Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics is a multinational data and analytics company headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Its principal customers operate in insurance, government, financial services, energy, construction, environmental risk, and other sectors where decisions depend on large proprietary datasets, specialized industry knowledge, and predictive or comparative analysis. Rather than functioning primarily as a consumer-facing brand, Verisk serves as an infrastructure and information partner for organizations that assess risk, price products, manage claims, monitor compliance, or plan for severe events. The company’s roots are in Insurance Services Office, commonly known as ISO, which was created in 1971 through the consolidation of multiple property-and-casualty insurance rating bureaus. ISO supplied insurers with information and services related to product development, underwriting, and rating. Over time, the business expanded beyond traditional insurance information through acquisitions and the development of decision-analytics capabilities. A major early expansion came in 2002 with the acquisition of AIR Worldwide, a catastrophe-modeling firm whose work supports analysis of natural-disaster and climate-related exposure. Verisk entered healthcare analytics in 2004 through a series of acquisitions, developing analytical and reporting systems for health insurers, healthcare providers, and self-insured employers. It later broadened its claims and property-inspection capabilities through the 2006 acquisition of Xactware, whose software supports estimating for building repair and construction work. In 2008, Verisk Analytics was established as the parent holding company for ISO and its growing portfolio of businesses. The company became publicly traded in October 2009. The initial public offering was structured primarily to allow the large insurance companies that owned shares in the privately held business to sell holdings or establish a market price for retained shares. The offering involved 85.25 million shareholder-owned shares priced at $22 each and raised approximately $1.9 billion for selling shareholders rather than for Verisk itself. It was described as the largest U.S. initial public offering of 2009. After the IPO, Verisk pursued an acquisition-led expansion strategy. It added environmental, health and safety compliance capabilities through 3E Company; financial-institution benchmarking through Argus & Advisory Services and Dart; retail and hospitality loss-prevention software through Aspect Loss Prevention; and medical-record aggregation through MediConnect Global. The acquisitions of Maplecroft and Wood Mackenzie extended the company into geopolitical, environmental, commodity, energy, chemicals, metals, and mining intelligence. PowerAdvocate added data and consulting services for utilities and oil and gas, while Sequel expanded insurance and reinsurance software capabilities. Verisk also operates Atmospheric and Environmental Research, a research organization focused on weather and climate analysis for customers including government and scientific agencies. In 2020, the company assembled Verisk Marketing Solutions through acquisitions involving Jornaya, Infutor, and Contact State, adding consumer-behavior, identity-resolution, and lead-generation data services. Later transactions expanded its public-record driver-risk, property-intelligence, claims-management, field-service, and insurance-producer-compliance offerings. The company has also reshaped its portfolio through divestitures. Its healthcare services business was sold to Veritas Capital in 2016. In 2022, Verisk sold its financial-services business to TransUnion and sold Wood Mackenzie to Veritas Capital. These disposals narrowed the portfolio while preserving a strong emphasis on insurance, risk modeling, claims, property information, environmental intelligence, and specialized business data. In 2025, Verisk added Nasdaq Risk Modelling for Catastrophes and Su…

Verisk Analytics developed from Insurance Services Office, or ISO, a business created in 1971 by consolidating state, regional, and national rating bureaus serving property-and-casualty insurance. ISO supported insurers with product development, underwriting, rating, and related information services. This foundation gave Verisk a specialized position in insurance data and helped establish the business model that later connected proprietary datasets with industry-specific analytical tools. Beginning in the early 2000s, the company broadened its scope through acquisitions. In 2002 it acquired AIR Worldwide, bringing catastrophe modeling into the portfolio. AIR’s models enabled analysis of exposure to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, severe weather, and other catastrophic events. In 2004, Verisk entered healthcare analytics through several acquisitions, supplying reporting and analytical systems to health insurers, provider organizations, and self-insured employers. In 2006, it acquired Xactware, adding software for estimating building repair and construction costs and strengthening its role in insurance claims workflows. Verisk Analytics was formed as the parent holding company of ISO in 2008. The following year it completed an initial public offering. The IPO differed from a conventional capital-raising offering because the shares were owned by the insurance companies that had been major shareholders of the private company. On October 6, 2009, 85.25 million shares were offered at $22 per share, producing approximately $1.9 billion for selling shareholders. The transaction was reported as the largest U.S. IPO of 2009 and gave retained shareholders a public market valuation. The post-IPO period was marked by sustained portfolio expansion. Verisk acquired 3E Company in 2010 for environmental, health, and safety compliance services. In 2012 it added Argus & Advisory Services, Aspect Loss Prevention, and MediConnect Global. Those transactions expanded its reach into financial-institution benchmarking, retail and hospitality loss prevention, and medical-record aggregation and analysis. In 2014, Maplecroft brought global risk analytics and advisory services, while Dart added benchmarking for financial-services companies in Australia, New Zealand, and other Asia-Pacific markets. In 2015, Verisk acquired Wood Mackenzie, a major move into commercial intelligence for energy, chemicals, metals, and mining. PowerAdvocate followed in 2017, adding analytics and consulting for utilities and oil and gas. That year Verisk also acquired London-based Sequel, an insurance and reinsurance software specialist. Verisk’s environmental and climate capabilities were supported by Atmospheric and Environmental Research, a Lexington, Massachusetts research organization conducting weather and climate studies for customers such as NOAA, NASA, and the U.S. Armed Forces. The company continued diversifying in 2020 by acquiring Jornaya, Infutor, and Contact State and combining them into Verisk Marketing Solutions. These businesses contributed consumer behavioral data, identity resolution, consumer information, and lead-generation technology. In November 2021, Verisk acquired Data Driven Safety, extending its public-record and driver-risk assessment capabilities. The 2022 period combined expansion with portfolio simplification. Verisk announced an agreement to acquire Mavera, a Swedish insurtech operating a personal-injury claims-management platform. It also acquired Opta, a Canadian property-intelligence and technology provider, and Pruvan, a field-to-office management platform for property-preservation and construction professionals. During the same year, Verisk sold its financial-services business to TransUnion for $515 million and sold Wood Mackenzie to Veritas Capital for $3.1 billion. These transactions reduced exposure to some non-core activities while reinforcing the company’s concentration on insurance, claims, property, catastrophe, and risk information. In 2025, Verisk acquired Nasdaq Risk Modelling for Catastrophes, a software-as-a-service platform that makes catastrophe models, hazard data, and analytics available to the insurance industry. It also acquired SuranceBay, which provides producer licensing, onboarding, appointment, and compliance technology for the life and annuity sector. Across its history, Verisk has therefore evolved from a property-and-casualty insurance rating-information organization into a diversified but specialized data, software, and analytics group. Its principal competitive assets are accumulated datasets, embedded workflows, actuarial and scientific expertise, and long-running relationships with regulated and risk-sensitive industries.

• 2025

  Catastrophe modeling and producer-compliance expansion

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Verisk acquires Nasdaq Risk Modelling for Catastrophes and SuranceBay.

• 2022

  Portfolio expansion and divestitures

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Verisk adds Mavera, Opta, and Pruvan while selling its financial-services business and Wood Mackenzie.

• 2020

  Verisk Marketing Solutions is formed

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Jornaya, Infutor, and Contact State are combined into a consumer and marketing-data platform.

• 2015

  Wood Mackenzie is acquired

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  The transaction expands Verisk into energy, chemicals, metals, mining, and related commercial intelligence.

• 2009

  Initial public offering

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Verisk completes a public offering primarily allowing its insurance-company shareholders to sell shares or establish a market price.

• 2008

  Verisk Analytics becomes the parent holding company

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Verisk Analytics is established as the parent company of ISO and its expanding business portfolio.

• 2006

  Xactware is acquired

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Verisk adds property-repair and construction-estimating software used in claims and restoration workflows.

• 2004

  Healthcare analytics expansion begins

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  A series of acquisitions brings analytical and reporting systems for health insurers, providers, and self-insured employers.

• 2002

  AIR Worldwide is acquired

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition expands Verisk’s decision analytics into catastrophe modeling and natural-disaster risk assessment.

• 1971

  Insurance Services Office is created

  [1]Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org

  Insurance Services Office is formed through the consolidation of multiple property-and-casualty insurance rating bureaus.

A specialized business-to-business data and analytics provider that combines proprietary information, predictive models, software, and domain expertise for insurance, government, and other risk-intensive industries.

• Insurance information and rating services · 1971

  ISO

  ISO is Verisk’s foundational insurance-information business. It supports property-and-casualty insurers with data, advisory resources, product-development inputs, underwriting information, and rating-related services. Its role is primarily institutional: the products help insurers structure coverage, evaluate exposure, and make more consistent pricing and underwriting decisions.

• Catastrophe and climate-risk modeling · 2002

  AIR Worldwide

  AIR Worldwide provides catastrophe models and risk analytics for events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, severe storms, and other natural hazards. Its models help insurers, reinsurers, governments, and other organizations estimate potential losses, understand portfolios, and plan for catastrophe exposure and resilience.

• Claims and property-repair software · 2006

  Xactware

  Xactware supplies software and data used to estimate repair and reconstruction costs for buildings and property. The technology supports insurance claims, restoration contractors, adjusters, and construction professionals by helping translate observed damage and project requirements into standardized estimates and workflows.

• Consumer and marketing data · 2020

  Verisk Marketing Solutions

  Verisk Marketing Solutions combines consumer-behavior data, identity-resolution capabilities, consumer records, and lead-generation technology. The platform is intended to help organizations identify, understand, qualify, and engage prospective customers while connecting data from multiple sources.

• Weather and environmental research

  Atmospheric and Environmental Research

  Atmospheric and Environmental Research conducts research and analysis focused on weather, climate, and environmental conditions. Its work supports risk assessment and related decisions for commercial and public-sector customers, including scientific and government organizations.

• Insurance producer compliance software · 2025

  SuranceBay

  SuranceBay provides technology for life-and-annuity insurance producer licensing, onboarding, appointments, and compliance. The offering addresses administrative and regulatory processes that insurers and distribution organizations must manage when appointing and overseeing producers.

• 2022

  Refocus the portfolio through acquisitions and divestituresStrategy

  Background

  Verisk continued adding insurance, property, claims, and field-service capabilities while reducing exposure to selected financial-services and commercial-intelligence activities.

  Action taken

  The company announced or completed acquisitions involving Mavera, Opta, and Pruvan, sold its financial-services business to TransUnion, and sold Wood Mackenzie to Veritas Capital.

  Aftermath

  The transactions shifted the portfolio toward insurance technology, property information, claims management, and risk analytics.

  Sale of financial-services business. $515 million (2022)

  Source

• 2015

  Acquire Wood MackenzieM&A

  Background

  Verisk sought to extend its data and analytics model beyond insurance into energy, chemicals, metals, and mining.

  Action taken

  Verisk acquired Wood Mackenzie in a transaction valued at approximately $2.8 billion.

  Aftermath

  The deal significantly broadened Verisk’s commercial-intelligence portfolio before Wood Mackenzie was later divested.

  Transaction value. $2.8 billion (2015)

  Source

• 2009

  Structure the IPO as a shareholder liquidity eventOther

  Background

  Verisk was privately held and its major shareholders included large insurance companies. The public offering was intended primarily to give those shareholders an opportunity to sell holdings or establish a market value for shares they retained.

  Action taken

  The company completed an offering of 85.25 million shareholder-owned shares at $22 per share on October 6, 2009.

  Aftermath

  The transaction raised approximately $1.9 billion for selling shareholders and was reported as the largest U.S. IPO of 2009; it did not raise funds for Verisk itself.

  IPO proceeds for selling shareholders. $1.9 billion (October 6, 2009)

  Source

• 2019.12.04

  Reported2019.12.04

  NexPhase announces agreement to sell FAST to Verisk[2]NexPhase宣布将FAST出售给Veriskprnewswire.com

  NexPhase announced a definitive agreement to sell FAST to Verisk for $193.5 million; the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.

Read more

1. 1Verisk Analyticsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2NexPhase宣布将FAST出售给Veriskprnewswire.com