Swiss Re News

After $70 Billion Hit, Insurers Wake Up to Growing Risks of Severe Convective Storms

The insurance industry is grappling with a new kind of weather risk that’s increasingly driving its biggest loss category. While no single weather event caused more than $10 billion in losses for insurers last year, there were 37 thunderstorms that …

Hedge Funds Rake in Huge Profits Betting on Catastrophe Risk

For hedge funds, the science of catastrophes helped generate the best returns of any alternative investment strategy last year. The calculus around natural disasters such as hurricanes and cyclones fed record gains at funds managed by firms including Tenax Capital, …

Another View: Yes, P/C Industry Underwriting Profit Will Be Back in ’24

Not all analysts think an underwriting profit is out of reach for 2024. While a recent forecast from Fitch Ratings puts the 2024 combined ratio above 100, an improvement from 2023, a report by Swiss Re Institute projects both 2024 …

Swiss Re Buys Cyber Market’s 1st Retrocession ILW, Brokered by Gallagher Re

Swiss Re has purchased the cyber market’s first retrocession industry loss warranty (ILW), brokered by Gallagher Re and supported by a number of specialist reinsurers. Swiss Re secured $50 million of catastrophic US cyber insurance event protection, including cover against …

Global Insured Losses From Severe Convective Storms Hit New High of $60B: Swiss Re

Global insured losses from severe thunderstorms have hit a new all-time high of US$60 billion in 2023, with overall natural catastrophe claims surpassing $100 billion, according to Swiss Re Institute in a new report. As the US is particularly prone …

P/C Insurers Face Challenging Claims Dynamics as Frequency, Severity Rise: Swiss Re

The property/casualty insurance industry is confronting challenging claims dynamics, with rising frequency and severity of claims despite decreases in economic inflation, according to Swiss Re. The pace of claims growth in the liability line of business challenges the insurability of …

Reinsurers’ Earnings Rise on Lower Disaster Losses, Improved Investment Results: Fitch

Lower natural catastrophe losses, a better investment result and strong revenue growth in property/casualty reinsurance led to strong earnings’ increases for the four main European reinsurers in the nine month-period of 2023, according to Fitch Ratings in a new report. …

New Swiss Capital Rules Set to Spur $20 Billion Bond Overhaul for Re/Insurers

Insurance companies in Switzerland are set to repay billions in mostly discounted old-style bonds over the next decade as changes to the country’s capital rules take effect next year. There are nearly $20 billion of subordinated notes that Swiss insurers …

Catastrophe Bond Market Headed for Major Surge in Issuance

The market for catastrophe bonds is one of this year’s best-performing debt classes. It’s also about to see a significant increase in sales as the World Bank, a major issuer, prepares to ratchet up its offering. The lender plans to …

Net-Zero Investor Group Reports Financing Activities Lead to Emissions Decline

A $9.5 trillion investor group that includes Allianz SE, Legal & General Plc and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System reported a modest decline in greenhouse gas emissions enabled by its members’ lending and investment activities, the first time it …