CINCINNATI FINANCIAL CORP
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 24, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 24, 2025
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Financial Results
Consolidated financial results primarily reflect the results of our five reporting segments. These segments are defined based on financial information we use to evaluate performance and to determine the allocation of assets.
We report as Other the noninvestment operations of the parent company and its noninsurer subsidiary, CFC Investment Company. In addition, Other includes the financial results of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re®, and our London-based global specialty underwriter, known as Cincinnati Global Underwriting Ltd. SM (Cincinnati Global).
We measure profit or loss for our commercial lines, personal lines, excess and surplus lines and life insurance segments based upon underwriting results (profit or loss), which represent net earned premium less loss and loss expenses, or contract holders’ benefits incurred, and underwriting expenses on a pretax basis. We also evaluate results for our consolidated property casualty insurance operations. That is the total of our standard market segments (commercial lines and personal lines), our excess and surplus lines insurance segment, Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global. For analysis of our consolidated property casualty insurance results, it is important to include the earned premiums, loss and loss expenses and also underwriting expenses reported as Other. Underwriting results and segment pretax operating income are not substitutes for net income determined in accordance with GAAP.
For our consolidated property casualty insurance operations as well as the insurance segments, statutory accounting data and ratios are key performance indicators that we use to assess business trends and to make comparisons to industry results, since GAAP-based industry data generally is not as readily available.
Investments held by the parent company and the investment portfolios for the insurance subsidiaries are managed and reported as the investments segment, separate from our underwriting business. Net investment income and net investment gains and losses for our investment portfolios are discussed in the Investments Results.
The calculations of segment data are described in more detail in Item 8, Note 18, of the Consolidated Financial Statements. The following sections provide analysis and discussion of results of operations for each of the five segments.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 59
Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results
Earned and net written premiums for our consolidated property casualty operations grew in 2024, reflecting average renewal price increases, a higher level of insured exposures and strategic initiatives for targeted growth. A key measure of property casualty profitability is underwriting profit or loss. Profit increased in 2024, reflecting improved overall insured loss experience before catastrophe effects, as price increases helped to offset elevated losses reflecting economic or other forms of inflation that increased our uncertainty regarding ultimate losses. Our 2024 underwriting profit of $580 million was $179 million more than in 2023, including a $66 million unfavorable effect from a higher amount of catastrophe losses, mostly caused by severe weather. Prior accident year loss experience before catastrophes during 2024 was $27 million less favorable than in 2023. We continue working to improve underwriting profitability, such as through higher pricing and our ongoing initiatives to improve pricing precision and loss experience related to claims and loss control practices. Underwriting profit trends are discussed further below.
The table below highlights property casualty results, with analysis and discussion in the sections that follow. That analysis and discussion includes sections by segment.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Earned premiums | $8,568 | $7,645 | $6,924 | 12 | 10 | |||
| Fee revenues | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | |||
| Total revenues | 8,580 | 7,656 | 6,934 | 12 | 10 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses from: | ||||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 4,848 | 4,463 | 4,171 | 9 | 7 | |||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 824 | 710 | 704 | 16 | 1 | |||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | (141) | (168) | (87) | 16 | (93) | |||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (95) | (47) | (72) | (102) | 35 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses | 5,436 | 4,958 | 4,716 | 10 | 5 | |||
| Underwriting expenses | 2,564 | 2,297 | 2,078 | 12 | 11 | |||
| Underwriting profit | $580 | $401 | $140 | 45 | 186 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 56.6% | 58.4% | 60.2% | (1.8) | (1.8) | |||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 9.6 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 0.3 | (0.9) | |||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | (1.6) | (2.2) | (1.3) | 0.6 | (0.9) | |||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (1.1) | (0.6) | (1.0) | (0.5) | 0.4 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses | 63.5 | 64.9 | 68.1 | (1.4) | (3.2) | |||
| Underwriting expenses | 29.9 | 30.0 | 30.0 | (0.1) | 0.0 | |||
| Combined ratio | 93.4% | 94.9% | 98.1% | (1.5) | (3.2) | |||
| Combined ratio: | 93.4% | 94.9% | 98.1% | (1.5) | (3.2) | |||
| Contribution from catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 6.9 | 6.5 | 7.9 | 0.4 | (1.4) | |||
| Combined ratio before catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 86.5% | 88.4% | 90.2% | (1.9) | (1.8) | |||
Performance highlights for consolidated property casualty operations include:
Premiums – Agency renewal written premiums increased $819 million or 13% in 2024, compared with 2023, and continued to contribute to growth in earned premiums and net written premiums that rose in each of our property casualty insurance segments. The renewal premium increase was largely due to average renewal price increases and a higher level of insured exposures. Price increases with enhanced precision continue to benefit operating results.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 60
New business written premiums produced through agencies increased $364 million in 2024, compared with 2023. Agents appointed during 2024 or 2023 produced a 2024 increase in standard lines new business of $116 million. Growth initiatives also favorably affect growth in subsequent years, particularly as newer agency relationships mature over time.
Cincinnati Re produced $597 million of 2024 net written premiums and contributed $39 million to growth in other written premiums, compared with 2023. Cincinnati Re assumes risks through reinsurance treaties and in some cases cedes part of the risk and related premiums to one or more unaffiliated reinsurance companies through transactions known as retrocessions. In 2024, earned premiums for Cincinnati Re totaled $573 million.
Cincinnati Global also contributed to the increase in other written premiums. Net written premiums were $303 million in 2024, and contributed $23 million of the growth in other written premiums, compared with 2023. In 2024, earned premiums for Cincinnati Global totaled $271 million.
Other written premiums also include premiums ceded to reinsurers as part of our ceded reinsurance program. An increase in ceded premiums, other than Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global premiums, reduced net written premium growth by $49 million in 2024.
The table below analyzes premium revenue components and trends.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Agency renewal written premiums | $7,080 | $6,261 | $5,665 | 13 | 11 | ||
| Agency new business written premiums | 1,541 | 1,177 | 1,032 | 31 | 14 | ||
| Other written premiums | 622 | 608 | 610 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Net written premiums | 9,243 | 8,046 | 7,307 | 15 | 10 | ||
| Unearned premium change | (675) | (401) | (383) | (68) | (5) | ||
| Earned premiums | $8,568 | $7,645 | $6,924 | 12 | 10 | ||
Combined ratio – The combined ratio improved by 1.5 percentage points in 2024, compared with 2023, including a 0.2 percentage-point decrease in the ratio for catastrophe losses. The 2024 ratio for current accident year losses and loss expenses before catastrophes decreased by 1.8 percentage points. That ratio improvement included an increase of 1.4 points for the IBNR portion and a decrease of 3.2 points for the case incurred portion. Price increases and other underwriting efforts have helped to offset losses that have elevated significantly since 2021 due to inflation effects discussed below, as earned premiums in 2024 grew faster than those losses and loss expenses. The remainder of the 2024 combined ratio improvement included a decrease of 0.1 percentage points in the ratio for underwriting expenses, offset by 0.6 percentage points less benefit in the ratio for prior accident year losses and loss expenses before catastrophes. We further discuss ratios related to reserve development in the sections that follow the Catastrophe Losses Incurred table below.
Elevated inflation since 2021 has resulted in higher losses and loss expenses as costs have increased significantly to repair damaged autos or other property that we insure. We also experienced higher losses for liability coverages for some of our lines of business. Higher losses and loss expenses for various lines of business reflect increased uncertainty of estimated ultimate losses. Until longer-term paid loss cost trends become more clear, we intend to remain prudent in reserving for estimated ultimate losses. We believe future property casualty underwriting results will continue to benefit from price increases and our ongoing initiatives to improve pricing precision and loss experience related to claims and loss control practices.
Our statutory combined ratio was 92.9% in 2024 compared with 94.6% in 2023 and 97.7% in 2022. The estimated statutory combined ratio for the property casualty industry, with the industry’s ratio excluding its mortgage and financial guaranty lines of business and based on industry data reported through the first nine months of 2024, was 97.9% in 2024, 103.7% in 2023 and 103.1% in 2022. The contribution of catastrophe losses to our statutory combined ratio was 8.4 percentage points in 2024, 8.8 percentage points in 2023 and 8.9 percentage points in 2022, compared with industry estimates of 8.8, 7.8 and 6.7 percentage points, respectively, with 2024 representing industry data reported through the first nine months of 2023. Components of the combined ratio are discussed below.
Catastrophe loss trends are an important factor in assessing trends for overall underwriting results. Our 10-year historical annual average contribution of catastrophe losses to the combined ratio was 8.0 percentage points at December 31, 2024. Our five-year average was 9.2 percentage points.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 61
Effective June 1, 2024, we restructured our reinsurance program for Cincinnati Re only, providing retrocession coverages with various triggers, exclusions and unique features. The program included property catastrophe excess of loss coverage with a total available aggregate limit of $60 million in excess of $80 million per occurrence. During 2024, there was no recovery from reinsurers for losses pertaining to this program. See Item 7, Liquidity and Capital Resources, 2025 Reinsurance Ceded Programs, for a discussion of other reinsurance coverage.
The following table shows catastrophe losses incurred for the past two calendar years, net of reinsurance, as well as the effect of loss development on prior period catastrophe reserves. We individually list declared catastrophe events for which our incurred losses reached or exceeded $25 million.
Catastrophe Losses Incurred
| (Dollars in millions, net of reinsurance) · Excess and surplus lines | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial lines · Personal lines | |||||||||||||||
| Dates · Events · Regions · Other · Total | |||||||||||||||
| Mar. 12-17 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, South | $30 | $31 | $— | $— | $61 | ||||||||
| Mar. 31 - Apr. 4 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South | 9 | 23 | — | — | 32 | ||||||||
| May 6-10 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, South | 25 | 30 | 1 | — | 56 | ||||||||
| May 25-26 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, South | 38 | 29 | 1 | — | 68 | ||||||||
| Jul. 13-18 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast | 18 | 11 | — | — | 29 | ||||||||
| Sep. 25-28 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, South (Helene) | 55 | 133 | 2 | 43 | 233 | ||||||||
| Oct. 9-10 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | South (Milton) | 6 | 3 | — | 61 | 70 | ||||||||
| All other 2024 catastrophes | 92 | 149 | 4 | 30 | 275 | ||||||||||
| Development on 2023 and prior catastrophes | (31) | (43) | — | (21) | (95) | ||||||||||
| Calendar year incurred total | $242 | $366 | $8 | $113 | $729 | ||||||||||
| Mar. 1-4 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South | $25 | $26 | $1 | $2 | $54 | ||||||||
| Mar. 23-28 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South | 21 | 23 | — | — | 44 | ||||||||
| Mar. 30 - Apr. 1 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South | 58 | 31 | — | — | 89 | ||||||||
| Apr. 3-7 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South | 12 | 33 | — | — | 45 | ||||||||
| May 2-9 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, South | 22 | 7 | — | — | 29 | ||||||||
| Jun. 21-27 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South, West | 21 | 18 | — | — | 39 | ||||||||
| Jun. 28 - Jul. 4 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Midwest, Northeast, South, West | 9 | 16 | — | — | 25 | ||||||||
| Dec. 9-11 | Flood, Lightning, Wind | Northeast, South | 23 | 14 | — | — | 37 | ||||||||
| All other 2023 catastrophes | 125 | 184 | 3 | 36 | 348 | ||||||||||
| Development on 2022 and prior catastrophes | (11) | (44) | — | 8 | (47) | ||||||||||
| Calendar year incurred total | $305 | $308 | $4 | $46 | $663 | ||||||||||
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 62
Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Loss and Loss Expenses
Loss and loss expenses include both net paid losses and reserve changes for unpaid losses as well as the associated loss expenses. For all property casualty lines of business in aggregate, net loss and loss expense reserves at December 31, 2024, were $1.055 billion higher than at year-end 2023, including $998 million for incurred but not reported (IBNR) reserves. The $1.055 billion reserve increase raised year-end 2023 net loss and loss expense reserves by 12%, matching a 12% increase in 2024 earned premiums.
Most of the incurred losses and loss expenses shown in the consolidated property casualty insurance results three-year highlights table are for the respective current accident years, with reserve development on prior accident years shown separately. Since less than half of our consolidated property casualty current accident year incurred losses and loss expenses represents net paid amounts, the majority represents reserves for our estimate of ultimate losses and loss expenses. These reserves develop over time, and we re-estimate previously reported reserves as we learn more about the development of the related claims. The table below illustrates that development. For example, the 67.7% accident year 2023 loss and loss expense ratio reported as of December 31, 2023, developed favorably by 4.9 percentage points to 62.8% due to claims settling for less than previously estimated, or due to updated reserve estimates for unpaid claims, as of December 31, 2024. Accident years 2023 and 2022 have both developed favorably, as indicated by the progression over time for the ratios in the table.
| (Dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident year loss and loss expenses incurred and ratios to earned premiums: | ||||||||||
| Accident year: · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 | ||||||||||
| as of December 31, 2024 | $5,672 | $4,804 | $4,674 | 66.2% | 62.8% | 67.5% | ||||
| as of December 31, 2023 | 5,173 | 4,737 | 67.7 | 68.4 | ||||||
| as of December 31, 2022 | 4,875 | 70.4 | ||||||||
Catastrophe loss trends, discussed above, accounted for some of the movement in the current accident year loss and loss expense ratio for 2024, compared with 2023. Catastrophe losses added 9.6 percentage points in 2024, 9.3 points in 2023 and 10.2 points in 2022 to the respective consolidated property casualty current accident year loss and loss expense ratios in the table above.
The 56.6% ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses for 2024 decreased 1.8 percentage points compared with the 58.4% accident year 2023 ratio measured as of December 31, 2023. The decrease included a 1.4 percentage-point decrease in the ratio for current accident year losses of $2 million or more per claim, shown in the table below.
Reserve development on prior accident years continued to net to a favorable amount in 2024, and was primarily due to less-than-anticipated loss emergence on known claims. We recognized $236 million of favorable development in 2024, compared with $215 million in 2023 and $159 million in 2022. Of the $21 million increase in 2024, compared with 2023, $19 million was attributable to our commercial property line of business. Approximately 89% of our net favorable reserve development on prior accident years recognized during 2024 occurred in our workers' compensation, commercial property and homeowner lines of business. In 2023, our workers' compensation, commercial property and homeowner lines of business were responsible for approximately 80% of the favorable reserve development. As discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Loss and Loss Expense Obligations and Reserves, Property Casualty Insurance Development of Estimated Reserves by Accident Year, commercial casualty and workers' compensation are considered long-tail lines with the potential for revisions inherent in estimating reserves. Favorable development recognized during 2022 was primarily from our workers’ compensation and homeowner lines of business. Development by accident year is further discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Insurance Development of Estimated Reserves by Accident Year.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 63
Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Losses by Size
| (Dollars in millions, net of reinsurance) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | $68 | $141 | $143 | (52) | (1) | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 138 | 144 | 135 | (4) | 7 | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 75 | 94 | 30 | (20) | 213 | |||
| Total large losses incurred | 281 | 379 | 308 | (26) | 23 | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 783 | 596 | 377 | 31 | 58 | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 2,782 | 2,571 | 2,737 | 8 | (6) | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 704 | 634 | 612 | 11 | 4 | |||
| Total losses incurred | $4,550 | $4,180 | $4,034 | 9 | 4 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | 0.8% | 1.9% | 2.1% | (1.1) | (0.2) | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.0 | (0.3) | (0.1) | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.4 | (0.3) | 0.8 | |||
| Total large loss ratio | 3.3 | 5.0 | 4.5 | (1.7) | 0.5 | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 9.1 | 7.8 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 32.5 | 33.6 | 39.5 | (1.1) | (5.9) | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.8 | (0.1) | (0.5) | |||
| Total loss ratio | 53.1% | 54.7% | 58.3% | (1.6) | (3.6) | |||
In 2024, total large losses incurred decreased by $98 million, or 26%, net of reinsurance, primarily due to a decrease for our commercial lines insurance segment. The corresponding 2024 ratio decreased 1.7 percentage points, compared with 2023. The large loss data included in the table above does not include Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global. Our analysis of large losses incurred indicated no unexpected concentration of these losses and reserve increases by geographic region, policy inception, agency or field marketing territory. We believe the inherent volatility of aggregate loss experience for our portfolio of larger policies is greater than that of our portfolio of smaller policies, and we continue to monitor the volatility in addition to general inflationary trends in loss costs.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 64
Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Underwriting Expenses
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Commission expenses | $1,605 | $1,438 | $1,319 | 12 | 9 | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 953 | 854 | 753 | 12 | 13 | |||
| Policyholder dividends | 6 | 5 | 6 | 20 | (17) | |||
| Total underwriting expenses | $2,564 | $2,297 | $2,078 | 12 | 11 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Commission expenses | 18.7% | 18.8% | 19.1% | (0.1) | (0.3) | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 11.1 | 11.1 | 10.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 | |||
| Policyholder dividends | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Total underwriting expense ratio | 29.9% | 30.0% | 30.0% | (0.1) | 0.0 | |||
Consolidated property casualty commission expenses rose $167 million, or 12%, in 2024, with profit-sharing commissions for agencies increasing by $18 million. The 2024 ratio of commission expenses as a percent of earned premiums decreased by 0.1 percentage points, compared with 2023. The ratio for 2023 decreased compared with 2022. In 2024, other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums matched 2023, as earned premiums kept pace with other underwriting expenses. In 2023, other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums increased, compared with 2022, as earned premiums rose at a slower pace than other underwriting expenses. The three-year period ending in 2024 also included ongoing expense management efforts.
Commission expenses include our profit-sharing commissions, which are primarily based on one-year and three-year profitability of an agency’s business. The aggregate profit trend for agencies that earn these profit-based commissions can differ from the aggregate profit trend for all agencies reflected in our consolidated property casualty results.
Salaries, benefits and payroll taxes for our associates account for approximately half of our property casualty other underwriting expenses. Most of our associates either provide direct service to the property casualty portion of our agencies’ businesses or provide support to those associates.
Discussions below of our property casualty insurance segments provide additional details about our results.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 65
Commercial Lines Insurance Results
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Earned premiums | $4,486 | $4,264 | $4,024 | 5 | 6 | |||
| Fee revenues | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total revenues | 4,490 | 4,268 | 4,028 | 5 | 6 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses from: | ||||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 2,660 | 2,594 | 2,530 | 3 | 3 | |||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 273 | 316 | 307 | (14) | 3 | |||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | (107) | (112) | (53) | 4 | (111) | |||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (31) | (11) | (23) | (182) | 52 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses | 2,795 | 2,787 | 2,761 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Underwriting expenses | 1,384 | 1,313 | 1,229 | 5 | 7 | |||
| Underwriting profit | $311 | $168 | $38 | 85 | 342 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 59.3% | 60.8% | 62.9% | (1.5) | (2.1) | |||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 6.1 | 7.4 | 7.6 | (1.3) | (0.2) | |||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | (2.4) | (2.6) | (1.3) | 0.2 | (1.3) | |||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (0.7) | (0.2) | (0.6) | (0.5) | 0.4 | |||
| Loss and loss expenses | 62.3 | 65.4 | 68.6 | (3.1) | (3.2) | |||
| Underwriting expenses | 30.9 | 30.8 | 30.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |||
| Combined ratio | 93.2% | 96.2% | 99.2% | (3.0) | (3.0) | |||
| Combined ratio: | 93.2% | 96.2% | 99.2% | (3.0) | (3.0) | |||
| Contribution from catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 3.0 | 4.6 | 5.7 | (1.6) | (1.1) | |||
| Combined ratio before catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 90.2% | 91.6% | 93.5% | (1.4) | (1.9) | |||
Performance highlights for the commercial lines insurance segment include:
Premiums – Earned premiums and net written premiums rose in 2024, including a $211 million, or 5%, increase in renewal written premiums that continued to include higher average pricing and a higher level of insured exposures. New business written premiums in 2024 increased $157 million, or 27%, compared with 2023, as we continued to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market.
Combined ratio – The 2024 combined ratio improved by 3.0 percentage points compared with 2023, including a 1.8 percentage-point decrease in the ratio component for catastrophe losses. The 2024 combined ratio also improved by 1.5 points due to a lower ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses, compared with 2023. That ratio improvement included an increase of 2.9 points for the IBNR portion and a decrease of 4.4 points for the case incurred portion. Price increases and other underwriting actions have helped offset losses that have elevated significantly since 2021 due to inflation effects, as earned premiums in 2024 grew faster than those losses and loss expenses. Development on prior accident years loss and loss expense reserves before catastrophes during 2024 was 0.2 percentage points less favorable than in 2023, as discussed below.
When estimating the ultimate cost of total loss and loss expenses, we consider many factors, including trends for inflation, historical paid and reported losses, large loss activity and other data or information for the industry or our company. Elevated inflation since 2021 has resulted in higher losses and loss expenses as costs have increased significantly to repair damaged business property or autos that we insure, in addition to higher losses for liability coverages for some of our lines of business. Due to increased uncertainty regarding ultimate losses, we intend to remain prudent in reserving for estimated ultimate losses until longer-term loss cost trends become more clear.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 66
Pricing precision and other initiatives to improve commercial lines underwriting profitability complement our business practices that continue to leverage the local presence of our field associates. Field marketing representatives meet with local agencies to assess each risk, determine limits of insurance and establish appropriate terms and conditions. They underwrite new business, with collaboration and expertise from headquarters associates as needed, while field loss control, machinery and equipment and claims representatives conduct on-site inspections. Field claims representatives also assist underwriters by preparing full reports on their first-hand observations of risk quality.
Our commercial lines statutory combined ratio was 92.2% in 2024, compared with 95.6% in 2023 and 98.5% in 2022. The contribution of catastrophe losses to our commercial lines statutory combined ratio was 5.4 percentage points in 2024, 7.2 percentage points in 2023 and 7.0 percentage points in 2022.
Commercial Lines Insurance Premiums
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Agency renewal written premiums | $4,087 | $3,876 | $3,672 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Agency new business written premiums | 741 | 584 | 600 | 27 | (3) | ||
| Other written premiums | (138) | (124) | (113) | (11) | (10) | ||
| Net written premiums | 4,690 | 4,336 | 4,159 | 8 | 4 | ||
| Unearned premium change | (204) | (72) | (135) | (183) | 47 | ||
| Earned premiums | $4,486 | $4,264 | $4,024 | 5 | 6 | ||
We continue to refine our use of predictive analytics tools to improve pricing precision as we further segment commercial lines policies, emphasizing identification and retention of policies we believe have relatively stronger price adequacy. These tools better align individual insurance policy pricing to risk attributes, providing our underwriters with enhanced abilities to target profitability and to discuss pricing impacts with our agencies. We also continue to leverage our local relationships with agents through the efforts of our teams that work closely with them. We believe our field focus is unique and has several advantages, including providing us with quality intelligence on local market conditions. We seek to maintain appropriate pricing discipline for both new and renewal business as management continues to emphasize the importance of our agencies and underwriters assessing account quality to make careful decisions on a case-by-case basis whether to write new business or renew a policy. Premium rate credits may be used to retain renewals of quality business and to earn new business, but we do so selectively in order to avoid commercial accounts that we believe have insufficient profit margins.
Our 5% increase in 2024 agency renewal written premiums included higher average pricing. We measure average changes in commercial lines renewal pricing as the rate of change in renewal premium for the new policy period compared with the premium for the expiring policy period, assuming no change in the level of insured exposures or policy coverage between those periods for respective policies. In 2024, our standard commercial lines policies averaged an estimated pricing change at a percentage near the low end of the high-single-digit range. Our average commercial lines pricing change includes the flat pricing effect of certain coverages within package policies written for a three-year term that were in force but did not expire during the period being measured. Therefore, the average commercial lines pricing change we report reflects a blend of policies that did not expire and other policies that did expire during the measurement period.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 67
For only those commercial lines policies that did expire and were then renewed during 2024, we estimate that the average price increase was at a percentage in the high-single-digit range. During 2024, we continued to further segment our commercial lines policies, emphasizing identification and retention of policies we believed had relatively stronger price adequacy. Conversely, we continued to seek more aggressive renewal terms and conditions on policies we believed had relatively weaker pricing, in turn retaining fewer of those policies.
Our 2024 increase of 5% for the commercial lines segment's agency renewal written premiums also included a higher level of insured exposures, in addition to other factors such as changes in policy retention rates or changes in mix of business that can cause variations in average premiums per policy. Part of the insured exposure increase reflects our response to inflation effects that increase the cost of building materials to repair damaged commercial structures. We use building valuation software to automate much of that underwriting process and may also manually adjust premiums to reflect property costs.
Changes in the economy can affect insured exposures that directly relate to premium amounts charged for some policies. For commercial accounts, we usually calculate initial estimates for general liability premiums based on estimated sales or payroll volume, while we calculate workers’ compensation premiums based on estimated payroll volume. A change in sales or payroll volume generally indicates a change in demand for a business’s goods or services, as well as a change in its exposure to risk. Policyholders who experience sales or payroll volume changes due to economic factors may also have other exposures requiring insurance, such as commercial auto or commercial property. Premium levels for these other types of coverages generally are not linked directly to sales or payroll volumes.
Premiums resulting from audits of actual sales or payrolls that confirmed or adjusted initial premium estimates are part of net written premiums and earned premiums. They also contribute to increases or decreases in our agency renewal written premiums. The contribution to our commercial lines earned premiums was $107 million, $157 million and $127 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The contribution on a net written premium basis was $108 million, $136 million and $101 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These net written premium amounts are included with agency renewal written premiums in the Commercial Lines Insurance Premiums table above.
In 2024, our commercial lines new business premiums written by our agencies increased $157 million, or 27%, compared with 2023, as we continued to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market. New business premium volume in recent years has been significantly influenced by new agency appointments. Agencies appointed since the beginning of 2023 produced commercial lines new business written premiums of $72 million, in aggregate, during 2024, up $56 million from what they produced during 2023. All other agencies contributed the remaining $669 million, up $101 million from the $568 million they produced in 2023.
For new business, our field associates are frequently meeting with our agents to: help judge the quality of each account; emphasize the Cincinnati value proposition; call on sales prospects with those agents; and provide appropriate quotes after carefully evaluating risk exposures. Some of our new business comes from accounts that are not new to the agent. We believe these seasoned accounts tend to be priced more accurately than business that is new to us and the agency. As we appoint new agencies who choose to move accounts to us, we report these accounts as new business to us.
Other written premiums primarily consist of premiums that are ceded to reinsurers and lower our net written premiums. An increase in ceded premiums reduced net written premium growth by $20 million in 2024.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 68
Commercial Lines Insurance Loss and Loss Expenses
Loss and loss expenses include both net paid losses and reserve changes for unpaid losses as well as the associated loss expenses. Most of the incurred losses and loss expenses shown in the commercial lines insurance segment three-year highlights table are for the respective current accident years, with reserve development on prior accident years shown separately. Since less than half of our commercial lines insurance segment current accident year incurred losses and loss expenses represents net paid amounts, the majority represents reserves for our estimate of ultimate losses and loss expenses. These reserves develop over time, and we re-estimate previously reported reserves as we learn more about development on the related claims. The table below illustrates that development. For example, the 68.2% accident year 2023 loss and loss expense ratio reported as of December 31, 2023, developed favorably by 5.0 percentage points to 63.2% due to claims settling for less than previously estimated, or due to updates to reserve estimates for unpaid claims, as of December 31, 2024. Accident years 2023 and 2022 for the commercial lines insurance segment have both developed favorably, as indicated by the progression over time of the ratios in the table.
| (Dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident year loss and loss expenses incurred and ratios to earned premiums: | ||||||||||
| Accident year: · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 | ||||||||||
| as of December 31, 2024 | $2,933 | $2,693 | $2,680 | 65.4% | 63.2% | 66.6% | ||||
| as of December 31, 2023 | 2,910 | 2,769 | 68.2 | 68.8 | ||||||
| as of December 31, 2022 | 2,837 | 70.5 | ||||||||
Catastrophe losses, as discussed in Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results, explain some of the movement in the current accident year loss and loss expense ratio for accident year 2024, compared with 2023. Catastrophe losses added 6.1 percentage points in 2024, 7.4 points in 2023 and 7.6 points in 2022 to the respective commercial lines current accident year loss and loss expense ratios in the table above.
The 59.3% ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses for 2024 decreased 1.5 percentage points compared with the 60.8% accident year 2023 ratio measured as of December 31, 2023. The change included a decrease in large losses incurred, described below including a table with corresponding ratios for new losses above $2 million, with a 2.2 percentage-point decrease in the 2024 ratio. Contributions to the ratio decrease included inflation effects that were offset by the favorable impact from various initiatives, such as those to improve pricing precision, risk selection and loss experience related to claims and loss control practices.
Commercial lines reserve development on prior accident years of $138 million in 2024 continued to net to a favorable amount and provided a larger benefit than the $123 million recognized in 2023. The $15 million net increase in 2024, compared with 2023, included $19 million from our commercial property line of business and $17 million from our workers' compensation line of business, partially offset by an $11 million decrease from our commercial casualty line of business. Most of our commercial lines net favorable reserve development on prior accident years recognized during 2024 occurred in our workers’ compensation and commercial property lines of business. Favorable development recognized during 2023 and 2022 was also mostly from our workers’ compensation and commercial property lines of business. As discussed in Critical Accounting Estimates, Property Casualty Insurance Loss and Loss Expense Reserves, stable paid and reported loss patterns are a key assumption used to make projections necessary for estimating IBNR reserves. Development by accident year and other trends for commercial lines loss and loss expenses and the related ratios are further discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Insurance Development of Estimated Reserves by Accident Year.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 69
Commercial Lines Insurance Losses by Size
| (Dollars in millions, net of reinsurance) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | $51 | $109 | $95 | (53) | 15 | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 70 | 99 | 103 | (29) | (4) | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 73 | 89 | 26 | (18) | 242 | |||
| Total large losses incurred | 194 | 297 | 224 | (35) | 33 | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 470 | 328 | 304 | 43 | 8 | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 1,417 | 1,393 | 1,535 | 2 | (9) | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 231 | 291 | 275 | (21) | 6 | |||
| Total losses incurred | $2,312 | $2,309 | $2,338 | 0 | (1) | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | 1.1% | 2.5% | 2.4% | (1.4) | 0.1 | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.6 | (0.8) | (0.3) | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 | (0.4) | 1.5 | |||
| Total large loss ratio | 4.3 | 6.9 | 5.6 | (2.6) | 1.3 | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 10.5 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 0.1 | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 31.5 | 32.7 | 38.1 | (1.2) | (5.4) | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 5.2 | 6.8 | 6.8 | (1.6) | 0.0 | |||
| Total loss ratio | 51.5% | 54.1% | 58.1% | (2.6) | (4.0) | |||
In 2024, total large losses incurred decreased by $103 million, or 35%, net of reinsurance. The corresponding 2024 ratio decreased 2.6 percentage points, compared with 2023. The 2024 decrease on a dollar basis was primarily due to a decrease of $116 million for our commercial property line of business. In 2023, total large losses incurred and the corresponding ratio were higher than in 2022, largely due to higher amounts of large losses for our commercial property line of business. Our analysis indicated no unexpected concentration of these losses and reserve increases by geographic region, policy inception, agency or field marketing territory. We believe the inherent volatility of aggregate loss experience for our portfolio of larger policies is greater than that of our portfolio of smaller policies, and we continue to monitor the volatility in addition to general inflationary trends in loss costs.
Commercial Lines Insurance Underwriting Expenses
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Commission expenses | $818 | $780 | $741 | 5 | 5 | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 560 | 528 | 482 | 6 | 10 | |||
| Policyholder dividends | 6 | 5 | 6 | 20 | (17) | |||
| Total underwriting expenses | $1,384 | $1,313 | $1,229 | 5 | 7 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Commission expenses | 18.2% | 18.3% | 18.4% | (0.1) | (0.1) | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 12.6 | 12.4 | 12.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |||
| Policyholder dividends | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | (0.1) | |||
| Total underwriting expense ratio | 30.9% | 30.8% | 30.6% | 0.1 | 0.2 | |||
Commercial lines commission expenses as a percent of earned premiums decreased slightly in 2024, compared with 2023, reflecting a decrease in the ratio for profit-sharing commissions for agencies. The ratio for 2023 decreased slightly compared with 2022. In 2024, other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums increased, compared with 2023, as earned premiums rose at a slower pace than other underwriting expenses, primarily employee-related expenses. In 2023, other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums increased, compared with 2022, as earned premiums rose at a slower pace than other underwriting expenses. The three-year period ending in 2024 also included ongoing expense management efforts.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 70
Commercial Lines Insurance Outlook
Renewal and new business pricing for commercial risks continues to experience significant inflationary and competitive pressure, and we continue to respond with enhanced pricing analytics and careful risk selection. We are committed to our agencies and focus on a long-term strategy when considering how to successfully navigate changing, and often challenging, market pressures and conditions while profitably growing our commercial lines insurance segment.
We intend to grow through additional agency appointments, expansion of our local field presence, enhanced expertise and product expansion that meets the needs of an even larger percentage of our agencies' total commercial portfolio. Our goal is to provide flexibility in our process so that we can deliver an industry-leading agency experience to all of our agents as we work to be the first and last solution when they are considering business placement.
We intend to keep marketing our products to a broad range of business classes with a total account approach, while also continuing to diversify our book of business. Work continues to improve our pricing precision and further segment commercial risks as underwriters emphasize underwriting discipline and careful management of rate levels. They seek to accurately match exposures with appropriate premiums, evaluating each risk on a policy-by-policy basis for decisions about rates, terms and conditions based on each account’s individual characteristics. We believe that our initiatives to improve pricing precision and lower loss costs will continue to benefit commercial lines profitability during 2025.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 71
Personal Lines Insurance Results
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||||
| Earned premiums | $2,623 | $2,044 | $1,689 | 28 | 21 | ||||
| Fee revenues | 5 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Total revenues | 2,628 | 2,048 | 1,693 | 28 | 21 | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses from: | |||||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 1,412 | 1,154 | 991 | 22 | 16 | ||||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 409 | 352 | 236 | 16 | 49 | ||||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | 17 | (20) | (17) | nm | (18) | ||||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (43) | (44) | (44) | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses | 1,795 | 1,442 | 1,166 | 24 | 24 | ||||
| Underwriting expenses | 762 | 610 | 509 | 25 | 20 | ||||
| Underwriting profit (loss) | $71 | $(4) | $18 | nm | nm | ||||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | |||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 53.9% | 56.4% | 58.7% | (2.5) | (2.3) | ||||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 15.6 | 17.3 | 14.0 | (1.7) | 3.3 | ||||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | 0.7 | (1.0) | (1.0) | 1.7 | 0.0 | ||||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (1.7) | (2.2) | (2.6) | 0.5 | 0.4 | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses | 68.5 | 70.5 | 69.1 | (2.0) | 1.4 | ||||
| Underwriting expenses | 29.0 | 29.9 | 30.1 | (0.9) | (0.2) | ||||
| Combined ratio | 97.5% | 100.4% | 99.2% | (2.9) | 1.2 | ||||
| Combined ratio: | 97.5% | 100.4% | 99.2% | (2.9) | 1.2 | ||||
| Contribution from catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 14.6 | 14.1 | 10.4 | 0.5 | 3.7 | ||||
| Combined ratio before catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 82.9% | 86.3% | 88.8% | (3.4) | (2.5) | ||||
Performance highlights for the personal lines insurance segment include:
Premiums – Earned premiums and net written premiums continued to grow in 2024, due to increases in new business written premiums and renewal written premiums that included higher average pricing and a higher level of insured exposures. Renewal written premiums rose $538 million, or 27%, in 2024, compared with 2023, while new business written premiums rose $188 million, or 45%. Cincinnati Private Client SMnet written premiums, included in the personal lines insurance segment, rose $462 million, or 37%, to approximately $1.719 billion in 2024, representing 57.3% of the segment's 2024 net written premiums. Cincinnati Private Client net written premiums included excess and surplus lines homeowner policies with premiums totaling $166 million in 2024 and $109 million in 2023.
Combined ratio – The 2024 combined ratio improved by 2.9 percentage points, compared with 2023, including a decrease of 1.2 points in the ratio for catastrophe losses. The improvement also included 2.5 points from a lower ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses. That ratio decrease included an increase of 2.0 points for the IBNR portion and a decrease of 4.5 points for the case incurred portion. Price increases and other underwriting efforts have helped to offset losses that have elevated significantly since 2021 due to inflation effects, as earned premiums in 2024 grew faster than those losses and loss expenses. The ratio decreases for catastrophe losses and current accident year results were partially offset by an increase of 1.7 points from reserve development on prior accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophes during 2024 that was unfavorable by 0.7 points compared with favorable development of 1.0 points in 2023.
When estimating the ultimate cost of total loss and loss expenses, we consider many factors, including trends for inflation, historical paid and reported losses, large loss activity and other data or information for the industry or our
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 72 company. Elevated inflation since 2021 has resulted in higher losses and loss expenses as costs have increased significantly to repair damaged autos or homes that we insure, in addition to higher losses for liability coverages for some of our lines of business. Due to increased uncertainty regarding ultimate losses, we intend to remain prudent in reserving for estimated ultimate losses until longer-term loss cost trends become more clear.
We have increased our pricing precision and implemented numerous rate increases in recent years to improve our personal lines insurance segment results. In addition, we have made greater use of higher minimum loss deductibles and enhanced our property inspection processes to verify condition and insurance to value. We have worked to improve our geographic diversification by expanding our personal lines operation to additional states as the type of catastrophe risk can vary by state.
Our personal lines statutory combined ratio was 95.5% in 2024, compared with 98.3% in 2023 and 97.7% in 2022. The contribution of catastrophe losses to our personal lines statutory combined ratio was 13.9 percentage points in 2024, 15.1 percentage points in 2023 and 11.4 percentage points in 2022.
Personal Lines Insurance Premiums
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Agency renewal written premiums | $2,495 | $1,957 | $1,601 | 27 | 22 | ||
| Agency new business written premiums | 604 | 416 | 296 | 45 | 41 | ||
| Other written premiums | (100) | (71) | (66) | (41) | (8) | ||
| Net written premiums | 2,999 | 2,302 | 1,831 | 30 | 26 | ||
| Unearned premium change | (376) | (258) | (142) | (46) | (82) | ||
| Earned premiums | $2,623 | $2,044 | $1,689 | 28 | 21 | ||
Personal lines insurance is a strategic component of our overall relationship with most of our agencies and is an important component of our agencies’ relationships with their clients. We believe agents recommend our personal insurance products to their clients who seek to balance quality and price and who are attracted by our superior claims service and the benefits of our package approach. We also believe our continuing efforts to improve pricing precision are helping us attract and retain more of our agencies’ preferred business, while also obtaining higher rates for more thinly priced business.
The 27% increase in agency renewal written premiums in 2024 included the effect of various rate changes. We estimate that premium rates for our personal auto line of business increased at an average percentage in the low-double-digit range during 2024, with some individual policies experiencing lower or higher rate changes based on enhanced pricing precision enabled by predictive models that consider characteristics of specific risks. For our homeowner line of business, we estimate that price increases during 2024 averaged a percentage in the high-single-digit range. Similar to our personal auto line of business, that average varied widely by state, and some individual policies experienced lower or higher rate changes based on pricing precision and current rate level indications that helped determine appropriate premium rates.
The increase in agency renewal written premiums in 2024 also included a higher level of insured exposures and other factors such as changes in policy deductibles or mix of business. Part of the insured exposure increase reflects our response to inflation effects that increase the cost of building materials to repair damaged homes.
Personal lines new business written premiums grew by $188 million, or 45%, during 2024, compared with 2023, including approximately $89 million from Cincinnati Private Client policies and $99 million from middle-market policies. We believe we maintained underwriting and pricing discipline across all personal lines markets as we expanded use of enhanced pricing precision tools. Some of what we report as new business came from accounts that were not new to our agents. We believe our agents’ seasoned accounts tend to be priced more accurately than business that may be less familiar to them.
Other written premiums primarily consist of premiums that are ceded to reinsurers and lower our net written premiums. An increase in ceded premiums reduced net written premium growth by $28 million in 2024.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 73
Personal Lines Insurance Loss and Loss Expenses
Loss and loss expenses include both net paid losses and reserve changes for unpaid losses as well as the associated loss expenses. Most of the incurred losses and loss expenses shown in the personal lines insurance segment three-year highlights table are for the respective current accident years, with reserve development on prior accident years shown separately. Since approximately two-thirds of our personal lines current accident year incurred losses and loss expenses represent net paid amounts, the remaining one-third represents reserves for our estimate of ultimate losses and loss expenses. These reserves develop over time, and we re-estimate previously reported reserves as we learn more about the development on the related claims. The table below illustrates that development. For example, the 73.7% accident year 2023 loss and loss expense ratio reported as of December 31, 2023, developed favorably by 2.6 percentage points to 71.1% due to claims settling for less than previously estimated, or due to updated reserve estimates for unpaid claims, as of December 31, 2024. Accident year 2022 for the personal lines segment developed favorably for the two-year period ending December 31, 2024, as indicated by the progression over time for the ratios in the table. It experienced a small amount of unfavorable development during 2024, driven by the personal auto line of business as described below, and favorable development during 2023.
| (Dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident year loss and loss expenses incurred and ratios to earned premiums: | ||||||||||
| Accident year: · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 | ||||||||||
| as of December 31, 2024 | $1,821 | $1,454 | $1,188 | 69.5% | 71.1% | 70.4% | ||||
| as of December 31, 2023 | 1,506 | 1,182 | 73.7 | 70.0 | ||||||
| as of December 31, 2022 | 1,227 | 72.7 | ||||||||
Catastrophe losses, as discussed in Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results, explain some of the movement in the current accident year loss and loss expense ratio for accident year 2024, compared with accident year 2023. Catastrophe losses added 15.6 percentage points in 2024, 17.3 points in 2023 and 14.0 points in 2022 to the respective personal lines current accident year loss and loss expense ratios in the table above. Personal lines catastrophe losses for 2024 resulted in a ratio higher than our 11.4% 10-year annual average for personal lines. Personal lines catastrophe losses are inherently volatile, as discussed above and in Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results.
The 53.9% ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses for 2024 improved 2.5 percentage points compared with the 56.4% accident year 2023 ratio measured as of December 31, 2023. The decrease included an improvement in the ratios for new losses above $2 million, with a 0.7 percentage-point decrease in the 2024 ratio. Other contributions included inflation effects that were offset by the favorable impact from various initiatives, such as those to improve pricing precision, risk selection and loss experience related to claims and loss control practices.
Personal lines loss and loss expense reserve development on prior accident years recognized in 2024 was favorable by $26 million, in aggregate, compared with $64 million in 2023. The 2024 net favorable reserve development included $54 million for our homeowner line of business offset by $20 million of unfavorable development for our personal auto line of business. The 2023 net favorable reserve development included $53 million for our homeowner line of business and $15 million for our personal auto line of business. As discussed in Critical Accounting Estimates, Property Casualty Insurance Loss and Loss Expense Reserves, stable paid and reported loss patterns are a key assumption used to make projections necessary for estimating IBNR reserves. Development by accident year and other trends for personal lines loss and loss expenses and the related ratios are further discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Insurance Development of Estimated Reserves by Accident Year.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 74
Personal Lines Insurance Losses by Size
| (Dollars in millions, net of reinsurance) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | $17 | $32 | $48 | (47) | (33) | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 64 | 45 | 30 | 42 | 50 | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 2 | 7 | 4 | (71) | 75 | |||
| Total large losses incurred | 83 | 84 | 82 | (1) | 2 | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 108 | 65 | 5 | 66 | nm | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 988 | 809 | 738 | 22 | 10 | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 353 | 298 | 186 | 18 | 60 | |||
| Total losses incurred | $1,532 | $1,256 | $1,011 | 22 | 24 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | 0.7% | 1.6% | 2.8% | (0.9) | (1.2) | |||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | (0.2) | 0.0 | |||
| Total large loss ratio | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.9 | (0.9) | (0.8) | |||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 4.1 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.9 | |||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 37.6 | 39.5 | 43.7 | (1.9) | (4.2) | |||
| Catastrophe losses | 13.5 | 14.6 | 11.0 | (1.1) | 3.6 | |||
| Total loss ratio | 58.4% | 61.4% | 59.9% | (3.0) | 1.5 | |||
In 2024, personal lines total large losses incurred decreased by $1 million, or 1%, net of reinsurance. The corresponding 2024 ratio decreased 0.9 percentage points, compared with 2023. The 2024 decrease was primarily due to a lower amount for our homeowner line of business. In 2023, total large losses increased, compared with 2022, primarily due to higher amounts for our homeowner line of business. Our analysis indicated no unexpected concentration of these losses and reserve increases by risk category, geographic region, policy inception, agency or field marketing territory. We believe the inherent volatility of aggregate loss experience for our portfolio of larger policies is greater than that of our portfolio of smaller policies, and we continue to monitor the volatility in addition to general inflationary trends in loss costs.
Personal Lines Insurance Underwriting Expenses
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Commission expenses | $501 | $391 | $327 | 28 | 20 | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 261 | 219 | 182 | 19 | 20 | |||
| Total underwriting expenses | $762 | $610 | $509 | 25 | 20 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Commission expenses | 19.1% | 19.2% | 19.4% | (0.1) | (0.2) | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 9.9 | 10.7 | 10.7 | (0.8) | 0.0 | |||
| Total underwriting expense ratio | 29.0% | 29.9% | 30.1% | (0.9) | (0.2) | |||
Personal lines commission expense as a percent of earned premiums decreased slightly in 2024 compared with 2023, as earned premiums rose at a faster pace than commission expenses. The ratio for 2023 decreased slightly compared with 2022, as earned premiums rose at a faster pace than commission expenses. Other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums in 2024 decreased, compared with 2023, reflecting ongoing expense management efforts, as premium growth outpaced growth in other underwriting expenses. In 2023, other underwriting expenses as a percent of earned premiums matched the 2022 percentage, reflecting ongoing expense management efforts, as the pace of premium growth was in line with growth in other expenses.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 75
Personal Lines Insurance Outlook
The personal lines market of the U.S. property casualty industry continued to experience challenges in 2024, including elevated inflation, increasing loss costs and pricing pressures as insurers pursued rate adequacy. Our response continues to include rate increases, pricing precision for individual risks and use of inflation factors that respond to higher costs to repair property. We believe we can continue to profitably grow premiums in our personal lines insurance segment through new agency appointments and an ongoing focus on diversification of product and geography. We serve middle market, mass affluent and high net worth clients, helping us grow across the U.S. and spreading our catastrophe risk. Drivers of profitable growth for our Cincinnati Private Client business also include selectively using non-admitted insurance property forms and rates in certain catastrophe-prone states and geographies.
Our high net worth initiative, along with various other actions to improve performance in our personal lines insurance segment, is discussed in greater detail in Personal Lines Insurance Results and also in Item 1, Our Business and Our Strategy, Strategic Initiatives and Our Segments, Personal Lines Insurance Segment.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 76
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Results
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||||
| Earned premiums | $615 | $542 | $485 | 13 | 12 | ||||
| Fee revenues | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 50 | ||||
| Total revenues | 618 | 545 | 487 | 13 | 12 | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses from: | |||||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 395 | 357 | 319 | 11 | 12 | ||||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 8 | 4 | 5 | 100 | (20) | ||||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | 8 | (11) | (8) | nm | (38) | ||||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | — | — | (1) | 0 | nm | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses | 411 | 350 | 315 | 17 | 11 | ||||
| Underwriting expenses | 167 | 141 | 124 | 18 | 14 | ||||
| Underwriting profit | $40 | $54 | $48 | (26) | 13 | ||||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | |||||||
| Current accident year before catastrophe losses | 64.2% | 65.9% | 65.7% | (1.7) | 0.2 | ||||
| Current accident year catastrophe losses | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | (0.3) | ||||
| Prior accident years before catastrophe losses | 1.4 | (2.0) | (1.7) | 3.4 | (0.3) | ||||
| Prior accident years catastrophe losses | (0.0) | (0.1) | (0.2) | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||||
| Loss and loss expenses | 66.9 | 64.5 | 64.8 | 2.4 | (0.3) | ||||
| Underwriting expenses | 27.1 | 26.1 | 25.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | ||||
| Combined ratio | 94.0% | 90.6% | 90.4% | 3.4 | 0.2 | ||||
| Combined ratio: | 94.0% | 90.6% | 90.4% | 3.4 | 0.2 | ||||
| Contribution from catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 2.7 | (1.4) | (0.9) | 4.1 | (0.5) | ||||
| Combined ratio before catastrophe losses and prior years reserve development | 91.3% | 92.0% | 91.3% | (0.7) | 0.7 | ||||
Our excess and surplus lines insurance segment includes results of The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company and CSU Producer Resources Inc. Performance highlights for this segment include:
Premiums – Earned premiums and net written premiums continued to grow during 2024, primarily due to higher renewal written premiums that included average renewal estimated price increases in the high-single-digit range. New business written premiums rose 11% in 2024, compared with 2023, and also contributed to premium growth.
Combined ratio – The combined ratio increased by 3.4 percentage points in 2024, compared with 2023, primarily due to unfavorable reserve development on prior accident year loss and loss expenses that offset a lower ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses. Approximately 89% of our 2024 earned premiums for the excess and surplus lines insurance segment provided commercial casualty coverages for various insured liability claims that have experienced higher losses reflecting elevated inflation. Due to uncertainty regarding ultimate losses, we intend to remain prudent in reserving for estimated ultimate losses until longer-term loss cost trends become more clear. The higher 2024 combined ratio also included increases in ratios for underwriting expenses and catastrophe losses.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 77
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Premiums
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Agency renewal written premiums | $498 | $428 | $392 | 16 | 9 | ||
| Agency new business written premiums | 196 | 177 | 136 | 11 | 30 | ||
| Other written premiums | (40) | (35) | (26) | (14) | (35) | ||
| Net written premiums | 654 | 570 | 502 | 15 | 14 | ||
| Unearned premium change | (39) | (28) | (17) | (39) | (65) | ||
| Earned premiums | $615 | $542 | $485 | 13 | 12 | ||
The $70 million increase in 2024 renewal premiums largely reflected higher renewal pricing. Average renewal estimated price increases were in the high-single-digit range during 2024. We measure average changes in excess and surplus lines renewal pricing as the rate of change in renewal premium for the new policy period compared with the premium for the expiring policy period, assuming no change in the level of insured exposures or policy coverage between those periods for respective policies.
New business written premiums in 2024 grew by $19 million, or 11%, compared with 2023, as we continued to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market. Other written premiums in 2024 reduced net written premium growth by $5 million more than in 2023 and are primarily premiums that are ceded to reinsurers and therefore reduce our net written premiums.
Excess and Surplus Lines Loss and Loss Expenses
Loss and loss expenses include both net paid losses and reserve changes for unpaid losses, as well as the associated loss expenses. The majority of the total incurred losses and loss expenses shown above in the three-year highlights table are for the respective current accident years, with reserve development on prior accident years shown separately. Since less than 20% of our excess and surplus lines current accident year incurred losses and loss expenses represents net paid amounts, a large majority represents reserves for our estimate of unpaid losses and loss expenses. These reserves develop over time, and we update our estimates of previously reported reserves as we learn more about the development on the related claims. The table below illustrates that development. For example, the 66.6% accident year 2023 loss and loss expense ratio reported as of December 31, 2023, developed favorably by 10.5 percentage points to 56.1% due to claims settling for less than previously estimated, or due to updated reserve estimates for unpaid claims, as of December 31, 2024. Accident year 2022 for the segment developed favorably for the two-year period ending December 31, 2024, as indicated by the progression over time for the ratios in the table. It experienced unfavorable development during 2024 and favorable development during 2023.
| (Dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident year loss and loss expenses incurred and ratios to earned premiums: | ||||||||||
| Accident year: · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 | ||||||||||
| as of December 31, 2024 | $403 | $304 | $312 | 65.5% | 56.1% | 64.3% | ||||
| as of December 31, 2023 | 361 | 307 | 66.6 | 63.3 | ||||||
| as of December 31, 2022 | 324 | 66.7 | ||||||||
Catastrophe losses, as discussed in Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results, explain some of the movement among components of the current accident year loss and loss expense ratio for accident year 2024, compared with 2023. Catastrophe losses added 1.3 percentage points in 2024, 0.7 points in 2023 and 1.0 points in 2022 to the respective excess and surplus lines current accident year loss and loss expense ratios in the table above.
The 64.2% ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophe losses for 2024 improved by 1.7 percentage points compared with the 65.9% accident year 2023 ratio measured as of December 31, 2023. The improvement was partially offset by a 0.7 percentage-point increase in the ratio for current accident year losses of $2 million or more per claim, shown in the table below.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 78
Excess and surplus lines reserve development on prior accident years was a net unfavorable $8 million for 2024 and a net favorable $11 million for 2023. The net unfavorable amount for 2024 was primarily for accident years 2021 and prior and was due primarily to higher-than-anticipated loss emergence on known claims.
We believe the loss and loss expense reserves for our excess and surplus lines business are adequate. The amount of outstanding reserves for our excess and surplus lines operation can be seen in a table in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Loss and Loss Expense Obligations and Reserves. One indication of how long it takes for most of the outstanding reserves to be settled is to measure outstanding reserves by accident year at different points in time, using Item 8, Note 4 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. For example, for accident years 2017, 2016 and 2015, in aggregate, after subtracting cumulative paid amounts from incurred amounts at December 31, 2017, reserves for estimated unpaid losses, plus the portion of loss expenses known as ALAE, equaled $203 million. For those same accident years, at December 31, 2024, the reserve estimate for the remaining unpaid amount equaled $18 million. As discussed in Critical Accounting Estimates, Property Casualty Insurance Loss and Loss Expense Reserves, stable paid and reported loss patterns are a key assumption used to make projections necessary for estimating IBNR reserves. The inherent uncertainty in estimating reserves is discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, Property Casualty Insurance Loss and Loss Expense Obligations and Reserves. Development trends by accident year are further discussed in Property Casualty Insurance Development of Estimated Reserves by Accident Year.
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Losses by Size
| (Dollars in millions, net of reinsurance) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | $— | $— | $— | nm | nm | ||||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 4 | — | 2 | nm | (100) | ||||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | — | (2) | — | 100 | nm | ||||
| Total large losses incurred | 4 | (2) | 2 | nm | nm | ||||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 87 | 79 | 68 | 10 | 16 | ||||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 189 | 170 | 153 | 11 | 11 | ||||
| Catastrophe losses | 8 | 3 | 4 | 167 | (25) | ||||
| Total losses incurred | $288 | $250 | $227 | 15 | 10 | ||||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | |||||||
| Current accident year losses greater than $5,000,000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||
| Current accident year losses $2,000,000-$5,000,000 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | (0.4) | ||||
| Large loss prior accident year reserve development | 0.0 | (0.3) | 0.0 | 0.3 | (0.3) | ||||
| Total large loss ratio | 0.7 | (0.3) | 0.4 | 1.0 | (0.7) | ||||
| Losses incurred but not reported | 14.2 | 14.6 | 14.0 | (0.4) | 0.6 | ||||
| Other losses excluding catastrophe losses | 30.8 | 31.3 | 31.6 | (0.5) | (0.3) | ||||
| Catastrophe losses | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | (0.3) | ||||
| Total loss ratio | 46.9% | 46.1% | 46.8% | 0.8 | (0.7) | ||||
In 2024, total large losses increased by $6 million, net of reinsurance. The ratio for 2024 large losses as a percent of earned premiums increased by 1.0 percentage points, compared with 2023. That ratio for 2023 decreased by 0.7 points, compared with 2022. Our analysis indicated no unexpected concentration of these losses and reserve increases by risk category, geographic region, policy inception, agency or field marketing territory. We believe the inherent volatility of aggregate loss experience for our portfolio of larger policies is greater than that of our portfolio of smaller policies, and we continue to monitor the volatility in addition to general inflationary trends in loss costs.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 79
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Underwriting Expenses
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | ||||||||
| Commission expenses | $107 | $93 | $81 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 60 | 48 | 43 | 25 | 12 | |||
| Total underwriting expenses | $167 | $141 | $124 | 18 | 14 | |||
| Ratios as a percent of earned premiums: | Pt. Change | Pt. Change | ||||||
| Commission expenses | 17.4% | 17.1% | 16.7% | 0.3 | 0.4 | |||
| Other underwriting expenses | 9.7 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | |||
| Total underwriting expenses ratio | 27.1% | 26.1% | 25.6% | 1.0 | 0.5 | |||
Excess and surplus lines commission expense as a percent of earned premiums for 2024 increased compared with 2023, primarily from an increase in the ratio for profit-sharing commissions for agencies. The ratio for 2023 increased compared with 2022, including increases in the ratios for reinsurance commissions and profit-sharing commissions for agencies. The ratio for other underwriting expenses increased in 2024 largely due to increases in employee-related expenses. The ratio for other underwriting expenses increased slightly in 2023. The three-year period ending in 2024 also reflected ongoing expense management efforts and changes in the pace of premium growth.
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Outlook
The excess and surplus lines market is expected to see the magnitude of rate increases moderate for property-driven risks, except for catastrophe exposures, according to industry publications. For casualty-driven risks, premium rates in the foreseeable future are expected to be firm, primarily driven by social inflation and litigation funding impacts. New business opportunities are expected to increase as standard market insurance companies continue to re-underwrite business they previously took from the excess and surplus lines market and as larger excess and surplus lines companies re-underwrite their business with an emphasis on underwriting profitability.
Industry reports continue to suggest that there are opportunities for profitability and growth through greater use of technology. Technology and data are also being used by excess and surplus lines insurance companies to identify new exposures in emerging businesses that need insurance protection or other value-added services. We have implemented artificial intelligence technology that has reduced data entry time and improved the quality of our data analytics and expect ongoing benefits in the future.
As we continue to execute our strategy of providing superior service, we expect another year of profitable growth for our excess and surplus lines insurance segment despite challenging market conditions. Our experienced excess and surplus lines underwriters in the field intend to carefully select and price risks, providing prompt delivery of insurance quotes and policies, as they work with other local field associates who provide outstanding claims and loss control service while also handling standard lines business for their assigned agencies. These local representatives are supported by headquarters underwriters and claims managers who specialize in excess and surplus lines.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 80
Life Insurance Results
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Earned premiums | $321 | $313 | $301 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Fee revenues | 5 | 10 | 4 | (50) | 150 | ||
| Total revenues | 326 | 323 | 305 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Contract holders' benefits incurred | 301 | 316 | 303 | (5) | 4 | ||
| Investment interest credited to contract holders | (125) | (121) | (109) | (3) | (11) | ||
| Underwriting expenses incurred | 93 | 87 | 84 | 7 | 4 | ||
| Total benefits and expenses | 269 | 282 | 278 | (5) | 1 | ||
| Life insurance segment profit | $57 | $41 | $27 | 39 | 52 | ||
Performance highlights for the life insurance segment include:
Revenues – Earned premiums increased 3% for the year 2024, as shown in the table below that includes details by major line of business. Our largest life insurance product line, term life insurance, rose 3%. Net in-force policy face amounts rose 2% to $84.245 billion at year-end 2024 from $82.361 billion at year-end 2023 and $80.482 billion at year-end 2022.
Profitability – Our life insurance segment typically reports a smaller profit compared with the life insurance subsidiary because profits from investment income spreads are included in our investments segment results. We include only investment income credited to contract holders (including interest assumed in life insurance policy reserve calculations) in life insurance segment results. A profit of $57 million for our life insurance segment in 2024, compared with $41 million in 2023, was primarily due to more favorable unlocking of interest rate and other actuarial adjustments and more favorable mortality experience. A profit of $41 million in 2023 compared with $27 million in 2022 was primarily due to increased earned premiums and fee revenues along with favorable mortality experience.
Earned premiums increased $8 million in 2024, primarily due to a $6 million increase in term life insurance earned premiums, as shown in the table below.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Term life insurance | $233 | $227 | $220 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Whole life insurance | 52 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 9 | ||
| Universal life and other | 36 | 36 | 35 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Net earned premiums | $321 | $313 | $301 | 3 | 4 | ||
Products we market include term, whole and universal life insurance and also fixed annuities. In addition, we offer term and whole life insurance to employees at their worksite. These products provide our property casualty agency force with excellent cross-serving opportunities for both commercial and personal accounts.
Over the past several years, we have worked to maintain a portfolio of simple, yet competitive, products. Our product development efforts emphasize death benefit protection and guarantees. Distribution expansion within our property casualty insurance agencies remains a high priority. Our 37 life field marketing representatives work in partnership with our property casualty field marketing representatives. Approximately 60% of our term and other life insurance product premiums were generated through our property casualty insurance agency relationships.
Life insurance segment expenses consist principally of:
Contract holders’ benefits incurred, related to traditional life and interest-sensitive products, accounted for 76.4% of 2024 total benefits and expenses (inclusive of investment interest credited to contract holders) compared with 78.4% in 2023 and 78.3% in 2022. Total contract holders’ benefits decreased in 2024, compared with 2023, largely due to more favorable impacts from the unlocking of interest rate and other actuarial assumptions. Total
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 81 contract holder benefits increased slightly in 2023, compared with 2022, largely due to less favorable impacts from the unlocking of interest rate and other actuarial assumptions. Mortality experience was more favorable in 2024, compared with 2023, and net death claims were below our mortality projections.
Underwriting expenses incurred, net of deferred acquisition costs, accounted for 23.6% of 2024 total benefits and expenses (inclusive of investment interest credited to contract holders) compared with 21.6% in 2023 and 21.7% in 2022. Expenses in 2024 increased 7%, compared with 3% growth in earned premiums. Expenses in 2023 increased 4%, compared with 4% growth in earned premiums. The 2024 increase in underwriting expenses, compared with the same period a year ago, was largely due to higher general insurance expense levels and increased amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. The 2023 increase in underwriting expenses was largely due to the same factors that impacted the 2024 increase.
Life insurance segment profitability depends largely on premium levels, the adequacy of product pricing, underwriting skill and operating efficiencies. This segment’s results include only investment interest credited to contract holders (interest assumed in life insurance policy reserve calculations). The remaining investment income is reported in the investments segment results. The life investment portfolio is managed to earn target spreads between earned investment rates on general account assets and rates credited to policyholders. We consider the value of assets under management and investment income for the life investment portfolio as key performance indicators for the life insurance segment. We seek to maintain a competitive advantage with respect to benefits paid and reserve increases by consistently achieving better than average claims experience due to skilled underwriting.
We recognize that assets under management, capital appreciation and investment income are integral to evaluation of the success of the life insurance segment because of the long duration of life products. On a basis that includes investment income and investment gains or losses from life insurance-related invested assets, our life insurance subsidiary reported net income of $91 million in 2024, compared with $75 million in 2023 and $65 million in 2022. The life insurance subsidiary portfolio had after-tax net investment losses of $6 million in 2024 compared with $7 million in 2023 and $2 million in 2022. Investment gains and losses are discussed under Investments Results. We exclude most of our life insurance company investment income from investments segment results.
Life Insurance Outlook
We believe the life insurance market remains attractive. Life insurance ownership remains low compared to historical levels. While people like to research life insurance online, we believe they prefer to speak to a professional agent before making a purchase. Our strong agency relationships and expanding base of agencies gives us a competitive edge in satisfying the life insurance needs that exist for so many Americans.
Artificial intelligence and improved computing power will continue to allow us to improve our efficiency in writing new business and servicing it. Underwriting in particular will continue to evolve as we work to prudently adopt new, and refine existing models, to evaluate mortality risk without requiring invasive and time intensive traditional medical exams. We believe this improved buying experience will encourage more of our agencies to offer a life insurance product to their property casualty customers.
Within the life insurance market, we view the voluntary life space as particularly attractive. With our large commercial lines presence, our agencies have tremendous opportunities to serve the employees of these businesses with a simple, voluntary life product. We are enhancing our ability to enroll this business and service it more efficiently, including hiring dedicated associates to augment our agencies’ ability to conduct the enrollments. These accounts often lead to business life insurance opportunities that are designed to ensure the viability of the businesses in the event of a death of a key employee or business owner.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 82
Investments Results
Investments Results
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Total investment income, net of expenses | $1,025 | $894 | $781 | 15 | 14 | ||
| Investment interest credited to contract holders | (125) | (121) | (109) | (3) | (11) | ||
| Investment gains and losses, net | 1,391 | 1,127 | (1,467) | 23 | nm | ||
| Investments profit (loss), pretax | $2,291 | $1,900 | $(795) | 21 | nm | ||
The investments segment contributes investment income and investments gains and losses to results of operations. Investment income is generally our primary source of pretax and after-tax profits.
Investment income – Pretax investment income grew $131 million, or 15%, in 2024, due to increases from both interest income and dividends. Interest income grew 22% in 2024, compared with 2023, as net purchases of fixed-maturity securities in recent years and higher average yields for bonds are working to generally offset effects of the low interest rate environment for several years prior to 2022. Dividend income grew less than 1% in 2024, compared with 2023. Dividend rates generally have increased, although more slowly than in prior years. Minor asset allocation adjustments in our equity portfolio, including larger than usual net sales of equity securities during the second half of 2024, unfavorably affected dividend income. Pretax investment income rose 14% in 2023, including increases in interest and dividend income. Average yields in the investment income table below are based on the average invested asset and cash amounts indicated in the table using fixed-maturity securities valued at amortized cost and all other securities at fair value.
Investment gains and losses – We reported an investment gain in 2024 and 2023, primarily due to favorable changes in fair values of equity securities even though we continue to hold the securities or as otherwise required by GAAP. We reported an investment loss in 2022, due to unfavorable changes in fair values of equity securities.
We believe it is useful to analyze our overall investment performance by using total investment return over several years. Total investment return considers changes in unrealized gains and losses that are not included in net income, in addition to net investment income and investment gains and losses that are included in net income. Changes in unrealized gains and losses shown in the table below include other invested assets. Considering total investment gains and losses over several years helps evaluate performance since gains and losses may experience typical variability during shorter periods of time.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 83
The table below shows total return based on assumptions that simplify cash flow timing that is commonly used in total return measures. This simplified calculation uses data shown in our consolidated financial statements or notes to those statements. Added to invested asset amounts from our consolidated balance sheets are 50% of annual amounts pertaining to invested asset categories included in net cash used in investing activities from our consolidated statements of cash flows. The cash flow amounts are reduced by net gains from investment portfolio securities sales or called bonds, with the net result reduced by 50% to represent estimated new cash invested during each respective year. All new cash is assumed to be invested at the midpoint of the year.
Total investment return of 9.3% in 2024 was lower than the 9.9% return in 2023. The 2024 contribution from the investment income component was enhanced by the net favorable effect of the investment gains and losses components. Comparing contributions for 2024 with 2023, investment income rose $131 million, investment gains increased by $264 million and the invested assets net change in unrealized gains and losses decreased by $260 million. The base component of the return calculation, annual average invested assets, was up 13% in 2024. For 2023 compared with 2022, total investment return of 9.9% in 2023 was significantly more than the negative 9.2% return in 2022, as the 2023 contribution from the investment income component was enhanced by the net favorable effect of the investment gains and losses components. The base component of the return calculation, annual average invested assets, decreased 8% in 2023.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Invested assets beginning balance: | |||||||
| Fixed maturities | $13,791 | $12,132 | $13,022 | 14 | (7) | ||
| Equity securities | 10,989 | 9,841 | 11,315 | 12 | (13) | ||
| Other invested assets | 577 | 452 | 329 | 28 | 37 | ||
| Invested assets beginning balance | 25,357 | 22,425 | 24,666 | 13 | (9) | ||
| Average acquisitions (dispositions), net | 875 | 779 | 472 | 12 | 65 | ||
| Annual average invested assets | $26,232 | $23,204 | $25,138 | 13 | (8) | ||
| Total investment return: | |||||||
| Investment income, net of expenses | $1,025 | $894 | $781 | 15 | 14 | ||
| Investment gains and losses, net | 1,391 | 1,127 | (1,467) | 23 | nm | ||
| Total invested assets change in unrealized gains and losses | 17 | 277 | (1,639) | (94) | nm | ||
| Total | $2,433 | $2,298 | $(2,325) | 6 | nm | ||
| Total return on invested assets, pretax | 9.3% | 9.9% | (9.2)% | ||||
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 84
Investment Income
The primary drivers of investment income are highlighted below, followed by additional details of our investment results.
Interest income increased by $133 million, or 22%, in 2024, compared with 2023. The average fixed-maturity pretax yield increased by 28 basis points in addition to a larger fixed-maturity portfolio that rose 15% on an average amortized cost basis. Interest income in 2023 increased by $90 million, compared with 2022, when that yield increased by 34 basis points while the portfolio rose 8% on an amortized cost basis.
Dividend income rose $1 million, or less than 1%, in 2024. The increase includes dividend rates that generally have increased, although more slowly than in prior years. Minor asset allocation adjustments in our equity portfolio, including larger than usual net sales of equity securities during the second half of 2024, unfavorably affected dividend income. Dividend income rose $7 million, or 3%, in 2023 reflecting dividend rates that generally increased, minor asset allocations and an increase in funds invested in that portfolio.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Investment income: | |||||||
| Interest | $733 | $600 | $510 | 22 | 18 | ||
| Dividends | 283 | 282 | 275 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Other | 25 | 25 | 11 | 0 | 127 | ||
| Less investment expenses | 16 | 13 | 15 | 23 | (13) | ||
| Investment income, pretax | 1,025 | 894 | 781 | 15 | 14 | ||
| Less income taxes | 172 | 145 | 123 | 19 | 18 | ||
| Total investment income, after-tax | $853 | $749 | $658 | 14 | 14 | ||
| Investment returns: | |||||||
| Average invested assets plus cash and cash equivalents | $28,374 | $25,685 | $24,775 | ||||
| Average yield pretax | 3.61% | 3.48% | 3.15% | ||||
| Average yield after-tax | 3.01 | 2.92 | 2.66 | ||||
| Effective tax rate | 16.8 | 16.2 | 15.8 | ||||
| Fixed-maturity returns: | |||||||
| Average amortized cost | $15,697 | $13,670 | $12,605 | ||||
| Average yield pretax | 4.67% | 4.39% | 4.05% | ||||
| Average yield after-tax | 3.83 | 3.62 | 3.35 | ||||
| Effective tax rate | 18.0 | 17.5 | 17.1 | ||||
In 2024, we continued to invest available cash flow in both fixed income and equity securities in a manner that we believe balances current income needs with longer-term invested asset growth goals. As bonds in our generally laddered portfolio mature or are called over the near term, we reinvest with a balanced approach, keeping in mind our long-term strategy and pursuing attractive risk-adjusted after-tax yields. While our bond portfolio more than covers our insurance reserve liabilities, we believe our diversified common stock portfolio of mainly blue chip, dividend-paying companies represents one of our best investment opportunities for the long term. We continually perform fundamental analysis of both industry and company-specific opportunities as well as the potential impact from changes in the interest rate environment and the potential for elevated inflation.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 85
The table below summarizes pretax yield to amortized costs excluding any book value adjustments due to impairment for bonds in our fixed-maturity portfolio by various maturity periods.
| At December 31, 2024 | % Yield | Principal redemptions |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-maturity yield profile: | ||
| Expected to mature during 2025 | 4.53% | $1,238 |
| Expected to mature during 2026 | 5.02 | 1,233 |
| Expected to mature during 2027 | 5.23 | 953 |
| Average yield and total expected redemptions from 2025 through 2027 | 4.90 | $3,424 |
The average pretax yield of 5.66% for fixed-maturity securities acquired during 2024, shown in the table below, was higher than the 5.06% average yield-to-amortized cost of the fixed-maturity securities portfolio at the end of 2024.
| Years ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| Average pretax yield-to-amortized cost on new fixed maturities: | ||
| Acquired taxable fixed maturities | 5.78% | 6.36% |
| Acquired tax-exempt fixed maturities | 4.15 | 4.29 |
| Average total fixed maturities acquired | 5.66 | 6.13 |
We discussed our portfolio strategies in Item 1, Investments Segment. We discuss risks related to our investment income and our fixed-maturity and equity investment portfolios in Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 86
Total Investment Gains and Losses
Investment gains and losses are recognized on the sales of investments, for certain changes in fair values of securities even though we continue to hold the securities or as otherwise required by GAAP. The change in fair value for equity securities still held is reported in net income, as disclosed in Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Total investment gains and losses in 2024 included $1.275 billion of net gains from the recognition of fair value changes of equity securities still held that prior to 2018 would have been reported in other comprehensive income (OCI) instead of net income. Change in unrealized gains or losses for fixed-maturity securities are included as a component of OCI. Accounting requirements for the allowance for credit losses and impairment charges for write-downs of impaired securities in the fixed-maturity portfolio are disclosed in Item 8, Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. The factors we consider when evaluating impairments are also discussed in Critical Accounting Estimates, Asset Impairment.
The timing of gains or losses from sales can have a material effect on results in any given period. However, such gains or losses usually have little, if any, effect on total shareholders’ equity because most equity and fixed-maturity investments are carried at fair value.
As appropriate, we buy, hold or sell both fixed-maturity and equity securities on an ongoing basis to help achieve our portfolio objectives. We generally purchase fixed-maturity securities with the intention to hold until maturity. If they no longer meet our investment criteria, they are divested. Sales of fixed-maturity securities are usually due to a change in credit fundamentals. Pretax total investment gains in 2024 and 2023 were largely due to favorable changes in fair values of equity securities, even though we continue to hold the securities, as shown in the table below. In 2022, the pretax total investment loss was due to unfavorable changes in fair values of equity securities and a net unfavorable change in unrealized gains or losses for fixed-maturity securities. Additional information about investment gains or losses is included in Item 8, Note 2 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The table below summarizes total investment gains and losses, before taxes.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Investment gains and losses | |||
| Equity securities: | |||
| Investment gains and losses on securities sold, net | $181 | $(17) | $16 |
| Unrealized gains and losses on securities still held, net | 1,275 | 1,168 | (1,526) |
| Subtotal | 1,456 | 1,151 | (1,510) |
| Fixed-maturity securities: | |||
| Gross realized gains | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Gross realized losses | (95) | (5) | (4) |
| Change in allowance for credit losses, net | (26) | (17) | — |
| Write-down of impaired securities | — | (4) | (5) |
| Subtotal | (116) | (22) | (3) |
| Other | 51 | (2) | 46 |
| Total investment gains and losses reported in net income | $1,391 | $1,127 | $(1,467) |
| Change in unrealized investment gains and losses reported in OCI | |||
| Fixed-maturity securities | 17 | 277 | (1,639) |
| Total | $1,408 | $1,404 | $(3,106) |
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 87
Write-downs of impaired securities from the investment portfolio by the asset classes we described in Item 1, Our Segments, Investments Segment, are summarized below:
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 | |||||
| Taxable fixed maturities: | |||||
| Impairment amount | $— | $4 | $5 | ||
| New amortized cost | $— | $— | $8 | ||
| Percent to total amortized cost owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
| Number of impaired securities written down | 1 | 2 | |||
| Percent to number of securities owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
| Tax-exempt fixed maturities: | |||||
| Impairment amount | $— | $— | $— | ||
| New amortized cost | $— | $— | $1 | ||
| Percent to total amortized cost owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
| Number of impaired securities written down | — | — | 1 | ||
| Percent to number of securities owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
| Totals: | |||||
| Impairment amount | $— | $4 | $5 | ||
| New amortized cost | $— | $— | $9 | ||
| Percent to total amortized cost owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
| Number of impaired securities written down | — | 1 | 3 | ||
| Percent to number of securities owned | —% | —% | —% | ||
Additional details regarding write-downs of impaired securities from the investment portfolio are summarized below:
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Fixed maturities: | |||
| Real estate | $— | $4 | $5 |
| Total fixed maturities | $— | $4 | $5 |
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 88
Investments Outlook
Federal Reserve inaction due to inconsistent inflation data points led to volatile interest rate levels over the course of 2024. With data seeming to indicate inflation was under control, the Federal Reserve pivoted and began its rate cutting program in late September.
With yields at highs not seen in years, we focused our purchase activity on fixed-maturity securities and diverted new money away from equity securities as the S&P 500 Index return in 2024 exceeded 20% for the second consecutive year. We benefited from our ongoing equity exposure but repositioned the portfolio to take advantage of the strength in stocks and the yields in the bond market.
Our investment portfolio is well-positioned to pursue market opportunities that present themselves in 2025. If yields remain high, we are ready to continue emphasizing bond purchases. If the stock market retrenches, we are prepared to take advantage of value opportunities, maintaining our longer-term approach of seeking both growth of investment income and portfolio appreciation. We discuss our portfolio strategies in Item 1, Our Segments, Investments Segment.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 89
Other
Total revenues in 2024 and 2023 for our Other operations increased, compared with the respective prior-year periods, primarily due to higher earned premiums from Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global in total. Other also includes noninvestment operations of the parent company and its commercial leasing and financial services subsidiary, CFC Investment Company. Total expenses for Other increased in 2024 but decreased in 2023, with the change for both years primarily due to losses and loss expenses and underwriting expenses from Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global.
Other income or loss in the table below represents profit or losses before income taxes. For 2024 and 2023, Other income was driven by underwriting profit for Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global. For 2022, Other loss was largely driven by interest expense from debt of the parent company. Net results for the combination of Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global were an underwriting profit of $158 million in 2024, $183 million in 2023 and $36 million in 2022.
Cincinnati Re represented 68% of Other earned premiums in 2024 and 54% of underwriting profit. Earned premiums in 2024, compared with 2023, grew 8%. The mix of 2024 earned premiums for Cincinnati Re by primary type of insured exposures included 43% for casualty, 40% for property and 17% for specialty. Cincinnati Re in total generated an underwriting profit of $86 million in 2024, $118 million in 2023 and $13 million in 2022.
Cincinnati Global represented 32% of Other earned premiums in 2024 and 46% of underwriting profit. In 2024, earned premiums rose 2%, compared with 2023. Underwriting profit for Cincinnati Global was $72 million in 2024, $65 million in 2023 and $23 million in 2022.
| (Dollars in millions) | Years ended December 31, | 2024-2023 | 2023-2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · Change % · Change % | |||||||
| Interest and fees on loans and leases | $9 | $8 | $7 | 13 | 14 | ||
| Earned premiums | 844 | 795 | 726 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Other revenues | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 67 | ||
| Total revenues | 859 | 808 | 736 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Interest expense | 53 | 54 | 53 | (2) | 2 | ||
| Loss and loss expenses | 435 | 379 | 474 | 15 | (20) | ||
| Underwriting expenses | 251 | 233 | 216 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Operating expenses | 32 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 9 | ||
| Total expenses | 771 | 691 | 766 | 12 | (10) | ||
| Other income (loss) | $88 | $117 | $(30) | (25) | nm | ||
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 90
Taxes
We had a $566 million income tax expense in 2024, compared with $433 million in 2023 and an income tax benefit of $207 million in 2022. The corporate effective tax rate for 2024 was 19.8% compared with 19.0% in 2023 and 29.8% in 2022.
The changes in our effective tax rate between periods were primarily due to large changes in our net investment gains and losses included in income for the periods, and changes in underwriting income and investment income.
Our effective tax rate includes impacts from Cincinnati Global’s operations in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is one of several global jurisdictions that have enacted laws consistent with The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “Pillar Two” model rules aimed at imposing a global minimum tax rate of 15 percent. The UK’s Pillar Two laws, generally effective as of January 1, 2024, did not have a material impact on our effective tax rate in 2024.
Historically, we have pursued a strategy of investing some portion of cash flow in tax-advantaged, fixed-maturity securities and some in equity securities to minimize our overall tax liability and maximize after-tax earnings. See Item 1, Our Segments, Fixed-Maturity Securities Investments, for further discussion on municipal bond purchases in our fixed-maturity investment portfolio.
For tax years after 2017, for our property casualty insurance subsidiaries, approximately 75% of interest from tax-advantaged, fixed-maturity investments and approximately 40% of dividends from qualified equities are exempt from federal tax after applying proration. For our noninsurance companies, the dividend received deduction exempts 50% of dividends from qualified equities. Our life insurance company does not own tax-advantaged, fixed-maturity investments or equities subject to the dividend received deduction.
Our effective tax rate reconciliation is found in Item 8, Note 11 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation - 2024 10-K - Page 91
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.