By MICHELLE EDGAR | Special to the Palisadian-Post

Global pressure for sustainability reporting is growing. Despite mixed political messages and delays to some regulations, companies are continuing to work towards improving the reports they issue to regulators and other stakeholders, seeing it as a critical business imperative that is important to customers, investors, and employees.

Liability insurers are spending less on defending claims, even as their losses mount – a divergence that could reshape strategies for MGAs, program administrators and wholesale brokers across the United States.

In 2014, liability carriers devoted just over 20% of losses to defense costs. By 2024, that share had fallen to 15.2%, a quarter lower than a decade earlier. Yet at the same time, liability loss ratios surged, climbing nearly 11 points to 60.6%.

It’s a paradox with big implications. A leaner defense spend hints at efficiency, but rising losses suggest that fewer legal dollars may not be slowing the tide of costly claims. Property and auto insurers, by contrast, saw their defense-to-loss ratios remain low and stable – under 5% – while their loss ratios improved in 2024.

Every year since she's been able to, Jen Gurecki has signed up for health insurance through Nevada's Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Gurecki, 48, a small ski and snowboard manufacturer based in Reno and the founder of a nonprofit providing microloans to women in Kenya, does not have the capacity to provide insurance through her own businesses.

As one of more than 110,000 Nevadans who enroll in health coverage offered on Nevada Health Link, enhanced income-based subsidies created during COVID and extended under the Biden administration have kept her insurance premiums affordable, Gurecki said. But with portions of the subsidies set to expire at the end of the year and overall insurance prices projected to rise, Gurecki is now worried.

As autumn travel ramps up, the insurance market is preparing for a complex season shaped by heightened disruption risks and shifting consumer behavior. 

While fall typically brings a predictable rise in travel, this year’s mix of external pressures — from hurricane threats to potential government shutdowns and airline labour strikes — is creating a more challenging landscape for both travelers and insurers.