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This article examines the catering theory in the insurance industry. We investigate whether managers of publicly traded insurers pursue a growth strategy catering to the stock market's preference. Two hypotheses are tested in this study: (1) an insurer will devote more efforts to increasing premium growth when the stock market places greater values on growth, and (2) this catering effect will be more pronounced at firms where managers have greater incentives to maximize short-term stock prices. We find evidence supporting both hypotheses. Our study discovers a new channel through which the stock market and executive compensation affect insurance companies' business strategies and the insurance market. The implication of the interplay between insurers and the stock market is significant and deserves future research.

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This study examines the relationship between institutional ownership and insurers' risk and performance before, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis. Monitoring institutional investors are defined as those that have (a) a long‐term investment horizon, (b) large holdings in the investee firm, (c) independence from management, and (d) a large portion of their portfolio invested in the firm. We measure both the level and persistence of monitoring institutional ownership and find a negative relationship between monitoring institutional ownership and an insurer's stock stability and performance during the crisis. Further examination reveals that these firms took more risk before the crisis. Whereas many monitoring institutions exited the insurance market after the crisis, evidence suggests that the remaining institutional investors in the postcrisis period have a longer investment horizon and are active in monitoring and risk management.