Articles by Charles E. Boyle

Reinsurers, Capital Markets: Competitors or Complements?

Investments from the capital markets in various forms now provide around 14 percent of the total capital dedicated to providing reinsurance – approximately $35 billion [$17 billion in cat bonds] out of $250 billion. The question remains whether this poses …

Typhoon Jelawat Hits Okinawa; Moves on Tokyo: AIR Analysis

Typhoon Jelawat remains a powerful storm, even if its wind speed has decreased from around from 155 mph, 250km/h, it passed over Okinawa on Saturday with wind speeds over 90 mph, 144 km/h, causing extensive damage, and injuring more than …

‘We’re an Attractive Place to do Business:’ Lloyds CEO Richard Ward

Following Lloyd’s release of its composite results for the first six months of 2012 – a £1.53 billion [$2.4 billion] profit – Lloyd’s chief executive Richard Ward was understandably pleased. In a telephone interview he explained that the figures are …

Low Interest Rates: An Ongoing Problem for the Re/insurance Industry

Swiss Re’s sigma report analyzing the effect on the insurance industry of the continuing low interest rates doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Rates have been at historic lows for several years. For instance the nominal yield on a 10-year U.S. …

Industry Faces Cyber Risks in Shift from Tangible to Intangible Property

If Mike McGavick is right, the business world will soon be carrying the equivalent of a massive data base in a cell phone. Technology has moved so rapidly that not only the insurance industry, but also business in general, is …

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford – Looking Forward, Not Back

Don’t tell Toby Esser, Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford’s CEO, that the global economy is in the doldrums. “We’ve had substantial organic growth over the last 12 months with property up around 20 percent, and an increased market share,” he …

Capital Markets: A Threat or a Complement for Reinsurers?

Investments from the capital markets in various forms now provide around 14 percent of the total capital dedicated to providing reinsurance – approximately $35 billion [$17 billion in cat bonds] out of $250 billion. The question remains as to whether …

Re/insurers Increasingly Less Relevant to Global Economy: XL CEO McGavick

XL’s CEO Mike McGavick doesn’t mince words when it comes to looking at the big, and not very pretty, picture of the state of the re/insurance industry. Address emerging risks, innovate, create new products and provide potential insurance buyers with …

Cat Models – More Accurate, More Sophisticated and More Useful

Catastrophe models have become such an indispensable tool for re/insurers, particularly those who write P&C catastrophe coverage, that it’s hard to believe the service is only 25 years old. It was launched in 1987 under the direction of Karen Clark, …

Swiss Re’s Chief Economist on the State of the Global Economy

“The European debt crisis is affecting the global economy, definitely,” said Kurt Karl, Swiss Re’s chief economist in an interview at the recent Reinsurance Rendezvous in Monte Carlo. He did indicate that it’s affecting the U.S. a bit less, as …