Catastrophe bond news

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has now published its pre-sale report and preliminary rating for the recently launched $200m Vitality Re VI Ltd. (Series 2015-1) health insurance-linked securities (ILS) deal from life and health insurer Aetna.

Continued investor appetite for catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities (ILS), alongside growing confidence in their use as an alternative to reinsurance, could see the cat bond market hitting $9 billion of issuance in 2015, according to WCMA.

While both the average rate-on-line and the excess return of insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bonds declined considerably in 2014, it was at a slower rate than that seen in 2013, according to the latest report from Lane Financial.

The sixth in our series of articles featuring leading figures in insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance on the market as we move into 2015 features Bill Dubinsky, Head of Insurance-Linked Securities at Willis Capital Markets & Advisory.

Samir Shah, a Senior Vice President at major global primary insurance group AIG, has moved to a new role as Head of Capital Markets for the insurer, perhaps signaling an increased focus at AIG on leveraging the capital markets for reinsurance.

Louisiana Citizens, the non-profit residential and commercial property insurer for those who cannot access private market insurance in the state, will seek to replace its Pelican Re Ltd. (Series 2012-1) catastrophe bond at its next reinsurance renewal.

The fifth in our series of articles featuring leading figures in insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance on the market as we move into 2015 features Luca Albertini, CEO of insurance linked securities (ILS) investment manager Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP.

StormHarbour a boutique independent investment bank and advisory firm has hired experienced ILS and reinsurance capital markets exec Jonathan Spry to head up insurance and reinsurance investment banking and ILS activities at the firm.

Short-dated catastrophe bonds traded in the secondary market last week, as some investors continued to show an appetite to buy these bonds, likely to hold them to maturity. Also of note, the exposed Gator Re cat bond recovered some of its discount.

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 11th January 2015, 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.