Cyber Rates Fall 4% for 12th Consecutive Quarter

News Desk: Global commercial insurance buyers continued to enjoy easing rates in the second quarter of 2026, with financial and professional lines falling 3% and cyber coverage dropping another 4% according to the latest Marsh Global Insurance Market Index. The cyber decline marked the twelfth straight quarter of reductions, underscoring how competitive capacity has remained in that sector even as insurers watch claims trends carefully.

These figures formed part of a broader 6% average drop in global commercial rates, the eighth consecutive quarterly decline. Property led the softening with double-digit decreases in several regions, while casualty stood out as the only major line to post an overall increase, driven largely by ongoing litigation and severity pressures in the United States.

Against that backdrop, the modest 3% reduction in financial and professional lines stood out as a sign of gradual stabilization after steeper cuts in earlier periods. Underwriters grew more selective, yet abundant capital and favorable reinsurance conditions kept competition healthy enough to push rates lower for many buyers.

Cyber’s further 4% slide reflected the same dynamics. Insurers continued to deploy capacity aggressively, and the market showed little sign of the hardening that some observers had expected after earlier loss years. Marsh noted that the combination of strong insurer profitability, surplus capital and higher investment returns has sustained the buyer-friendly environment across most product lines and regions.

The data, drawn from Marsh’s proprietary tracking of renewal rate changes at mid-year, highlight how the prolonged soft market is unfolding unevenly. While property and cyber remain particularly competitive, financial and professional lines appear to be finding a more measured pace of decline. For risk managers, the message is clear: capacity remains readily available and pricing continues to favor insureds, though careful attention to terms and risk quality is still required as underwriters refine their appetites.