The Golden State’s insurance sector will see “a massive expansion” in the E&S market in the wake of the southern California wildfires, Brown & Brown’s CEO and president J Powell Brown has predicted.

Wholesale broker CRC Group has appointed Daniela Mills as national property practice group director, with the new hire joining after eight years at Lockton.

Axa XL has hired Tim Whisler from Lexington's contract binding platform Western World as its head of wholesale solutions in the Americas, the company confirmed after E&S Insurer revealed the move on Monday.

Brown & Brown’s consolidated organic growth accelerated to 13.8 percent in Q4 from 9.5 percent in the third quarter, driven by a 38.6 percent surge in national programs and a 4.4 percent pickup in retail, as its overall adjusted Ebitdac margin expanded by 190 basis points.

WR Berkley’s fourth quarter underwriting gain fell by 6 percent to $295mn, driven by cat losses that more than doubled to $79.6mn from $32.0mn, while net premiums written at the firm grew by 8 percent to $2.94bn from $2.72bn from the prior-year quarter.

Tim Whisler, executive vice president and head of Lexington’s contract bind platform Western World Insurance Group, has left the AIG-owned carrier to join Axa XL as head of wholesale, E&S Insurer can reveal.

Amwins is issuing a $4.6bn backed senior secured term loan to refinance its existing term loan and fund its latest dividend to shareholders, which follows the wholesale giant’s revenues increasing 16 percent to $2.9bn for the 12 months through the end of September 2024.

Westchester, Chubb’s excess and surplus lines division, has announced the creation of three new business practices — property, casualty, and financial lines — to support the organisation’s digital and middle market, brokerage, and programs businesses.

CRC Insurance Services has continued to expand its National Construction Practice Group with the addition of former Jencap executive Ashley Ward as an inside broker.

Sands Point Risk has secured A+ XV capacity from RLI to launch a de novo New York contractors program, led by former CNA executive John Furey, Program Manager can reveal.