Catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities news

The Legislative Council of the Government of Hong Kong has now passed its new insurance legislation to allow for insurance-linked securities (ILS) such as catastrophe bonds to be issued there.

A number of insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund managers established side pockets to segregate potential exposures related to the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020, while some ILS and collateralised reinsurance funds also suffered adverse reserve development related to prior year catastrophes as well.

Purchasing of retrocessional reinsurance coverage in industry-loss warranty (ILW) form was seen to show a “material increase” around the mid-year renewal season, according to broker Aon.

Global reinsurance firm Swiss Re expects that while it seems that some losses from the Covid-19 pandemic could fall to its quota share sidecar investors, the amount won’t be significant.

Europe’s insurance and reinsurance sector watchdog, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), has highlighted the potential role of the capital markets and insurance-linked securities (ILS) in risk transfer and reinsurance facilities to support pandemic insurance provision.

Issuance of property catastrophe bonds was already running 20% ahead of the total for the prior year by the end of June 2020, putting the market well on its way to beating records again in 2020, Aon Securities explained in its latest report.

As sustainable investing continues to gain traction across the financial world, the inherent ESG qualities of insurance-linked securities (ILS) provides a unique opportunity for investors, according to Patrick Roder, Associate Partner, ILS Practice Lead, Synpulse.

Neither Hurricane Hanna’s impacts in the region of Texas where it made landfall as a category 1 storm over the weekend, or hurricane Douglas’ impacts on the islands of Hawaii as it skirted them at category 1 strength today, are expected to have any effect on outstanding catastrophe bonds, according to investment manager Plenum.

After a pause during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, investors are returning to the mortgage insurance-linked securities (ILS) market, helping specialist mortgage insurer NMI Holdings, Inc. to successfully price its latest and fourth deal, a $322 million Oaktown Re IV Ltd. transaction.

U.S. primary insurance carrier Travelers has adjusted the attachment point for its $500 million Long Point Re III Ltd. (Series 2018-1) catastrophe bond transaction upwards slightly for the coming year, while also renewing a range of important property catastrophe excess-of-loss reinsurance treaties at July 1st.