Reinsurance sidecars news

The size of the estimated winter storm insurance and reinsurance market loss from February’s severe Arctic freeze and the issues suffered by energy organisation the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) has raised speculation over the chances of subrogation becoming a possibility for carriers.

German reinsurance giant Hannover Re benefited from its retrocessional protections throughout 2020, potentially ceding almost one-third of natural catastrophe losses and 24% of its losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Insurance and reinsurance market losses from winter storm Uri and related severe winter weather in the United States may become another factor in the availability of alternative capital, given the loss will highlight the risk of catastrophes being unmodelled and perhaps heighten climate change concerns, S&P has warned.

Arch Capital Group, the Bermuda headquartered insurance and reinsurance specialist, has returned to the capital markets to sponsor an almost $70 million renewal sidecar issuance through its special purpose insurer Voussoir Re Ltd.

Private equity specialist Apollo Global and life and retirement reinsurance company Athene Holding Ltd. are set to merge, in a transaction that values the latter at $11 billion and the combined company at $29 billion, underscoring the attractive combination that is investing alongside life and annuity reinsurance premium float accumulation.

Brookfield Asset Management Inc., the giant Canadian headquartered alternative asset manager that has around $575 billion of assets under management, continues to expand its reinsurance operations with a rating from AM Best now secured for its Cayman Islands based reinsurer North End Re (Cayman) SPC.

Insurance and reinsurance broker Aon has offered its view on the recent winter storm activity in the United States, saying that an expected “hurricane-level” of claims from the winter storm “will translate to payouts well into the billions of dollars.”

Catastrophe risk modeller AIR Worldwide has warned that recent winter storm Uri and associated severe winter weather could result in an insurance and reinsurance industry loss that is “well in excess” of $10 billion.

Global reinsurance player Munich Re had some positive words for the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market, suggesting that alternative capital sources in reinsurance are presenting “disciplined” competition at this time.

Palomar Insurance Holdings, the speciality California-headquartered insurer that provides largely catastrophe exposed property products, has said that it expects its reinsurance program to respond to the losses it will face from winter storm Uri’s impacts in Texas.