Capital markets

Aon Securities CEO Paul Schultz has said the ILS market may receive a boost from increased M&A activity due to an uptick in reinsurance buying.

Cat bond launches are showing no sign of slowing down, with a further three deals with an initial combined size of $675mn being launched in the past week.

While 2017 was a challenging year for the ILS market, it may not have been the year of "the great test", according to Leadenhall CEO Luca Albertini.

Vegard Nilsen has been named CEO of London-based ILS manager Securis Investment Partners amid a restructuring as firm co-founder Rob Procter gave up the job to focus on his role as chief investment officer .

Global reinsurance capital continued to rise in 2017 as alternative capital funds reloaded, according to Aon Benfield.

Arch Capital’s mortgage insurance unit has closed another reinsurance deal with Bellemeade Re, the reinsurance structure it acquired from AIG with United Guaranty at the start of last year.

Axis has given notice on the Securis SPA, The Insurance Insider has learned.

Tumbling cat bond prices continue to exert pressure on the wider reinsurance market and are likely to curb rate increases at the upcoming Florida renewal.

USAA has launched the $175mn Residential Re 2018-1 cat bond, which will provide US multi-peril cover, sister publication Trading Risk reported.

PCS has increased its loss number for Hurricane Harvey to $17.1bn from $15.7bn, according to Trading Risk sources.

Securis-backed Special Purpose Arrangement (SPA) 6129 made a loss of £31.4mn ($44.2mn) in 2017 following the year's major catastrophe losses, as its combined ratio spiked to 180.4 percent.

Aspen Bermuda has returned to the cat bond market for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, as it seeks to raise $150mn to cover US and European catastrophe risk, sister publication Trading Risk has reported.