Fitch Ratings News

Viewpoint: Reinsurers Reach Peak Performance as Market Stabilizes; M&A on Hold

The reinsurance market has reached an equilibrium, with increased capital supply from accumulated earnings meeting higher demand for reinsurance protection from cedents. As such, margins will peak in 2024, although reinsurers should continue to produce a favorable return on equity …

Fitch Ratings Shifts Global Re Outlook to Neutral; Pricing Past Peak

Fitch Ratings announced that it shifted its outlook on the global reinsurance sector to neutral yesterday but the downward shift came with an expectation of continued profitability—and a forecasted combined ratio around 90 in 2025. The revision—from a prior outlook …

SEC’s WhatsApp Probe Expands as Rating Agencies Hit With Fines

Moody’s Corp., S&P Global Inc. and Fitch Ratings Inc. will pay a combined $48 million over allegations that the credit-rating companies failed to keep proper electronic communications — the latest fallout from US regulators’ so-called WhatsApp investigations. The Securities and …

Global Non-Life Reinsurer’s Profits to Peak in 2024: Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings published midyear underwriting results for 19 non-life reinsurers, finding that the group’s average first-half 2024 combined ratio was 84.2, and forecasting continued profits for the rest of 2024 and 2025 also. But while reinsurers will continue to maintain …

Hedge Fund Fermat Says Returns Took a Hit Amid Catastrophe Bond Selloff

Fermat Capital Management, one of the world’s biggest investors in catastrophe bonds, says anxiety about this year’s hurricane season has already left a meaningful dent on returns. “Returns in May were low and even negative for a lot of funds,” …

US Auto Insurers’ Strong Performance to Continue Through 2025: Fitch

More favorable mid-year 2024 results of U.S. personal auto insurers are likely to continue through the end of 2024 and into 2025 due to material price increases and a moderation of claims severity trends “vastly” improving the segment’s profit footing, …

US P/C Insurers Post Best Q1 Underwriting Result In 17 Years

Even though direct loss ratios for commercial auto and other liability lines rose in first-quarter 2024, across all lines U.S. property/casualty insurers posted a net combined ratio of 94—the best since first-quarter 2007. Translating to an aggregate underwriting profit of …

US Auto Insurance Market on the Mend; Homeowners Line Volatile: Fitch

The U.S. personal insurance sector is positioned for improving underwriting performance in 2024. According to Fitch’s latest U.S. Personal Lines Market Update, the change is predicted amid signs that the previous surge in claims severity from higher inflation and supply …

Fitch Ratings: US Cyber Premium Growth Slows in 2023

The U.S. cyber insurance market saw what Fitch Ratings called an unexpected 1% decline in direct written premiums in 2023 following a 160% increase from 2020 to 2022. According to Fitch Ratings’ U.S. Cyber Insurance Market Update, standalone cyber written …

Fitch: U.S. Cyber Insurers Saw Strong Profits, Slowdown in Premium Growth in 2023

The U.S. cyber insurance line generated strong direct underwriting profits for the second straight year in 2023, but written premium volume has stalled amid renewed pricing pressure, according to a Fitch Ratings analysis. For standalone cyber coverage, the direct incurred …