Catastrophe bond news

Zenkyoren has now secured $700 million of collateralized Japanese earthquake reinsurance cover from its latest cat bond, while the pricing for the two series of Nakama Re Ltd. (Series 2018-1) notes has now been fixed at the lowest end of the marketed range.

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 25th February 2018, 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 reinsurance industry has to get used to the fact that we are now in a world where underwriting margins for property catastrophe business are lower and likely to stay that way, thanks to the influence of ILS and alternative sources of capital, according to Swiss Re CEO Christian Mumenthaler.

Emmanuel Modu, Managing Director and Global Head of insurance-linked securities (ILS) at A.M. Best, has noticed ILS funds increasingly seeking more alliance with traditional reinsurers, driven partly by a push for efficiency.

A second tranche of U.S. primary insurer Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company’s catastrophe bond has now been triggered as its aggregated natural catastrophe losses have eaten further into the capital market backed reinsurance provision that the $375 million Caelus Re V Ltd. (Series 2017-1) catastrophe bond provides.

French reinsurance firm SCOR felt the benefit of its retrocession program in 2017, recording net positives to its balance-sheet as it shielded the reinsurer from higher impacts from losses, but SCOR’s insurance-linked securities (ILS) coverage was untouched, as its Atlas cat bond escaped from the 2017 catastrophes.

The target size for giant Japanese reinsurance buyer Zenkyoren’s latest catastrophe bond issuance has increased dramatically, rising 180% to $700 million for the sponsor, as it seeks to continue expanding its use of ILS to transfer earthquake risks to the capital markets, while at the same time pricing indications have dropped.

The use of an industry loss warranty (ILW) structure in inherently complex and rapidly advancing risks, such as cyber and terror, could support the repeatability of other structures and ultimately assist the innovative efforts of the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market, according to Property Claim Services (PCS), a Verisk Analytics business.

The Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), the financial regulator on the island, is requesting a more granular level of detail on activities involving alternative reinsurance capital and insurance-linked securities (ILS) underwriting, seeking detail on any re/insurance business financed by directly capitalised mechanisms.

A $10 million LI Re (Series 2016-2) private catastrophe bond that was issued by German reinsurance firm Hannover Re’s segregated accounts vehicle Kaith Re Ltd., has been matured early and its notes have been delisted as a result.