Amid peak activity for firm order terms and signings of 1.1 reinsurance renewals, strong reinsurer demand for property cat appears to be driving softening at the upper end of expectations, while recent tough talk on US casualty is not translating to meaningful reductions in ceding commissions.

Upward pressure on primary pricing in US casualty lines is expected to accelerate at the upcoming 1 January renewals, with a general consensus that the industry is not yet in the "later innings" of prior-year development, according to JMP Securities.

KBW’s Meyer Shields has provided a “largely positive” outlook for specialty and standard commercial insurers, reflecting the historical pattern of peak commercial underwriting margins coming several years after peak pricing increases.

New US casualty market entrants are leading to rate stabilisation in excess of $10mn, while the London market is “becoming a bit more aggressive” than domestic carriers, according to Risk Placement Services.

Arch Insurance has hired CNA Hardy’s Rachida Laazaouzi as a senior casualty underwriter.

US primary casualty rate increases will hit double digits in 2025 as they catch up to excess rate adjustments, while London is “poised to become a more visible player” in US casualty, Amwins has said.

Moody’s is looking to expand its casualty modelling capabilities by size and geography following its recent acquisition of Praedicat, with head of insurance solutions Mike Steel telling The Insurer that the past few years have seen greater engagement between insurers and modelling firms.

Chief of markets Patrick Tiernan has said Lloyd's will continue to push for underwriting discipline in 2025, with a focus on delegated authorities, certain casualty lines and managing distribution costs.

Concerns around US casualty claims continue to cloud an otherwise positive outlook for the global reinsurance industry heading into 2025, according to AM Best’s latest market segment outlook.

KBW has lifted its target share price for Swiss Re by more than 41 percent on the back of expectations that the reinsurance giant’s recent moves to strengthen US liability reserves will “mark the end” of investor concerns over social inflation.

Brit’s Bermuda platform Brit Re is set to expand into specialty treaty and casualty treaty in 2025 with ~$50mn first-year gross written premium (GWP) targets for each line,

The unofficial theme of this year’s insurance conference season has been the ongoing crisis in the US casualty market.

MS Amlin is expanding its general liability offerings for SMEs through delegated markets as it seeks to avoid the effects of social inflation on the casualty sector, according to the carrier’s chief underwriting officer Martin Burke.

As the reinsurance industry navigates evolving risks in international casualty markets, Axis Re's Simon Stirnemann discusses key challenges and opportunities, and effective strategies to address these complexities.

The US casualty reserving cycle is approaching an “inflection point”, with analysis by Lockton Re suggesting the trend of material adverse development in casualty lines is drawing to a close.