The U.S. housing market is showing signs of stabilization, with national data indicating steady sales of attached homes and modest growth in detached home sales. According to Cotality, Texas continues to diverge from these broader trends, particularly across housing product lines.

Detached homes in Texas are cooling at a pace that Cotality characterizes as manageable. Attached homes, including condominiums and townhouses, are experiencing steeper price adjustments. Values in this segment declined 4% year over year, a notable reversal from just a few years earlier when attached homes led post-pandemic growth at annual rates exceeding 13%.

Cotality’s Home Price Index data for 2024 to 2025 highlights the contrast:

• Nationwide detached homes increased 1.36%
• Nationwide attached homes declined 0.74%
• Texas detached homes declined 1.71%
• Texas attached homes declined 4.03%

This repricing has reshaped investor behavior across the state.

Investor Activity Shifts Toward Attached Housing

Cotality data shows that Texas investors have shifted their focus toward attached homes as pricing has softened. In 2019, investors in the state slightly favored detached properties. By 2025, that preference reversed.

In 2025, investors accounted for 39.5% of all attached-home purchases in Texas. By comparison, investor share of detached home sales reached 31.8%. The eight-point gap marks a departure from historical patterns, even after accounting for the traditionally lower entry costs and maintenance efficiencies associated with attached housing.

Nationally, investor participation in attached homes averaged 30.5%. Texas therefore exceeded the national average by nearly ten percentage points, according to Cotality.

The data suggest that investor capital is responding to price adjustments within the attached segment, where inventory is now trading at lower valuations than in recent years.

Rental Trends Reinforce Pricing Dynamics

Cotality links the increase in investor activity to conditions in the rental market. While attached home prices in Texas declined more sharply than the national average, rental growth in the state outpaced the rest of the country.

Rental Trends data from Cotality for 2024 to 2025 shows:

• Nationwide rents increased 1.58% while home prices remained flat
• Texas rents increased 2.56% while attached home prices declined 4.03%

Cotality describes this divergence as an arbitrage environment in which purchase prices are declining while rental income is rising. Investors are acquiring properties at lower price points while leasing them at higher market rents. According to Cotality, this dynamic improves yield potential in new acquisitions and affects both short-term cash flow and longer-term performance.

Price Recovery Projected Beginning In 2026

Looking ahead, Cotality’s Home Price Index forecast does not point to prolonged weakness in the Texas attached housing market. Instead, the model indicates a recovery in sales prices beginning in 2026.

The forecast suggests a V-shaped rebound rather than a structural downturn. Attached home prices in Texas are projected to stabilize and return to positive growth, reaching an annual growth rate of approximately 3.2% through 2030.

Cotality notes that the timing of this projected recovery aligns with the current surge in investor interest. The recent price correction has lowered entry points, while forward-looking indicators suggest that price stabilization is forming.

Broader Implications For Other Markets

Although Texas reflects its own set of conditions, including faster permitting processes and higher levels of new supply, Cotality notes that the underlying market mechanics may extend beyond the state.

The pattern of price softening followed by investor reallocation toward yield-producing assets could emerge in other markets if similar conditions develop. According to Cotality, markets where new supply is catching up with demand, affordability pressures are rising, and institutional capital is already active may experience comparable shifts.

Regions such as parts of Florida, Arizona, and the Carolinas may reflect these dynamics if attached home prices soften while rent growth continues to outpace asset values.

As Cotality’s data shows, Texas may serve as an early indicator of how investors respond when pricing corrections and rental growth move in opposite directions across specific housing segments.

Artificial intelligence continues to gain momentum across the financial services industry, according to a new study from Experian. The Experian Perceptions of AI Report surveyed more than 200 decision-makers at leading financial institutions to better understand how organizations view AI investments, adoption priorities, and expected outcomes. The findings show that financial institutions increasingly see AI as a core component of their business strategies, particularly across the lending lifecycle.

AI Adoption Accelerates Across Financial Institutions

The study reveals that AI adoption is accelerating among financial institutions. In fact, 84% of respondents said AI technology is critical or a high priority for their business strategy over the next two years. In addition, 89% of respondents indicated that AI will play a critical role throughout the lending lifecycle.

Respondents identified several outcomes they expect from investing in AI. These include increased operational efficiency, improved accuracy in credit decisioning, and stronger risk mitigation capabilities. Together, these factors underscore why financial institutions continue to prioritize AI investments as part of broader digital transformation efforts.

Vijay Mehta, EVP of Global Solutions and Analytics for Experian Software Solutions, said the study provides insight into what drives AI adoption among Experian’s financial institution customers. He also noted that the findings reflect the complexity institutions face as they balance innovation with regulatory and data-related considerations.

Regulatory Concerns and Data Challenges Shape AI Strategies

While interest in AI continues to grow, the study shows that financial institutions approach adoption with caution. According to the findings, 73% of respondents expressed concern about the regulatory environment surrounding AI. At the same time, 65% cited having AI-ready data as one of the biggest challenges in implementing AI solutions.

Data quality emerged as a central issue in AI decision-making. Respondents identified it as the most critical factor influencing trust in vendors when selecting an AI partner. As a result, transparency and explainability remain essential considerations for financial institutions evaluating AI solutions.

Mehta emphasized that concerns around regulation and data quality reinforce the importance of explainable AI. He stated that eliminating perceptions of AI as a “black box” helps build trust and supports compliance efforts. According to the study’s findings, vendors must offer transparent, inclusive AI-powered products supported by accurate data.

Experian Focuses on Data and Analytics Capabilities

The concerns identified in the study align closely with Experian’s stated strengths. Mehta highlighted Experian’s data ecosystem and advanced analytics capabilities, which support faster model development, improved decisioning, and streamlined go-to-market strategies. He also pointed to real-time identity protection and fraud prevention as key components of Experian’s approach.

Recent AI-powered enhancements to the Experian Ascend Platform further reflect this focus. According to Mehta, these systems help anticipate customer needs, detect risk, surface business opportunities in real time, and deliver measurable return on investment.

Study Methodology

Phronesis Partners conducted the Perceptions of AI Report on behalf of Experian. The survey included 200 key decision-makers from leading financial institutions. The study examined AI investment strategies, adoption priorities, and the challenges institutions face as they integrate AI into their operations.

About Experian

Experian is a global data and technology company that supports people and businesses worldwide. The company works across industries, including financial services, healthcare, automotive, agrifinance, and insurance. Experian uses data, analytics, and software to help redefine lending practices, prevent fraud, simplify healthcare, deliver digital marketing solutions, and provide deeper market insights.

Experian employs approximately 22,500 people across 32 countries and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange as part of the FTSE 100 Index. More information is available at experianplc.com.

Kaiser Permanente agreed to pay $556 million to the federal government and whistle-blowers to settle civil claims that it overbilled Medicare Advantage, according to a recent New York Times article. The Justice Department and relators alleged Kaiser inflated patient diagnoses to secure higher risk-adjusted payments from Medicare. The lawsuits date back more than a decade, and the government joined them in 2021.

Under the settlement, Kaiser did not admit wrongdoing. In a statement on its website, the organization said it settled to avoid protracted litigation and that the dispute centered on interpreting documentation requirements under the Medicare risk adjustment program.

The Justice Department said Kaiser clinicians were routinely urged to add diagnoses, sometimes long after treatment, to increase risk scores and corresponding government payments. The government estimated these practices generated about $1 billion for Kaiser from 2009 to 2018. The complaint also described group coding sessions and alleged links between added diagnoses and clinician compensation.

One whistle-blower, Dr. James Taylor, a physician and coding expert, helped expose the practices. He described being directed to uncover diagnoses worth millions in additional payments.

The settlement covers Kaiser-affiliated organizations in California and Colorado. Industry oversight of Medicare Advantage coding practices has grown, with multiple large insurers facing similar government suits or settlements. A separate whistle-blower case against UnitedHealth Group is ongoing. UnitedHealth has maintained its coding practices to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rules.

Regulators have sought to adjust Medicare Advantage payment policies to reduce overbilling, but industry pushback has affected the pace of changes, the Times reported. The Justice Department continues to pursue False Claims Act cases in this area. (Based on reporting by Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times, Jan. 14, 2026.)

Analysis from Swiss Re Institute shows that non-economic inflation now accounts for roughly 60% of U.S. liability claims growth. Unlike traditional drivers such as wage or price inflation, this increase stems from legal system dynamics. As a result, historical loss patterns no longer reliably predict outcomes, particularly in severe injury and wrongful death cases.

Public attitudes toward compensation have shifted in recent years. Jury pools increasingly view large verdicts and punitive damages as appropriate mechanisms for corporate accountability. Consequently, the frequency and severity of nuclear verdicts continue to rise. For claims adjusters, this trend necessitates a reassessment of early case evaluation practices, venue risk analysis, and damage anchoring during mediation.

Jury composition also plays a significant role. Younger jurors, who dominate many panels, consistently support higher awards. This dynamic increases volatility even in cases where liability positions remain defensible. As a result, adjusters face greater uncertainty when forecasting outcomes and structuring settlement strategies.

Litigation funding has further intensified these pressures. Most U.S. law firms now utilize third-party funding, which has altered the progression of claims through the legal system. Claims that once resolved through early settlement are more frequently pushed to trial or consolidated into multidistrict litigation. For adjusters handling product, environmental, cyber, and emerging technology claims, these developments drive higher defense costs, extend claim duration, and complicate settlement timing.

Small and mid-sized insureds face particular exposure under these conditions. Swiss Re data indicates that juries are willing to return nuclear verdicts against small and mid-sized enterprises when injuries are severe, even when corporate scale is perceived as limited. In response, adjusters must place greater emphasis on early excess notification, policy limit adequacy reviews, and coordinated defense strategies to manage the risk of catastrophic outcomes.

Outside the United States, similar pressures may be emerging. Expanding class action frameworks and regulatory changes suggest broader claimant pools, longer claim tails, and increased uncertainty. Adjusters managing multinational programs or foreign liability placements should closely monitor these developments, especially as Europe prepares to update its product liability standards in late 2026.

SIAA, the nation’s leading alliance of independent insurance agencies, announced a new strategic partnership with Progressive on Jan. 13, 2026. The agreement expands SIAA member agencies’ access to both personal and commercial lines through a top-tier U.S. property and casualty insurer. The partnership reflects a shared focus on supporting independent agents during a period of ongoing market pressure.

Overview of the Partnership

The partnership between SIAA and Progressive increases available options for independent agencies as both personal and commercial insurance markets face limited capacity and stricter underwriting requirements. Through this relationship, SIAA member agencies gain broader access to Progressive’s personal and commercial lines products.

SIAA selected Progressive based on the carrier’s long-standing commitment to the independent agency channel, underwriting discipline, and data-driven approach. These attributes align with SIAA’s objective of providing sustainable and profitable growth opportunities for its members.

Leadership Perspectives

SIAA Chief Executive Officer Matt Masiello emphasized the organization’s long-term mission to support agency growth.

“For more than three decades, SIAA has committed to providing independent agencies with clear paths to positive business growth,” Masiello said. “Partnering with Progressive is another step in lowering barriers to entry for our member agents for in-demand personal and commercial lines solutions.”

Masiello also referenced the recent launch of SIAA NXT, describing the partnership as an extension of SIAA’s value proposition designed to help agents grow strategically and sustainably.

Progressive Personal Lines President Pat Callahan highlighted the alignment between the two organizations.

“This partnership represents a powerful alignment of two industry leaders committed to supporting independent agents,” Callahan said. “By combining Progressive’s market-leading products with SIAA’s expansive network, we are demonstrating our continued investment in the agency channel and ensuring SIAA agents have access to a broad range of products that support availability and affordability for their clients.”

Connection to SIAA NXT

SIAA recently introduced SIAA NXT, The Intelligent Distribution Platform, to help independent agents scale and adapt within a rapidly advancing insurance environment. The platform leverages data, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence to support agency growth.

The partnership with Progressive supports SIAA NXT by expanding access to personal and commercial lines while aligning underwriting discipline, pricing sophistication, data, and technology. Together, these elements aim to improve growth quality and operational efficiency for member agencies.

About SIAA

SIAA, also known as The Agent Alliance, is the nation’s largest alliance of independent insurance agencies. The organization includes more than 5,200 member agencies that collectively write over $17 billion in total premiums. Built on more than three decades of carrier partnerships and agency growth, SIAA continues to advance the industry through SIAA NXT by connecting agencies, carriers, and partners to support long-term success.

For more information about SIAA, please visit siaa.com.

Insurance-related Google searches reached record levels in 2025, according to a report from Insurance SEO & SEM. The data shows that search activity for car, home, business, health and life insurance all peaked during the year.

Business Insurance Searches Post Largest Year-Over-Year Growth

Business insurance recorded the largest increase among all insurance categories. Searches rose 89% in 2025 compared with 2024. All of the top 38 weeks for business insurance searches over the past six years occurred in 2025. New York showed the highest proportional search interest nationwide. Search activity peaked during the week of July 13 to 19, 2025, following the catastrophic Texas floods. The 2025 peak score of 100 was 2.8 times higher than the previous record of 36 set in 2024.

Home Insurance Search Activity Concentrates in Florida and Texas

Home insurance searches increased 45% year over year in 2025. All of the top 10 weeks for home insurance searches over the past six years occurred during the year. Florida led the nation in proportional search interest. Texas ranked second following the July floods, which resulted in more than 137 deaths and an estimated $1.1 billion in damage. Searches peaked during the week of July 13 to 19, 2025.

Car Insurance Searches Peak Mid-July With Sharp Monthly Increase

Car insurance searches rose 38% in 2025 compared with 2024. The top 10 weeks for car insurance searches in the past five years all occurred in 2025. Georgia recorded the highest proportional search interest among states. Searches peaked during the week of July 13 to 19, 2025, with a 138% increase from the previous month. The 2025 peak score of 100 was 2.3 times higher than the prior record of 46 set in 2021.

Health Insurance Searches Rise Steadily and Peak During Open Enrollment

Health insurance searches increased by 25% year-over-year in 2025. Eight of the top 10 weeks for health insurance searches in the past five years occurred during the year. New York led the nation in health insurance search activity. Unlike property insurance lines, health insurance searches peaked in November during open enrollment rather than in July. Health insurance was also the only category to show consistent year-over-year growth from 2020 through 2025.

Report Notes Ongoing Role of SEO Alongside AI Search Tools

The report also addressed implications for insurance marketing. Suren Pillai, founder of Insurance SEO & SEM, said the data suggests artificial intelligence tools and traditional search engine optimization can coexist. He noted that record search levels for top insurance keywords indicate organic visibility on Google continues to connect insurers with customer acquisition opportunities. The report added that insurance searches represent high-intent activity and stated that AI-powered search tools and traditional search engines are expected to serve complementary roles in the customer journey in 2026.

Convr AI introduced significant enhancements to its AI underwriting workbench as it enters 2026, following a year of platform expansion and product development. The company outlined its 2025 milestones in a press release issued Jan. 6, highlighting new capabilities designed to support commercial insurance underwriting teams.

Based in Chicago, Convr AI positions its underwriting workbench as a modular, AI-driven platform for commercial property and casualty insurance. The company reported that its 2025 developments focused on improving efficiency, supporting profitability, and expanding the functionality of its underwriting technology.

Agentic AI Capabilities Added

During 2025, Convr added agentic AI functionality to its underwriting workbench. The platform now includes referral, declination, financial analyst, and underwriting authority workflow agents. These agents allow underwriting teams to enable more autonomous decision-making while maintaining user control.

Convr also expanded its template library with pre-built starter prompts. These templates allow underwriting team members to build and deploy workflows without requiring prompt engineering skills. According to the company, underwriting expertise alone is sufficient to use the tools.

As an example, the referral agent generates a referral summary using Convr’s commercial P&C ontology. It then informs users whether a submission falls within the appetite or requires a referral. Users can adjust the level of authority the agent has by setting different levels of autonomy.

Updated Underwriting Workbench Interface

Convr launched a new user interface in 2025 to simplify navigation and improve usability across the platform. Enhancements include a new submission hub, sidebar, and summary page.

The updated interface provides more dynamic pages and views. Convr reported that pages are easier to switch between and views are more accessible. Increased color contrast between pages also creates clearer distinctions between product elements.

Expansion of Commercial Insurance Ontology

Convr marked a decade in the commercial insurance data domain by highlighting the depth of its commercial P&C ontology. The company has surfaced data from this continuously updated ontology for customers since 2016.

The ontology serves as a central framework that connects disparate data, business logic, and actions. It creates a centralized, domain-specific commercial insurance schema and produces JSON output to support platform functionality.

Focus on Data-Driven Underwriting

According to Convr, these enhancements represent continued development of its data-driven underwriting workbench. The company stated that the combined advancements support the transition from manual underwriting processes to technology-enabled workflows within commercial insurance.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Jan. 12 that Florida homeowners insured through Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will see premium reductions beginning in the spring of 2026 at policy renewal. State officials said the rate relief reflects continued stabilization in Florida’s insurance market following insurance and tort reforms enacted in recent years.

According to the state, the approved rate changes result in a statewide average premium decrease of 8.7% for Citizens policyholders. More than 330,000 policyholders across all 67 counties will receive a reduction, with over 150,000 experiencing decreases of 10% or more.

Citizens Policyholders See Broad-Based Reductions

Under the approved rates, the majority of Citizens policyholders statewide will receive lower premiums. State officials said South Florida, which previously experienced some of the highest litigation-related insurance costs, will see the largest average decreases.

In Broward County, approximately 27,000 homes are expected to see an average reduction of 14.1%. Miami-Dade County includes about 42,000 homes with an average reduction of 14.0%. Palm Beach County includes roughly 26,000 homes with an average reduction of 11.9%. In Monroe County, more than 1,000 homeowners will receive an average reduction of 11.3%, while more than 8,000 wind-only policies will experience either a reduction or no increase.

Litigation Trends and Market Conditions Cited

State officials attributed the premium reductions to several factors, including a decline in insurance litigation following the elimination of one-way attorney fees and changes to assignment-of-benefits practices. Officials also cited actual losses trending below prior projections, declining reinsurance costs, and reduced Citizens' exposure as policyholders return to the private market.

Underwriting conditions across personal insurance lines have improved, according to the state. As of January 2025, Citizens had 395,144 policies in force, a 50% decline from the prior year and the lowest total in 14 years. Officials said this represents the largest transition of policies back to the private market in a decade.

Broader Insurance Market Activity

The state reported that reforms have influenced activity beyond Citizens. Since the reforms took effect, 17 new insurance companies have entered the Florida market, increasing competition. Dozens of homeowners and auto insurers have filed for rate decreases.

Workers’ compensation rates declined by 6.9% in 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year of reductions for employers, according to the state.

Examples of homeowner rate reductions cited by the state include an 8.2% decrease for Florida Peninsula customers, an 8% decrease for Security First customers, and a 5.1% decrease for Universal Property & Casualty customers.

Auto and Surplus Lines Rate Changes

Auto insurers operating in Florida continue to file for premium decreases affecting hundreds of thousands of drivers. Reported filings include an average decrease of 7% for USAA, 8.7% for Florida Farm Bureau, and 8% for Progressive. State Farm reported an average decrease of 10.1%, which, combined with recent filings, brings its cumulative reduction to 20%. AAA reported three reductions over the year totaling 15%, while Allstate reported an average decrease of 4% for approximately 13,100 drivers.

Surplus lines customers are also seeing lower premiums, according to reports from the Florida Surplus Lines Association. The association reported cost reductions of 10% for commercial business and 47% for commercial windstorm and hail coverage.

Economic Impact Cited by Rideshare Company

During the announcement, the governor referenced a statement from Uber regarding the economic effects of Florida’s legal reforms. Uber reported that since March 2025, Florida riders have saved tens of millions of dollars due to lower insurance-related costs. The company stated that year-over-year fare changes in Florida have been up to six percentage points lower than in other states, noting that riders are seeing lower fares while drivers are completing more trips.