Professional Indemnity Premium Revenue Declines Amidst Stable Claims

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In an evolving insurance landscape, professional indemnity (PI) insurance payments for non-facility business have remained relatively consistent, with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) reporting $1.111 billion in claims for the 2022 underwriting year, closely matching the $1.109 billion in the previous year.

However, the same period saw a notable dip in gross written premium for PI, which dropped by 6% to $2.775 billion from $2.954 billion, according to data from APRA's latest National Claims and Policies Database.

In contrast, public and product liability insurance for non-facility business experienced a modest reduction in claims payments by 1% to $1.102 billion, while the gross premium for this category saw a 6% increase, reaching $2.914 billion.

Further dissecting the data, APRA revealed that the average written premium for PI insurance decreased more significantly, by over 10%. Conversely, average premiums for public and product liability insurance surged nearly 8% during the same period.

The APRA's comprehensive database, encompassing policy and claims data since 2003, highlights trends in PI and public and product liability insurance. The data accounts for every open, reopened, or completed claim and policy underwritten by APRA-regulated general insurers.

Additionally, the number of PI claims for non-facility businesses that received payments declined by 8% to 17,433 in the 2022 underwriting year. A slight 1% reduction was noted in public and product liability claims, which dropped to 26,483.

Interestingly, data from Lloyd's Australia presents a different trend for PI claims in non-facility business. Lloyd’s reported a 13% increase in claims payments, amounting to $187 million, while payments for public and product liability claims decreased by 4%, totaling $59 million.

Lloyd’s also recorded gross premium totals of $558 million for PI insurance and $290 million for public and product liability insurance in the 2022 underwriting year.

Insights from these comprehensive datasets underscore the varied dynamics within the insurance sector, with professional indemnity insurance facing shifts in premium revenue despite stable claims, while public and product liability insurance show increased premiums despite a marginal decrease in claims.

The original analysis was reported based on data compiled by APRA and Lloyd’s Australia.

Published:Wednesday, 7th Aug 2024
Source: Paige Estritori

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