Meet the Policy Makers
Insurance operations, according to the people running them.
The property and casualty industry enters 2026 with its strongest underwriting results in more than a decade. Whether those results hold will be determined in operations: in claims organizations, underwriting desks, regulatory filings, and delegated authority relationships. This report examines that question with the people responsible for answering it.
The 2026 operating environment, in three measures
The report is organized in seven chapters: the state of the market, the regulatory voice, AI and the operations gap, the carrier voice, claims, talent, and the outlook from 2026 to 2030. Each chapter is built from primary interviews, presented in the leaders' own words and set against current industry data.
The 2026 Policy Makers
The series continues through 2026; new features are added to the report as they are published.
A note from Pete Crowe
The recovery is real, and sustaining it comes down to how well the work is run: underwriting that maintains discipline as pricing softens, claims that communicate, AI layered in stage by stage under licensed accountability, and institutional knowledge captured before it retires.
The leaders in these pages gave us the same message from different vantage points, and they gave it generously: on the record, in their own words. The value of this report is theirs. Operations is the work that executes what every other discipline decides, and these are the people running it.
The next cycle is built in operations.
Request the full report
The complete 2026 edition: every feature interview, with the data underlying each chapter, from market conditions and regulation to AI readiness, claims, delegated authority, and talent.
The report is delivered by email. New editions are announced as features are added.
On the Record
The Policy Makers Studio convenes at the FOCUS booth at InsurTech Connect in Las Vegas, where interviews for the series are recorded live on the show floor. The leaders who sit down go on the record for the annual report, and their features carry across the Policy Makers series through the year. Attendees are invited to watch the conversations as they are taped. The schedule is published here as interviews are confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
What is The 2026 Policy Makers Annual Report?
The 2026 Policy Makers Annual Report is an annual report on insurance operations, published by FOCUS and built from feature interviews with the people running them. It covers the state of the market, the regulatory voice, AI and the operations gap, the carrier voice, claims, talent, and the outlook through 2030.
Who is featured in the report?
The 2026 report features Michel Léonard of the Insurance Information Institute, Kate Harris and Jason Lapham of the Colorado Division of Insurance, Mike Yaworsky of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Andy Case of the Mississippi Insurance Department, Andrée Bourgon of Ascendex Underwriters, Art Meadows of East Tennessee Mutual, and Toni Logan of American Integrity Insurance. The series is hosted by Pete Crowe, President of FOCUS.
How do I get the report?
The report is complimentary. Submit the form on this page and the current edition will be delivered to your email.
What is the Policy Makers Studio?
The Policy Makers Studio is a live interview set at the FOCUS booth at InsurTech Connect in Las Vegas, where interviews for the series are recorded in front of attendees. The interview schedule is published on this page as guests are confirmed.
How often are new features added?
The Policy Makers series continues through 2026, and new features are added to the report as they are published. Readers who request the report are notified by email when new features and live interviews are announced.
What is an insurance operations partner?
An insurance operations partner runs the back office of a carrier, MGA, or MGU as an extension of its team: underwriting support, policy administration, customer service, claims intake, and accounting, all under the client's brand. The category is often called insurance BPO or insurance outsourcing. FOCUS, the publisher of this report, delivers that work with licensed professionals inside AI-enabled workflows, measured on an 80+ NPS.
How quickly can a carrier or MGA launch an outsourced back office?
FOCUS takes a carrier, MGA, or program from signed agreement to live operations in 30 to 60 days: licensed staff, policy servicing, claims FNOL intake, accounting and billing, and a branded service center. The report's operations chapters detail how launches and surge capacity work.
Who is FOCUS?
FOCUS is an insurance operations partner serving property and casualty carriers, MGAs, and MGUs. Its licensed insurance professionals provide underwriting outsourcing and support, policy administration, customer service, claims intake and servicing, accounting, and agency services, the work often categorized as insurance BPO, delivered within AI-enabled workflows with more than two decades of P&C operations expertise behind them. The work maintains an 80+ NPS, more than double the industry average. FOCUS publishes the Policy Makers series and hosts its interviews. Learn more about FOCUS insurance operations services.