Markel accelerates personal lines innovation through APIs, data testing, and disciplined AI
Innovation has become foundational within personal lines at Markel, according to Jeff May (pictured), president of personal lines, who said the business simply cannot compete without it.
“Innovation is not optional,” May said. “It is truly foundational to the way personal lines needs to do business.”
Given the low-touch to no-touch nature of much of the portfolio, technology, automation, and third-party data are no longer differentiators, they are table stakes. To stay competitive and underwrite profitably, Markel has centered its strategy on three core areas: underwriting and pricing, distribution, and claims.
In underwriting, speed and simplicity are paramount. Agents enter key characteristics of a risk, whether a boat or a home, and receive real-time quotes powered by multivariate pricing models, catastrophe insights, and integrated third-party data. The objective, May explained, is minimal friction.
“The goal is that the agent or broker does not need to do much in order to get a quick quote,” he said.
To sharpen its pricing sophistication, Markel sets aside a dedicated budget each year to test emerging tools. Rather than immediately integrating new vendors into live workflows, the company runs retrospective analyses using historical data to measure lift, correlation to loss, retention impact, and whether a signal is genuinely additive.
“You have to view it from a multivariate perspective to make sure you are not already capturing the same signal elsewhere,” May said.
Only when a tool demonstrates meaningful, unique lift does it move toward integration. The approach allows Markel to experiment without disrupting underwriting teams, while potentially gaining an edge before smaller innovators are absorbed by larger platforms.
Distribution has undergone equally significant change. Agency expectations have shifted rapidly toward real-time, system-to-system connectivity. Increasingly, partners transact entirely via APIs rather than logging into carrier portals.
“That means you need really robust APIs end to end, including for endorsements and, often, payments,” May said.
Markel has invested heavily in modernizing its API architecture so partners can complete transactions within their own systems. The result is full-cycle connectivity from quote to endorsement enabling brokers and wholesalers to operate in the way that best fits their workflows.
On the claims side, modernization required a more structural shift. Markel consolidated multiple legacy claims systems onto Guidewire ClaimCenter, creating a unified platform for adjusters across the organization. Previously, professionals navigated several separate systems, creating inefficiencies and duplication.
“It gives us a modern platform that makes it much easier to integrate new technologies directly into the claims flow,” May said.
One example is the integration of Hi Marley, which enables adjusters to communicate with insureds via text. Before consolidation, texting functioned as a separate, side-of-desk tool. Embedded directly into ClaimCenter, it now eliminates rekeying and captures communications automatically within the claim file.
“With text, our claims professionals can reach out, people see the message right away, they respond right away, and it really improves the flow of the claim,” May said.
The change has shortened communication cycles and improved customer experience, while also reducing friction for adjusters.
Artificial intelligence is also firmly on the agenda though with measured discipline. Rather than pursuing AI broadly, May said the team is focused on identifying specific inefficiencies and workflow gaps where AI can deliver tangible improvements. Leaders have been encouraged to pursue training and explore targeted use cases, but with caution.
“We are being thoughtful about keeping AI front of mind without rushing into it blindly,” he said.
When it comes to governance, large enterprise-wide initiatives such as the ClaimCenter rollout follow a top-down process led by claims and IT before reaching business leadership for approval. Within personal lines, however, innovation is largely business-driven. Product and underwriting leaders work directly with technology partners to evaluate cost, integration feasibility, and strategic alignment before moving forward.
“The people driving the decisions and the work itself are within personal lines,” May said.
This structure ensures innovation remains closely tied to underwriting performance, distribution strategy, and claims outcomes where competitive advantage in personal lines is ultimately won.
