Reinsurance News
Fitch
French re/insurers face unprecedented nat cat losses: Fitch
1st September 2022
French non-life insurers and reinsurers face natural catastrophe losses on an unprecedented scale this year, exacerbating the pressure on profitability from claims inflation and a worsening macro-economic environment, according to Fitch Ratings. Analysts assured that ratings are not at risk but said that the sector’s financial performance is expected to deteriorate ... Read the full article
Fitch highlights impact of inflation & nat cats on Asian reinsurance market
31st August 2022
Inflation and natural catastrophes are set to moderately increase pricing and squeeze underwriting margins in the Asian reinsurance market, says Fitch Ratings. According to Guy Carpenter, risk-weighted prices rose by 1%-5% in Japan for programmes covering the country’s 2021 windstorm, with the average price for typhoon risk reaching a 25-year high. ... Read the full article
Reinsurance rates to increase regardless of cat activity: Fitch
26th August 2022
Analysts at Fitch Ratings have argued that reinsurance rates will continue to harden during the January 2023 renewals, even in the absence of significant catastrophe losses throughout the second half of the year. In a new report, the rating agency notes that, at $34 billion, H1 worldwide insured natural catastrophe losses ... Read the full article
Korean Insurance Capital Standard to have limited impact: Fitch Ratings
26th August 2022
Fitch Ratings has said that the implementation of the Korean Insurance Capital Standard (K-ICS) starting 2023 is likely to have a limited impact on insurers’ ratings, although the new capital regime, together with IFRS 17, will squeeze their capital buffers. The K-ICS comes into force from the beginning of next year. ... Read the full article
US Niche Insurers’ business profiles drive ratings: Fitch
23rd August 2022
According to a recent Fitch Ratings peer review, the ratings of the Midsize Niche North American Life Insurers peer group are driven by their differentiated business profiles. Fitch views the Reinsurance Group of America’s (RGA) entrenched market position and long track record in the global reinsurance market favourably. RGA participates in the ... Read the full article
US mortgage results back at pre-pandemic levels: Fitch
18th August 2022
New analysis from Fitch Ratings shows that US mortgage insurance underwriting results in 1H22 were particularly strong as current-year loss activity is in line with pre-pandemic periods. However, the rating agency added that results were more than offset by highly favourable reserve development, leading to a calendar-year loss ratio of negative ... Read the full article
Fitch highlights strong capital position of mutual US life insurers
16th August 2022
Fitch Ratings has given the Large and Highly Rated Mutual US Life Insurers peer group an Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) score ranging from ‘AA+ to ‘AAA’. This is driven chiefly by the mutual insurers’ capital positions. Compared with stock companies, the mutual insurers generally have a longer-term focus on sustainable returns ... Read the full article
US life insurers’ commercial mortgages stable amid growing headwinds: Fitch
15th August 2022
A recent Fitch Ratings report has said U.S life insurers’ commercial mortgage fundamentals have largely recovered since the pandemic, with stable property outlooks for hotel, office retail, and multifamily sectors. The Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening and the current recession will pressure some sectors of commercial mortgages over the midterm, with high ... Read the full article
Fitch revises ARC Limited’s outlook to Positive
28th July 2022
Fitch has revised African Risk Capacity (ARC) Limited’s outlook to Positive from Stable and has also affirmed its IFS rating at BBB+. The credit rating agency says that this outlook revision reflects ARC Limited’s “strong progress in meeting its development objectives, which if sustained, could support a stronger ... Read the full article
Insurance sector not materially exposed to BI losses due to Russian gas standoff – Fitch
22nd July 2022
The insurance sector is not materially exposed to the business interruption losses that could arise due to a cut-off in Russian gas supplies to Europe, according to a statement by Fitch. Business interruption (BI) insurance policies typically only cover losses resulting from physical damage to business premises or production ... Read the full article
Fitch upgrades PartnerRe following acquisition by Covea
21st July 2022
Fitch Ratings has upgraded PartnerRe’s Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'A' from 'A-' and senior unsecured debt ratings to 'A-' from 'BBB+'. Fitch has also upgraded the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of Partner Reinsurance Company, the company's principal reinsurance operating subsidiary, to 'AA-' (Very Strong) from 'A+' (Strong), ... Read the full article
Volatility in Dutch insurers’ Solvency II ratio expected to increase: Fitch
15th July 2022
Analysts at Fitch Ratings have stated that they expect volatility in Dutch insurers’ Solvency II ratios to increase, due to the insurers’ exposure to fluctuating equity and real-estate prices, as well as widening credit spreads and potential credit deterioration. The impact, however, is more emphasised for insurers with less conservative investment ... Read the full article
Fitch appoints Hidalgo as Global Head of Insurance Industry Sales
14th July 2022
Fitch Ratings has appointed Augusto Hidalgo as Global Head of Insurance Industry Sales, where he will be based in London. Hidalgo made the announcement earlier this week on LinkedIn. With over 30 years of experience working within the industry, Hidalgo brings a strong level of expertise towards his new role. He joins from ... Read the full article
IFRS 17 not expected to affect insurers’ business models or credit ratings: Fitch
8th July 2022
Analysts at Fitch Ratings have stated that the first public comments from Dutch insurer – ASR, on the implications of IFRS 17 support Fitch Ratings’ view that the new standard will not affect insurers’ business models in the near term. The major European insurer said in an update last month ... Read the full article
Insurance fundamentals steady despite macro challenges: Fitch
1st July 2022
Analysts at Fitch Ratings have explained that their neutral sector mid-year outlooks for a vast majority of insurance sectors and regions reflect steady fundamentals across most markets despite the broadly challenging economic climate. In particular, Fitch expects non-life claims to continue to normalise after pandemic pressures, although costs are now rising ... 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.
