Core Viewpoint - Selective Insurance Group is experiencing elevated casualty severity trends post-pandemic, with assumptions around 9% overall and closer to 10% excluding workers' compensation, indicating a shift in claims patterns that the company believes is persistent rather than temporary [1] Financial Performance and Strategy - The CFO noted a significant increase in the technology budget, which has more than doubled compared to 2023, aimed at enhancing data-driven decision-making and pricing precision [2] - The company expects improvement in underwriting performance, with a combined ratio framework indicating better results in 2026, supported by a written rate of approximately 9.5% over the last two years, exceeding trend assumptions of 7% to 7.5% [13] Reserving and Claims Management - The company has taken proactive reserving actions, particularly in General Liability for 2024 and Commercial Auto Liability for 2025, in response to emerging trends such as lawsuit abuse and social inflation [5][6] - Selective conducts independent reviews of its reserves, with findings indicating that its carried reserves are above one firm's central estimate, validating the company's reserving practices [8] Market Dynamics and Risk Factors - New Jersey has been identified as a significant driver for reserve adjustments, representing about 30% of premium in Personal Auto and 15% in Commercial Auto, with higher susceptibility to social inflation due to various judicial and regulatory factors [9][11] - The company emphasizes the importance of not overreacting to single data points, evaluating a range of factors to avoid misinterpretation of claims trends [7] Growth and Diversification - Selective is expanding its commercial lines footprint from 22 states to 36, with plans to reach 40, and has seen growth in excess and surplus lines, which now constitute 13% of the business [14] - The company is shifting its focus in Personal Lines from mass market to mass affluent customers, with average home values for new business around $1 million [14] Capital Management - Selective has been active in share repurchases, targeting a return of 20% to 25% of earnings over the long term through dividends, having returned approximately $100 million to shareholders in 2025 [16]