American International Group Inc. (AIG) has appointed Brannigan Ong (pictured) as head of reinsurance for accident and health (A&H), as the insurer continues to build out its reinsurance and portfolio management capabilities.
Ong joins AIG after serving as senior accident and health underwriter for Asia at Everest from April 2025 to March 2026. He previously held an A&H underwriting role at the company from October 2022. Earlier in his career, he worked in broking at PWS Global Risks and RKH Specialty, focusing on casualty, financial lines, and A&H placements.
His move comes at a time when AIG is placing greater emphasis on underwriting performance, capital efficiency, and reinsurance strategy as part of its broader operating model.
AIG has repositioned its business over several years to improve underwriting outcomes and optimize risk transfer. The company reported underwriting income of $2.3 billion in 2025, a 22% increase year over year, with a combined ratio of 90.1%.
This shift follows a period in which AIG restructured its underwriting standards, simplified operations, and expanded its use of reinsurance as part of capital management.
The insurer has also executed transactions tied to reinsurance and portfolio optimization, including a renewal rights agreement involving Everest portfolios and quota share arrangements linked to Convex. These transactions were designed to support premium growth while maintaining balance sheet discipline, according to its annual report.
Ong’s background across underwriting and broking in Asia aligns with these priorities, particularly in A&H, where distribution, pricing, and risk selection are closely linked to reinsurance structures.
AIG’s first-quarter 2026 results indicate continued improvement in underwriting performance. General insurance net premiums written reached $5.6 billion, up 24% year over year, while underwriting income rose 219% to $774 million.
The combined ratio improved to 87.3%, reflecting lower catastrophe losses and improved accident year performance.
Growth in global personal lines, which includes accident and health, was also reported, with net premiums written increasing 17% year over year. This provides context for AIG’s continued investment in A&H underwriting and reinsurance capabilities.
The appointment also comes alongside a leadership transition at AIG. Eric Andersen is set to become president and chief executive officer effective June 1, 2026, while Peter Zaffino will move to executive chair.
The transition follows a multi-year restructuring period in which AIG focused on underwriting discipline, capital returns, and operational simplification. The company has outlined targets including operating EPS growth of more than 20% and a core operating return on equity between 10% and 13% over the 2025–2027 period.
Across the reinsurance sector, carriers are increasing focus on underwriting margins, portfolio optimization, and capital efficiency following recent pricing cycles and catastrophe activity. AIG’s actions - expanding reinsurance partnerships, deploying quota share structures, and investing in underwriting capabilities - align with these trends.
Ong’s appointment adds underwriting and broking experience in Asia’s A&H segment, a market where distribution relationships and cross-border reinsurance structures are central to growth.
