trapped collateral

Rate increases alone are no longer considered sufficient to improve the underwriting results of insurance-linked securities managers and reinsurance firms, according to AM Best, who believes that after consecutive years of heavy catastrophe losses the only answer is continued improvement of the quality of portfolios of risk.

At a directions hearing held in a Bermuda Court yesterday, the judge ruled that meetings of buy-out scheme creditors in the Markel CATCo Investment Management operated retrocessional reinsurance funds be held.

The in run-off retrocessional reinsurance investment funds that are managed by Markel CATCo Investment Management are heading back to the Bermuda Court this week to provide an update on recent developments.

Markel CATCo Investment Management has gained support from a majority of investors in its listed retrocessional reinsurance investment fund for the improved terms of the buy-out offer and an extension of the Support Undertakings to 31st March 2022.

The CATCo Reinsurance Opportunities Fund Ltd., the listed, retrocession focused insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund strategy managed by Markel CATCo Investment Management, has recovered more value for its investors, with favourable development related to 2017 and 2018 catastrophe loss events.

Markel CATCo Investment Management has announced a sweetening of the terms of the buyout process for its retrocessional reinsurance investment funds, after a settlement was reached and more investor support for its winding down was received.

After another challenging year of catastrophe losses in 2021, Bermuda based reinsurance firm and third-party capital manager RenaissanceRe went into the January 2022 renewals with its Upsilon collateralized reinsurance and retrocession vehicle significantly smaller than the prior year, its CEO revealed today.

Reinsurance rates and pricing have more ground to cover at the important June and July renewal seasons in 2022, as analysts and our sources all agree there is further catching up to do.

Deployable capital in the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market declined at the end of 2021 as the January 2022 reinsurance renewals approached, which resulted in some ILS investment managers making use of financing arrangements, we’re told.

Alternative reinsurance capital levels in the global industry grew 3.7% over the course of 2021, outpacing the 2.7% growth of traditional reinsurance industry capital, according to the latest estimate from broker Guy Carpenter and rating agency AM Best.