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» Q1 2014 Catastrophe Bond & ILS Market Report - A Record Quarter
This report reviews the catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) market at the end of the first-quarter of 2014, looking at the new risk capital issued and the composition of the transactions completed during Q1 2014.

The total volume of new catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities (ILS) issued during Q1 2014 reached $1.585 billion, according to the Artemis Deal Directory. This is a record first-quarter, the highest level of new cat bond and ILS issuance recorded in the first three months of the year in the markets history.

» Reinsurance renewal prices fall in April, consensus points to further declines at June renewal
The April 1st reinsurance renewals saw a continuation of recent trends, with pricing down as much as 20% across most lines of reinsurance business. The consensus among broker reports, market participants and observers is that reinsurance pricing will decline again at the June renewals, with Florida and U.S. property catastrophe reinsurance expected to see the steepest fall in rates.

» Alternative reinsurance capital grew 28% to $50 billion in 2013
Growth of alternative reinsurance capital in 2013 helped the total level of reinsurance capital to grow to a record $540 billion in 2013. Also read: Capital market threat could be reinsurance game-changer.

» Alternative reinsurance capital to grow to $100 billion: Barclays Capital
The inflow of alternative capital from third-party sources such as pension funds and hedge funds could lead to a doubling in global property catastrophe reinsurance capacity.

» El Niño forecast to produce less active hurricane season in 2014

» Record first-quarter as 2014 catastrophe bond issuance starts strongly

» Warren Buffett: U.S. catastrophe rates too low for Berkshire Hathaway

» Alternative reinsurance capital grew 28% to $50 billion in 2013

» Reinsurance renewal prices fall by as much as 20% across sector

» Munich Re on competition and alternative reinsurance capital

» ILS Diversified Ltd., first insurance linked fund-of-funds launches

» Alternative reinsurance capital to grow to $100 billion: BarCap

» April’s reinsurance renewals to show alternative capitals influence

» Interview: Dmitry Mnushkin, President, Treefrog Consulting Ltd.
Treefrog Consulting Ltd is a Bermuda-based risk software firm which specialises in solutions for the reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) industry. Dmitry Mnushkin has been a software architect and developer in the reinsurance industry for the past 14 years.

» Alternative capital is efficient capital: Frank Majors, Nephila Capital
The preferred terminology used at ILS investment manager Nephila Capital to describe the third-party capital that has entered the reinsurance market, as institutional investors appreciation for catastrophe risk as an asset class has grown, is not ‘alternative capital’, rather it is ‘efficient capital’..

» Interview: Joe Louwagie, AVP, Property Claim Services (PCS)
Artemis interviewed Joe Louwagie, assistant vice president at Property Claim Services® (PCS®), a unit of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK).

» ILS investment manager interview: Michael Stahel, LGT Insurance-Linked Strategies
Artemis chatted with Michael Stahel, one of the four partners/portfolio managers of LGT Capital Management’s Insurance-Linked Strategies team.