Will cyber bonds help reinsurers transfer risk?
February 3, 2023 Philip PoradoCan reinsurers transfer cyber risk to the capital markets? We may be close to finding out. Recently, two announcements about the issuing of insurance-linked securities (ILS) show there’s a potential to create a broader reinsurance source for cyber risk, said…
What reinsurance renewals could look like on Jan. 1
November 23, 2022 by David GambrillGlobal reinsurers are expected to raise property catastrophe rates “by well over 10%” in exposed areas during January 2023 renewals, a Fitch Ratings report stated. “We expect double-digit percentage premium rate rises for property catastrophe cover in 2023 driven by…
How hurricane losses will impact pricing and capacity
November 21, 2022 Philip PoradoWatch for Hurricane Ian’s damage estimates of between US$50 billion and US$70 billion to made insurers more conservative about pricing and capacity, according to Aon’s global market insights for 2022 Q3. “As the full market impacts of Hurricane Ian materialize,”…
Has Canada’s P&C hard market finally stabilized?
November 14, 2022 by Jason ContantCanada’s P&C insurance market remains vibrant but unpredictable, although there are signs of stabilization, a Gallagher executive said during an industry webinar Monday. A variety of push-and-pull factors related to underwriting profits, reinsurance rates, interest rates and claims inflation, labour…
How reinsurers view the rise of MGAs: a flash in the pan, or sustainable?
October 3, 2022 David GambrillGlobal reinsurers are looking at the current rise of managing general agencies (MGAs) with a critical eye, questioning whether the phenomenon will be long-lasting, or simply a fad rooted in a hard-market demand for capacity. “At the risk of sounding…
The good and bad news for reinsurers
August 31, 2022 by Jason ContantThe global reinsurance industry appears to be in a “state of equilibrium,” with positive and negative factors countering each other, according to a new report from AM Best. Despite lingering economic and operational challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, AM…
Why global reinsurers are high-fiving right now
August 17, 2022 by Jason ContantFor the first time in five years, global reinsurers posted an underwriting profit, albeit a small one. The average combined ratio of the Top 10 global reinsurers was 99.2% in 2021, significantly better than the 104.9% posted in 2020, credit…
OSFI softens stance in new reinsurance guidelines
February 14, 2022 by David GambrillOSFI has softened its stance on two of the Canadian P&C industry’s key concerns in the solvency regulator’s final published guidelines on Sound Reinsurance Practices and Procedures (B-3) and Property and Casualty Large Insurance Exposures and Investment Concentration (B-2). Revised…
Should PACICC purchase reinsurance?
January 13, 2022 by Jason ContantCanadian P&C insurers have expressed mixed views about whether the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC) should purchase reinsurance to mitigate the impact of a natural catastrophe-triggered default of a member insurer. However, a PACICC industry consultation paper found…
What Canadian insurers paid for reinsurance in Jan. renewals
January 5, 2022 by David GambrillReinsurance rate increases for catastrophes in Canadian property lines depended on whether the carriers’ portfolios took a hit last year, with 10% to 20% rate increases for catastrophe portfolios that took a loss, and 5% to 10% increases for those…
Where the industry stands with OSFI’s redrafted reinsurance rules
November 4, 2021 by Jason ContantWhen the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) released its reinsurance discussion paper in 2018, it created quite a stir in Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry. The association representing Canadian P&C insurers, the Insurance Bureau of Canada…
How much are reinsurers underestimating climate change risk?
October 18, 2021 by Jason ContantGlobal reinsurers could be underestimating climate change exposure by up to 50%, according to a recent analysis by S&P Global Ratings. “Our scenario analysis suggests that reinsurers’ estimates of their exposure to natural catastrophe risk — and therefore physical climate…