Issues & Answers: Navigating E&S Complexity

Reena Batra, vice president, data science, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, discusses elevated auto insurance shopping, changing consumer behavior and how insurers can leverage data to strengthen retention and identify new growth opportunities.

Ingrid Flores, CEO, Elara Spatial, said AI and computer vision can help insurers resolve property claims faster while giving adjusters more time to focus on the human side of the claims process.

David Nelson, executive vice president, Nationwide E&S Wholesale, said disciplined underwriting, smarter data and technology are key to navigating complexity and capturing opportunity in E&S.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Terry Dopp discusses steady investment yield growth among U.S. life/health insurers, 2025 ranking shifts and trends across nearly $9.9 trillion in invested assets.

Nick Colletta is vice president of underwriting - human services, Philadelphia Insurance Cos. talks about how religious organizations need confidence that their carrier understands their mission, their operation and the unique ensitivity of the claim.

Technology is reshaping the life and annuity insurance industry, from modernization and artificial intelligence to customer experience and business transformation. Shay Alon, global managing director and head of Accenture Life Insurance and Annuity Platform, discussed how insurers can leverage technology to drive growth and prepare for the future.

Joe Griffin, senior consulting actuary with Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, said that dynamic data is changing the game for territorial ratemaking.

Xceedance has built its business around helping insurers harness technology, data and expertise to improve how they operate and grow. Arun Balakrishnan, chairman and CEO of Xceedance, discussed how the growing use of AI by plaintiff attorneys could reshape liability claims, litigation strategies, claim severity and insurers’ reserving assumptions.

Bryan Salvatore, executive vice president, president, specialty at The Hanover Insurance Group, said agency consolidation requires carriers to think beyond the transaction.

Aman Gour, co-founder and CEO of FurtherAI, said the insurance industry’s AI opportunity goes well beyond automating individual tasks, arguing that AI can fundamentally reshape operating models while keeping human judgment at the center.