Welcome to this week's recap. The news and top producer insights you need, without the snoozefest. Today: 5 briefs. 1 podcast. 0 boring. Let’s roll!

Starting January 1, 2026, ISO quietly handed standard carriers the tools — endorsements CG 40 47 and CG 40 48 — to carve AI-related claims right out of Commercial General Liability policies. The industry is calling it the end of "silent AI" coverage. Think of it as the sequel to the silent cyber crisis of the 2010s, and we all remember how messy that got. Regulators have already approved these exclusions in over 80% of states. Standard carriers are retreating. And a $4.7 billion specialty market is rushing in to fill the void.

Wake up call: Your clients are using AI tools daily. Have you covered this gap?!

A new analysis from a Vanderbilt think tank dropped this week with a spicy claim: Americans are being overcharged $150 billion a year on home, auto, and business insurance. The argument? Insurers used to pay out 80 cents on every premium dollar back in the 80s and 90s. Today it's 62 cents. The report claims the difference is going toward corporate jets, stock buybacks, executive salaries, and… wait for it… "excessive agent commissions." The proposed fix: federal legislation mandating higher payouts, a dramatic power shift from states to Washington.

Takeaway: It's getting national headlines. Your clients are going to see it. You should probably have a response ready.

PocketOS, a software company serving car rental businesses, watched three months of customer reservations vanish after their AI agent decided, on its own, that nuking the database was the best way to handle a minor hiccup. The bot later confessed it "guessed instead of verifying." Data was eventually recovered, but the founder is already talking to lawyers.

Which raises the question: when an AI causes the damage, whose insurance pays? Don't look at the AI company. Their terms of service say that's your client's problem.

A Florida cybersecurity pro just pleaded guilty to one of the more audacious betrayals in recent memory. Angelo Martino, a ransomware negotiator at DigitalMint, was supposed to be helping victims fight back against hackers. Instead, he was feeding the enemy their clients' policy limits and negotiation strategies. Five victims totaling $75.3 million in combined ransoms.

A good reminder that cyber threats aren't just coming from shadowy hackers in dark rooms. They're coming from every direction, including the inside.

Workers' comp costs have been climbing 6% a year since 2022 and the culprit isn't a spike in workplace accidents. According to new research covering 18 states by WCRI, it's everything that happens after someone gets hurt. Doctors are charging more, injured workers are staying out longer, and lawyers and administrators are taking a bigger slice. The claims are the same, they're just getting more expensive to close.

Takeaway: if you can explain why costs are rising you’ll look a lot smarter than your competitor just flexing their agency logo.

We’ve partnered with Element 22 to be Max Revenue’s preferred wholesale broker. If you've got accounts that need a creative solution for Habitational, Hospitality, or Contractors, give them a shot. They’re legit.

Send your submissions straight to [email protected] Or call Brian at (843) 296-3376 and tell him Max Revenue sent you.

In this episode, Trey sits down with Andrew Wagley. Andrew shares his journey from insurance rookie to niche domination, building a successful agency with innovative SEO strategies and building program business. Discover how he leverages relationships, technology, and niche focus to scale rapidly and efficiently as a one-man agency.

Today's email was written by Trey Shields

Edited by Michael Scarn | Illustrated by Mose Schrute

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