ILS

Forget Hatchimals, stuffed unicorns and Lego Star Wars - this year all anyone seems to want for Christmas is a collateralised reinsurerForget Hatchimals, stuffed unicorns and Lego Star Wars - this year all anyone seems to want for Christmas is a collateralised reinsurer

Validus Re is targeting $325mn from its first cat bond, Tailwind Re, which is an annual aggregate transaction, according to Trading Risk sources.

The ILS sector could cover as much as 15-25 percent of insured claims resulting from this year's catastrophes, according to analysts.

Allstate has embarked on its latest round of share buy-backs, enlisting Morgan Stanley to scoop up $300mn-worth of shares between now and 8 February.

Stonybrook Capital has added mergers and acquisitions specialist Thomas Deane to its ranks, bringing him on from JLT Capital Markets.

InsurTech may only be in its "first inning" - as one speaker put it at the InsiderTech conference in New York this week - but already some are suggesting the nascent market is reaching an inflection point.

Fund manager Markel Catco said that it expected assets under management to grow to $6bn in 2018, a third higher than their level in June

Private equity-backed Sabre today priced its IPO at 230 pence per share, equating to a market capitalisation for the motor insurer of £575mn ($773mn)

Nationwide is expecting a gross loss of more than $1.3bn from the Californian wildfires which tore through the state in October, sister publication Trading Risk revealed earlier today

Beazley has presented a possible picture of Lloyd's future in which the largest players "stock pick" on behalf of equity investors, while managing an optimised index strategy for ILS investors.

USAA has retained half the principal of its $80mn Residential Re 2013-2 class 1 cat bond and extended the risk period beyond a 6 December maturity date ahead of a possible California wildfire claim.

A parliamentary committee has passed risk transformation regulations that will allow for an ILS regime in the UK.