View from the Top: Marc Orloff, Liberty Mutual

Marc Orloff, president, Global Risk Solutions North America division at Liberty Mutual, oversees the insurer’s commercial and specialty insurance operations in the United States, Canada and Bermuda. He joined Liberty Mutual in 2011 after beginning his insurance career with Travelers’ development program in 2001. At Liberty Mutual, he has worked on major accounts, led distribution in various sectors and helped rebuild its middle-market operation. He took on his current role in January 2025. Mr. Orloff recently spoke with Business Insurance Editor Gavin Souter about market conditions, underwriting strategy, artificial intelligence and capital management. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: How would you describe the current operating environment for Global Risk Solutions?

A: For us, we’re in the best position we’ve ever been in. We’ve been focused on being client-centric and on strategically enabling products globally.

The market environment is challenging, to say the least. After coming off a fairly hard market for the last couple of years, that’s shifted pretty quickly. The property market is probably the most challenged.

We play in E&S catastrophe property all the way down to package property for midsize clients, and we’re seeing different markets. There are significant rate reductions on cat property as capacity has come into the market. Package property is seeing a different softening, but still some softening.

In specialty E&S, we’re seeing more MGAs enter the space and provide capacity. We’re still seeing fairly strong rates on liability, umbrella, excess and auto, but rates are moderating. We’re getting close to a point where rate isn’t fully covering trend, and that’s pretty concerning.

Q: Are you changing your approach to excess casualty business?

A: Excess casualty is an extremely challenging line of business. Legal system abuse is still extremely rampant. I’m not sure we truly understand, not just us but the industry, the long-tail risk of things like mass torts, silica and PFAS and that all compounds with excess casualty.

We’re a fairly large excess casualty writer. We typically want to play closer to the primary on the lead here in the States. Above $100 million is where we will provide fairly large limits to our largest clients.

In the U.S., we’ll do below $100 million, and in Bermuda we’ll do above $100 million.

Q: Given those market conditions, where are you looking for growth?

A: We’re so diversified that we’re growing across most aspects of our business where we think it’s prudent.

In the U.S. midsize space, we’ve had tremendous success in technology companies, financial institutions, professional services and manufacturing. We have a very dominant private equity practice and we just launched a life sciences practice. Those are areas where we’ve made strong investments and are adding significant customers.

In U.S. specialty, we’re continuing to lean into cyber. Environmental, health care, financial lines, private and not-for-profit are also areas where we’re making significant investments.

Through Ironshore, we’re continuing to focus on wholesale E&S casualty. Property, not so much right now because of the market, but casualty we’re definitely being strategic about where we lean in.

We’re also a dominant player in infrastructure and construction, especially with data centers.

Q: Where are you seeing the most practical impact from artificial intelligence today?

A: AI is one of the most foundational things we’re seeing across our entire business.

What we’re seeing most today is what I call everyday AI. Our expectation is that our underwriters, adjusters and colleagues are effectively using AI tools. We think it enables them to be experts in their trade and drive expertise.

When you’re underwriting an account, the information an underwriter has at their fingertips to understand that account, understand that risk and understand the legal environment is something we’ve never had before.

Used correctly, AI makes people superhuman.

Longer term, the big unlock is what AI will be able to do with the human in the loop. There are tasks that aren’t high-value tasks that we think AI will help with. Our underwriters and adjusters will be focused on the most value-added work.

We’re going all in like everybody. The math of the business is quite simple — we want to quote more business; we want to hit more business within our appetite; we want to enable more products; we want our claims adjusters to be able to handle more files while still delivering amazing outcomes.

Q: Some companies have said AI will reduce their staffing needs. Do you see that happening?

A: We’re not making statements like that.

We are very focused on efficiency. The reality is we think there are opportunities to grow our business. That doesn’t necessarily mean staff reductions, it means being much more effective and making sure our colleagues are putting their effort into the most value-added, customer-centric tasks that are needed.

Q: Reinsurance pricing has become increasingly competitive. How does that affect your approach as a buyer of reinsurance?

A: Reinsurance capital gives us flexibility, 100%, but one thing we’re not talking about as much today is that, coming out of the hard market, reinsurers moved much higher away from the action, particularly in property. Two years ago, a catastrophic event might have seen about 40% of the loss picked up by insurance company balance sheets. Today, that’s closer to the mid-60%.

Yes, we’re seeing some pricing relief, which we appreciate, but insurers are retaining a much larger share of the risk than they were just two years ago.

Q: How does capital management influence your strategy?

A: As a company, we’re very focused on capital accumulation because, as a mutual, that’s a major focus for us.

One thing we’ve tried to do is think about the business differently. We have our investment arm and our insurance arm, and they’re both sides of the balance sheet. We’re working much closer together to solve customer problems and think about how we can bring capital, whether it’s third-party capital or our own capital, to bear.

We’re looking at sidecars and strategically building relationships that enable us to do more for clients and brokers. Reinsurance is another lever that we use in the same way.

We’re being very strategic in how we think about capital, how we compound capital and how we leverage reinsurance, third-party capital and sidecars to bring the full power of Liberty to bear.