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US casualty insurance rates rise as global lines keep falling
Marsh data show US casualty rates up 7% in Q2, while property fell 12% globally, and US pressure is tied to claims severity and litigation costs.
Insurance Business reports that commercial insurance pricing is trending down overall, but casualty is the notable exception, particularly in the United States.
According to Marsh’s Q2 2026 Global Insurance Market Index, global casualty rates rose 2% for the quarter, the only major product line moving higher. When looking outside the US, Marsh’s regional data show casualty rates fell in every other region during the same period.
The US stands out within casualty, with rates up 7% in Q2, only slightly softer than the 9% increase in Q1. Marsh attributes the US pressure to higher claims severity and ongoing litigation pressures, and it says capacity has become more selective, with underwriters focusing on risk quality and how programmes are structured.
Insurance Business also cites Gallagher Re’s mid-July half-year facultative market report, which found international and UK casualty facultative rates declined 5% to 25% in the first half of 2026, while US casualty remained the clearest holdout in a buyer driven market. Gallagher Re points to third-party litigation funding, nuclear verdicts, social inflation, and rising defence costs, and notes only four or five traditional reinsurance markets are still actively writing US casualty facultative business.