Archive for December, 2014

Fitch Ratings has revised its fundamental outlook for the London non-life insurance and reinsurance market to negative, previously stable, due to the underlying expectation that a substantial proportion of the market faces further significant pricing pressure.

2014 is on course to be one of the lowest years for U.S. tornado activity on record. The number of tornadoes recorded so far throughout the states is below the absolute minimum ever recorded and roughly half the amount recorded in 2011.

The first rating criteria has been published that specifically targets insurance-linked funds, including those investing in catastrophe bonds, ILS and collateralized reinsurance, by rating agency A.M. Best.

Bermuda domiciled specialty excess and surplus lines insurance firm James River Group Holdings Ltd., has a hedge fund pedigree and employs an investment strategy that sees it allocate assets to alternative investments, but it is no hedge fund the firm insists.

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 14th December 2014, covering catastrophe bonds, ILS, reinsurance capital and related risk transfer topics. To ensure you never miss a thing  subscribe to the weekly Artemis email newsletter updates.

The U.S. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) has announced plans to launch a storm surge watch and warnings graphic, the next phase following their Potential Storm Surge Flooding Map that launched at the start of the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Pension fund trustees and sponsors need to ensure that they fully understand their obligations before entering into longevity swaps, particularly if they bypass intermediaries using new methods of direct access to reinsurance, according to advice from Aon Hewitt.

The Board of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation of Florida has approved the use of its Everglades Re Ltd. vehicle for another catastrophe bond issuance in 2015, as the insurer looks to secure reinsurance and risk transfer to cover a 1-in-100 year hurricane.

Early forecasts for 2015 Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane season activity suggest an average to slightly below average season, but there is some divergence of opinion this far out from next years tropical storm season.

Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of CATCo Investment Management Ltd. Jason Bibb has resigned with immediate effect following a decision to relocate back to the UK from Bermuda.