US home insurers suffered their worst underwriting loss this century in 2023, hit by a toxic brew of natural disasters, high inflation, and rising populations in high-risk areas, putting pressure on financial markets. Data from rating agency AM Best shows that insurers that wrote policies for US homeowners suffered an eye-watering $15.2 billion net underwriting loss last year, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. It is the worst figure since at least 2000 and more than double the previous year’s losses.

The report said that rising populations in the areas most at risk from natural catastrophes are major contributors to surging losses. Census figures, it reported, show that six states at high risk from severe weather—California and Texas among them—accounted for half of the United States’ population growth in the 2010s. Changes such as this, demographic in nature, are adding to the financial stress borne by insurers, as more homes in vulnerable areas equate to higher potential losses when disasters hit.

Such harsh underwriting conditions have compelled US insurers to retreat from areas hit by disasters. Many companies are exiting these markets or are raising their premiums significantly, creating an affordability crisis for several homeowners. This development underlines the increasing challenge of maintaining affordable home insurance in regions that continue to suffer from severe weather.

It has also played a big role in increasing the expenses of underwriters. Increasing building materials and labour costs definitely contribute to the heightening of claims prices, increasing the financial burden on insurance companies. This puts additional pressure on the industry as far as the need to raise premiums is concerned, with the risk of insurance becoming unavailable to an ever-growing number of homeowners.

The record losses in 2023 reiterate more than ever that strategies are required to limit the effects of natural catastrophes and growing inflation on the insurance market. Innovative solutions, says the insurer and policymakers, must be made available for strengthening regions vulnerable to damage and more effective handling of population growth in these regions. If big changes do not materialise, the long-term financial viability of home insurance in disaster-prone areas remains at risk, bringing instability to this important part of the US economy.

This crisis should serve as a rude awakening to the insurance sector and the government to work together in implementing measures that could give homeowners more sustainable and more affordable coverage in the face of rising natural and economic shocks.