Reinsurance News

U.S. mortgage insurers are likely to face challenges in issuing new mortgage insurance-linked securities (ILS) at this time and their reinsurance costs are expected to rise on the back of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to A.M. Best.

Absent some kind of government intervention that forces a raft of claims into the insurance and reinsurance industry, David Flandro, Managing Director of Hyperion X Analytics, believes that there is no reason to expect the industry loss from Covid-19 will reach the levels of a large catastrophe loss year.

Sompo International, the Bermuda headquartered specialty property and casualty insurance and reinsurance provider, is exiting the Lloyd’s market, saying that while it aims for significant growth in London and Europe it feels a consolidated company market platform is the way to go.

Tremor Technologies Inc., the technology-based programmatic risk transfer marketplace provider, has already cleared a trade in just the second holding of its new weekly auctions of industry loss warranties (ILW’s).

Global Parametrics, the parametric and index-based disaster risk transfer company, is putting capacity from the Natural Disaster Fund (NDF) that it manages behind a new weather insurance pilot for coffee farmers in Costa Rica that is powered by Arbol’s technology and smart contract driven marketplace for weather risk transfer.

Draft legislation to form a U.S. Federal government backed reinsurance program for pandemic insurance claims is under discussion in the halls of power, with a bill perhaps ready to be submitted to the House before the end of this month.

Insurance and reinsurance firm Hiscox Group has stated that none of the insurance-linked securities (ILS) funds under management of its Hiscox Re Insurance Linked Strategies Ltd. unit hold any exposure to the insurers UK SME business policies, which are the subject of some legal claims as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the immediate economic and financial market impacts of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic have ramifications for investor appetite, there are longer-term reasons that ILS funds could face challenges when it comes to accepting new inflows while the virus remains prevalent.

Bermuda’s latest addition to its insurance-linked securities (ILS) offering is the much discussed Collateralised Insurer classification of company, which Brad Adderley, Partner at law firm Appleby Bermuda, recently explained will enable ILS funds to target a broader range of cedents.

Australia headquartered global insurance and reinsurance group QBE has announced a range of actions being taken to shore up its regulatory capital as a direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including buying more catastrophe reinsurance to reduce its exposure to U.S. perils.