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Sporting City U-17's crowned champions at MLS NEXT Cup. Sporting City wins U-17 Academy Division at MLS NEXT Cup in Utah. The Sporting City U-17's were crowned champions of the U-17 Academy Division at MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate on Sunday with a 6-0 victory over RNY FC (New York) at Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah. Bryden Liem and Rob Fratman each scored twice for Sporting City in today's final while Bennett McClure recorded the shutout and Cooper Thomas was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the U-17 Academy Division. Liem opened the scoring in the 38th minute and struck for his third goal of the competition in the 72nd minute on an assist from team captain Dallas Campbell. Fratman bagged his brace with goals in the 50th and 59th minutes on a pair of assists from Jesus Enriquez. Porter Allen was also on the scoresheet - for a ninth time in five games at MLS NEXT Cup as the top scorer and MVP of the U-17 Academy Division - with a goal in the 66th minute. Juan Garduno closed out the scoring in the 90th minute on an assist from Angel Lara. Sporting City U-17's MLS NEXT Cup Roster Porter Allen, Owen Bainbridge, Will Bykowski, Dallas Campbell, Luis Cruz-Ayala, Jesus Enriquez, Rob Fratman, Juan Garduno, Anthony Ibarra, Angel Lara, Bryden Liem, Will Lombardi, Henry Marien Brovont, Bennett McClure, Nicholas Natsvaladze, Tomas Navas, Ahias Sebastian Nunez, Cooper Thomas Led by head coach John Sosa, the Sporting City U-17's finished in first place of the Heartland Division with a 15-2-0 record in addition to going unbeaten in three matches (2-0-1) at MLS NEXT Fest in Arizona in December. Most recently, the squad posted a perfect 6-0-0 record at the MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier - Kansas Regional at Central Bank Sporting Complex earlier this month. A total of 32 teams - out of more than 200 across the U.S. and Canada - qualified for MLS NEXT Cup in the Academy Division with 16 clubs earning a berth via league play in addition to 16 finalists from MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier events. The Sporting CIty U-17's reached the MLS NEXT Cup final after advancing past Oaks FC (California) with a 6-2 victory in the Round of 32, defeating Sparta United Soccer Club (Utah) by a 3-2 scoreline in the Round of 16, prevailing in penalties after a 3-3 draw against Syracuse Development Academy (New York) in the quarterfinals and recording a 2-0 win against Players Development Academy (New Jersey) in the semifinals Sporting City is the official youth soccer club of Sporting Kansas City and an Academy Affiliate of Sporting Kansas City. Sporting City offers boys and girls teams in the U-8 through U-19 age groups in three regions across the Kansas City area, including teams that compete in the Girls Academy, National Academy League and MLS NEXT. Sporting City is one of two Sporting Kansas City Academy Affiliates to be crowned champions at this year's MLS NEXT Cup as Sporting Wichita were winners of the U-15 Academy Division. Led by head coach Tommy Fiszel, the Sporting Wichita U-15's earned a 3-2 victory over Club Ohio in the MLS NEXT Cup final on Saturday. A press release (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Like Loading... Discover more from LockedIN Magazine. 2026-05-31

Allstate Q1 2026 Net Income hits $2.4 billion as Auto Policies grow 2.6%. By Heather Wilson In News. May 2, 2026 Allstate reported Q1 2026 net income of $2.4 billion late Tuesday, more than four times its $566 million profit from the same period last year. Auto policies grew 2.6% to 25.8 million, and the auto insurance combined ratio improved to 81.9 from 91.3, signaling that the multi-year rate-hike cycle is finally winding down. Allstate ranks as the country's second-largest auto insurer, and Q1 2026 marks its sharpest shift from defensive pricing to active customer growth in three years. New auto business jumped 9.4% year-over-year, and the company gained market share in many states, according to CEO Tom Wilson. Allstate posted $2.4 billion in Q1 2026 net income, total revenue of $16.9 billion, and diluted EPS of $9.25. Auto policies in force rose to 25.8 million, new auto business climbed 9.4%, and the auto combined ratio dropped to 81.9. Q1 net rate changes across Allstate brands totaled just $2 million in decreases, the lightest pricing quarter since 2024. Key Takeaways * Net income climbed to $2.4 billion from $566 million in Q1 2025 * 25.8 million auto policies in force, a 2.6% year-over-year gain * Auto combined ratio: 81.9, including $820 million in prior-year reserve releases * Of 39 states with Q1 rate filings, 23 saw decreases and 16 saw increases * Catastrophe losses fell 43.7% to $1.24 billion from $2.20 billion What Allstate reported. Total revenue reached $16.9 billion, a 3% gain over Q1 2025, while diluted EPS of $9.25 came in well above the $2.11 reported a year ago. Adjusted net income was $2.8 billion, and adjusted EPS hit $10.65 compared with $3.53 in Q1 2025. The company returned $881 million to shareholders through dividends and buybacks during the quarter. Auto underwriting income alone reached $1.7 billion, more than double the $816 million Allstate booked in Q1 2025. The underlying auto combined ratio (which strips out catastrophe losses and prior-year reserve adjustments) improved 1.7 points to 89.5, showing the gain was not just a one-time accounting benefit. Net Income Auto Combined Ratio Auto Policies in Force New Auto Business "Allstate's strategy and execution capabilities generated strong earnings and increased growth in the first quarter," said Tom Wilson, Allstate Chairman and CEO. He cited expanded distribution, increased marketing, new products, and "sophisticated rating plans" as the growth drivers. What the numbers mean for policyholders. An 81.9 auto combined ratio is the consumer-facing signal here. Insurance is profitable when that number stays below 100, and Allstate's auto book printed almost 18 points below break-even. The 81.9 figure ranks as the strongest Q1 auto result Allstate has posted since 2021, when the post-pandemic driving recovery briefly held loss costs down. Filing data backs up the slowdown. Allstate implemented just $2 million in net auto rate changes across brands during Q1 2026, after putting through $81 million in Q4 2025, $232 million in Q3 2025, and $126 million in Q2 2025. Of the 39 states where Allstate adjusted rates this quarter, 23 saw decreases, 16 saw increases, and 10 had a mix of both depending on the brand or product. ValuePenguin's 2026 rate analysis estimates Allstate's average renewal increase nationwide at just 1.98%, far below the 7.92% expected at Erie or 21.18% at NJM. Higher-risk drivers still face pricing pressure. Drivers with a DUI, weak credit-based insurance score, or recent at-fault accidents continue to see double-digit increases at renewal, according to ValuePenguin's data. The pricing shift now favors clean records and good credit far more than it did during the 2022-2024 hike cycle. Read its Allstate auto insurance review for a full breakdown of who Allstate prices best for in 2026. How Allstate stacks up against the industry. Allstate's Q1 result tracks closely with peer carriers reporting similar earnings windfalls. Progressive posted Q1 2026 net income of $2.8 billion on premiums of $21 billion, which Insure Mojo covered in its analysis of Progressive's Q1 2026 earnings. State Farm announced a $5 billion customer dividend in February, the topic of its coverage of State Farm's $5 billion auto refund. The top three U.S. auto insurers all generated record underwriting profits in Q1 2026. | Carrier | Q1 2026 Net Income | Auto Combined Ratio | Auto Policy Growth (YoY) | | Allstate | $2.4B | 81.9 | +2.6% | | Progressive | $2.8B | ~86 (Q1) | +8% (PIF) | | State Farm | $5B dividend declared | FY 2025 reference | Mutual; not publicly quarterly | Industrywide, auto insurance profitability hit a 15-year high in 2025, as Insure Mojo explained in its market outlook on insurer profitability. Three years of compounding rate increases averaging 12% to 18% annually finally outpaced claim severity inflation, which Insure Mojo broke down in its analysis of how inflation redefined claim severity. What you should do before your next renewal. Action Steps for Allstate Customers Check your renewal notice closely. If you live in one of the 23 states where Allstate filed Q1 decreases, your renewal premium may be flat or lower. Compare the new premium against last year's and ask your agent to itemize any rating-factor changes. Pull at least three competing quotes. Progressive, GEICO, and Travelers all reported strong Q1 results too. Carriers competing for new business often beat your renewal by 10% to 20% on the same coverage. Match limits and deductibles exactly when comparing. Enroll in drivewise If You have not. Allstate's telematics program offers up to 40% off after the monitoring period for safe driving habits. With pricing flexibility expanding, agents have more room to apply program discounts than they did 12 months ago. Bundle If You have homeowners or renters. Allstate homeowners policies grew 2.5% in Q1 to 7.7 million, and the company posted $685 million in homeowners underwriting income. Bundle discounts often run 15% to 25% on auto premium. If You Are a High-Risk Driver The improving combined ratio does not protect drivers with DUIs, recent at-fault accidents, or weak credit-based insurance scores. Carriers are pricing risk more aggressively at the individual level even as average rates flatten. Compare non-standard carriers like Direct Auto, Bristol West, and Acceptance against your Allstate renewal if you fit this profile. Looking ahead. Allstate's Affordable, Simple, Connected auto product is now in 45 states, and the Custom360 middle-market product covers 40 states, according to the company's Q1 release. Both are designed to defend against carrier-shoppers, and both are likely targets for renewal-period offers throughout summer 2026. Wilson said on the April 30 conference call that Allstate gained market share in auto and homeowners insurance "in many states" during the quarter. Watch for state-level rate filings on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners SERFF database to see exactly when decreases hit your state. Insure Mojo covered Travelers' 10.1% rate cut in Georgia in its April analysis, and similar competitive filings from Allstate are expected to follow in Q2. Frequently asked questions. When will Allstate stop raising my rates? Q1 2026 net rate changes across Allstate brands totaled just $2 million in decreases, compared with $81 million in increases during Q4 2025. Rate stability has effectively arrived at the company level. Whether your individual renewal goes up depends on your state, your driving record, and your credit-based insurance score. Of the 39 states where Allstate filed adjustments, 23 saw decreases. What does an 81.9 combined ratio mean for me? A combined ratio measures losses plus expenses divided by premiums. Anything below 100 means the carrier is profitable on underwriting alone. At 81.9, Allstate is about 18 points below break-even, the strongest auto result it has posted since 2021. That margin gives the company room to slow or stop rate increases and to compete more aggressively on new business. Should I switch from Allstate now that competitors are cutting rates too? Compare quotes before switching. Progressive grew auto policies in force 8% in Q1 2026, and State Farm is paying $5 billion back to its customers. All three are competing harder than they did 12 months ago. Pull quotes at the same coverage limits and deductibles, then compare the renewal offer Allstate sends you against those competitors. Loyalty discounts at Allstate may still beat a switch. Why did Allstate's profit jump from $566 million to $2.4 billion? Three drivers explain it: catastrophe losses fell 43.7% to $1.24 billion (from $2.20 billion), prior-year auto reserves released $820 million, and the underlying auto combined ratio improved 1.7 points on better loss costs. The combination of fewer catastrophes, accurate-to-favorable reserve estimates, and better core underwriting produced the swing. Is this good news for high-risk drivers too? Not directly. ValuePenguin's 2026 rate analysis shows drivers with DUIs, recent at-fault accidents, or weak credit-based insurance scores are still seeing double-digit renewal increases. Carriers are using better data to price individual risk more precisely instead of raising rates broadly. Clean-record drivers benefit; higher-risk drivers continue to face pressure.

The billion-dollar bet that turned insurance into entertainment. Here is the paradox at the center of the American insurance industry: the companies that dominate market share today got there not by explaining what they sell, but by refusing to mention it. Warren Buffett's GEICO spends more than $2 billion a year on advertising. Almost none of it describes a policy. Almost all of it produces comedy. I've spent a career studying how the screen reshapes commerce - as President and CEO of The Museum of Television & Radio (now The Paley Center for Media), as Harvard Law School's inaugural Visiting Professor of Entertainment and Media Law, and as a bipartisan adviser to four presidential administrations on media, communications, and technology policy (Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama). What GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual have built is something I have not seen any other industry replicate: a competitive landscape where the primary corporate asset is not the product or the distribution network, but a comedy franchise. The numbers bear this out. The GEICO Gecko has been on television longer than most sitcom characters. Progressive now runs two parallel comedy franchises simultaneously - Flo, who has become a genuine pop culture icon, and Dr. Rick, the "parenta-life coach" whose campaign about new homeowners turning into their parents won a Bronze Lion at Cannes. Allstate's Mayhem, played by Dean Winters as a dark-comic personification of catastrophe, proved so successful that the company launched a second franchise, "Knowers," alongside it. Liberty Mutual's LiMu Emu has higher name recognition than most cable news anchors. These aren't ad campaigns. They're entertainment portfolios, managed the way a network manages multiple shows. Together, these four companies have become the most prolific and consistent producers of short-form entertainment on American television, spending more on creative content than most studios spend developing scripted series. And they did it to solve a problem that defeated generations of corporate strategists: how to build brand loyalty for a commoditized product that nobody wants to think about until the moment they desperately need it. Their answer was to abandon the product almost entirely and become entertainment brands that happen to sell insurance. The Gecko is worth a staggering amount to Berkshire Hathaway. Flo is Progressive's most valuable intellectual property. Mayhem functions as a franchise character with sequel potential. These companies didn't just buy media time. They built characters that audiences choose to spend time with, an asset class that appreciates rather than depreciates. The competitive consequences have been decisive. The insurers that made this entertainment pivot now dominate their markets. The ones that didn't - the "good hands" and "good neighbor" holdouts from the trust-and-authority era - have been forced to follow or fall behind. A comedy franchise has become a barrier to entry in American insurance. That is not a marketing insight. That is a structural transformation of an industry. And the underlying logic extends well beyond insurance. When nobody wants to think about what you sell until the moment they desperately need it, the only viable long-term strategy is to give people a reason to think about you when they don't need you. Entertainment does that. Product advertising doesn't. Banking, utilities, telecommunications, healthcare, and indeed any sector where the product is commoditized and the purchase decision is infrequent, faces the same problem. The insurance companies cracked it first. The playbook is sitting in plain sight. So why haven't more companies followed? This is where the story gets uncomfortable for most boardrooms. Building an entertainment franchise requires a commitment that few CEOs are prepared to make: years of consistent investment in characters and narratives, a willingness to let the creative property become bigger than any individual campaign, and the discipline to resist the quarterly pressure to pivot to whatever seems urgent this month. The Gecko debuted in 1999. Flo arrived in 2008. Mayhem launched in 2010. Each character was sustained through market cycles, leadership changes, and the relentless churn of digital disruption because the companies understood that the franchise, not the campaign, was the unit of value. Patience is the hardest part of this model to replicate. It is also, for any company selling a product consumers would prefer not to think about, the most important competitive advantage. The insurance industry figured that out a generation ago. The rest of American business can still catch up.