September 2015/1

The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina has prompted a number of modelling firms to focus on US storm surge risk, with RMS and Karen Clark & Company (KCC) both releasing studies on the most vulnerable US cities.

As the UK government has announced plans to become a more attractive domicile for ILS business, it is worth examining how alternative capital currently participates at Lloyd's.

M&A no panacea; New Orleans project; Nephila staffs MGA; United establishes sidecar; PacRe drops rating; Amlin's Leadenhall fees; RSA-Zurich talks; PartnerRe accepts Exor bid

Fitch Ratings has projected single-digit rate declines at the January 2016 reinsurance renewals, as it cautioned that the mid-year slowdown in price reductions did not mean the market had found its floor.

A group of sidecars tracked by Trading Risk recorded an average increase in fair value of 2.5 percent for the three months from February to April 2015, according to disclosures from sidecar investors Stone Ridge Asset Management and Pioneer.

AIR Worldwide has completely revamped the way it models storm surge losses in the latest major update of its US Atlantic hurricane models.

Hoplon sponsor MyLotto24 has had an above-average run of jackpot payouts during 2015, the company said in an earnings warning.

Guy Carpenter has estimated that total insured losses from the Tianjin port explosion could range from $1.64bn to $3.25bn, according to a client report obtained by sister title The Insurance Insider.

Australian carriers are experiencing their worst year for catastrophe losses since 2010-11, with some ILS funds set to take claims from the events.

IBM adds Securis; Kinesis fee structure; Catco returns

Swedish governmental fund AP3 kept its reinsurance portfolio relatively steady over the first half of 2015.

ILS start-ups have been few and far between in recent years but several new funds are in the works, including Michael Millette's new venture.

TigerRisk has been marketing a derivative product that triggers off a Lloyd's index, which could offer ILS funds exposure to a range of specialty business written within the London market, Trading Risk understands.

ILS spreads began their seasonal tightening relatively late into the hurricane season this year, with widening persisting into May and June.

American International Group (AIG) received orders of up to $900mn for its Bellemeade Re mortgage insurance securitisation transaction, which eventually closed at $299mn, the company told Trading Risk.

ILS investors have queried several changes to cat bond terms and conditions this year, as Trading Risk has previously reported.

Two earthquake cat bonds interrupted the summer break for ILS investors, offering relatively higher spreads than the low-yielding quake deals that have predominated this year.

The £12.9bn BBC Pension Scheme terminated its mandate with Nephila Capital in the financial year ended 31 March 2015, according to the fund's latest annual report.

2015 might be the alternative reinsurance market's chance for a break from the spotlight during the industry's annual Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous.

Consolidation in the reinsurance industry is contributing to an uptick in demand for retro cover in 2015, although the impact is expected to be short-lived.

Questions remain around whether the ILS market will be able to maintain its momentum heading into the final quarter of 2015.