IPCC Findings & Impact on Insured Risks

Contributor: Dr. Paul Della-Marta, Researcher, Catastrophe, PartnerRe.
Date: 9/5/2012
The 2012 IPCC report presents the latest scientific findings on extreme weather and climate events. With such high relevance to property re/insurance and risk and capital management, we review the findings and analyze how this could alter the loss potential of U.S. hurricane risk.
Tags: Non-specific, Property, Catastrophe perils, U.S.

Tornado Hail: Impact on the Industry

Contributor: Christina Cronin, SVP, Standard Lines, PartnerRe.
Date: 9/5/2012
Christina Cronin gives a reinsurer’s perspective on the impact of tornado and hail frequency on the U.S. insurance industry.
Tags: Property, Catastrophe perils, U.S.

Protecting Man’s Feats of Engineering

Contributor: Gero Stenzel, Senior Underwriter Facultative Engineering, PartnerRe
Date: 4/4/2012
Civil Engineering Completed Risks (CECR) protects completed, man-made structures from sudden and unforeseen damage. Interest in the line is growing; recent catastrophes highlight the exposure and private investment in infrastructure is on the up. We review this cover and indicate important underwriting considerations.
Tags: Europe, Latin America, Non-specific, Engineering, Middle East, Australia & Asia, U.S.

The Dirty Side to Cleaner Energy

Contributor: Paul Feldsher, SVP, Underwriting Practices, PartnerRe U.S.
Date: 11/1/2011
A shift from vertical to horizontal drilling has led to a number of potential hazards associated with fracking – the extraction of natural gas from shale rock. We take a look at the downside impact and varied coverage and claims issues associated with this form of “greener” energy.
Tags: Litigation, Claims, U.S.

Social Inflation in the U.S.: What is it and Why is it a Concern?

Contributor: David Durbin, SVP, Risk & Research, PartnerRe U.S.; Paul Feldsher, SVP, Underwriting Practices, PartnerRe U.S.; Thomas Forsyth, EVP and General Counsel, PartnerRe U.S.
Date: 11/26/2010
PartnerRe shares its research on specific risk drivers impacting social inflation.
Tags: Non-specific, Casualty, U.S.

Construction Defects – Covered or Not?

Contributor: Paul Feldsher, SVP Underwriting Practices, PartnerRe U.S.
Date: 10/1/2010
Recent Colorado legislation expands construction defect coverage. Re/insurers are asking – what are our liabilities now and will other states follow the same path?
Tags: Litigation, U.S.

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.

Canadian Motor Claims Accelerate

Contributor: Angela Chung, Senior Underwriter P&C Canada, PartnerRe; Grace Lin, Chief P&C Pricing Actuary Canada, PartnerRe
Date: 2/1/2010
As we turn the corner into 2010, Ontario’s 1997 CAD $ 700,000 average reported large motor loss now stands at CAD $ 3.2 million; a four-fold increase over 11 years. Given such inflation and the absence of redistributory index-linked clauses, upward non-proportional reinsurance pricing adjustments are essential to avoid a future crash in capacity and healthy balance sheet for all parties.
Tags: Motor, U.S., Pricing & models

A Swinging Pendulum: U.S. Tort Reform

Contributor: Art Gang, SVP, Associate General Counsel, PartnerRe
Date: 10/20/2009
The recent economic downturn and changes in political administrations have led to attempts to roll back tort reforms. We examine the current landscape, and how an encroachment could impact how re/insurers underwrite and assess liability coverage and exposure.
Tags: Litigation, U.S.

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.