“The reinsurance market continues to be robust” according to Frank Nutter, CEO of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA). Brokers report that capital in the market has increased, and it was a relatively “low catastrophe” year. Among the concerns and challenges facing reinsurers, cyber exposure, the reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), and the retrocessional market. The industry …

The U.S. reinsurance market is very healthy. That according to Frank Nutter, President of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA). Mr. Nutter says capital positions have been “strong and growing” thanks, in part to alternative capital vehicles. Market conditions are “very competitive” due to the amount of supply outpacing demand. Catastrophe losses continue to be a challenge, a threat, for …

According to Stefan Holzberger, Chief Rating Officer at A.M. Best, the property-casualty sector of the insurance industry saw improvements in performance. And with levels of capitalization “robust”, A.M. Best is maintaining a “Stable Outlook” on the Personal Lines, Commercial Lines and Reinsurance sector from a credit perspective. The reinsurance sector was only recently upgraded to “Stable” from “Negative”, despite heavy …

Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) president Frank Nutter comments on the evolution of the “blended model” in reinsurance with alternative capital contributing to the way reinsurance provides capacity to insurance companies, not just in the catastrophe area. He sees reinsurance companies diversifying into the insurance business, viewing capital markets as “largely competitive…and complementary.” Mr. Nutter admits that reinsurers have struggled …

WRIN.tv speaks with Frank Nutter, President and CEO of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA), about the state of the reinsurance market, capital growth, a US/EU covered agreement, and growth. According to Mr. Nutter, the market remains highly competitive. Capacity and capital increased in 2016, which contributed to rates being flat to down – a good thing for buyers. Capital …

With the property reinsurance market experiencing soft pricing for some time, WRIN.tv spoke with Jim Larkin, Head of Property Underwriting at Munich Re America, about the impact of Hurricane Matthew, and other factors affecting the market. While it is unclear if Hurricane Matthew would have any impact on reinsurance renewals, Mr. Larkin believes the storm was a reminder about the …

With losses from Hurricane Mathew and other catastrophe losses, 2016 has seen the highest loss activity in three years. Even so, according to Andrew Marcell, Global Head of Strategy at Aon Benfield, the impact on rates in property reinsurance will be fairly minimal. There are numerous emerging risks from new technologies and the sharing economy. For instance, Aon reports a …

Low interest rates, pressure on pricing, M&A activity, and disruptive technology are all shaping the outlook for the risk and(re)insurance industry for 2016. Here, WRIN.tv summarizes several of the recent forecasts published by industry analysts and thought leaders. Swiss Re sees economic momentum supporting growth in the insurance sector, even with headwinds like slower growth in China, lower commodity prices …

In this edition of Issues in Risk Retention, host Joe Deems, Executive Director of the National Risk Retention Association (NRRA), welcomes Janice Abraham, President & CEO of United Educators, to discuss issues in assessing and insuring risks at educational institutions. Ms. Abraham recalls a time when the traditional property/casualty insurance market had “abandoned colleges, schools and universities.” At a time …

A.M. Best analysts review several of the major business disruptors affecting the insurance industry, including political, political, regulatory or societal. While A.M. Best Chief Rating Officer Stefan Holzberger sees technology playing a large role in decisions regarding the types of products insureds are looking, he notes several other major disruptors challenging the insurance industry in years to come…challenges that present …

Joe Louwagie, AVP at Property Claim Services (PCS-a Verisk Analytics business), joins WRIN.tv to assess the 2015 Nat Cat season, its impact on the insurance, reinsurance and capital markets, and how developments in data management and technology are affecting risk and claims management. Mr. Louwagie says the current Cat season continues a trend PCS has seen for the past few …

John Horton, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at AMRISC, speaks with WRIN.tv about lessons learned in ten years since Hurricane Katrina, the still-softening property insurance market, alternative capital, big data risks and more. Ten years after Katrina, and beyond the human tragedy and poor government response, the insurance industry has seen many changes in demand surge and storm surge. Demand …

During the 2015 National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) Convention in San Diego, WRIN.tv spoke with Jeremy Johnson, President & CEO of Lexington Insurance, where he discusses the transformational impact data and modeling has had on all industries like insurance, the “benign” 2015 hurricane season and the danger of insurance being commoditized due to the influx of alternative …

Brad Kading, President of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) spoke with WRIN.tv during the 2015 Global Insurance Forum in New York, about Solvency II equivalency and opportunities from new capital. The EU’s endorsement of insurance rules in seven countries, including the U.S., Switzerland and Bermuda , is very important for Bermuda. Mr. Kading says achieving equivalency because …

A report published by the Insurance Information Institute (III), suggests the world is “Awash in Capital.”  III President Robert Hartwig joins WRIN.tv to discuss the impact of capital that has turned to the insurance and reinsurance sector in a search for yield. Dr. Hartwig says the report looked at cash holdings of companies worldwide and found that “the world is …

It was a record year for Insurance Linked Securities in 2014, and new approaches to alternative capital are have emerged. Here Tom Johansmeyer, AVP Reinsurance Services at ISO, speaks with WRIN.tv about Cat Bond Lite at the recent IRLS Conference in New York. According to Mr. Johansmeyer, Cat Bond Lite “is a streamlined way to transfer risk in a securitized format.” It …

World Risk and Insurance News speaks with Paul Schultz, President of AonBenfield Securities, about current trends in the insurance linked securities and Cat Bond market, as well as the evolving role of the reinsurance broker in executing these deals. According to Mr. Schultz, “2014 was a big year for Cat bonds and collateralized reinsurance.” There were a couple of very large …

WRIN.tv reports from SIFMA’s Insurance and Risk Linked Securities (IRLS) Conference in New York, where the discussion centered on the record-setting insurance linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bond markets. Here, Standard and Poor’s Director Gary Martucci discusses the drivers of growth in alternative capital and if it will continue. According to Mr. Martucci, he does expect 2015 to be an …

Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) President Frank Nutter speaks with WRIN.tv about the alternative capital that is converging on the reinsurance sector. According to Mr. Nutter, most companies have a “Converged capital approach, or utilize capital.” He says “alternative capital is both competitive and complementary.” He believes it delivers more capital resources to reinsurers and appears to be a permanent …

Howard Mills is a Senior Advisor at Deloitte. Recently, he spoke with WRIN.tv about issues surrounding capital in the (re)insurance industry, as well as global and U.S. regulatory efforts to develop appropriate capital standards. Mr. Mills says the impact of “new capital” coming into the insurance market is a key issue in 2015. He wonders if new entrants into the …