Wildfire related news and analysis

Catastrophe bond funds have outpaced private ILS funds included in the ILS Advisers Fund Index for the first-half of 2025 and across the group of 37 constituent insurance-linked securities (ILS) funds tracked by the Index, the average return for the six months was 2.05%.

Mercury Insurance has now recovered $20.05 million from its Randolph Re (Series 2024-1) private catastrophe bond transaction, after losses from the January 2025 wildfires in California exceeded the attachment and eroded some of its principal, Artemis has learned.

Insurance industry losses from the wildfires that impacted the Municipality of Jasper and Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada between July 22 and August 17, 2024 are estimated to have reached CAD $1.31 billion, according to CatIQ, Canada’s insured loss and exposure indices provider.

The executive leadership of Bermuda headquartered reinsurer RenaissanceRe have explained during an earnings call that the company has already recaptured most of the third-party reinsurance capital management fee income that had been deferred after the California wildfire loss activity experienced earlier in 2025.

Mercury General Corporation, the California headquartered insurer, has now successfully priced its first 144A catastrophe bond, securing the 50% upsized $150 million in reinsurance protection from the capital markets with the Luca Re Ltd. (Series 2025-1) issuance that will cover it for wildfire and fire-following earthquake losses in its home state, Artemis can report.

Across the insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund sector the month of May 2025 was a positive one, with the average across all private ILS and catastrophe bond funds tracked by the ILS Advisers Fund Index reaching a +0.79% return for the period.

Mercury General Corporation, the California headquartered insurer, is aiming to upsize its debut 144A catastrophe bond market, raising the target to secure as much as $150 million in reinsurance from the Luca Re Ltd. (Series 2025-1) issuance to cover wildfire and fire-following earthquake losses in its home state, Artemis can report.

Mercury General Corporation, the California headquartered insurer, has entered the 144A catastrophe bond market for the first time, seeking $100 million or more in reinsurance from the capital markets with a Luca Re Ltd. (Series 2025-1) issuance that will cover it for wildfire and fire-following earthquake losses in its home state, Artemis has learned.

Schroders Capital has posted strong early-year performance across its core catastrophe bond portfolios, benefiting from a deliberate underweight to wildfire risk that helped mitigate losses tied to the severe Los Angeles wildfires in January.

The ILS Advisers Fund Index, which tracks the performance of the insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund sector, has turned positive for the year after April on the back of another strong month of private ILS fund returns.