Articles by L.S. Howard

A.M. Best Places 2 Chinese Insurers’ Ratings Under Review After Tianjin Blast

As a result of losses resulting from the recent explosions at Tianjin port, A.M. Best has placed under review with negative implications the financial strength rating of two Chinese insurers, which have large exposures to the losses of their motor …

S&P: ILS Investors Could Get Burned as Covered Perils Expand, Terms Widen

The catastrophe bond market will continue to grow by 10 to 20 percent per year, driven in part by the increase in covered perils and the broadening of event definitions, according to a report published by Standard & Poor’s. But …

Public-Private Catastrophe Scheme in UK Would Help Mitigate Cyber-9/11: Study

A public-private, cyber-catastrophe reinsurance arrangement would improve the UK’s resilience against the growing threat of cyber risks in this interconnected world, according to a cyber report released this week. Given the fact that the current market for cyber insurance is …

ILS Products Are Changing Reinsurance Industry Norms: ‘Acts of God’ Author

Second of two articles In the first article in this series, Paula Jarzabkowski, professor of Strategic Management at Cass Business School, City University London, discussed the findings of her book on the reinsurance industry, which show that the market is …

Reinsurance Market’s Evolution Could Affect Its Stability: ‘Acts of God’ Author

First of Two Articles The reinsurance market is moving from coverage of acts of God to one that covers commoditized risks – an evolution that could have long-term implications for market stability and trading large-scale risk, according to an industry …

Natural Disasters Could Cost $750 Billion Annually in 15 Years: AIR Study

Economic losses from global natural catastrophes likely will triple over the next 15 years, unless steps are taken to reduce bad development choices, according to preliminary results of a catastrophe modeling study presented at the third UN World Conference on …

Aon Report Identifies Key Risks for Financial Institutions in EMEA

Understanding and managing risk is increasingly a critical success factor for financial institutions, according to a report on financial institutions issued by Aon Risk Solutions, the risk management business of Aon plc. Entitled “2014 EMEA Financial Institutions Industry Report,” the …

Casualty Catastrophes Threaten (Re)Insurers’ Balance Sheets: Guy Carpenter

The “casualty catastrophe” is perhaps the most daunting threat that casualty (re)insurers face today, according to GCCapitalIdeas.com, Guy Carpenter’s thought-leadership blog. Casualty (or liability based) catastrophes have become increasingly frequent and severe over the past decade, exposing (re)insurers to much …

Successful Brokers Put Clients Front and Center: Aon’s Dominic Christian

The brokerage industry has changed “utterly and fundamentally” over the past 30 years from a risk transfer function to much more of an advisory role, according to Dominic Christian, executive chairman, Aon Benfield, London. Christian spoke at an event this …

NAIC Working Group Recommends Bermuda as Qualified Jurisdiction

A working group of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has recommended the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) for approval as a “qualified jurisdiction” under the NAIC’s reinsurance regulatory modernization framework. The recommendation, if approved, would reduce collateral requirements for …