks are skyrocketing. A recent IBM breach report revealed that 83% of organizations experienced more than one data breach in 2022. The severity of the situation continues to be evident in 2023 with the public disclosure of at least 310 cyber incidents in the first quarter of the year alone.

Flooding continues to be one of the most significant risks property owners face. According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), 90% of all U.S. natural disasters involve flooding (source 1). Many people assume that only those who live in coastal areas or near bodies of water are vulnerable to flooding, but that’s not actually the case. In fact, 98% of counties in the United States have been impacted by flooding at some point (source 2).

While the summer sun is shining, only remnants of California’s three-year drought remain after a winter of massive storms. As of early April, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that areas of drought covered less than 9% of the Golden State, a sharp fall from more than 99% as of October 1, 2022. Into May, the state remained roughly 92% drought-free after months of rain and snow. California’s winter was marked by multiple atmospheric rivers that dumped vast amounts of rain and blanketed mountains with an extraordinary level of snowpack. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there is a 50% - 60% chance weather in central and Northern California will be wetter than usual.