In an increasingly connected world, many cyber insurers are reporting a significant increase in social engineering claims — particularly at organizations involved in real estate and other financial services. That means retail agents and their insureds can expect to see some changes in the marketplace. As social engineering scams increase, some insurers are reducing cybercrime limits, raising premiums for cybercrime coverage, requiring policyholders to take risk mitigation steps or withdrawing from covering cybercrime altogether.

Week after week, hackers and cybercriminals crank out new phishing campaigns, launch creative digital extortion threats and continue expanding payment card scams. Cyberattacks remain the top concern of businesses, yet, only about 55% of Fortune 500 companies and 35% of small to midsized companies (SMEs) buy cybersecurity insurance, according to PC World. And, recovery from such an attack is costly according to Cisco’s 2018 Security Capabilities Benchmark Study: 54% of all cyberattacks result in financial damages of more than US$500,000, including, but not limited to, lost revenue, customers and opportunities, as well as out-of- pocket expenses.

Financial institutions have rebounded and are stronger overall since the subprime loan crisis more than a decade ago, and nonbank lending has emerged as a high-growth business. Even though capacity for financial institution risks remains plentiful, some insurers have become more conservative in their appetites for certain classes and sizes of business. While certain accounts are seeing higher premiums rise due to increased exposure, some new market entrants are pricing accounts aggressively low. What does all this mean for retail agents? Financial institution clients need help to navigate a complex marketplace to obtain the best coverages and pricing.

Cyber threats may be virtual, but the costs are all too real – and rising. Few organizations would skip property or liability insurance, but many still don’t buy coverage to protect against increasingly frequent and costly cyberattacks. From accounting firms to trucking companies and non-profits, every enterprise with an internet connection needs to consider cyber insurance.

Late notice of claims can result in denial of coverage and destroy an agent’s relationship with the insured. On claims‑made policies, timely notice is particularly important for insureds. Here’s how retail agents and brokers can help.