Brown and Brown, Inc. said the 2026 edition of its Market Trends report suggests preparation and positive claims history can favor buyer renewal on the insurance market.
This year’s report indicates rate conditions are trending upwards for buyers who prepare thoroughly for the renewal process and have a positive claims history, according to Brown and Brown.
Brown and Brown Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and President of the Retail segment Steve Hearn said the report also highlights industries and product lines where rate trends will remain firm and terms will remain challenging.
“The dynamism of today’s insurance market and the ever-changing economic factors being managed by customers make this type of insight invaluable for planning,” Hearn said. “I’m excited to see how the combination of Brown and Brown and Risk Strategies’ specialty knowledge has deepened our ability to provide insight into the factors shaping the risk and liability markets.”
This is the first market trends report since Brown and Brown acquired insurance brokerage and risk management advisor Risk Strategies in June of 2025.
Brown and Brown said each market segment examined in this year’s report faces unique challenges that shape the process of obtaining coverage with terms and rates that meet customer needs.
Among the company’s observations:
- Commercial Insurance – Heightened carrier competition is creating new opportunities for those with strong risk management practices. Large-scale loss events such as wildfires and cyber incidents remain a persistent challenge. Industries like transportation and hospitality, and operations in risk-prone regions, face less favorable market dynamics in securing effective coverage.
- Employee Benefits – A continued shift to control rising costs without compromising benefit quality or relevance is putting an incremental focus on deploying digital health tools, from virtual primary care to cost transparency platforms. Balanced with cost management, fostering a culture that attracts and retains talented, engaged individuals remains essential.
- Personal Insurance – Climate volatility, higher loss severity, regulatory change and evolving carrier strategies all mandate stronger preparation, clearer documentation and more deliberate risk management. While capacity is expanding and underwriting is stabilizing in select areas, catastrophe-exposed regions continue to face tighter requirements and sustained pricing pressure, particularly for properties exposed to wildfire and severe convective storm activity.
The full report can be viewed online.
