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Insurance Business Review: Specials Magazine
Euclid Transactional
Setting the Benchmark for Tax Liability Insurance Services
Maximizing high-value deals requires a strategic approach to manage transactional and tax risks. From M&A and tax exposures to cross-border deals, tailored insurance solutions help organizations navigate complex tax landscapes with confidence. Euclid Transactional, a leader in the transaction liability insurance industry, offers tailored solutions to mitigate risk, enhance deal certainty, and help navigate global transactions. With over 150 employees across 10 offices in North America, EMEA, and APAC, Euclid has underwritten over $6.2 trillion in deal value since its inception in 2016. Euclid’s 21-member claims team has helped facilitate over $1 billion in payments to its Insureds. Euclid’s strategic growth and leadership have helped solidify its position as a global transactional insurance leader, backed by some of the world’s most respected carriers. Euclid’s success has, in part, been driven by the growth of its tax insurance team. From a single, dedicated tax underwriter in 2019 to an industry-leading team of 15 seasoned professionals across the globe, the company strives to offer clients top-notch services at scale. The team’s experience allows it to navigate complex M&A, strategic tax, and tax credit opportunities while driving to meet client deadlines. With a deep understanding of renewable energy, cross-border transactions, and specialized areas like transfer pricing, the tax team at Euclid has the ability to deliver tailored solutions to help ensure clients are well-supported. Our team is committed to making the tax insurance experience seamless and valuable. We believe clients choose us for our global reach, deep expertise, and industry-leading claims team,” says Justin Pierce Berutich, Managing Director and Head of Tax. A Blueprint for Achieving Excellence Euclid’s recipe for success is a combination of multiple factors: unmatched depth and expertise, a collaborative and solution-oriented approach, efficient and streamlined processes, and industry-leading claims service. The growth of Euclid’s tax team into one of the largest in the industry reflects a commitment to deepening its expertise across various tax issues and jurisdictions. The team has significant experience managing complex global transactions, strategic tax positions, and tax credit exposures. Working closely with clients and their advisors to develop commercial solutions, the team helps structure tax insurance coverage to enhance value, facilitate smoother transactions, and lead to better outcomes. ... Read More
Annuity
Annuities have long been difficult for consumers to evaluate. Every carrier presents rates, guarantees and product features differently, making apples to apples comparison nearly impossible. My Annuity Store was built to solve that problem. The digital platform brings together live product data, comparison tools and educational resources in one place, giving consumers a clearer path through one of retirement’s most complex decisions. At the center of the platform is a normalized multi carrier database — a single source of truth that standardizes product information across more than 90 insurance companies and 1,500 annuities. Real time APIs update interest rates as carriers change their offerings, while interactive tools help visitors understand how each product works. Traffic to the platform has grown roughly 300 percent since the beginning of the year, reflecting increasing demand for transparent, consumer driven annuity research. “We just like helping people, and the technology is making it a lot easier,” says Jason Caudill, Co Founder. ... Read More
Claim Adjusting
Schneider & Associates Claim Services
Advancing Claims Administration through an Integrated TPA Model
Brian A. Schneider, President
Brian A. Schneider’s experience managing claims for a regional insurance company exposed him to a recurring problem. The independent adjusting companies and TPAs he worked with often fell short of the level of responsiveness insurers and self-insured organizations needed. Seeing an opportunity for a more responsive service model, he founded Schneider & Associates Claim Services, initially serving clients across Los Angeles County. As demand grew, he expanded the service territory and hired adjusters who had both insurance carrier and independent field experience. That background was important to Schneider because his adjusters needed to understand coverage and the way a claims office functions, as well as what claims professionals required from the field to move a file toward resolution. Today, that approach underpins Schneider & Associates’ operations across a wide and growing portion of the United States, with its primary focus on TPA and independent adjusting services alongside investigation and national catastrophe response. ... Read More
Wholesale Insurance Brokerage
Johnson & Johnson Insurance
Bringing Speed and Judgment Together in E&S
Francis Johnson, Jr., Treasurer and Secretary
In E&S insurance, speed has become part of the customer experience. Independent agents are expected to move quickly, yet placing coverage can still mean jumping between portals, rekeying information and waiting for routine transactions to catch up. The technology may be digital, but the friction is real. For Johnson & Johnson Insurance, solving that friction is not simply a technology challenge. It is a customer-service challenge and one that reflects how the family-owned, independently operated wholesale MGA/MGU has approached the business for decades. Its investment in proprietary technology is rooted in the same commitment that has shaped its relationships with agency partners: understand what customers need, then build the business around delivering it. That philosophy is now driving the next phase of the company's technology strategy. After years of building its own platforms, Johnson & Johnson is using that infrastructure to make E&S transactions faster and more seamless, from quoting and binding to real-time issuance and policy servicing. APIs allow agents to transact within their own ecosystems, while AI is accelerating the work behind the scenes. By taking routine intelligence out of the hands of employees, technology gives them more capacity to focus on the judgment, expertise and trust that cannot be automated. ... Read More
Insurance BPO
Insurance teams can scale more effectively when the operational work behind every customer interaction is handled without adding pressure to the front line. Back-office support can help clear backlogs, maintain service levels and control operating costs while giving agencies room to grow without continuously expanding their in-house staff. Insuserve’s insurance-trained virtual assistants extend internal teams, handling essential processing, policy servicing, certificates, endorsements and renewals while allowing agency professionals to focus on customers, sales and retention. Insuserve’s competitive edge comes from its insurance-domain expertise and understanding of industry workflows, backed by quality controls, secure delivery systems and AI-assisted technology. It combines tailored processes, trained backup resources and competitive pricing while keeping quality at the core of its service. Clients start with a two-month commitment, followed by a 30- day notice period. When an assigned virtual assistant is unavailable, a trained backup steps in so work continues without disruption. Many clients stay for three to four years, with some relationships lasting eight to 10 years. ... Read More
Worker Compensation
United Business Insurance Company (UBIC)
Making Independent Agencies Win the Workers’ Compensation Market
Matt Harpin, Director of Underwriting, Brenda Anderson, VP of Operations and Joe Capers, Executive Manager
For independent insurance agencies serving workers’ compensation clients, finding a competitive quote is only one part of the job. Their clients expect prompt and practical guidance when claims occur, complex risks arise or endorsements are needed. United Business Insurance Company is a workers’ compensation carrier that helps independent insurance agencies meet client expectations and strengthen relationships with their insureds. As a workers’ compensation specialist, UBIC serves as a consistent resource for agents throughout the policy lifecycle, assisting with renewals, claims, audits, payroll reporting, endorsements and billing. While policyholders remain central to UBIC’s mission, the company also views its agencies as essential partners. UBIC’s sales, underwriting and service teams work closely with agencies throughout the policy lifecycle, helping create a smoother experience for agents and policyholders. Through direct communication, collaborative underwriting, hands-on claims support and multiple placement options, UBIC helps agencies serve their clients more effectively. “We build strong agency relationships that help us grow profitable workers’ compensation business over the long term,” says Matt Harpin, director of underwriting. ... Read More
Insurance Risk Management
Navigating the Complex Field of Casualty Claims
Terrence Jarrett, Senior Vice President, Head of Casualty Field Claims, PURE Insurance
Workers Compensation Insurance
Navigating the Complex World of Workers Compensation Claims Management over a 23-year Journey in the Industry
Ed Gallon, Claims Director, PMA Companies
Underwriting
The Impact of Insuretech Advancements Overcoming Industry Challenges and Educating Clients For Optimal Coverage
Cynthia Seagrave, Executive Vice President/Broker - Professional, Cyber and Management Liability, RT Specialty
Specialty Insurance
Risk Mitigation with Consistent Data Management
Roy Hock, MBA, ARM, Director of Risk Finance and Casualty Insurance, Valero Energy Corporation [NYSE: VLO]
Underwriting
Accounting for Income Taxes Poses Opportunities for Risk Mitigation
Melissa Hall, Senior Vice President, Global Tax, Assurant [NYSE: AIZ]
Claim Management
Turning Claims into Moments of Customer Trust
Glen Gahrman, Director of Inside Claims, American Integrity Insurance Company
Insurance Risk Management
Balancing Growth with Responsible Risk Management in Relationship Based Commercial Lending
Chason Forehand, Vice President - Mortgage and Commercial Loan Officer, First Port City Bank
IN MY OPINION
Specialty Insurance
Balancing Technology and Empathy in Customer Care and Claims
Debbie Cohen, Director Customer Care & Claims, Interstate Group Holdings
LAST WORD
Claim Management
Turning Operational Challenges into Opportunity
Peggy Griffith, Claim Director, Hastings Insurance
IN FOCUS
Evolving Risk Systems for Employee Safety: Workers Compensation Services and Digital Shift
Workers' compensation insurance services provide workplace injury coverage, streamline claims management, improve risk prevention, enhance safety insights and support employee recovery outcomes.
EDITORIAL
Building Confidence across the Insurance Value Chain
This edition of Insurance Business Review highlights organizations improving everything from tax-risk decisions and workers’ compensation to claims administration, insurance operations and annuity research.
Our cover story acknowledges Euclid Transactional as the Tax Liability Insurance Company of the Year 2026. The methodology used by the firm sees tax liability insurance as more of a tool that can address uncertainty to make the financial risk quantifiable. Having an international tax team in North America, EMEA and APAC makes Euclid unique.
The issue also recognizes companies addressing distinct challenges across the insurance ecosystem. Insuserve-1, named Top Insurance Virtual Assistants Solutions 2026, assists insurers in policy management and development of AI-enabled processes. United Business Insurance Company earned Top Workers Compensation Insurance Services 2026 for building its model around collaborative underwriting, responsive claims support and long-term agency relationships. Johnson & Johnson Insurance, Top Independent Wholesale Broker 2026, combines proprietary technology and AI with the judgment of experienced professionals to simplify E&S transactions for independent agencies. Schneider & Associates Claim Services, recognized as Top Claims Adjusting Services 2026, brings TPA, adjusting, investigation and catastrophe capabilities together through an integrated model supported by experienced claims professionals and AI. My Annuity Store, Top Multi-Carrier Annuity Platform 2026, allows consumers to access standardized information, quotes, comparison tools and educational resources from more than 90 insurance companies.
The edition also includes insights from Debbie Cohen, Director, Customer Care & Claims, Interstate Group Holdings, who advises on the use of artificial intelligence to move fast while exercising human discretion in claims processing. Peggy Griffith, Claim Director, Hastings Insurance Company, shares experience of improving processes that saved over USD 1 million in 2025.
Collectively, these stories illustrate how insurance executives are using technology together with expertise, discipline, and wisdom. Read the issue to learn more about the methods that will guide the future of the industry.
