Wherever you turn in the business and technology media, the talkis all about the next disruption. In the beginning, there wasGoogle and Amazon. More recently, there's been Facebook and socialmedia platforms. Insurance has managed to sidestep most of theseearly forces of radical change by doing what it does best: limitingrisk and staying the course. But now, with ground-rumbling shiftsthat can only mean more upheaval of traditional business modelsacross the board, the insurance industry is facing some very realdisruptors it can no longer ignore—and in some situations, isactually doing the disrupting itself.

The big five disruptors are agency displacement, monitoringtechnology, the blurring of financial services, the regulatoryenvironment and demographics. Not only does each of these drivershave a profound impact on the insurance industry at large, butthere are very specific implications for the property and casualtyinsurance sector.

1. Agency Displacement: Is There an Agent in the House?