September 2012/2

German run-off (re)insurer Darag is poised to announce that it has raised EUR60mn of new capital from a consortium of investors that will effectively triple the size of its capital base, The Insurance Insider understands

The auction of Zurich Insurance Group's UK legacy business Eagle Star is complicated by an intra-group reinsurance contract, The Insurance Insider understands

Run-off buyers are increasingly looking to bid for live market (re)insurers as historic low valuations continue to leave much of the sector trading below the value of their net assets

The catastrophe retrocession market has grown by nearly 20 percent over the past two years and will deploy a record $9bn of indemnity limit over the course of 2012

he insurance-linked securities (ILS) market remains on course to have its strongest year since the financial crisis with total cat bond issuance of around $6bn

Despite dreary investment conditions that have stoked industry debate about how and where to find yield, insurers have not significantly changed their strategy in terms of the types of assets they find attractive, according to the NAIC

As the global reinsurance industry prepares for its annual gathering in Monte Carlo, rating agencies agree that the reinsurance sector is on a "stable" footing but have collectively warned that results may be squeezed next year

Two Asian entrants broke into the ranks of the top 10 global reinsurance groups by gross written premium (GWP) for 2011, demonstrating the growing importance of the region's reinsurance markets

With more than half the year gone and two quarters of financial results to digest, investors have tended to reward outperformers on profitability rather than book value growth, analysis by The Insurance Insider shows

While there may be downward pressure on rates courtesy of the strong recovery in the reinsurance industry's balance sheet, an offsetting force of dwindling reserve releases is likely to continue gaining momentum

The gentle year-to-date for industry catastrophe losses has left the reinsurance sector in rude financial health during the long lead-up to the key 1 January 2013 renewals

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford is demonstrating its continued appetite for M&A by making an approach for independent London market broker Newman Martin and Buchan (NMB), The Insurance Insider can reveal.