All of our news and analysis on the retrocessional reinsurance marketplace.
Retrocession is effectively reinsurance for reinsurers, so a tertiary layer of risk transfer away from the original risk, if you consider primary, reinsurance and then retrocession.
As reinsurance is insurance for insurers, retrocessional, or retro, protection is reinsurance for reinsurers.
The retrocession reinsurance market has increasingly come to depend on the capital markets and insurance-linked securities (ILS).
As of mid-year 2022, global retrocession capacity has been estimated to be as high as $60bn, around $20bn of which is indemnity based and the rest in other formats.
The alternative capital markets and ILS funds, or investors, play a significant role in global retrocession, as too do instruments such as catastrophe bonds and industry-loss warranties (ILW).
Fidelis Insurance is back in the catastrophe bond market, aiming to secure $75 million or more in US earthquake retrocessional reinsurance on a collateralized basis through sponsorship of a Herbie Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) cat bond, Artemis has learned.
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MS Amlin is back in the market to place securitized notes under its Phoenix Re series of collateralized reinsurance sidecar deals, with a $24.5 million tranche of notes under its Singapore registered Special Purpose Reinsurance Vehicle named Phoenix 2 Re Pte. Ltd. so far, Artemis can reveal.
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The private insurance-linked securities (ILS) market is approaching the January renewals from a strong standpoint, with capacity projected to be marginally higher, which may exert some pricing pressure. However, according to Cahal Doris, CIO Private ILS at Twelve Securis, the firm still expects to observe technical discipline within the market.
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A recent report from KBW analysts, following their semi-annual trip to Bermuda in anticipation of the January 1st renewals, indicates that the retrocession market continues to be more vulnerable to instability, with this instability contributing an additional layer of fragility to the broader reinsurance ecosystem.
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RenaissanceRe has now secured a 100% upsizing of its latest catastrophe bond, as the Mona Lisa Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) notes have now been priced to provide it $400 million in multi-peril catastrophe retrocessional reinsurance, Artemis has learned.
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Global reinsurance firm SCOR has renewed its main contingent capital facility for the fifth time, continuing the balance-sheet coverage that protects the company against extreme natural catastrophe or mortality events, as well as against a significant decline in its share price.
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With the announcement today that insurance and reinsurance specialist Vantage Group is set to be acquired by Howard Hughes Holdings, the firm’s third-party collateralized reinsurance capital business AdVantage received a positive mention from the acquirer’s executives during an analyst call.
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Willis Re, the recently launched reinsurance broker formed by WTW in a joint venture established with specialist private investment firm Bain Capital, has added another recognised specialist in broking property retrocession, with Richard Keegan joining the company in Bermuda.
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As the reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) sector begins to head into the key January renewals period, equity analysts at investment bank Jefferies have said that competitive dynamics within both the catastrophe bond and retrocession markets are likely to reinforce downward pressure at 1/1.
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RenaissanceRe is now looking to as much as double the size of its latest catastrophe bond during the offering phase, with the target for the Mona Lisa Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) issuance lifted to provide it between $325 million and $400 million in multi-peril catastrophe retrocessional reinsurance, sources have told Artemis.
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