W. R. Berkley’s Q3’25 net income rises 40% to $511m

Core Insights - W. R. Berkley Corporation reported a year-on-year net income growth of 39.8% for Q3 2025, reaching $511 million compared to $365.63 million in the same quarter last year [1] Financial Performance - For Q3 2025, gross premiums written (GPW) were $3.8 billion and net premiums written (NPW) were $3.2 billion, an increase from $3.6 billion and $3.06 billion in Q3 2024 respectively [2] - The current accident year combined ratio before catastrophe losses was 88.4%, while the reported combined ratio remained unchanged at 90.9%, including catastrophe losses of $78.5 million [2] - Net investment income for Q3 2025 was $351.2 million, up from $323 million in the previous year, driven by a 9.4% increase in the core portfolio [3] - The return on equity for Q3 2025 was 24.3%, with an operating return on equity of 21% [3] - For the first nine months of 2025, GPW totaled approximately $11.5 billion, up from $10.7 billion in 2024, while NPW reached $9.7 billion compared to $9.03 billion a year earlier [4] - Net income for the first nine months of 2025 was $1.3 billion, compared to $1.2 billion for the same period in 2024 [4] Management Commentary - Management highlighted strong third-quarter results, emphasizing a 24.3% return on beginning of year shareholders' equity, reflecting strength in both underwriting and investment income [5] - The company noted a 5.8% increase in book value per share before dividends and share repurchases [5] - The decentralized structure and focus on specialty niche markets were cited as key differentiators, enabling growth while maintaining rate adequacy and underwriting discipline [6] - Fixed-maturity investment income increased by 9.8% compared to the same period in 2024, with the new money rate exceeding the book yield of fixed-maturity securities [7] - The company believes its disciplined underwriting approach will continue to drive superior performance across market cycles, positioning it well for future value creation for shareholders [8]