ILS News

RMS: Cat Bond Analysis Reveals Market Predictions of Price Bottom Are Optimistic

Return relative to risk values for catastrophe bonds at current prices are actually higher in 2015 than they were last year, even though recent market commentary suggests that market prices have stabilized, according to research by RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based …

Mexico’s Hurricane Patricia May Hit Catastrophe Bondholders

Mexico’s natural disaster fund may be $100 million better off at bondholders’ expense after Hurricane Patricia appeared to trigger a catastrophe bond the country sold in 2012. Investors in those notes maturing Dec. 4. are waiting for a verdict on …

Hiscox’s ILS Unit, Kiskadee, and Hiscox Re Announce 3 Senior Appointments

Bermuda-headquartered Hiscox Re’s insurance linked securities (ILS) operation, Kiskadee Investment Managers, announced that Andrew Hughes will assume the role of ILS chief compliance officer and general counsel, while Dr. Matthew Swann has been appointed portfolio manager. In addition, Michael Jedraszak, …

It’s a Tough Time for Reinsurers, but Their Defensive Strategies Are Working: S&P

It’s a tough time for reinsurers — “pricing is soft, regulators continue to raise the bar, capital is at record highs, competition is increasing, and reinsurers are constantly looking for ways to remain relevant to cedants’ changing demands for protection,” …

Fitch’s Rendez-Vous Roundup: 4 Hot Topics Affecting Reinsurance Industry

Fitch published a list of key takeaways from last week’s reinsurance Rendez-Vous in Monte Carlo, where some of the major trends affecting the industry were discussed: mergers & acquisitions, alternative capital, pricing and the Tianjin Port explosion in China. Meetings …

Cardinal Re Launch Takes Hiscox’s ILS Assets to More Than $600 Million

Kiskadee Investment Managers, Hiscox Re’s insurance linked securities (ILS) operation, has launched Cardinal Re Ltd., a Bermuda-domiciled special purpose insurer designed to transform collateralized insurance and reinsurance risk into a security more suited for capital market investors. The launch of …

Guy Carpenter Execs Discuss Reinsurance Trends at Rendez-Vous Panel

Challenging market conditions due to abundant capacity, the ongoing influx of new capital and limited loss experience, continue to put pressure on the reinsurance sector, while recent M&A activity is adding a new dynamic to the mix. These were the …

Sequant Re Names Baillargeon as Chief Underwriting Officer

Bermuda-based Sequant Re appointed Victor Baillargeon as chief underwriting officer. With over 35 years of underwriting experience, Baillargeon will lead the development of Sequant Re’s underwriting strategies that will support the company’s ambition of enabling investors of all sizes to …

New ILS Records Set During 12 Months Ended June 30: Aon Securities Report

Annual catastrophe bond issuance reached $7.0 billion – a decrease on the record-breaking prior year ($9.4 billion), yet still the third highest annual issuance in the sector’s history, according to Aon Securities, the investment banking division of Aon Benfield. Twenty-five …

Third Point Re: ‘It’s Tough Out There’ with Ongoing Influx of Capital Market Capacity

Executives at Dan Loeb’s reinsurer, which is headed for its second-straight annual decline in New York trading, told investors not to count on a quick rebound in the industry as competition intensifies. “It’s tough out there,” Robert Bredahl, Third Point …