Liability Insurers’ Performance Beginning to Deteriorate

Signs suggest that a quiet period for liability insurers is coming to an end. Current trends in loss frequency, tort filings and reserve releases suggest that an inflection point may have been reached, according to a new study by Conning. “The U.S. liability insurance front has been relatively quiet in recent years,” said Jerry Theodorou, analyst at Conning. “Decreasing loss frequency and an ample reserve position have supported satisfactory results even in the face of falling premium rates in the past decade’s soft market. If current trends continue, however, the tort environment is expected to worsen for the defense bar, with adverse loss frequency and severity trends likely emerging for insurers.”