Michael LaRocco

President-elect Donald Trump was just one of many things on the minds of property/casualty insurers at this year’s Insurance Information Institute Property/Casualty Insurance Joint Industry Forum, held Jan. 17 in New York City.

The last panel of the day, “views from the top,” started with questions from panel moderator and American Insurance Association President and CEO Leigh Ann Pusey that addressed Trump, but also topics ranging from innovation to distracted driving and the National Flood Insurance Program.

Below are highlights based on tweets of the event from Carrier Management reflecting comments made by the two panelists: Anthony Kuczinski, president and CEO of Munich Re America, and Michael LaRocco, president and CEO of State Auto Insurance Companies. Comments are organized by topic.

Anthony Kuczinski

Spikes in auto accident frequency and severity

LaRocco: “We should be shocked about what’s happening.”

LaRocco: “This is a distracted driving issue.

Kuczinski: While distracted driving is an issue, teens seem to be more sensitive and careful about drinking and driving.

How to tackle innovation

LaRocco: State Auto is aggressively going paperless and electronic in both its internal and customer-facing operations.

“LaRocco: “The Power of change coming to our industry is much bigger than we’ve seen before.”

Kuczinski: “Data … is just creating a much faster turn time” for change.

Kuczinski: “Embrace [disruptive change] and find a way to make it work.”

LaRocco: “Change is inevitable, and companies need a strategy to embrace it.”

Younger employees, technology and the hunt for talent

Kuczinski: “We’re getting a lot better at attracting talent to this industry.”

Kuczinski: The need to attract talent that is also tech-savvy will lead to “a war for talent” between multiple industries.

LaRocco: Eliminating a dress code and annual performance reviews are two moves State Auto has taken to attract younger talent.

Donald Trump

Kuczinski: “If [Trump] gets the dialogue going for this infrastructure commitment, it’s a big thing for sure.”

LaRocco: Trump should focus immediately on education…No clear sign yet that that will happen.

National Flood Insurance Program

LaRocco: “We should as an industry do more in terms of preparation/awareness” about national flood insurance.

Kuczinski: “The [National Flood Insurance Program] will continue to exist in some way, shape or form.”

Kuczinski: NFIP coverage has not been priced appropriately, leading to its current, significant deficit.

Kuczinski: “Bring[ing] this back to the trillion-dollar promise of investment in infrastructure, we should be educating the administration as much as we possibly can that that investment, whatever number it becomes, should come with resiliency and the ability to withstand what we believe is the new norm …

LaRocco: “Maybe there will be a wall around the flood zones or something.”