Price Forbes swipes Harris from Howden to help with tough gig
Price Forbes appointed Chris Harris managing director and head of US casualty, effective immediately, citing his underwriting and London, European, and Bermuda placement experience. The article notes US casualty rates are still hardening, with Marsh reporting a 7% US rate increase in Q2 2026 and 14 straight years of underwriting losses per Guy Carpenter. Price Forbes also expanded its Lectio cross-class follow facility to casualty lines, lifting premium scope to about $1.6B from $350M.
How this was made
The 30-second read
Why it matters
The new head of US casualty and the Lectio casualty follow facility expansion suggest Price Forbes is scaling distribution and underwriting support in a tight facultative supply environment.
Market read
This is a capacity and leadership buildout story in a hardening, loss-prone US casualty market, with limited direct financial disclosure.
What to watch
The article lacks any quantified targets, expected premium growth, or risk/return metrics for the new casualty capacity, limiting near-term conviction.
Background
US casualty remains the major line still hardening, with underwriting losses persisting for 14 straight years amid social inflation, nuclear verdicts, and litigation pressure.
Ticker impact
Price Forbes named Chris Harris managing director and head of US casualty, expanding casualty underwriting capacity and mentoring plans immediately.
Likely limited immediate price impact, but supports a longer-horizon execution narrative in a hardening US casualty market.
The article discloses an executive hire and a stated capacity expansion, but provides no financial guidance, deal size, or direct earnings impact for PFG.
Market effects
Highlights continued hardening in US casualty and the competitive value of underwriting experience and MGAs in a loss-making segment.
US casualty focus with placements spanning US, Canada, and Australia.
Emphasizes London-based brokers’ role in underwriting US casualty via cross-market relationships.
Counterpoint
A senior hire may not translate into underwriting profitability quickly given 14 straight years of underwriting losses in the segment.
Key entities
- companyPrice Forbes
Broker appointing Chris Harris to lead US casualty and expanding Lectio cross-class follow to casualty lines.
- personChris Harris
Named managing director and head of US casualty at Price Forbes, with underwriting and placement experience across London, Europe, and Bermuda.
- sourceGuy Carpenter
Cited for the claim that US casualty has posted underwriting losses for 14 straight years.
- sourceMarsh
Cited for recording a 7% US rate increase in Q2 2026 for the segment.
