Rating agency A.M. Best changed its outlook on the reinsurance sector to negative recently, becoming the fourth of the major rating agencies to do so. In a video published this week senior A.M. Best rating executives explained the rational behind the shift.

The insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance linked investments market may be one of the better positioned for any additional scrutiny the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decides to place on managers of illiquid assets.

The fourth named storm of the 2014 Atlantic Tropical Storm & Hurricane Season, has formed in the Bay of Campeche area of the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Tropical storm Dolly will be no threat to the U.S. but will pose a rain threat to Mexico.

PGA Sompo Japan Insurance Inc, the Philippines based subsidiary of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., has launched a parametric typhoon insurance product designed to mitigate against agricultural damage from major storms.

In a report on London insurance and reinsurance market conditions, A.M. Best warns that expansion of terms and conditions will adversely affect results, while firms managing third-party capital are effectively competing with their own products.

Given the recent decline in pricing and therefore returns on investments in reinsurance linked assets and insurance-linked securities (ILS) such as catastrophe bonds, it is no surprise to hear that some large, institutional investors are pulling back.

Softening prices, resulting in reduced margins and lower profits, as well as a slight uptick in exposure to smaller catastrophes haven’t dented global reinsurers appetites for underwriting catastrophe risk reinsurance, according to Standard & Poor’s.

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 31st August 2014, on catastrophe bonds, reinsurance capital and related risk transfer topics, from the last seven days on Artemis. To ensure you never miss a thing  subscribe to the weekly Artemis email newsletter updates.