Although competitive conditions have increased in property catastrophe covers, reinsurers remain disciplined with terms and conditions and attachment points largely intact
London: International rating agency AM Best has revised its outlook for the global reinsurance segment to Stable from Positive, owing to the following factors:
-Accelerated softening in property reinsurance pricing, accompanied by modest relaxation of some terms and conditions,
-Persistent social inflation and corresponding historical reserve and pricing insufficiency in certain large subclasses of casualty lines of business,
-Continued elevated frequency and severity of weather-related events, underscored by six consecutive years of global insured catastrophe losses exceeding USD 100 billion,
-Macroeconomic uncertainty, including inflation pressures, shifting monetary policy, and potential volatility in financial markets.
Counterbalancing these less favorable trends are several key positive factors:
-Reinsurers’ risk-adjusted capital positions remain robust, bolstered by retained earnings and prudent capital deployment,
-Although competitive conditions have increased in property catastrophe covers, reinsurers remain disciplined with terms and conditions and attachment points largely intact,
Property exposures are still being priced at levels that suggest technical adequacy on average,
Elevated interest rates continue to amplify earnings, complementing underwriting results,
Limited new market entrants help preserve rate integrity and prevent new capacity from eroding underwriting margins.