Reinsurance News
A.M. Best news
News featuring rating agency A.M. Best, including the latest reports, rating actions and analysis from the company, as well as news on A.M. Best’s analysis of the reinsurance sector.
MENA offers reinsurers attractive diversification opportunities
10th October 2017
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains attractive as a source of re/insurance expansion due to continued liberalisation opening up further market opportunities, as well as the benefits of diversification options, with less natural catastrophe exposures than more established markets, according to A.M. Best. Natural catastrophe events exposure is ... Read the full article
MENA reinsurers hit with deteriorating profitability: A.M. Best
9th October 2017
Reinsurers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have seen a trend of profitability deterioration which has caused loss ratios to far exceed those reported by the global reinsurance market, said A.M. Best. Technical performance for MENA reinsurers has come under strain by abundance of capital and soft market ... Read the full article
Global reinsurers important to African market despite growing protectionism: A.M. Best
5th October 2017
African insurance and reinsurance markets remain challenging and are expected to adopt an increasingly protectionist stance, however, a strong reliance on the global reinsurance industry will more than likely persist, according to A.M. Best. Over the last ten years or so the African reinsurance sector has experienced material expansion, although during ... Read the full article
European re/insurance sector M&A activity to diminish: A.M. Best
4th October 2017
Global ratings agency, A.M. Best, expects to see less consolidation in the European insurance and reinsurance sector in the coming months as opportunities decline alongside appetite. In recent times, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has been fairly strong and consistent across the European insurance and reinsurance sector, as companies look to ... Read the full article
Reinsurance lines bring in more profits than primary
3rd October 2017
The initial response of reinsurers to the soft market was to move further into primary lines, however, A.M. best highlighted that for most firms, results for primary business are around break even and lag far behind the reinsurance side, which still brings in the majority of profits. With a return on ... Read the full article
Rated European re/insurers show resilience in challenging market: A.M. Best
29th September 2017
Despite persistent market challenges, rated European re/insurers continue to show resilience while maintaining a strong balance-sheet and a diversified business profile, according to global ratings agency, A.M. Best. In light of the challenging market landscape, which is underlined by the ongoing low interest rate environment, a round of reserve strengthening in ... Read the full article
Reinsurers’ demand for U.S. GSEs mortgage risk to increase: A.M. Best
22nd September 2017
The softened reinsurance market landscape and a mandate by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is driving the increased participation of reinsurers in the U.S. mortgage insurance sector, a trend A.M. Best expects to continue. The persistent softening in the property/casualty reinsurance sector, underlined by continued rate declines across most business ... Read the full article
Brexit could gradually disintegrate London reinsurance hub
22nd September 2017
The UK government's attempt to stimulate and protect its ILS and reinsurance market with the introduction of new ILS laws could be too little, too late, as over the long-term Brexit causes a slow disintegration of its well-established reinsurance hub. Speaking at the 2017 Rendezvous de Septembre in Monte Carlo, A.M. ... Read the full article
Uncertainty remains but London expected to be global re/insurance hub post-Brexit: A.M. Best
19th September 2017
Widespread uncertainty remains, but despite the UK's vote to leave the European Union (EU), global ratings agency A.M. Best expects London to maintain its status as one of the world's leading insurance and reinsurance hubs. In response to the UK's Brexit vote, a number of insurers and reinsurers have announced plans ... Read the full article
Irma to test new players ability & their reinsurance programs: A.M. Best
18th September 2017
The devastating impact of hurricane Irma is expected to be a real test of Florida concentrated insurers' catastrophe reinsurance programs, although it's still too early to understand the full extent of the loss to the risk transfer industry, according to A.M. Best. As national U.S. carriers began pulling back from the ... Read the full article
Canadian P&C re/insurers’ stable but feeling the heat
18th September 2017
Despite the low interest rate environment and growing threat to Canadian re/insurers from severe weather events, A.M. Best's outlook for the country's property/casualty and life sectors remains stable as these well-capitalised firms show pricing discipline and solid earnings. Possible earthquakes, economic volatility and regulatory changes are variables ahead of the industry ... Read the full article
U.S. life reinsurance a beacon of stability
14th September 2017
In a year where many insurance and reinsurance segments have seen profit margins squeezed and growth challenged by a growing onslaught of alternative and new market entrants, the life reinsurance segment has remained a beacon of stability. In contrast with many other re/insurance lines, life re/insurance has been characterised by the ... Read the full article
Surplus lines market remains “solid” despite 2016 underwriting loss: A.M. Best
12th September 2017
U.S. domiciled surplus lines insurance companies recorded modest premium growth in 2016 combined with an underwriting loss for the second consecutive year, although solid investment income helped the sector record net income of $2.2 billion, according to A.M. Best. Sluggish growth in certain industries and the increasingly competitive landscape, saw underwriters ... Read the full article
European big four expected to “exhibit most stability” after Hurricane Irma: A.M. Best
10th September 2017
Hurricane Irma will not turn the market or cause a significant change to the wider market, but prices in locally affected areas are likely to be impacted and as the market reshuffles in its aftermath Europe's big four reinsurers are likely to come out as the most stable players, A.M. ... Read the full article
Large reinsurance agreements impact performance of U.S. life/annuity sector in 2017
10th September 2017
The U.S. life/annuity market recorded net income of $18.5 billion in the first-half 2017, compared with a $2.6 billion net loss for the same period in 2016. Results that A.M. Best says were significantly impacted by the effects of large reinsurance agreements over the last two years. Global ratings agency A.M. ... Read the full article
Getting your daily reinsurance news from Reinsurance News is a simple way to receive only the reinsurance industry news that matters, delivered directly to your email inbox.
