I have had a long career in two industries: first insurance, then journalism.

(More precisely, the second is insurance journalism.)

I used to feel proud to be involved in such trusted professions. These days, I sometimes joke that my life revolves around the world’s two most hated ones.

It’s not really a joke. Deep down, I feel depressed about it. And as I head toward retirement, I feel moved to investigate what happened—to the insurance industry trust level, in particular. And how to fix it if it’s broken.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be poring over research on where the insurance industry actually lands on trust. Early results: It’s not as bad as I thought. But it’s not good either. Insurance is built on trust. The industry should be the most trusted profession. Best case—it’s middle of the pack.

Next, I want to interview leaders in the industry to gather their thoughts.

• Does the property/casualty insurance industry have a trust problem?
• What is your company doing to maintain and build trust?
• What does trust-building leadership look like?
• Does the use of AI build or erode trust, and how is your company navigating the challenges?
• How can the insurance industry become a beacon of trust that boosts society?

That last question takes me back to my early days of insurance journalism, as a novice reporter at National Underwriter (now PropertyCasualty360).

I was working late one afternoon—alone in the old building in Hoboken, N.J., where reporters sat in a bullpen and shared one computer in the back of the office to access the Internet (via Yahoo!, an entirely new concept). A local insurance agent came in because he was looking for a copy of an old article we had in the back room. I retrieved it for him. He thanked me. And before he left, he took a minute to stop and tell me how much he admired me and my profession. He talked about how much influence I could have on the insurance industry—being young and being part of a profession that could move people with the stroke of a pen, shining a light on bad practices and highlighting the best ones.

I’m not sure I ever felt the power he described.

Still, I’d like to put everything I have into my last feature for Carrier Management.

In the coming weeks, I’ll reach out to media representatives in search of leaders who would like to join me on my crusade. I’d also like to invite anyone reading this who is similarly passionate about the topic to contact me directly to set up a time to talk or to write their ideas about trust in insurance in their own bylined thought-leadership articles.

Reach me at ssclafane@carriermanagement.com.

Let’s put property/casualty insurance where it belongs—on the top of the list of trusted industries.

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