Insurers of Last Resort: My Word is My Bond

Contributor: Brian Secrett, Chief Underwriting Officer, Catastrophe, PartnerRe; Laura Davis, Head of Catastrophe, Bermuda, PartnerRe
Date: 4/23/2010
An increasing amount of risk is being assumed by U.S. personal lines residual market bodies, particularly in coastal states. We look at TWIA and the uncertainties for re/insurers linked to the new funding structure following last year's legislative change.
Tags: Litigation, Property, Catastrophe perils, U.S.

Central America - Opportunity and Challenge

Contributor: Salvatore Orlando, Head of P&C Southern Europe & Latin America, PartnerRe; Rick Thomas, Head of Catastrophe Underwriting Zurich, PartnerRe
Date: 4/8/2010
As the direct market regionalizes and retentions increase, risk correlation, solvency regulations and catastrophe losses all pose a threat to the current status quo – we review the issues and beneficial role of reinsurance.
Tags: Non-specific, Property, Catastrophe perils, Pricing & models

U.S. Casualty: Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Contributor: Dick Sanford, EVP and Head of Specialty Casualty, PartnerRe U.S.; David Durbin, SVP and Head of R&D and Risk Modeling, PartnerRe U.S.; Wayne Hommes, EVP and Risk and Capital Management, PartnerRe U.S.; Tom Smith, SVP, and Head of Actuarial Pricing, PartnerRe U.S.
Date: 8/31/2009
Higher capital costs, low interest rates, the looming threat of inflation and the potential rolling back of U.S. tort reforms can be individually problematic for long-tailed casualty lines of business. Collectively their occurrence can be market changing – and not for the better. Indeed, the potential confluence of these factors looks like they’re building up into a potential re/insurance version of “the perfect storm”.
Tags: Property, Casualty, U.S.

Unearthing Construction in the U.S.

Contributor: Maria Amelio, Senior Vice President, U.S. Program Business, PartnerRe
Date: 4/1/2007
Developments in the U.S. construction and contractors’ risk environment continue to make this a difficult class to underwrite. Exposure analysis is complicated by regulatory and contractual issues within both the construction and insurance industries, and by physical changes in the way that construction itself is carried out – in particular with regard to the use of new products and to construction projects in less developed geographical areas.
Tags: Property, U.S.