Growth in the Perception of Cyber Risk: Evidence from U.S. P&C Insurers

The perception of cyber risk has increased in the economy and especially in insurance firms. Using data from publicly traded U.S. property–casualty (P&C) insurers, we examine the trend in cyber risk identification from 2006 to 2015, as well as firms’ characteristics related to cyber risk perception. Roughly one-quarter of our sample identified cyber risk as a material risk factor in 2006, and this group of our sample grew to include substantially all insurers by 2013. The firms that were “early adopters” of cyber risk identification tend to be the smaller, more highly leveraged and higher growth firms. These firms are also more concentrated in their line of business portfolio and use less external reinsurance. This evidence may suggest that the early identifiers of cyber risk were the most sensitive to potential disruption based on their size or firm risk.