Reinsurance News

Life reinsurance news

Life reinsurance industry news, analysis and insights.

Our life reinsurance market news stories cover happenings in the life reinsurance industry, people moves, new company launches, life reinsurance company results, product innovation and more.

Fitch stays negative on US life

4th December 2020

Fitch Ratings has maintained its negative outlook on the US life insurance industry for 2021 due to ongoing concerns about the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts explained that the economic shock could cause deterioration in key credit metrics over the next one to two years. "Fitch's negative rating outlook for ... Read the full article

Life re/insurers under pressure as COVID-19 mortality estimates rise

12th October 2020

Analysts at Credit Suisse have raised their full-year COVID-19 mortality estimate for the US to 275,000, having previously issued a figure of 210,000 in July. The firm says the significant increase in mortalities due to the pandemic could increase the impact to US life re/insurers. Credit Suisse’s estimates now reflect roughly 80,000 ... Read the full article

Negative outlook for UK life insurance: Moody’s

5th October 2020

Moody's Investors Service has placed a negative outlook on the UK life insurance sector amid concerns that a further decline in gilt yields could increase pressure on solvency levels. A new report by Moody's also noted how the shrinking UK economy is impacting sales of discretionary life insurance product, resulting in ... Read the full article

Moody’s warns of ratings downgrades for life re/insurers

5th October 2020

Moody’s has warned that US life re/insurers face the potential for rating downgrades due to pandemic-related exposures in their fixed income investment portfolios. The rating agency noted that many insurers have significant exposures in consumer sensitive sectors that have been heavily affected by coronavirus related shutdowns and laggard demand. Airlines, restaurants, lodging, ... Read the full article

GIC & MassMutual buy out Blackstone’s stake in Rothesay Life

30th September 2020

Global investment firm GIC and mutual life insurer Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) have agreed to acquire a 36% shareholding in Rothesay Life from investor Blackstone in a deal valued at £5.75 billion. Under the terms of the transaction, GIC and MassMutual will each become equal 49% shareholders. Blackstone, GIC and ... Read the full article

Empower in $3.3bn acquisition of MassMutual’s retirement plan business

9th September 2020

Empower Retirement is set to acquire the retirement plan business of mutual life insurer MassMutual in a reinsurance transaction for a ceding commission of $2.35 billion. In addition, the balance sheet of the transferred business will be supported by $1 billion of required capital when combined with Empower’s existing US business. Through ... Read the full article

Monument Re acquires Charles Taylor’s Isle of Man operations

25th August 2020

Life reinsurance and insurance holding company, Monument Re, has reached an agreement to acquire Charles Taylor Group's Isle of Man businesses. The purchase mostly consists of Charles Taylor's life insurance entity, LCL International Life Assurance Company Limited, and Charles Taylor Holdings Limited. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and the ... Read the full article

RGA reduces COVID-19 mortality claims estimate by $200mn

12th August 2020

Life reinsurer Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA) has decreased its estimate of extra pre-tax mortality claim costs for the COVID-19 pandemic by approximately $200 million. In Q1, RGA provided an illustration of the potential impact of the pandemic on global mortality claims, based on a scenario that included 100,000 deaths ... Read the full article

Pacific Life Re hires Sarah Teehan from SCOR

30th July 2020

Life reinsurer, Pacific Life Re, has announced the appointment of Sarah Teehan as Head of Protection in Europe. Teehan’s appointment comes after James Tait’s move from the beginning of this year from Head of Protection at Pacific Life Re to CEO at UnderwriteMe. Teehan is a qualified Actuary and joins Pacific Life ... Read the full article

Verisk launches Life Risk Navigator software platform

22nd July 2020

Data analytics provider Verisk has announced the release of Life Risk Navigator, a cloud-based stochastic risk modelling platform to inform risk selection, quantify changes in mortality rate, and improve hedging strategies. The analytics provided by Life Risk Navigator are driven by Verisk’s Life Risk Models, a set of probabilistic risk models ... Read the full article

RGA agrees to sell its Dutch life insurer to De Goudse

7th July 2020

Life reinsurer, Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA) has reached an agreement to sell its Dutch life insurance firm, Leidsche Verzekering Maatschappij N.V. (Leidsche), to De Goudse N.V., an all-round insurer. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and the deal remains subject to approval of the Competition Authority, De ... Read the full article

Prosperity Life acquires closed-book businesses from National Guardian Life

11th June 2020

National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) has announced an agreement to sell certain closed-block businesses to Prosperity Life Assurance Limited (Prosperity Life). The businesses in question have combined net statutory reserves of approximately $400 million and consist of life, annuity and A&H lines. “This reinsurance transaction with NGL launches Prosperity Life Assurance ... Read the full article

Japanese life insurers see core profits weaken over 2019: Moody’s

10th June 2020

The four major Japanese life insurers reported a 5.8% decline in their combined core profits over the fiscal year 2019, according to analysts at Moody’s. The rating agency attributed the decrease to a revision in mortality table, and warned that capital and profitability remain at risk in the current environment. The four ... Read the full article

Allianz & Generali eyeing life asset divestment: reports

28th May 2020

European insurance giants Allianz and Generali could be preparing to sell billions of euros of life insurance assets in order to free up capital amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports from Bloomberg. Sources told the publication that Allianz has been working with Morgan Stanley to divest as much as €9 ... Read the full article

Innovative tech & new markets suggest continued growth for L&G Re: CEO, Olunloyo

21st May 2020

L&G Re, the global reinsurance arm of L&G, has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and the life reinsurer’s increased focus on advanced technology points to continued expansion for the company and the wider pension risk transfer (PRT) market, according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Thomas Olunloyo. In an interview with ... Read the full article