Want to know more about what to expect in the insurance marketplace but don’t have time to read a 10+ page State of the Market? Interested in emerging trends and market or capacity changes? Gain the key marketplace insights you need at just a glance with our easy-to-read 2025 guides.

The earthquake insurance market saw significant rate movement in 2023, driven primarily by inflation and a focus on valuation. The market is expected to stabilize in 2024, but challenges remain for insureds seeking coverage. Keep reading to learn how agents can help property owners secure the right coverage.

The stresses that had been building in the California earthquake market have begun to ease. The momentum of rate increases has slowed, although high-risk zones and older buildings remain challenging. Capacity has improved as carriers see a better risk-reward outlook after the significant rate increases of recent years. Higher deductibles are part of the changing landscape, due to pressure from carriers, but also as a means for buyers to manage premium costs. In an evolving market, working with a knowledgeable broker with broad access to markets and in-house modeling expertise can help buyers achieve better results.

PLACING YOU FIRST BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE STORM.
CRC group is here to help with all of your claims and policy servicing issues as a result of catastrophes, including helping clients prepare for a potential claims situation.

The term catastrophe became a part of everyday life this year as the global coronavirus pandemic spread across the country. With spring also came the "normal" catastrophes, including a spate of deadly thunderstorms and tornados. This was followed by an early start to a hurricane season that kept setting records through the summer, and a disastrous wildfire season for which the full scope of damages will not be known for some time.

The earthquake market has moved onto unstable ground as insurers and alternative capital investors demand higher returns on their capital. Rate increases have ramped up over the last year, and buyers should expect higher prices this year for the same coverage. Higher deductibles can be an effective strategy to manage premiums. Buyers who can provide better and more detailed information on their risks can expect a better reception from underwriters. Early and active marketing and working with a broker that offers broad access to markets are crucial for obtaining the most cost-efficient coverage.

Parametric insurance has made its biggest impact so far with catastrophe bonds covering large-scale risks, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, but the concept is becoming more common in commercial and residential insurance. It’s called parametric because rather than responding to a specific loss, the coverage pays out when an agreed “metric” such as wind speed or ground shaking reaches or exceeds certain intensity. Insurers are offering such coverage based on a wide variety of other metrics, including barometric pressure, rainfall, average snowfall, river water levels, storm surge as measured by tide gauges and even hotel occupancy rates.

Insurisk is CRC Group’s exclusive products facility has recently launched CAT+, an A rated property capacity for middle market business that is primarily CAT-exposed. CAT+ can accommodate costal exposure risks from Texas all the way to the Carolinas.

Earthquakes get the headlines, but the ground moves for many reasons. Whether a property loss is covered when the ground shakes, shifts or sinks depends on what the policy says. Earthquake coverage is a very well known, but relatively narrow coverage limited to damage caused by naturally occurring seismic activity. Few buyers are aware of earth movement coverage, which offers broader protection for a wider scope of perils. While most clients choose earthquake coverage, they may want to consider whether earth movement policies make sense, given their specific risks and how it fits into their overall property program.

Buyers have grown used to price cuts in the property market in recent years, but insurers are now taking a harder stance. Insurers are seeking additional premium wherever possible and applying stricter underwriting, particularly to property valuations. Rate increases seem to be gaining traction as leading markets pare back on unprofitable lines. Still, those viewed as good risks can expect to do better than more challenging exposures.

The Catastrophe Risk Assessment Report is a proprietary tool developed by CRC Group’s Property experts to help retailers win with their clients. Exclusive to CRC Group, this report helps deliver an attractive and detailed presentation providing quality mapping and analytics with comprehensive location details and analysis to your insureds. It includes a summary of an account’s exposures aggregated a number of ways, including by CAT zones, State, flood zone, and construction type.

Winds of change are driving the property market in a new direction. Nature had been kind
for more than a decade, sparing the U.S. from major hurricanes and earthquakes. At the
same time, record-low interest rates lured tens of billions of dollars in alternative capital
into insurance markets offering returns well above the rock-bottom rates available on more
standard investments. The combination of new capital and relative calm combined to push
insurance rates lower year after year — until now.