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Shuttered businesses appoint lawyers to take on UK insurer Hiscox

The Hiscox Action Group said on Thursday it represented more than 200 policyholders with “dozens more joining daily”, that discussions with a litigation funder were advanced and that it had appointed Mishcon de Reya as legal adviser.
The dispute hinges on whether the government lockdown and the coronavirus are enough to trigger Hiscox’s business interruption insurance, designed for insured premises that cannot be used because of restrictions imposed by a public authority and in the event of a notifiable disease or infection.

In a statement last week, the insurer said: “General business interruption policies across the industry, including Hiscox’s, were not designed to cover the extraordinary circumstances caused by this pandemic.”

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Covid-19 Pandemic:IRDAI asks insurers not to pay any dividends for FY 2019-20

“In view of the emerging market conditions, and to conserve capital with the insurance companies in the interests of the policyholders and of the economy at large,insurers are urged to take a conscious call to refrain from dividend pay-outs from profits pertaining to the financial year ending 31st March 2020, till further instructions. This position shall be reassessed by the IRDAI based on financial results of insurers for the quarter ending 30th September, 2020,” said IRDAI on Friday.

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Vivek Nath to head Willis Towers Watson’s South & Southeast  Asia operations 

Scott Burnett, Head of Asia and Head of CRB Asia, said: “The South Asian countries including Singapore continue to be key markets in our Asia portfolio, and one where we hold significant opportunities for strategic growth. At the same time, we continue to grow our regional talent base and expertise by adding new leaders throughout our organisation in Asia.

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COVID-19 claims so far likely to be manageable; reinsurers de-risking:Willis Re Report

Reinsurers have showed that the systemic shock of COVID-19 is manageable so far, but the future strength of the sector depends on the severity of the pandemic’s continuing impact on health and economies. The industry retains sufficient capital buffer for extreme events, but the extent to which reinsurers can withstand continued asset-side volatility and increased claims emergence remains to be seen.

Reinsurers have started to de-risk their balance sheets by holding cash, which will have a significant impact on investment returns. Willis Re currently estimates a 5% hit to the global reinsurance capital base, roughly US$30 billion pre-tax.

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Global reinsurer capital rose by 7% to $625 billion in 2019,Net income of 23 large global reinsurers almost doubles to $18.2 billion

Mike Van Slooten, Head of Business Intelligence for Reinsurance Solutions, and author of the ARA report, said: “Reinsurers faced a challenging operating environment in 2019. On the underwriting side, carriers were confronted with higher retrocessional costs, adverse development of recent catastrophe losses, and deteriorating trends in US casualty business. At the same time, interest rates in the key US and UK markets went into reverse, as policymakers sought to address worsening prospects for global economic growth.”

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AIR Worldwide launches COVID-19 projection tool: Provides case and death projections worldwide

“We’re providing this complimentary tool to give communities, businesses, governments, and insurers a better understanding of what the near future of the COVID-19 pandemic could look like,” said Doug Fullam, director of life/health modeling at AIR Worldwide. “Additionally, we are making this information publicly available as we feel it’s imperative to leverage our strengths as a trusted data steward to provide services that benefit the greater good.”

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