QIS5 - Premium and Reserve Risk: Sufficient Consideration of Non-proportional Reinsurance?   On July 6, 2010 the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors published the technical specification for the latest Solvency II Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) 5. QIS5 is scheduled to be carried out from August to November of 2010, with a report summarizing the results scheduled for release in April of 2011. Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC has observed a return to capital requirements more in line with QIS4 and an implicit incentive for the use of an internal model regarding the non-life premium and reserve and risk.

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Chart: Guy Carpenter Global Reinsurance Composite First Half 2010: Combined Ratio:   The weighted average of the combined ratio of the Guy Carpenter Global Reinsurance Composite increased from 92.1 percent at end of year 2009 to 102.5 percent at first half 2010, the highest combined ratio since 2005, the year of the Katrina/Rita/Wilma Hurricanes.

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Chart: Guy Carpenter Global Reinsurance Composite First Half 2010:   Earnings:   Total earnings for the Guy Carpenter Global Reinsurance Composite in the first half of 2010 decreased by 6.4 percent to USD4.8 billion compared with the same period in 2009. The principal driver was an underwriting loss of USD901 million compared with profit of USD2.4 billion in the prior year.

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Update:  Hurricane Danielle:  Danielle has strengthened over the last 24 hours to become the second hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, and the storm is currently located approximately 1,110 miles (1,790 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Danielle packs sustained winds of around 100 mph (160 kmph) and is currently traveling in a westerly direction. Danielle is expected to take a turn to the west-northwest and then the northwest over the next 24 hours. The storm is also forecast to strengthen during this time as it moves into a favorable environment for intensification, and the NHC says Danielle could become a major hurricane by Wednesday. The NHC said hurricane-force winds extend 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the center of the storm while tropical storm-force winds extend 115 miles (185 kilometers).

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Catastrophe Bond Update: Second Quarter 2010 - Activity Surges…Reflecting Favorable Issuance Conditions and Strong Investor Demand:* In the second quarter of 2010, eight catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD2.05 billion of risk capital was issued making it the second most active second quarter on record. USD1.70 billion of this total (and all but one transaction) included exposure to U.S. wind as sponsors and investors focused on this peril, leading into what is expected to be an active North Atlantic hurricane season.

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Most Popular Keyword:    terrorism

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GC Videocast - Dramatic Improvement in Reinsurer Earnings and Balance Sheets Following Financial Crisis:    Chris Klein, Guy Carpenter’s Head of Business Intelligence, reviews the dramatic change and improvement in reinsurers’ fortunes following the global financial crisis. He reviews the year- end 2009 earnings results of the Guy Carpenter Bermuda Reinsurance Composite. He also reviews the primary drivers for capital decline and then growth among those reinsurers in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The impact of capital growth on capacity is also discussed.

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Contributors
• Cory Anger, Managing Director**
• Chi Hum, Managing Director**
• Hong Guo, Managing Director**
• Ryan Clarke, Vice President**
• Brad Livingston, Analyst**

ILW market commentary provided by
• Barry Law, Managing Director (Guy Carpenter London)
• Larry Rothstein, Vice President (Guy Carpenter London)

*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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

**Registered Representatives of MMC Securities Corp.

Catastrophe Bond Update: Second Quarter 2010 - Activity Surges …Reflecting Favorable Issuance Conditions and Strong Investor Demand*: In the second quarter of 2010, eight catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD2.05 billion of risk capital was issued, making it the second most active second quarter on record. USD1.70 billion of this total (and all but one transaction) included exposure to U.S. wind as sponsors and investors focused on this peril, leading into what is expected to be an active North Atlantic hurricane season.

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Oliver Wyman - Financial Times Release Report on Emerging Risk:  Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC sister company Oliver Wyman, and the Financial Times have released a new report entitled: Global Emerging Risks Survey: Steering the Course, Seizing the Opportunity.

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Floods in China: China’s worst seasonal flooding for a decade has left more than 2,100 people dead or missing country-wide and has necessitated the evacuation of a more than 12 million others, according to Chinese government sources. Reports say that to date, the flooding, triggered by unusually severe monsoonal rains, have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage across 28 provinces and regions of China. The current flooding is reported to be the worst experienced in China since 1998, when more than 4000 people died and 18 million people were displaced.

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Guy Carpenter & Company a Media Partner at MicroInsurance Summit 2010, London:  Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC will be collaborating with Hanson Wade to bring together insurance experts from around the world at the Fourth International MicroInsurance Summit 2010 to be held in London on September 29 and 30, 2010. The Summit will focus on the concept of the advancement of sustainable and scalable models of microinsurance.

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Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre (GCACIC) Updates Its Forecasts for Number of Tropical Cyclones in South China and the Korea-Japan Region:  Earlier in the year, various climate centers predicted that neutral El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions will prevail during the latter half of this year. The most current forecast models are suggesting that La Nina conditions would very likely occur for the remainder of this year.

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Most Popular Keyword:    share buybacks

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Defining the Value of Risk Management:   How do you put a price on risk management? In the early days of finance theory (1950’s), the value of risk management was questioned-unless, of course, it was costless. The nuances of a more complex business environment have rendered this position untenable, but we still struggle to quantify the benefits of risk management, especially in the (re)insurance industry. Thus, the fundamental activity of risk-bearers has not been measurable, leaving a cloud of ambiguity in the middle of every carrier’s operation.

Read the article »

Click here to register for e-mail updates »

*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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

Catastrophe Bond Update: Second Quarter 2010 - Activity Surges …Reflecting Favorable Issuance Conditions and Strong Investor Demand*:  In the second quarter of 2010, eight catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD2.05 billion of risk capital was issued, making it the second most active second quarter on record. USD1.70 billion of this total (and all but one transaction) included exposure to U.S. wind as sponsors and investors focused on this peril, leading into what is expected to be an active North Atlantic hurricane season.

Read the article »

Long Tail Liabilities and Reserve Volatility: Dynamic Reserve Model (DRM^TM): The convergence of a variety of pressure points at this time is leading to a set of unique circumstances that present opportunities around business strategy and capital allocations for the insurance industry. Future inflation is one of the pressure points. Inflation and uncertainty about its extent and timing is a function of untested but powerful monetary and fiscal policy actions. In addition to inflation’s potential effect on insurer liability management there is also an impact on the volatility of assets backing the liabilities. A reignition of the kind of severe inflation last seen in the 1970s is most likely not factored into any current insurer management practices for establishing reserves or setting capital levels.

Read the article »

Risk Profile, Appetite, and Tolerance: Fundamental Concepts in Risk Management and Reinsurance Effectiveness:  Prior to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, insurers and reinsurers were increasing their use of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to make risk and capital management decisions. While this was driven in part by rating agencies and regulators, many carriers began to recognize the value of metric-based frameworks and capital models in evaluating their portfolios.

Read the article »

Reinsurance Renewal July 1, 2010: Capital Cushion Continues to Impact Pricing, Part I:  Introduction and US Property: Further erosion of rates was evident at the July 1, 2010 reinsurance renewal. Property rates were down by as much 15 percent despite substantial catastrophe loss activity in the first half of 2010. Heavy losses from the Chilean earthquake were insufficient to turn prices outside the areas immediately affected by the earthquake, despite the announcement of large increases in estimates from the largest European reinsurers. In the energy and casualty sectors, conditions were flat or down, but the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster may exert upwards pressure as more information emerges. Excess capital remains available to absorb losses as evidenced by continuing share buy-backs and the substitution of equity capital with less expensive debt.

Read the article »

Catastrophe Bond Update: First Quarter 2010 - Heavy Smoke, Some Fire…Encouraging Conditions Persist*:    In the first quarter of 2010, two catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD300 million of risk capital was issued. In response to strong investor demand, both transactions closed within initial price guidance and were upsized relative to announced placement targets. While this activity furthers the integration of the capital markets into the risk management processes of protection buyers, on balance, issuance volumes for the quarter were perhaps a bit lighter than expected at the close of 2009.

Read the article »

Most Popular Keyword:   rol index

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GC Videocast - Risk Tolerance Influences Economic Capital: Guy Carpenter’s Global Chief Economist Joan Lamm-Tennant describes how economic capital is a function of the risk profile that comes from simulation based models, but it also requires knowing the company’s risk tolerance. She reviews how hedging frees up the need for economic capital and reduces volatility.

Read the article »

Click here to register for e-mail updates » 

Contributors
• Cory Anger, Managing Director**
• Chi Hum, Managing Director**
• Hong Guo, Managing Director**
• Ryan Clarke, Vice President**
• Brad Livingston, Analyst**

ILW market commentary provided by
• Barry Law, Managing Director (Guy Carpenter London)
• Larry Rothstein, Vice President (Guy Carpenter London)

*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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

**Registered Representatives of MMC Securities Corp.

2010 Year-to-date Review of Microfinance, Microinsurance:   Here we bring together all of the stories that appeared on GCCapitalIdeas covering microfinance/micro risk/micro insurance in 2010. The series has presented the background and genesis of the product area and Guy Carpenter’s commitment to advance it.

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Stories from Guy Carpenter’s Chief Actuary:   Here we begin a review of the contributions to GCCapitalIdeas from Guy Carpenter’s Chief Actuary, Donald Mango, in the last year.

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Long Tail Liabilities and Reserve Volatility: Dynamic Reserve Model (DRM^TM): The convergence of a variety of pressure points at this time is leading to a set of unique circumstances that present opportunities around business strategy and capital allocations for the insurance industry. Future inflation is one of the pressure points. Inflation and uncertainty about its extent and timing is a function of untested but powerful monetary and fiscal policy actions. In addition to inflation’s potential effect on insurer liability management there is also an impact on the volatility of assets backing the liabilities. A reignition of the kind of severe inflation last seen in the 1970s is most likely not factored into any current insurer management practices for establishing reserves or setting capital levels.

Read the article »

Tropical Storm Colin: Tropical Storm Colin, the third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, developed at 09:00 UTC today and is currently located approximately 945 miles (1,525 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Colin packs sustained winds of around 40 mph (65 kmph). The storm is traveling in a west-northwest direction and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours as the storm slightly strengthens. The NHC said tropical storm-force winds extend 35 miles (55 kilometers) from the center of the storm.

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TRIA, U.S. Terrorism and International Terrorism: Effect on the Insurance and Reinsurance Markets: We excerpt here from the recently published Marsh report: Terrorism Risk Insurance 2010, the section authored by Guy Carpenter’s Emil Metropoulos. Commercial insurers are strongly supportive of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA), as it provides them an ultimate safety net for their terrorism exposures. However, the residual risk for terror events retained by insurers below the triggers and retention levels set by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (TRIPRA), coupled with the relatively high cost of reinsurance in key exposure zones, means that insurers remain cautious about terrorism exposure. As a result, they continue to avoid accumulating high-profile urban exposures.

Read the article »

Most Popular Keyword:  alternative risk transfer

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Defining the Value of Risk Management: How do you put a price on risk management? In the early days of finance theory (1950’s), the value of risk management was questioned-unless, of course, it was costless. The nuances of a more complex business environment have rendered this position untenable, but we still struggle to quantify the benefits of risk management, especially in the (re)insurance industry. Thus, the fundamental activity of risk-bearers has not been measurable, leaving a cloud of ambiguity in the middle of every carrier’s operation.

Read the article »

Click here to register for e-mail updates »  

2Q 2010: Recap of Natural Catastrophe Events:  Reviews Hurricane Alex, floods in Southeast France and in Central and Eastern Europe, severe weather in the United States, earthquakes in China and Mexico.     

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TRIA, U.S. Terrorism and International Terrorism:  Effect on the Insurance and Reinsurance Markets: We excerpt here from the recently published Marsh report: Terrorism Risk Insurance 2010, the section authored by Guy Carpenter’s Emil Metropoulos. Commercial insurers are strongly supportive of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, as it provides them an ultimate safety net for their terrorism exposures. However, the residual risk for terror events retained by insurers below the triggers and retention levels set by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (TRIPRA), coupled with the relatively high cost of reinsurance in key exposure zones, means that insurers remain cautious about terrorism exposure. As a result, they continue to avoid accumulating high-profile urban exposures.

Read the article »

Tropical Storm Bonnie:  Tropical Storm Bonnie, the second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, developed on July 22 and is currently located approximately 155 miles southeast of Miami in Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Bonnie packs sustained winds of around 40 mph. The storm is traveling in a west-northwest direction and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours as the storm slightly strengthens. The NHC said tropical storm-force winds extend 85 miles from the center of the storm.

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2Q 2010: Recap of Man-made Catastrophe Events: Reviews plane crash, Tripoli, Libya; explosion and fire at offshore oil rig, Gulf of Mexico; coal mine explosion, Virginia.   

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Risk Management is Key to Driving Success in Global Environment:  Marsh Risk Consulting: The dynamic global environment requires that businesses become more adept at understanding and managing their emerging risks. In the process, they may need to make fundamental changes in how they do business that translate into greater success, according to Mathew B. Allen, Global Practice Leader, Enterprise Risk Services & Solutions, for Guy Carpenter sister company, Marsh Risk Consulting.

Read the article >>

Most Popular Keyword:   tropical storm bonnie

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GC Videocast - Risk Tolerance Influences Economic Capital:  Guy Carpenter’s Global Chief Economist Joan Lamm-Tennant describes how economic capital is a function of the risk profile that comes from simulation based models, but it also requires knowing the company’s risk tolerance. She reviews how hedging frees up the need for economic capital and reduces volatility.

Read the article »

Click here to register for e-mail updates »

GC Capital Tip: Chart Room:  We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why GC Capital Ideas has the Chart Room. If you want to get a quick sense of important industry trends, the Chart Room provides snapshots of everything from extreme mortality bond issuances to the Guy Carpenter World Rate on Line Index. Each includes a brief summary and simple instructions for downloading the chart. We encourage you to use these charts in your presentations, along with the proper attribution.

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Guy Carpenter Asia Pacific Climate Impact Centre: Updated Prediction of Seasonal Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Western North Pacific for 2010:  This is an update of the predictions of the annual number of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific for 2010 that we issued on April 26, 2010. These updates are made based on new information for the months of April and May 2010.

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Reinsurance Renewal July 1, 2010: Capital Cushion Continues to Impact Pricing:   Further erosion of rates was evident at the July 1, 2010 reinsurance renewal. Property rates were down by as much 15 percent despite substantial catastrophe loss activity in the first half of 2010. Heavy losses from the Chilean earthquake were insufficient to turn prices outside the areas immediately affected by the earthquake, despite the announcement of large increases in estimates from the largest European reinsurers. In the energy and casualty sectors, conditions were flat or down, but the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster may exert upwards pressure as more information emerges. Excess capital remains available to absorb losses as evidenced by continuing share buy-backs and the substitution of equity capital with less expensive debt.

Read the article »

Terrorism Risk Highlighted at OECD Meeting by Guy Carpenter’s Director of Reinsurance Market Management, Chris Klein:  Guy Carpenter’s Director of Reinsurance Market Management, Chris Klein, spoke at a recent Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development meeting focusing on terrorism. Guy Carpenter’s (re)insurance industry report “Terrorism - Reinsurers Standing By,” was released in conjunction with the meeting. He presented a wide-ranging overview of how the reinsurance industry weathered the recent global financial crisis.

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Catastrophe Bond Update: First Quarter 2010 - Heavy Smoke, Some Fire…Encouraging Conditions Persist*: In the first quarter of 2010, two catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD300 million of risk capital was issued. In response to strong investor demand, both transactions closed within initial price guidance and were upsized relative to announced placement targets. While this activity furthers the integration of the capital markets into the risk management processes of protection buyers, on balance, issuance volumes for the quarter were perhaps a bit lighter than expected at the close of 2009.

Read the article »

Most Popular Keyword:    guy carpenter share buybacks

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Chart: Insurance Linked Securities Issuance, by Peril, 1997 Through April 1, 2010*:   On a standalone basis, the two most frequently securitized perils are U.S. hurricane USD (7.08 billion) and U.S. earthquake (USD 4.71 billion). Other perils securitized on a standalone basis include European windstorm, Japanese earthquake and, to a lesser extent, Japanese typhoon. Multi-peril transactions, in which the same dollar of risk principal is exposed to at least two or more perils accounts for 42 percent of total risk principal issued. Insurance linked securities (ILS) investors typically prefer single-peril / single-zone transactions as they provide greater ability to construct granular portfolios according to each investor’s risk preferences. ILS sponsors however, particularly large national and global writers with aggregate concerns across multiple perils and geographic zones, often prefer to economize risk transfer spend by applying a single limit across different non-correlated perils, for example U.S. hurricane and earthquake.

Read the article »

Click here to register for e-mail updates » 

*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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

1. Catastrophe Bond Update: First Quarter 2010 - Heavy Smoke, Some Fire…Encouraging Conditions Persist*:    In the first quarter of 2010, two catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD300 million of risk capital was issued. In response to strong investor demand, both transactions closed within initial price guidance and were upsized relative to announced placement targets. While this activity furthers the integration of the capital markets into the risk management processes of protection buyers, on balance, issuance volumes for the quarter were perhaps a bit lighter than expected at the close of 2009.

Read the article »

2. April 1 Reinsurance Renewals: Rates Lower; Returns Under Pressure:  The April 1, 2010 reinsurance renewals are dominated by Asia, but were conducted with one eye on the catastrophes that occurred elsewhere in the world. Reinsurance rates in most cases continued the decline experienced at January 1, 2010 which occurred largely because of the effects of healthier (re)insurer balance sheets. The large earthquake in Chile, and, to a lesser extent, windstorm Xynthia in Europe, both striking in the first quarter of 2010, caused pause for thought. There are several significant renewals at April 1 in the US, which did not show signs of any impact from the recent global loss activity. There was some evidence of price tightening in parts of Latin America. The Chile situation remains uncertain and earthquake losses generally develop more slowly than wind events. Up to half of catastrophe loss ratio budgets were consumed, causing reduced headroom for a larger catastrophe later in the year. This scenario, along with buoyant balance sheets, lower investment yields and thinner reserve releases will put pressure on returns, sustaining active capital management and perhaps, in time, stabilizing the market.

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3. A National Flood Modeling Solution for Mainland France:  Guy Carpenter has developed a state-of-the-art probabilistic flood model for mainland France in collaboration with hydrological and hydraulic modeling experts, JBA Consulting and Intermap Technologies, a global provider of high-quality 3D digital elevation models.

Read the article »

4. Chart: Insurance Linked Securities Issuance, by Peril, 1997 Through April 1, 2010*: On a standalone basis, the two most frequently securitized perils are U.S. hurricane (USD7.08 billion) and U.S. earthquake (USD 4.71 billion). Other perils securitized on a standalone basis include European windstorm, Japanese earthquake and, to a lesser extent, Japanese typhoon. Multi-peril transactions, in which the same dollar of risk principal is exposed to at least two or more perils accounts for 42 percent of total risk principal issued. Insurance linked securities (ILS) investors typically prefer single-peril / single-zone transactions as they provide greater ability to construct granular portfolios according to each investor’s risk preferences. ILS sponsors however, particularly large national and global writers with aggregate concerns across multiple perils and geographic zones, often prefer to economize risk transfer spend by applying a single limit across different non-correlated perils, for example U.S. hurricane and earthquake.

Read the article »

5. Risk Profile, Appetite, and Tolerance: Fundamental Concepts in Risk Management and Reinsurance Effectiveness:  Prior to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, insurers and reinsurers were increasing their use of Enterprise Risk Management to make risk and capital management decisions. While this was driven in part by rating agencies and regulators, many carriers began to recognize the value of metric-based frameworks and capital models in evaluating their portfolios.

Read the article »

6. June 1 Reinsurance Rate Decreases are One Positive Development for Florida Companies:  At each Florida renewal season there are many challenges companies face in designing and placing their reinsurance programs. This year was no exception. While companies deal with navigating the challenges of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund integration each year, 2010 also included heightened commentary by rating agencies regarding acceptable risk transfer approaches, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s own views on risk transfer and an environment of continuing economic turmoil specific to the Florida insurance environment.

Read the article »

7. Explosion and Fire at Offshore Oil Rig, Gulf of Mexico:  An explosion and large fire on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico left 11 workers missing and 17 others injured on April 20. The blaze on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which broke out around 22:00 local time, sent flames and smoke high into the sky about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Seventeen workers were injured, three critically, and rescuers are still searching for 11 missing people. It was not known whether the missing workers were able to make it to one of the rig’s lifeboats. Reports said the rig, which is owned by Transocean Ltd, was under contract to the oil giant BP at a cost of USD533,000 (EUR 395,000) a day and doing exploratory drilling. The rig is listing badly and threatening to topple over, the US Coast Guard said. Reports said the rig, which was built in 2001 in South Korea at a cost of about USD350 million, has a replacement value of up to USD700 million today. Transocean said the 400-by-250-foot (120-by-80 meter) rig is located approximately 42 miles offshore Venice, Louisiana, on Mississippi Canyon block 252.

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8. 2010 Hurricane Season Begins: Knowing, Understanding and Better Managing the Risks:  The 2010 hurricane season kicked-off on June 1 and the meteorological forces wasted no time in getting down to business. Tropical storm Agatha slammed into Central America, killing at least 101 people. The hurricane season kick-off and the storm occurred as backdrops to the wrap up of the June 1, 2010 reinsurance renewals, traditionally centered on the Florida property marketplace.

Read the article »

9. Solvency II In Depth:  Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC sponsored this extended roundtable discussion that considered the progress made by (re)insurance as the Solvency II regime approaches. Held in London, it was attended by a number of UK and continental Europe industry leaders, including Guy Carpenter Managing Director and European Solutions Group Leader Eric Paire. We present the text of the roundtable discussion here as it appeared in Reinsurance Magazine.

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10. Solvency II - Non-Life Underwriting Risk in Light of QIS 5:  On April 15th, 2010, the European Commission (EC) published its draft technical specifications for the next Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) 5, which will be implemented from August to November of 2010. Based on empirical evidence, the general calibration of the standard formula solvency capital requirement (SCR) may fall between the calibration of QIS 4 and the calibration seen in the rigid proposals of the various consultation papers (CP) submitted during 2009. This article takes a deeper look at the calibration of non-life underwriting risk as part of the overall SCR calculation.

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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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

Reinsurance Renewal July 1, 2010:  Capital Cushion Continues to Impact Pricing:  Further erosion of rates was evident at the July 1, 2010 reinsurance renewal. Property rates were down by as much 15 percent despite substantial catastrophe loss activity in the first half of 2010.  Heavy losses from the Chilean earthquake were insufficient to turn prices outside the areas immediately affected by the earthquake, despite the announcement of large increases in estimates from the largest European reinsurers. In the energy and casualty sectors, conditions were flat or down, but the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster may exert upwards pressure as more information emerges. Excess capital remains available to absorb losses as evidenced by continuing share buy-backs and the substitution of equity capital with less expensive debt.

Read the article »

Initial Reactions to Health Care Reform: An Insurer and Reinsurer Perspective: With the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the environment for health insurers has drastically changed. What we do know is that these changes will have a significant and immediate impact on every organization conducting business in the health care arena. In order to assess the current situation, brokers throughout Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC reached out to our business partners in all segments of the health care industry. In total, Guy Carpenter spoke with 24 various organizations about the immediate and long term effects of health care reform.

Read the article »

Risk Profile, Appetite, and Tolerance: Fundamental Concepts in Risk Management and Reinsurance Effectiveness:  Prior to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, insurers and reinsurers were increasing their use of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to make risk and capital management decisions. While this was driven in part by rating agencies and regulators, many carriers began to recognize the value of metric-based frameworks and capital models in evaluating their portfolios.

Read the article »

The Time Profile of Risk: From the Desk of Guy Carpenter’s Chief Actuary:  According to the draft European Union Solvency II directives, companies will need to provide an “own risk and solvency assessment” (ORSA). The Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors has prepared an issues paper that provides guidance to assist (re)insurers in implementing the ORSA.

Read the article »

Guy Carpenter Asia Pacific Climate Impact Centre: Updated Prediction of Seasonal Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Western North Pacific for 2010:  This is an update of the predictions of the annual number of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific for 2010 that we issued on April 26, 2010. These updates are made based on new information for the months of April and May 2010.

Read the article »

Most Popular Keyword:    flooding in france

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Terrorism - Reinsurers Standing By:  As we approach the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the threat from terrorism continues to pose a risk to the (re)insurance industry. The nature of the threat has changed since 2001, but terrorism remains a constant and serious risk with global recorded terror incidents at historic highs. Terrorist organizations operating in unstable countries present a danger to the world, and the recent flurry of terrorist activity serves as a reminder that individuals and groups remain a serious threat.

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Click here to register for e-mail updates »

1. A National Flood Modeling Solution for Mainland France:  Guy Carpenter has developed a state-of-the-art probabilistic flood model for mainland France in collaboration with hydrological and hydraulic modeling experts, JBA Consulting and Intermap Technologies, a global provider of high-quality 3D digital elevation models.

Read the article »

2. June 1 Reinsurance Rate Decreases are One Positive Development for Florida Companies: At each Florida renewal season there are many challenges companies face in designing and placing their reinsurance programs. This year was no exception. While companies deal with navigating the challenges of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund integration each year, 2010 also included heightened commentary by rating agencies regarding acceptable risk transfer approaches, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s own views on risk transfer and an environment of continuing economic turmoil specific to the Florida insurance environment.

Read the article »

3. 2010 Hurricane Season Begins: Knowing, Understanding and Better Managing the Risks:  The 2010 hurricane season kicked-off on June 1 and the meteorological forces wasted no time in getting down to business. Tropical storm Agatha slammed into Central America, killing at least 101 people. The hurricane season kick-off and the storm occurred as backdrops to the wrap up of the June 1, 2010 reinsurance renewals, traditionally centered on the Florida property marketplace.

Read the article »

4. Global Reinsurance Composite Net Income Declines, Investment Income Recovers in 1 Q, 2010:  The Guy Carpenter Global Reinsurance Composite’s net income declined in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same quarter in 2009. The companies comprising the group showed an aggregate net gain of USD1.4 billion, a decline of 31 percent from the first quarter of 2009. The primary driver was an increase in non-life underwriting losses.

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5. Risk Profile, Appetite, and Tolerance: Fundamental Concepts in Risk Management and Reinsurance Effectiveness:  Prior to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, insurers and reinsurers were increasing their use of Enterprise Risk Management to make risk and capital management decisions. While this was driven in part by rating agencies and regulators, many carriers began to recognize the value of metric-based frameworks and capital models in evaluating their portfolios.

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6. Terrorism - Reinsurers Standing By:  As we approach the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the threat from terrorism continues to pose a risk to the (re)insurance industry. The nature of the threat has changed since 2001, but terrorism remains a constant and serious risk with global recorded terror incidents at historic highs. Terrorist organizations operating in unstable countries present a danger to the world, and the recent flurry of terrorist activity serves as a reminder that individuals and groups remain a serious threat.

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7. Catastrophe Bond Update: First Quarter 2010 - Heavy Smoke, Some Fire…Encouraging Conditions Persist*:  In the first quarter of 2010, two catastrophe bond transactions were completed, and USD300 million of risk capital was issued. In response to strong investor demand, both transactions closed within initial price guidance and were upsized relative to announced placement targets. While this activity furthers the integration of the capital markets into the risk management processes of protection buyers, on balance, issuance volumes for the quarter were perhaps a bit lighter than expected at the close of 2009.

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8. The Time Profile of Risk: From the Desk of Guy Carpenter’s Chief Actuary:  According to the draft European Union Solvency II directives, companies will need to provide an “own risk and solvency assessment” (ORSA). The Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) has prepared an issues paper that provides guidance to assist (re)insurers in implementing the ORSA.

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9. Demand for Insurance Solutions Grows as Volcanic Ash Disrupts Supply Chains…Again:  Traditionally, insurance coverage for supply chain disruption has required physical damage to the insured’s assets to trigger a claim. However, following ongoing air traffic disruption caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, as well as industrial action in key transport sectors and civil unrest overseas, Guy Carpenter sister company Marsh has seen increased interest from organizations wanting supply chain insurance that includes coverage for losses from non-physical damage.

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10. Solvency II - Non-Life Underwriting Risk in Light of QIS 5:  On April 15th, 2010, the European Commission published its draft technical specifications for the next Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) 5, which will be implemented from August to November of 2010. Based on empirical evidence, the general calibration of the standard formula solvency capital requirement (SCR) may fall between the calibration of QIS 4 and the calibration seen in the rigid proposals of the various consultation papers submitted during 2009. This article takes a deeper look at the calibration of non-life underwriting risk as part of the overall SCR calculation.

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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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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, Inc. 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.

Reinsurance Renewal July 1, 2010: Capital Cushion Continues to Impact Pricing: Further erosion of rates was evident at the July 1, 2010 reinsurance renewal. Property rates were down by as much 15 percent despite substantial catastrophe loss activity in the first half of 2010. Heavy losses from the Chilean earthquake were insufficient to turn prices outside the areas immediately affected by the earthquake, despite the announcement of large increases in estimates from the largest European reinsurers. In the energy and casualty sectors, conditions were flat or down, but the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster may exert upwards pressure as more information emerges. Excess capital remains available to absorb losses as evidenced by continuing share buy-backs and the substitution of equity capital with less expensive debt.

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Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre Publishes New Report on Interannual and Interdecadal Variations of Tropical Cyclone Activity in South China Sea:   The Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre (GCACIC), a joint initiative of Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global risk and reinsurance specialist, and the City University of Hong Kong, has published a new paper on tropical cyclone activity variations between 1965 and 2005 in the South China Sea region. The report identifies trends over the years and decades during this period, and the factors that drove these variations.

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The Time Profile of Risk:  From the Desk of Guy Carpenter’s Chief Actuary:   According to the draft European Union Solvency II directives, companies will need to provide an “own risk and solvency assessment” (ORSA). The Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) has prepared an issues paper that provides guidance to assist (re)insurers in implementing the ORSA.

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Update: Hurricane Alex:   Hurricane Alex has made landfall near Soto La Marina and La Pesca in Mexico’s Tamaulipas State as a category 2 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm made landfall around 02:00 UTC on July 1 with sustained winds of around 105 mph (165 kmph). The NHC said Alex was the first category 2 hurricane to develop in June in the Atlantic since Hurricane Alma in 1966.

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Risk Profile, Appetite, and Tolerance: Fundamental Concepts in Risk Management and Reinsurance Effectiveness: Prior to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, insurers and reinsurers were increasing their use of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to make risk and capital management decisions. While this was driven in part by rating agencies and regulators, many carriers began to recognize the value of metric-based frameworks and capital models in evaluating their portfolios.

Read the article »

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2010 Hurricane Season Begins: Knowing, Understanding and Better Managing the Risks, Part I: State of the Florida Marketplace: The 2010 hurricane season kicked-off on June 1 and the meteorological forces wasted no time in getting down to business. Tropical storm Agatha slammed into Central America, killing at least 101 people. The hurricane season kick-off and the storm occurred as backdrops to the wrap up of the June 1, 2010 reinsurance renewals, traditionally centered on the Florida property marketplace.

Read the article »

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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/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., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 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.