Catastrophe Risks
Catastrophe Bond Market Sets Record for New Issuance in 2020
Catastrophe bond and related insurance-linked securities (ILS) issuance reached a record at $16.4 billion in 2020, according to the "Q4 2020 Catastrophe Bond & ILS Market Report" from Artemis. The 2020 total exceeded 2018's previous record issuance by more than $2.6 billion and included $6 billion during the fourth quarter. Learn More
COVID-19 Underscores Business Continuity Plans' Value, Insurance Needs
Confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, many risk managers' immediate response was to prioritize their organizations' people, while business continuity plans that were developed as part of enterprise risk management efforts helped address pandemic-related disruptions, according to a recent survey. The Federation of European Risk Management Associations survey underscored risk management tools' importance. Learn More
COVID-19, Changing Risks Will Add Complexity to Reinsurance Renewals
January 1 reinsurance renewals and related negotiations will likely be lengthier and more complex than in prior years, according to a new report from Guy Carpenter. The intermediary cites several factors that will contribute to the complexities around coming renewals, including slow and uncertain COVID-19 loss development. Read More
Google Parent Explores Captive-Sponsored Catastrophe Bond Solution
Alphabet, Inc., is reportedly in the process of sponsoring a $237.5 million captive-sponsored catastrophe bond to cover its California earthquake exposure. A story on the Artemis.bm website explains that Alphabet will use its Hawaii-domiciled captive insurance company, Imi Assurance, Inc., to act as fronting insurer for the risk. Read More
Pandemic Disruptions Highlight Need for Supply Chain Resilience
As the world grapples with new spikes of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to consider the disruptions such global crises can cause to organizations' supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic created severe disruptions for many organizations' supply chains, and it's likely that a similarly disruptive event will occur in the future. Read More
Benefits Captives' Value Grows with Rising Medical Costs and COVID-19
Continued increases in medical costs coupled with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic create significant stressors for employers providing healthcare benefits. Increasingly, including a captive insurance company in some employee benefits offerings can be a sound strategy for many of those employers. Read More
US Property-Casualty Insurers Facing Post-Pandemic Challenges, Fitch Says
US property-casualty insurers will continue to face new operational and risk management challenges from pandemic-related insurance losses and premium volume declines in 2021, according to Fitch Ratings. Insurers able to manage the challenges of workforce flexibility, limit risk aggregations, and reduce claims exposures will be best positioned, Fitch said. Read More