March 17th, 2014
Chart: Risk Capital Issued by Quarter
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
Property/casualty catastrophe bonds issuance in the period 1997 to 2013.
Archive for March, 2014
March 14th, 2014
Week’s Top Stories: March 8 – 14, 2014
Posted at 8:00 AM ET
Catastrophe Bond 4th Quarter 2013 Issuance Activity: Fourth quarter activity began on October 15, 2013 with AXA returning to the catastrophe bond market to issue Calypso II. At the end of October, Catlin issued Galileo Re, their first transaction since 2008. November saw no sponsors come to market. Then there was a flurry of activity in December starting with USAA and AIG both returning to the market for a second time in 2013 with Residential Re 2013-2 and Tradewynd Re 2013-2, respectively.
Global Catastrophe Review, 2013: 2013 provided a respite for the (re)insurance industry following above-average losses in 2011 and 2012, with insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters estimated at around USD40 billion, according to Guy Carpenter & Company. This is considerably less than the ten-year average loss of approximately USD60 billion and well below the most significant years of 2005 and 2011. This can be partly attributed to the unusually quiet 2013 Atlantic tropical season.
Catastrophe Bond Outlook for 2014: The growing influence of alternative markets capacity is pressuring traditional reinsurers’ business model and challenging them to compete against a model with lower-cost of capital that continues to enter the reinsurance market. Most reinsurance companies have responded to the challenge by leveraging their incumbent status on reinsurance programs, offering similar or better terms and similar or reduced pricing. Particularly, traditional players are emphasizing their ability to efficiently provide reinstatements, which are seen by many as a critical part of core reinsurance programs, particularly for working reinsurance layers.
January 2014 Renewal Report: Capacity: Evolution, Innovation and Opportunity: The January 1, 2014 renewal saw rates on line fall significantly in nearly all regions and business segments as relatively low loss experiences, strong balance sheets and an influx of capital spurred competition and innovation in the reinsurance market. This culminated in a marketplace focused on meeting individual client needs as reinsurers reacted to the challenge posed by alternative markets and alternative markets, in turn, sought to deliver unique solutions. Insurers also looked to capitalize by adapting their buying strategies and prioritizing their risk transfer goals.
GC Securities* Completes Catastrophe Bond Queen Street IX Re Limited for Munich Re: GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC, announced the placement of the Principal At-Risk Notes, with notional principal of $100,000,000, through a newly formed catastrophe bond, Queen Street IX Re Limited, to benefit Munich Re. This is the ninth Queen Street cat bond to benefit Munich Re, the eighth overall cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re since 2011 and the first cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re provided via an Irish special purpose reinsurance vehicle.
And You May Have Missed
Chart: Global Property Catastrophe ROL Index: The Guy Carpenter Global Property Catastrophe Rate on Line index is presented for 1990 through 2014. The index fell by 11 percent at January 1, 2014.
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*Securities or investments, as applicable, are offered in the United States through GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a US registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC. Main Office: 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. Phone: (212) 345-5000. Securities or investments, as applicable, are offered in the European Union by GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities (Europe) Ltd. (MMCSEL), which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, main office 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. Reinsurance products are placed through qualified affiliates of Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC. MMC Securities Corp., MMC Securities (Europe) Ltd. and Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC are affiliates owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies. This communication is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any security, financial instrument, reinsurance or insurance product.
March 13th, 2014
Catastrophe Bond Outlook for 2014
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
The growing influence of alternative markets capacity is pressuring traditional reinsurers’ business model and challenging them to compete against a model with lower-cost of capital that continues to enter the reinsurance market. Most reinsurance companies have responded to the challenge by leveraging their incumbent status on reinsurance programs, offering similar or better terms and similar or reduced pricing. Particularly, traditional players are emphasizing their ability to efficiently provide reinstatements, which are seen by many as a critical part of core reinsurance programs, particularly for working reinsurance layers. Traditional players are also hedging their bets and creating their own capital markets divisions to attract, manage and utilize capital from third-party sources whether in the form of fund management, managed accounts or sidecars. This will allow reinsurers the opportunity to securitize the most capital-intensive parts of the business while providing valuable cost-efficient capacity in other business lines.
March 12th, 2014
GC Securities* Completes Catastrophe Bond Queen Street IX Re Limited for Munich Re
Posted at 5:00 AM ET
GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC, today announced the placement of the Principal At-Risk Notes, with notional principal of $100,000,000, through a newly formed catastrophe bond, Queen Street IX Re Limited, to benefit Munich Re. This is the ninth Queen Street cat bond to benefit Munich Re, the eighth overall cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re since 2011 and the first cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re provided via an Irish special purpose reinsurance vehicle.
March 12th, 2014
Catastrophe Bonds 4th Quarter 2013, Maturities and Risk Capital
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
Catastrophe bond issuance in the fourth quarter of 2013, USD1.82 billion, was minimally offset by the limited amount of catastrophe bond maturities of USD360 million, resulting in a net change of risk capital outstanding of USD1.46 billion.
March 11th, 2014
Catastrophe Bond 4th Quarter 2013 Issuance Activity
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
Fourth quarter activity began on October 15, 2013 with AXA returning to the catastrophe bond market to issue Calypso II. At the end of October, Catlin issued Galileo Re, their first transaction since 2008. November saw no sponsors come to market. Then there was a flurry of activity in December starting with USAA and AIG both returning to the market for a second time in 2013 with Residential Re 2013-2 and Tradewynd Re 2013-2, respectively. Residential Re 2013-2 Class 1 Notes carried an expected loss of 14.23 percent, making it the second riskiest tranche issued of all time in the 144A catastrophe bond market (the riskiest being Successor I Class B-II issued in 2008 benefiting Swiss Re with an expected loss of 14.73 percent).
March 10th, 2014
Catastrophe Bond Update, Fourth Quarter 2013
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
Influence from direct capital markets’ participation in reinsurance programs, coupled with catastrophic insured losses well below historical averages in 2013, put significant pressure on global catastrophic reinsurance pricing. As a result of significantly reduced pricing (relative to recent years), approximately USD7.1 billion worth of new property/casualty (P&C) catastrophe bonds were issued in 2013 - the second largest record year for P&C issuance. The year included seven new sponsors - American Coastal, American Modern, AXIS Capital, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), QBE, Renaissance Re and the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool - who collectively secured USD1.46 billion of catastrophe bond capacity. In addition to new sponsors, another prevalent change in the market was the increasing use and acceptance of indemnity-based triggers. Given that spreads have tightened between indemnity and other trigger types, sponsors were inclined to take advantage of investors’ openness to indemnity triggers to reduce coverage basis risk without a material increase in pricing relative to non-indemnity trigger pricing.
March 7th, 2014
Week’s Top Stories: March 1 – 7, 2014
Posted at 8:00 AM ET
Chart: Risk Capital Outstanding: Risk capital outstanding for property/casualty catastrophe bonds for the period 1997 to 2013.
Cyber Review: As Guy Carpenter launches its new Cyber Solutions Specialty Practice, we review recent GC Capital Ideas stories on cyber.
Chart: 2013 Catastrophe Bond Transactions: This table lists the 144A property/casualty catastrophe bond transactions that were completed in 2013.
Guy Carpenter Makes Senior Promotions: Guy Carpenter announced that Massimo Reina has been promoted to the position of CEO of Continental Europe and MENA, with immediate effect. He succeeds Peter Stubbings, who has taken up the position of Chairman of the firm’s Bermuda operations.
January 2014 Renewal Report: Capacity: Evolution, Innovation and Opportunity: The January 1, 2014 renewal saw rates on line fall significantly in nearly all regions and business segments as relatively low loss experiences, strong balance sheets and an influx of capital spurred competition and innovation in the reinsurance market. This culminated in a marketplace focused on meeting individual client needs as reinsurers reacted to the challenge posed by alternative markets and alternative markets, in turn, sought to deliver unique solutions. Insurers also looked to capitalize by adapting their buying strategies and prioritizing their risk transfer goals.
And You May Have Missed
Chart: Significant Insured Losses: Reports insured losses from natural disasters and man-made disasters, 2011 to 2013.
March 6th, 2014
GC Capital Ideas Top Stories: February 2014
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
1. Chart: Rate Movements by Business Segment: Report on rate movements at January 1, 2014.
2. Chart: Top Ten Catastrophe Bond Transactions: The chart ranks deals in 2013, as compiled by GC Securities*, a division of MMC Securities Corporation.
3. Global Catastrophe Review, 2013: 2013 provided a respite for the (re)insurance industry following above-average losses in 2011 and 2012, with insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters estimated at around USD40 billion, according to Guy Carpenter & Company. This is considerably less than the ten-year average loss of approximately USD60 billion and well below the most significant years of 2005 and 2011. This can be partly attributed to the unusually quiet 2013 Atlantic tropical season.
4. January 2014 Renewal Report: Capacity: Evolution, Innovation and Opportunity: The January 1, 2014 renewal saw rates on line fall significantly in nearly all regions and business segments as relatively low loss experiences, strong balance sheets and an influx of capital spurred competition and innovation in the reinsurance market. This culminated in a marketplace focused on meeting individual client needs as reinsurers reacted to the challenge posed by alternative markets and alternative markets, in turn, sought to deliver unique solutions. Insurers also looked to capitalize by adapting their buying strategies and prioritizing their risk transfer goals.
5. Guy Carpenter’s and Oliver Wyman’s Risk Benchmark Report: Guy Carpenter and its sister company, Oliver Wyman, the international management consulting firm, published the third annual Insurance Risk Benchmarks.
6. Chart: Global Property Catastrophe ROL Index: The Guy Carpenter Global Property Catastrophe Rate on Line index is presented for 1990 through 2014. The index fell by 11 percent at January 1, 2014.
7. Climate Change Review: Here we review recent GC Capital Ideas stories that have focused on climate change.
8. Chart: Prevalence of Annuity Settlements in Europe: For bodily injury claim settlements in Europe, the trend is shifting away from lump sums and towards annuity-type settlements, which come with risks related to longevity, inflation and hedging.
9. Americas Catastrophe Review, 2013: As with Europe, 2013 was a year of flood in the Americas, with notable events in Alberta, Toronto and Colorado. The flood event in the Calgary, Alberta area of Canada resulted in estimated insured losses of around USD2 billion, with economic losses of USD4.8 billion. This event, combined with flash-flooding in Toronto, Ontario in July, meant Canada experienced its most expensive insured catastrophe loss year on record.
10. Deployment of Collateralized Property Catastrophe Capacity: The impact the capital markets have had on the property catastrophe reinsurance space is undeniable. Analyzing 2013 market activity, it is also undeniable that much of the movement the market witnessed is as much driven by traditional reinsurers’ changing behaviors. While companies buying catastrophe coverage benefitted, across product type and geography, from collateralized capacity in the market, deployment of this capacity has been targeted.
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*Securities or investments, as applicable, are offered in the United States through GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a US registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC. Main Office: 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. Phone: (212) 345-5000. Securities or investments, as applicable, are offered in the European Union by GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities (Europe) Ltd. (MMCSEL), which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, main office 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. Reinsurance products are placed through qualified affiliates of Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC. MMC Securities Corp., MMC Securities (Europe) Ltd. and Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC are affiliates owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies. This communication is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any security, financial instrument, reinsurance or insurance product. **GC Analytics is a registered mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
March 5th, 2014
Chart: 2013 Catastrophe Bond Transactions
Posted at 1:00 AM ET
This table lists the 144A property/casualty catastrophe bond transactions that were completed in 2013.
