Analysis

The US commercial auto insurance market continues to present challenges to underwriting profitability for a number of carriers, despite sustained rate rises over the last three years

US and Bermudian reinsurers are expected to find it increasingly difficult to generate double-digit returns on equity (RoEs) as the sector's earnings succumb to market dynamics, according to AM Best

The healthy flow of reserve releases that has helped support the US P&C industry's underwriting results in recent years is expected to "slow considerably" in 2015, according to AM Best

The international (re)insurance broking heavyweights reported a slowdown in organic growth in 2014 despite solid performance during the final quarter of the year

Bermudian carriers reported an improved underwriting performance during the fourth quarter, as lighter catastrophes losses, better underlying loss experience and higher reserve releases pushed the group's combined ratio below the 90 percent mark

Strip out the low cat losses and reserve releases, and underwriting results weakened in the fourth quarter, analysis from The Insurance Insider's Data Room demonstrates

Non-life reinsurance premiums ceded by Europe's 20 largest cedants declined by 8.2 percent year-on-year to EUR39.2bn in 2013, according to a report published by AM Best.

Global reinsurance giants Munich Re and Hannover Re continued to be buffeted by softening headwinds at the 1 January 2015 renewals, as they became the latest reinsurers to reveal downward pressure on rates and premium volumes.

Softening market conditions prevailed in many specialty lines in 2014, despite loss activity and volatility in sub-segments such as airlines hull and liability, accord to Marsh's latest report on the commercial insurance sector.

US commercial property insurance softened in 2014 and is set to continue to do so this year, while many casualty lines are also expected to follow suit, according to a comprehensive sector overview by Marsh.

Evidence from US primary bellwethers indicates a further deceleration of US commercial P&C rate increases during the fourth quarter, amid suggestions that pricing is now falling below loss cost trends

Private insurers could need $1.5bn+ new limit as cat fund also considers risk transfer