Articles by Jerry Theodorou

The R Street Blog on Insurance Journal presents the work and viewpoints of the free market think tank R Street Institute in Washington, D.C. Jerry Theodorou is the director of the Finance, Insurance and Trade Policy Program. He develops and advances effective free market public policy solutions to complex issues where federal and state governments have intervened. Prior to R Street, Theodorou was a Director of insurance research at Conning in Hartford, Conn. In his 12 years at Conning, a leading insurance asset management and research firm, he was highly sought after for his insights and publications on a broad range of matters impacting property and casualty insurers, and was in strong demand as keynote speaker at conferences. Prior to Conning, Theodorou worked for the global insurance giant American International Group (AIG) in a variety of global underwriting, operations and strategy roles, including close to a decade of expatriate managerial assignments in Europe and the Middle East.

The “G” in ESG – Good Governance Carrot and Stick

The temperature of the debate surrounding environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is already quite high and continues to rise. Last November, Elon Musk commented, “ESG is the devil.” More recently, in March 2023, Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks pronounced …

After Florida’s insurance market failures, will Louisiana be next to fall?

Last week, a special session of the Louisiana Legislature passed and funded an effort to deter insurance companies from leaving the Pelican State after a raft of hurricanes wreaked havoc on the financials of several insurers, driving some to insolvency. …

California – Mega Catastrophe Ground Zero

California’s destructive Christmas Eve and January storms are a grim reminder that the state is perilously exposed to massive flooding. A paltry 215,000 Californians—less than 2 percent of the state’s homeowners—buy flood insurance, which is excluded in conventional homeowners insurance …

Florida and Reinsurance – Pulling Back the Covers

The Florida Legislature will conduct a special session during the week of December 12 focusing on fixes for a failing, flailing insurance market in the state that has reached crisis levels. Symptoms of the crisis include the financial collapse of …

With Less Reinsurance for Reinsurers, Prices Set to Rise Again for Florida Carriers

It has been three weeks since Hurricane Ian struck Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. The storm took at least 119 lives and caused estimated insured losses ranging from $31 billion to $74 billion, with most estimates in the $60 billion …

Litigation Funding: Competing Mythologies

Judge William Blackstone’s 18th century Commentaries on the Laws of Englandhas been deemed among the most significant influences on the development of U.S. law, second only to the Bible. Blackstone continues to be cited regularly in Supreme Court decisions. In …

Federal Insurance Office: A Study in Evasiveness

A September 8 U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on current issues in insurance included useful discussion on some of the industry’s most pressing concerns. Comments from the committee’s members and from one witness, Maryland Insurance Commissioner …

Sparks Fly at National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Hearing

On June 23, the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee held a hearing to discuss legislative proposals to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). There were 17 proposals included in FEMA’s 104-page …

Florida’s Failing Insurers – Who’s Next?

Florida’s homeowners insurance market is in a perilous, precarious position. Florida has not been struck by a hurricane since 2018, yet there have been seven Florida insurer insolvencies in the recent hurricane-free years, including three so far this year. Hurricane …

Florida insurance market needs strong medicine

If the Florida homeowners’ insurance market were in a medical exam, the diagnosis would find the patient in dangerously poor condition. The patient’s vital signs—its financial results—are troubling. What is more, there are multiple co-morbidities. The welter of symptoms collectively …