In this video as part of The Motley Fool's "Ask a Fool" series, Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst Brendan Mathews takes a question from a Fool reader, who asks: "Can you explain the combined ratio that you use when you talk about insurance companies? How do the combined ratios of popular insurance companies compare?" In this video, Brendan explains the combined ratio, and he highlights two very good underwriters – Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B -1.96%) and Markel (MKL -1.65%) -- and two companies that haven't done as well – CNA Financial (CNA -2.22%) and American International Group (AIG -4.09%).
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What Is the Combined Ratio?
Learn how to evaluate insurance companies based on a key performance metric -- the combined ratio
Brendan Mathews owns shares of American International Group, Berkshire Hathaway, and Markel. He also owns American International Group warrants. The Motley Fool recommends American International Group, Berkshire Hathaway, and Markel. The Motley Fool owns shares of American International Group, Berkshire Hathaway, and Markel and has the following options: long January 2016 $30 calls on American International Group. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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