Business & Finance
Business and Finance
Business and Finance
Thu, June 30, 2011 Reinsurers Repositioning Themselves for Possible Market Turn as $48 Billion Losses Take Their Toll
LONDON--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--An aexceptionala run of natural catastrophes over the past 16 months has cost reinsurers approximately US $48 billion and insurers US $86 billion, says Willis Re,the reinsurance arm of global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH). Off-setting the reinsurance losses, Willis Re reports that during the first half of 2011, share buy backs have been scaled down and US $1.2 billion of new capital has entered the industry through side cars and fresh equity as some reinsurers start to position themselves for possible reinsurance rate hikes.
"Given all the variations in loss experience, model change, exposure change, structure change, capacity demand and geographical scope it is not easy to generalize about rate changes. The reinsurance market as a whole has reacted reasonably logically with a differentiated approach driven on a case-by-case basis."
The [ Willis Re 1st View Renewals Report ] for June/July 2011, titled, aMixed Messagesa, estimates that a string of natural catastrophes in the first quarter of 2011 has cost reinsurers in the region of 10 percent of their total shareholdersa™ funds at the end of December 2010.
Reinsurers are also contending with changes to some of the widely-used natural catastrophe models in the U.S., says Willis Re, with forthcoming new releases of European catastrophe models generating similar issues. The report highlights this as yet another challenge facing buyers as they seek to understand the impact of model changes on their capital management and performance strategies.
Writing in the foreword of the report, Willis Re Chairman Peter Hearn says, aGiven all the variations in loss experience, model change, exposure change, structure change, capacity demand and geographical scope it is not easy to generalize about rate changes. The reinsurance market as a whole has reacted reasonably logically with a differentiated approach driven on a case-by-case basis.a
The Willis Re report found that outside of natural catastrophe classes, this differentiation in approach is clear with aProperty risk excess of loss pricing movements driven by individual experience and a continued softness in longer tail Casualty classes, notwithstanding concerns over inflation and stubbornly low interest rates.a
Responding to rising speculation in reinsurance circles about what it will take to drive a harder market, Willis Re says that any event resulting in a further reduction of market capitalization will be the key to a market turn. The report offers some of the most likely triggers, including a major natural catastrophe or potentially, a more damaging series of medium-sized catastrophes, as well as a financial downturn or contagion arising from European debt issues.
Willis Re says that some industry insiders feel that in the absence of clarity around the final implementation of Solvency II and the impact of regulatory equivalence in markets outside Europe, it is premature to discuss market overcapitalization, as the new capital requirements have not yet been adequately defined.
Summing up the latest renewals season, Hearn says: aThe reinsurance market remains in a state of uncertainty regarding its short-term future direction, but what is clear is that any turn in the market pricing cycle is unlikely to follow historic patterns. More sophisticated capital management techniques and greater transparency over profitable market niches are driving fragmentation of the cycle into territory- and class-specific cycles.a
Click [ here ] to read the full Willis Re 1st View Renewals Report.
About Willis Re
One of the world's leading reinsurance brokers, Willis Re is known for its world-class Analytics capabilities, which it combines with its Capital Markets and Reinsurance expertise in a seamless, integrated offering that helps clients increase the value of their businesses. Willis Re serves the risk management and risk transfer needs of a diverse, global client base that includes all of the world's top insurance and reinsurance carriers as well as national catastrophe schemes in many countries around the world. The broker's global team of experts offers services and advice that help clients make better reinsurance decisions, access worldwide capital markets and negotiate optimum terms. For more information, visit [ www.WillisRe.com ].
About Willis
Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global insurance broker. Through its subsidiaries, Willis develops and delivers professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, financial and human resource consulting and actuarial services to corporations, public entities and institutions around the world. Willis has more than 400 offices in nearly 120 countries, with a global team of approximately 17,000 employees serving clients in virtually every part of the world. Additional information on Willis may be found at [ www.willis.com ].
