Swiss Re Insurance-Linked Fund Management

Original Risk: A Society for Change Agents

Western Capital Ltd.

The Artemis Catastrophe Bond and Insurance-linked Securities Deal Directory aims to provide a one-stop resource for information on every cat bond and ILS transaction we hold information on. The content of this Deal Directory is provided as is and there will be some omissions. Help us to keep these cat bond and ILS transaction summaries up to date by contacting us if you see an error or omission that you can correct.

Share

Western Capital Ltd. – At a glance:

  • Issuer: Western Capital Ltd.
  • Cedent / sponsor: California Earthquake Authority
  • Placement / structuring agent/s: Swiss Re Capital Markets Corporation (SRCM) and Goldman, Sachs & Co. Swiss Re provided the reinsurance layer.
  • Risk modelling / calculation agents etc: EQECAT
  • Risks / perils covered: California earthquake risks
  • Size: $100m
  • Trigger type: Industry loss index
  • Ratings: S&P: 'BB+'
  • Date of issue: Feb 2001

Western Capital Ltd. – Full details:

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) have arranged a combination of reinsurance and investment capital to arrange $100 million that will be available to CEA policyholders in the event of one or more major earthquakes over the next 23 months.

The CEA signed a $100 million reinsurance contract with Swiss Re. Swiss Re Capital Markets Corporation (SRCM) and Goldman, Sachs & Co. co-led a private offering and jointly placed $97 million of floating rate notes and $3 million of preference shares that, in effect, will replenish Swiss Re’s capital should such an earthquake occur.

The floating rate notes have been rated BB+ by Standard & Poor’s and Ba2 by Moody’s. The issuer, Western Capital Limited, is a Bermuda special purpose vehicle whose common shares are held in trust. Payout of the notes is linked to an index of California earthquakes as determined by the Property Claim Services (PCS).

Register today for ILS Asia 2023, our next insurance-linked securities (ILS) market conference. Held in Singapore, July 13th, 2023.

Artemis ILS Asia 2023 - Insurance-linked securities conference in Singapore

Get a ticket soon to ensure you can attend. Secure your place at the event here!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

« Go back to the Catastrophe Bond Deal Directory

Help us keep this valuable resource up to date. If you have information on a catastrophe bond or insurance-linked security deal we have not covered or can see something that we should change, please contact us to let us know.