A letter to US Rep. Kevin Brady (R–Texas) takes issue with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treatment of so-called 831(b) captive insurance companies. The current COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of captive insurance programs to midmarket companies, the letter says, but the IRS is targeting and harassing small captives.

The catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) market saw record first-quarter issuance of more than $5 billion, according to data compiled by Artemis. The first-quarter issuance was up 82 percent from the same period in 2019 and was 19 percent higher than the previous first-quarter record set in 2018.

An upcoming webinar from Management Services International (MSI) will focus on how captive insurance companies can fill gaps in commercial insurance coverage in the face of claims resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar, titled "COVID-19 Claims Saving Small Businesses with MSI Captives," is scheduled for noon (EST) on Wednesday, April 8.

Legislation recently signed into law by Utah Governor Gary Herbert will expand the business that Utah captive insurance companies are allowed to do. The new measure, HB 37, will allow Utah captives to reinsure risks ceded by any other insurer.

Since hemp production became legal, it has been fast-tracked to become a unique commodity, but insurance coverage issues remain. A hybrid solution involving specialty insurance and captive insurance might be the answer.

The Reinsurance Association of America along with a coalition including other insurance industry trade groups and business organizations sent a letter to federal government leaders urging them to support the COVID-19 Business and Employee Continuity and Recovery Fund, a solution to support businesses and employees hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Many healthcare facilities addressing the COVID-19 pandemic are suffering significant daily loss of revenue. Their property insurance policies frequently contain limitations on business interruption coverage. Property policies written for healthcare institutions frequently contain broad limitations on business interruption coverage caused by the cascading effect of dealing with the coronavirus.

Impact stress tests reflect that ample capital buffers at North American property-casualty insurers and reinsurers should make any fallout from COVID-19 manageable for those companies, according to S&P Global Ratings. Financial market turmoil and the ensuing recession pose a greater pitfall than underwriting exposure to COVID-19 pandemic risk.

Many businesses have been ordered shut to try to contain the outbreak, while shelter-in-place orders and social distancing are dramatically reducing business for those that are open. Coverage issues around business interruption losses related to COVID-19 have prompted discussions of creating a federal pandemic backstop.