Swiss Re News

Catastrophe Bond Market Defies Global Selloff With Record Returns

As bond markets everywhere get battered by a cocktail of higher interest rates, deficit angst and hawkish central bankers, one class of debt instrument is handing creditors double-digit returns: catastrophe bonds. Investors in the $40 billion market for so-called cat …

European Insurers Underwrite 30% of US Coal: Study

Some of Europe’s biggest insurers are underwriting close to a third of the coal production that takes place in the US, even after pledging to target net zero emissions, according to a report by climate campaign group Insure Our Future. …

Rising Claims Costs Limit US P/C Profitability in 2023

While the profitability outlook for the U.S. P/C industry this year is mixed, Swiss Re predicts a stronger year in 2024, as premium increases and interest rates improve industry results. According to the U.S. Property & Casualty Outlook report, the …

How Reinsurers Can Win in the Game of Volatility

Executive summary: Reinsurance underwriting is all about finding equilibrium between reinsurers’ reason for being—reducing the volatility of cedents earnings—and producing stable profits in their own businesses. With new laws promising to change a Florida litigation environment that was out of …

Non-Life Insurers’ Profits to See Boost From Higher Rates

Non-life insurers are set to significantly improve their profitability in the next few years as investment returns from higher rates cushion a hit from a rise in claims, a report by Swiss Re Institute showed on Saturday. Insurers invest a …

P/C Insurers Set to Significantly Improve Profitability Even as Claims Rise: Study

Non-life insurers are set to significantly improve their profitability in the next few years as investment returns from higher rates cushion a hit from a rise in claims, a report by Swiss Re Institute showed on Saturday. Insurers invest a …

New Study Says Autonomous Vehicles Significantly Reduce BI/PD Claims

A new study has revealed that autonomous-vehicle technology reduced bodily injury claims frequency by 100% and property damage claims frequency by 76%. Global reinsurer Swiss Re and automated driving company Waymo partnered on the study. The two compared Waymo’s third-party …

Swiss Re Ordered to Pay Former Underwriter $1.6M for Sexism, Unfair Dismissal

A former Swiss Re underwriter has been awarded nearly 1.3 million pounds ($1.6 million) by a London employment tribunal for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal. Julia Sommer joined Zurich-based Swiss Re in 2017 as a political risk underwriter in London …

Munich Re Again Tops List of 50 Largest Reinsurers With Swiss Re at No. 2: AM Best

Munich Re holds onto the top spot in AM Best’s annual ranking of the top 50 global reinsurance groups for 2022, with Swiss Re coming in as the second-largest reinsurer — for the third year in a row. These two …

Insured Losses From Natural Catastrophes Set to Top $100 Billion for 3rd Year in a Row

Claims for weather-related incidents are set to exceed $100 billion for the third year in a row, as floods, hail and wildfires linked to climate change become more frequent. Munich Re has put the total global insured costs of natural-catastrophe …