Arch's insurance arm squeezed by soft pricing; buybacks and reinsurance strength offset
Insurance segment profit collapses on soft property pricing Arch's insurance unit's underwriting profit fell 79% to $27 million, with its combined ratio (claims and costs as a share of premiums) worsening to 98.5% — meaning it paid out more than it took in. Softer property prices, higher disaster losses and tougher competition are squeezing a core business, and analysts now expect 2026 earnings and revenue to shrink.
This is the clearest new evidence of the profit pressure actually hitting Arch's core insurance business.
Q2 revenue missed and fell from a year ago Second-quarter revenue of $4.43 billion came in below expectations and down 6.9% from a year earlier, with premiums earned falling in both insurance and reinsurance. Profit per share of $2.56 beat forecasts and the combined ratio improved, but shrinking top-line premiums shows Arch is writing less business in a softer market.
The quarter's headline numbers show the scale of the slowdown in premiums, the force behind the stock's weak growth.
Big buybacks return capital as growth stalls Arch repurchased about $800 million of its own stock last quarter, retiring nearly 2.5% of shares — a major investor called it an excellent use of spare capital. Buying back shares lifts per-share earnings and signals management sees the stock as cheap, cushioning the weak-growth story.
Capital return is the main offsetting force supporting the stock while premiums shrink.
Reinsurance arm strong as alternative capital hits record Arch's reinsurance business earned $410 million of underwriting profit at a healthy 77.5% combined ratio, as outside investor money in reinsurance reached a record $144.5 billion. That capital fuels demand for Arch's services, but it also intensifies competition and softens prices — a double-edged force heading into 2027 renewals.
Reinsurance is the profitable counterweight to the insurance slump, and the record capital wave is the big structural force behind it.