Retrocession news

Property catastrophe reinsurance renewals saw another wide range of outcomes even in a more orderly market, as capacity providers still demanded steep increases for programs that had been loss-affected during the last year, with global property cat rates seen as ranging from flat to up by 30%.

Sources of retrocessional reinsurance capital appear in greater supply at this January renewal season than a year ago, which has applied some pressure to rates-on-line at higher, more remote layers, while also shifting more of the balance of power back towards buyers in some cases, we understand.

Artemis has now learned that global reinsurance firm Swiss Re has successfully priced the market’s first industry-loss triggered cyber catastrophe bond, securing the $50 million of coverage it had originally targeted from the Matterhorn Re Ltd. (Series 2023-1) transaction.

Over the second-half of 2023, the catastrophe bond market has continued in its shift away from providing aggregate cat bond coverage, with the percentage of the outstanding cat bond market that aggregate deals contribute falling below 42% for the first time in years.

Hiscox Group has now successfully secured its first catastrophe bond in over two decades upsized by 25% to provide $125 million in reinsurance cover, while the Ocelot Re Ltd. (Series 2023-1) cat bond notes priced around 10% below the mid-point of initial guidance.

Ark Insurance Holdings Limited, a property and casualty insurance and reinsurance subsidiary of the White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., has successfully sponsored a renewal of its $250 million collateralized reinsurance sidecar, Outrigger Re Ltd. for the 2024 calendar year.

We’re told that the price guidance has been raised for the first industry-loss triggered cyber catastrophe bond deal, which is being sponsored by reinsurance firm Swiss Re, while the size of the Matterhorn Re Ltd. (Series 2023-1) transaction remains at $50 million so far.

This video features an expert panel discussing both catastrophe bond and private insurance-linked securities (ILS) market trends from our Artemis London 2023 conference, that was held in London on September 5th 2023.

Hiscox Group is now aiming to upsize its first catastrophe bond in more than two decades by 25% to provide it $125 million in peak peril aggregate retrocessional reinsurance cover, while the company is also hoping to secure the Ocelot Re Ltd. (Series 2023-1) cat bond at reduced pricing.

The catastrophe bond market needs to price appropriately for so-called secondary perils and stop giving them a “free-ride”, as there is a need to continue offering this type of typically frequency or aggregate style reinsurance protection, but investors must be adequately compensated for it, Tenax Capital has said.