Analysis

Despite gaining some reprieve from a relatively benign period for cat losses, the underwriting performance of our group of Bermudian carriers came under pressure in the third quarter as they battled with higher expenses and waning reserve releases.

Following on from our cover story on the research issued by the LMG and BCG, The Insurance Insider takes a deeper look at why the report's findings weren't all doom and gloom for the capital's insurance market...

Operating returns for short-tail specialists dropped well below historical averages during the third quarter, continuing a trend seen in the preceding two quarters of 2014.

Despite a benign quarter for major catastrophe losses, the underwriting performance of our composite of short-tail specialists deteriorated after attritional losses and non-notable cats impacted loss ratios.

RenaissanceRe continued to rebalance its book in the third quarter as it reported 10.0 percent growth in gross written premium (GWP) driven by its Lloyd's platform and specialty reinsurance segment - most notably in casualty - offset by a pullback in cat reinsurance.

The soft reinsurance market rolls on into new territory

We analyse the rationale and post-deal London strategic landscape...

The London company market wrote £17.5bn of gross premiums in 2013, a fall of 1.5 percent compared to 2012.

Pricing for US commercial P&C business seems to have steadied during the third quarter after entering a softening phase in Q2, the latest survey from the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) reveals.

Operating margins for the (re)insurance divisions of the big three brokers came under pressure during the third quarter, as challenging market conditions placed a burden on top line growth.

Despite its recent track record of growing market share against admitted carriers, the US surplus lines sector faces a series of challenges to profitability as it moves through 2014 and into 2015.

Despite moderating pricing trends, US commercial P&C carriers have so far trumped Wall Street forecasts for the third quarter, as modest cats and solid underwriting results helped lift the bottom line.