Amwins Access, a leader in small business insurance solutions and personal lines coverage, has released its 2026 State of the Market report, providing an in-depth analysis of emerging trends and market conditions across key segments, helping brokers and clients stay ahead in a dynamic insurance landscape while capitalizing on evolving conditions. The report outlines key shifts shaping next year’s placement environment, including softening in property, selective firmness in casualty, and the ongoing influence of digital tools and valuation discipline.
“Retail agents continue to navigate a market that’s stabilizing but still highly nuanced,” said Troy Santora, chief underwriting officer at Amwins Access. “Our 2026 outlook is designed to help our partners anticipate changes and deliver strategic guidance to their clients.”
“Small business and personal lines are entering 2026 from a more stable position than we’ve seen in years,” said Nate Mathis, president at Amwins Access. “Our goal is to give retailers clarity and confidence, helping them anticipate changes and compete effectively in a market that’s still moving quickly.”
2026 Market Landscape
Heading into 2026, the small business and personal lines marketplace reflects a mix of selective softening, returning appetite, and disciplined underwriting. After several years of disruption and rate escalation, property is easing across many territories, while casualty, garag,e and certain CAT-exposed regions still face upward pressure. Technology continues to advance underwriting efficiency, and valuation accuracy remains a defining factor in carrier decision-making.
Key Highlights
- Property market softening accelerates: The property segment shows notable and consistent softening, with rate reductions emerging across most territories, particularly in non-CAT and moderate-CAT regions. Deductibles are easing, new entrants are returning, and underwriters are expanding appetite, including exploration of “brokerage light” structures for small and mid-sized accounts.
- Homeowners market stabilizes, with appetite returning: Standard personal lines homeowners continue to stabilize, with coverage breadth improving and rates flattening or decreasing in many low-CAT areas. CAT-exposed markets, especially in California, remain selective due to capacity concentration concerns, ZIP-code accumulation limits, and ongoing wildfire exposure challenges. In high-value homeowners, capacity is returning to difficult regions, though selective underwriting and strategic layering remain common. Affluent insureds continue adopting higher deductibles and sublimits to manage costs while keeping meaningful coverage.
- Casualty and garage maintain firm conditions: Casualty rates remain moderately firm, driven by social inflation, litigation funding, and severity trends. Clean accounts with strong risk controls are seeing more competitive outcomes, while higher-hazard classes still face pressure. In garage, rising repair costs, theft exposure, and regulatory requirements continue to influence pricing. Dealers face elevated deductibles and rate pressure, while repair-only operations are beginning to see modest softening. Surplus lines flexibility in several states is helping absorb displaced business as admitted capacity contracts.
- Technology integration continues to transform the ecosystem: Digital platforms, automated rating, and AI-enabled submissions remain central to accelerating speed, accuracy, and transparency. Retailers are leveraging these tools to enhance client conversations, improve comparisons, and strengthen the quality of submissions. Amwins’ digital infrastructure, powered by Amwins IQ and data-driven underwriting insights, continues to offer retailers a competitive advantage in navigating rapidly shifting market appetite.
Navigating Change with Amwins Access
With expanding carrier partnerships, specialized expertise across hundreds of classes, and a growing suite of digital tools, Amwins Access continues to equip retailers with the intelligence and market reach needed to navigate shifting small business and personal lines environments. Early submissions, transparent risk practices and ongoing valuation management remain key differentiators for brokers seeking improved outcomes in 2026.
Explore the Full Report
For more information, visit: Amwins Access State of the Market Report: 2026 Outlook
About Amwins Access
Amwins Access specializes in small business insurance solutions and personal lines coverage, offering streamlined access to both admitted and non-admitted markets. With expertise spanning a broad range of risks, Amwins Access delivers customized insurance solutions that help retail agents meet their clients’ needs efficiently and effectively. Backed by the resources and relationships of Amwins, the Access division combines local expertise with global reach to provide unmatched service and innovative product offerings. For more information, visit Small Business Insurance | Amwins.
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