Summary of W. R. Berkley Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: W. R. Berkley (NYSE: WRB) - **Industry**: Specialty Insurance Key Points Stake Acquisition by MSI - MSI, a large Japanese insurance company, is acquiring a 12.5% stake in Berkley, previously announced as a 15% stake [3][4] - The relationship between Berkley and MSI has lasted over a decade, with MSI seeking increased exposure to the U.S. insurance market [3][4] - No new shares were sold by Berkley or its executives in this transaction [4][5] Business Strategy and Market Position - Berkley has maintained a consistent focus on the specialty insurance industry for 55 years, managing 60 different businesses in niche markets [6][7] - The company aims to create value for shareholders through expertise in these niches rather than broad market coverage [6] Insurance Cycle Insights - The current insurance cycle shows a decoupling of product lines, with some markets softening (e.g., commercial property) while others are firming (e.g., commercial auto) [8][9] - The cycle is driven by human emotions of fear and greed, affecting underwriting discipline [8] Claim Cost Trends - The industry has faced challenges from economic and social inflation, leading to increased loss trends [10][11] - Berkley is making progress in adjusting rates in response to these trends, although rates may not continue to rise as steeply [11] E&S Market Outlook - The Excess and Surplus (E&S) market is expected to continue gaining market share due to challenges faced by the standard market [12][14] - Berkley’s E&S portfolio is heavily weighted towards liability lines, which are expected to see continued opportunities [14][15] Growth and Profitability - Berkley aims for high single-digit growth, focusing on profitability rather than just issuing policies [16][17] - The company is prepared to wait for favorable market conditions to pursue growth opportunities [17][18] Property Cat and Reinsurance - Property Cat rates are expected to decrease by 10-20%, with Berkley evaluating its participation based on risk-adjusted returns [19][20] - The company is cautious about becoming a significant property Cat writer [34] Expense Management - Berkley aims to keep its expense ratio under 30% while investing in data and analytics for efficiency [24] Artificial Intelligence Initiatives - Berkley is exploring AI tools for underwriting and claims processing, with early positive results [25][26] MGA Risks - The presence of Managing General Agents (MGAs) is highest in competitive markets, leading to potential conflicts of interest [30][31] Berkley One Growth - Berkley One, focused on high-net-worth personal lines, is on track to become a billion-dollar business [32][33] International Expansion - Berkley has opened operations in India, focusing on the liability space with a specialty approach [39] Capital Return Strategy - The company plans to return capital to shareholders through share repurchases and special dividends, while being cautious about M&A [40][41] Investment Income and ROE - Berkley expects to maintain high teens return on equity (ROE) due to strong underwriting health and investment portfolio performance [42][43] Additional Insights - The company is cautious about the sustainability of current medical trends in workers' compensation, which may not be favorable long-term [37][38]

Company Overview - Bowhead is a growing and profitable E&S focused specialty P&C business led by industry veteran, Stephen Sills, with a strategic partnership with American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I[16] - The company has a strong underwriting culture and provides sustainable underwriting across market cycles[16] - Bowhead's leadership team has an average of over 30 years of experience[21] Financial Highlights - Bowhead's Last Twelve Months (LTM) Q3'25 Gross Written Premium (GWP) was $823 million[19] - The company's GWP Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2021 through LTM Q3'25 was 42%[19] - Bowhead's LTM September 2025 Combined Ratio was 95.6%, comprised of a 65.5% loss ratio and a 30.1% expense ratio[19,20] - The Year-To-Date (YTD) September 2025 Adjusted Return on Equity (ROE) was 13.3%[19] - Approximately 80% of the company's LTM Q3'25 GWP was written on an E&S basis[21] Market and Strategy - Bowhead focuses on profitable, growing lines in the attractive E&S market, which has been expanding with a '20-'24 DPW CAGR of 20%[11,27] - The company utilizes a fully-integrated and accountable value chain with in-house underwriting expertise[11,40] - Bowhead balances its "craft" underwriting strategy with "flow" business launched in 2024 to manage growth and profitability through underwriting cycles[57]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Gross written premiums increased by 32% year-over-year to a record $232 million in Q2 2025 [5][11] - Adjusted net income rose by 62% to $12.8 million, with diluted adjusted earnings per share increasing by 32% [5][11] - The loss ratio for the quarter was 66.2%, a 0.7 percentage point increase from 65.5% year-over-year [14] - The expense ratio decreased by 3.2 percentage points to 30.6% compared to 33.8% year-over-year [14] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The casualty division saw a 32% increase in premiums to $151 million, driven by the excess casualty book [6][7] - Professional liability premiums increased by 23% to $55 million, with commercial public D&O driving more than half of the growth [7][8] - Health care liability premiums grew by 39% to $24 million, with growth across all departments [8] - Baleen generated $3.4 million in premiums during its fourth full quarter of operations, showing steady month-over-month growth [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The excess casualty segment is experiencing a modest uptick in competition, but favorable underwriting and pricing conditions persist [18][19] - In the E&S construction project sector, there is a deceleration of new construction projects due to tariffs and labor availability concerns [19] - The professional liability market remains challenging, particularly for financial institutions and large cyber liability accounts [20][21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company emphasizes disciplined underwriting as a core strategy for enduring success and cross-cycle profitability [22] - Bowhead is expanding its craft and flow platforms to capitalize on market opportunities while maintaining a disciplined approach to underwriting [22] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that while competition is increasing, the overall discipline in limit deployment and rates in the excess casualty segment remains [18] - There are signs of market stabilization in public D&O, with brokers anticipating flat or rising rates [20] - The company is leveraging technology to underwrite small and middle market accounts effectively [21] Other Important Information - Net investment income increased by 56% year-over-year to $13.7 million, driven by higher average balances and yields on invested assets [16] - Total equity reached $408 million, resulting in a diluted book value per share of $12.04, a 9% increase from year-end [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Comment on capacity available for financial institutions - Management indicated that the significant capacity is currently restricted to financial institutions and has not leaked into other professional liability products [25][26] Question: Update on social inflation in professional liability - Management noted that social inflation is more pronounced on the casualty side, with claims settlements increasing significantly [27][28] Question: Investment income outlook and reserve mix - Management expects investment income to grow due to increased balances being invested, with a focus on growing the portfolio size [32][35] Question: Update on Baleen's performance - Management expressed a positive outlook for Baleen, highlighting successful technology development and the ability to scale the business [40][42] Question: Expense ratio outlook - Management is optimistic about reducing the expense ratio below 30% in the near future, despite some headwinds from increased fees [48][50] Question: Timing of annual assumption review and reserve assumptions - Management confirmed that the annual review occurs in Q4, with ongoing internal assessments each quarter [54][55] Question: Opportunities to boost new money yield - Management is actively seeking opportunities to enhance yield but remains cautious about chasing high-risk investments [58][60]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net income per diluted share increased by 8.7% year-over-year to $1 per share, with an annualized return on beginning of year equity of 19.1% [11] - Operating earnings were $420 million or $1.05 per share, yielding an annualized return on beginning of year equity of 20% [11] - Stockholders' equity increased by more than $380 million or 4.3% to a record $9.3 billion [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Insurance segment's accident year loss ratio excluding catastrophes was relatively flat year-over-year at 60.7%, with a combined ratio before catastrophes of 89% [13] - The Reinsurance and Monoline Excess segment's accident year loss ratio excluding catastrophes increased to 54.1%, with a strong combined ratio before catastrophes of 83.8% [13] - Net premiums earned reached a record of $3.1 billion, while net premiums written increased to a record $3.4 billion, showing growth across all lines of business [13] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The property market is becoming more competitive, particularly for larger accounts, while smaller accounts face less competition [19][20] - The commercial transportation market continues to see activity from Managing General Agents (MGAs), pushing for rate increases [20] - The professional liability market is mixed, with public Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance beginning to stabilize, while private and non-profit D&O remains competitive [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on achieving appropriate risk-adjusted returns and is optimistic about growth opportunities in the liability market over the next 12 to 36 months [32] - The company is maintaining a defensive posture in certain areas while leaning into higher hazard, more specialized lines of business [70] - The company is cautious about the competitive dynamics in the reinsurance market, particularly regarding ceding commissions and discipline in casualty lines [25][114] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management highlighted concerns about economic inflation, labor market dynamics, and the resilience of U.S. consumer spending as macroeconomic factors impacting the business [7][9] - The company is optimistic about its ability to manage through potential challenges related to tariffs and labor costs, while also focusing on pricing strategies [45][88] - Management expressed confidence in the investment portfolio's positioning and the potential for improved investment income [31][94] Other Important Information - The company paid ordinary and special dividends totaling $224 million in the quarter, contributing to a growth in book value per share of 6.8% for the quarter and 14.3% year-to-date [16] - The effective tax rate for the quarter was 23.2%, exceeding the U.S. statutory rate due to taxes on foreign earnings and state income taxes [15] Q&A Session Summary Question: Growth potential in the current environment - Management adjusted growth expectations to a range of 8% to 12% from the previous 10% to 15% due to recent market conditions [38] Question: Underlying loss ratio dynamics - The underlying loss ratio remains primarily influenced by business mix, with no unusual factors noted [39] Question: Impact of tariffs and labor costs - Management indicated that current loss activity does not reflect significant impacts from tariffs or labor costs, but they are monitoring the situation closely [45] Question: Trajectory of margins - Management believes that current rates are positioning the company well for future improvements, but cautioned against premature conclusions [47] Question: Capital management and share buybacks - The decision not to repurchase shares was based on maintaining surplus capital for future opportunities, with a focus on special dividends as a more efficient return method [52] Question: Medical inflation and its impact - Management is closely monitoring medical inflation and its potential effects on workers' compensation and stop-loss portfolios, with sensitivity analyses conducted [65] Question: Competitive dynamics in the private client business - The company is experiencing traction in the private client space due to its expertise and value proposition, despite not being the cheapest option [126]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net income per diluted share increased by 8.7% year-over-year to $1 per share, with an annualized return on beginning of year equity of 19.1% [9] - Operating earnings were $420 million or $1.05 per share, yielding an annualized return on beginning of year equity of 20% [10] - Stockholders' equity increased by more than $380 million or 4.3% over the year to a record $9.3 billion [13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Insurance segment's accident year loss ratio excluding catastrophes was relatively flat year-over-year at 60.7%, with a combined ratio before catastrophes of 89% [11] - The Reinsurance and Monoline Excess segment's accident year loss ratio excluding catastrophes increased to 54.1%, with a strong combined ratio before catastrophes of 83.8% [11] - Net premiums earned reached a record of $3.1 billion, while net premiums written increased to a record $3.4 billion in the quarter [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The property market is becoming more competitive, particularly for larger accounts, while smaller accounts face less competition [16][17] - The commercial transportation market is experiencing significant activity from Managing General Agents (MGAs), pushing for rate increases [18] - The professional liability market shows mixed results, with public Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance beginning to stabilize [20] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on achieving appropriate risk-adjusted returns and is optimistic about growth opportunities in the liability market over the next 12 to 36 months [30] - The company is maintaining a selective approach to underwriting in the competitive property market, ensuring pricing adequacy [93] - The company is evaluating opportunities in the MGA space but remains cautious about valuations [75] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management highlighted concerns about macroeconomic factors such as inflation, labor market dynamics, and consumer spending, which could impact underwriting and investment strategies [6][7] - The company is optimistic about its ability to manage through potential challenges related to tariffs and labor costs, while also focusing on maintaining strong cash flow [42][60] - Management expressed disappointment with the discipline in the casualty reinsurance market, particularly regarding ceding commissions [108] Other Important Information - The effective tax rate for the quarter was 23.2%, exceeding the U.S. statutory rate due to taxes on foreign earnings and state income taxes [13] - The company paid ordinary and special dividends totaling $224 million in the quarter, contributing to a growth in book value per share of 6.8% for the quarter [14] Q&A Session Summary Question: Growth potential in a tougher quarter - Management revised growth expectations to a range of 8% to 12% instead of the previously stated 10% to 15% [34] Question: Underlying loss ratio dynamics - The underlying loss ratio remains primarily affected by business mix dynamics [36] Question: Impact of tariffs and labor costs - Management indicated that current loss activity is not significantly impacted, but they are monitoring future implications [42] Question: Trajectory of margins - Management believes that current rates are positioning the company well for future improvements, but cautioned against premature conclusions [44] Question: Capital management and share buybacks - Management clarified that the decision not to buy back shares was based on maintaining surplus capital for future opportunities [47] Question: Updates on the Mitsui stake - Management indicated no new information on the Mitsui stake and compliance with SEC regulations will be followed [56] Question: Medical inflation impact - Management is closely monitoring medical inflation and its potential effects on workers' compensation and stop-loss portfolios [60] Question: Competitive dynamics in private client business - Management noted that they are gaining traction in the private client space due to their expertise and value proposition [118]