How risk managers can best prepare for commercial property insurance renewals in challenging market conditions

12 November 2020

As many industries grapple with the economic and commercial disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers, is offering key advice for risk and insurance managers for an effective renewal process with their commercial property insurer, to help meet the challenges posed by the changing market conditions.

“This advice is particularly relevant to Asian companies or companies with operational footprints in Asia that have been challenged by supply chain disruptions and have either relocated operations or repurposed facilities, or are considering doing so,” said Tan Hian Hong, Vice President, Client Service Manager for FM Global Asia Operations..

“With economic recovery gaining momentum in Asia, this is an ideal time to build resilience for long-term competitive advantage while also guarding against the ever-present threats posed by natural weather events in the region,” he added.

Said James Galloway, executive vice president at FM Global: “In light of the pandemic, the value of investing in risk mitigation should be more apparent than ever. Resilient businesses are more likely to prevent property loss from occurring in the first place and recover more swiftly should a loss occur. Additionally, risk selection continues to define a disciplined market and appropriate risk management investments could affect rates offered by insurers.”

Risk and insurance managers approaching commercial property insurance renewals in these hard market conditions should look to the following advice to support the best possible outcomes:  

  1. Start your renewal process early. The more time you allow for a deep-dive assessment of your potential property risk, the better results you will generally get, as you can understand which risks need to be prioritised. Starting the process early will also allow you to properly explore the options available and the most cost-effective and appropriate solution for your insurance needs. 
  2. Manage expectations. Maintaining an open line of communication among all parties is key to ensure any potential changes can be communicated to decision makers in the C-suite as early as possible.
  3. Provide accurate submissions. Risk data quality, particularly values reporting, is one of the foundations of good underwriting. Underwriters lacking this information may be forced to assume a “worst case scenario” and quote a rate accordingly, or even decline to quote.
  4. Remember, resilience is a choice. Review your risk improvement strategy. Budgets for risk improvement might have tightened but having key sites out of operation due to fire or flood could result in significant business losses. Studies have consistently shown that companies which invest in loss mitigation can better react to periods of crisis and in the long term, gain a competitive advantage.

 

About FM Global
Established nearly two centuries ago, FM Global is a mutual insurance company whose capital, scientific research capability and engineering expertise are solely dedicated to property risk management and the resilience of its client-owners. These owners, who share the belief that the majority of property loss is preventable, represent many of the world’s largest organisations, including one of every three Fortune 1000 companies. They work with FM Global to better understand the hazards that can impact their business continuity in order to make cost-effective risk management decisions, combining property loss prevention with insurance protection.