October 2017/3

The Mexican state education authority is leading a string of direct and facultative (D&F) losses expected by the London market following the two earthquakes which struck the country in September.

After years of deteriorating underwriting conditions in US casualty reinsurance, there is cautious optimism among reinsurers that predicted post-loss hardening in property lines will instigate a slow turn in third party business.

The reaction of investors in cat funds that write retro will play a major part in determining the extent of rate hardening for both reinsurers and insurers at 1 January.

As reinsurers continue to put out provisional loss estimates for Q3 cats, there is a growing recognition that 1 January will bring about a hardening in the US property treaty sector that could spread to other lines.

London-listed (re)insurers have emerged as the most affected by the third quarter's catastrophe events.

Loss estimates for the Q3 catastrophes from modelling companies and industry associations

A look-up table of all the Q3 loss announcements so far by company

Look-up tables of all the Q3 loss announcements so far by event

Florida domestic insurers will need to raise capital following Irma, which will result in a range of outcomes at the June renewals, according to an expert panel at the Trading Risk New York Rendez-Vous last week.

With third quarter earnings disclosures just around the corner, the market is bracing itself for a red Q3 following the losses generated by the recent hurricane season.

Wildfires that have ravaged California wine country came under partial control over the weekend, and rain forecast for later this week may let firefighters halt the advance of multiple blazes that have destroyed at least 5,350 structures in the region and left dozens of people dead.

These Mexican losses are just the tip of the iceberg for the London direct and facultative (D&F) market.