Mt. Logan Re insurance vehicle

Best insurance stock - Mt. Logan Re, Ltd insurance vehicle : Another reinsurer is taking its first step into the third-party capital asset management arena by launching a vehicle dedicated to attracting investors capital to put it to use underwriting collateralized reinsurance business. Bermuda based Everest Re Group Ltd. announced the formation and launch of Bermuda domiciled special purpose reinsurer Mt. Logan Re, Ltd.  with $250m of raised capital at the end last week.

Everest Re has itself provided $50m of capital to help get Mt. Logan Re off the ground and have attracted around another $200m of third-party capital from investors reaching their initial target capitalisation of $250m. Mt. Logan Re will underwrite worldwide property catastrophe reinsurance business on a fully collateralized basis.

Joseph Taranto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented on the launch; “We are pleased to have Rick Pagnani join us as the Chief Executive Officer of this new venture. Rick brings a wealth of experience and is well-known within the Bermuda reinsurance community. Having successfully led prior reinsurance ventures, we are fortunate to have an executive of his caliber join us to launch this new operation.”

Pagnani has a strong track record in the reinsurance market and also capital markets convergence, making him an apt choice for the role. Most recently Pagnani was a Partner with TigerRisk, a broker focusing on catastrophe risk and active in the industry loss warranty (ILW) market. Prior to that he was CEO of Bermuda reinsurance startup Ascendant Reinsurance where the firm focused on catastrophe derivatives, before that he was with Quanta Reinsurance and even earlier major reinsurers Swiss Re and Zurich Re.

Mr. Taranto added; “For Everest, this vehicle adds yet another tool to our underwriting arsenal that allows us to meet the dynamic demands of the reinsurance marketplace and enhance the returns of our investors.”

Everest Re are the latest in a growing list of reinsurers who have shown interest in leveraging capital from third-party investors for writing collateralized reinsurance business. Whether in fund or sidecar form launches of these vehicles have always been a feature of the convergence market but 2013 looks like it could see more launches than a typical underwriting year as reinsurers take advantage of investor appetite for profiting from the returns that can be made from participating in reinsurance and catastrophe risk businesses.

AlphaCat 2013 Ltd

AlphaCat 2013 Ltd; Bermuda based insurance and reinsurance group Validus Holdings has announced the successful raising of $404.4m of capital, largely from third-party investor sources, by its investment and asset management subsidiary AlphaCat Managers Ltd. The third-party capital injection is to be put to be invested in collateralized reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) by capitalising a new sidecar and adding capacity to its ILS funds.

The news underscores Validus’ commitment to the third-party asset management strategy as a source of underwriting capital. Its CEO Ed Noonan said back in July that with over $1 billion under management Validus felt as though it was just scratching the surface in this segment of their business.

The new sidecar from Validus is AlphaCat 2013 Ltd., the latest in the AlphaCat series, a special purpose vehicle formed to invest in collateralized property catastrophe reinsurance and retrocession on a worldwide basis. AlphaCat 2013 launches with $230m of capital, with third-party investors having contributed $185m and Validus providing the balance.

Validus has also raised $219.4m of third-party capital as subscriptions for its ILS funds. The AlphaCat ILS funds invest in instruments which provide returns across the property catastrophe reinsurance, retrocession, catastrophe bond and ILS market.

Ed Noonan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Validus said; “AlphaCat 2013 and the third party investment in the AlphaCat ILS funds reflect the continued importance of Validus’ franchise in the global property catastrophe reinsurance market. We are pleased with the significant level of investor support which reflects on the scale of Validus’ operations, the skill of our underwriting team and the AlphaCat infrastructure we have developed to manage third-party capital.”

Validus has put significant time and efforts into its AlphaCat arm, which enables it to underwrite collateralized reinsurance business largely using external investors capital, and it clearly see it as a growing portion of its overall operations. As more focus is placed on this growing area of the reinsurance market Validus, as one of the largest reinsurance groups, is sure to continue to grow the contribution third-party capital makes to its underwriting and profits.

Generali Insurer will buy Czech group PPF

Generali Insurer will buy Czech group PPF : Italy's largest insurer Generali (GASI.MI) said on Tuesday it will buy out the rest of an eastern European joint venture it holds with Czech group PPF for 2.5 billion euros ($3.3 billion), increasing its exposure to the fast-growing region.

It is the first major deal struck by Generali's new chief executive, Mario Greco, who was appointed in August to improve profitability at Europe's third-largest insurer behind Allianz (ALVG.DE) and Axa (AXAF.PA), and review its portfolio of assets.

Generali said eastern Europe was now its fourth biggest market and growing faster than western Europe, with gross premiums totaling 4 billion euros at the end of 2011, from 1 billion euros in 2007.

Generali has a long-standing and sizeable business in eastern Europe, where economic growth is faster and insurance levels are lower than in mature western European markets.

German-based Allianz and France's Axa also have a strong presence in the region. Axa has said it aims to increase profits coming from the region.

Analysts have long said Generali needed to decide on the future of its relationship with PPF, which had an option to sell its 49 percent stake in Generali PPF Holding (GPH) to Generali or a third party. Generali's shares rose 1.25 percent to 14.5 euros after the buyout was announced.

"The deal provides clarity and greater certainty over our strategy in central and eastern Europe," Greco told analysts in a conference call.

The purchase of the stake Generali does not yet own in GPH will be carried out in two stages, with Generali buying a 25 percent stake by 28 March 2013 and the rest at the end of 2014.

Generali will use the cash it has raised through a recently issued 30-year bond to finance the first tranche of the deal, whose negative impact on the group's solvency ratio - a key measure of financial strength - will be offset by the debt issue.

Generali forecast a pro-forma solvency ratio of 150-155 percent for the end of 2012, up from 140 percent in September, and Greco said the group would need no external resources to fund the second tranche of the deal.

"It's a totally manageable amount of money," said Greco, who will present the result of his strategic review to investors in London on January 14.

ASSET SALES

Generali is expected to beef up its financial war chest through the sale of Swiss-based private bank BSI, which some analysts have said could fetch as much as 2 billion euros, and its U.S. reinsurance business.

Chief Financial Officer Alberto Minali told analysts the group was about to receive non-binding offers for both units, and the disposal process was going according to plan.

Analysts said the deal with PPF removed uncertainty and provided a better view on Generali's ability to finance the acquisition.

"It should put an end to the rumors related to a capital increase aiming at funding the purchase of the minority stake in one go," Mediobanca said in a note.

However, it added the disposals of BSI and the U.S. reinsurance unit would not be easy and that the recent bond issuance made Generali the highest leveraged company among large European insurers and reinsurers.

Generali said it would discuss the buyout deal with rating agencies and did not expect it to worsen its credit profile.

Under the terms of the deal, PPF will acquire the insurance operation of GPH in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan for 80 million euros.

The agreement also includes a no-cash equity swap that will allow Generali to raise its stake in Russian insurer Ingosstrakh (INGSI.RTS) to 38.5 percent by acquiring a stake held by PPF. PPF will in turn take ownership of Generali's interest in two private equity businesses.

Generali will install its own management at GPH upon payment of the first tranche and PPF said the deal included a 352-million-euro dividend payment in the first quarter of 2013.

PPF, which had borrowed 2.1 billion euros from a pool of banks using its stake in GPH as collateral, could use the proceeds of the sale to Generali to repay debt and free up funds for further investments. ($1=0.7634 euros)

Insurance Claims fires in australia Rise

Best Insurance stock ; Insurance Claims  fires in australia Rise,  fires in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria, Australian Insurance Claims summer 2013 : The Australian summer had been made more agonizing by the bushfires. The country's continued rising temperatures had been the crux of insurance companies as incidence claims have now surged by more than $42 million and yet more still likely to come in as the blazes unexpectedly occur with the dry weather.

The figure, according to ABC News, was culled from claims filed by residents from Tasmania, where wildfires destroyed more than 100 homes over the weekend. As of press time Tuesday, firefighters are still trying to contain some 40 blazes across the southern island state.

As of 9:00am (AEDT) on Tuesday, more than 410 policy holders had filed claims before insurance companies in the state's south.

The ongoing fires in Tasmania, plus those in New South Wales and Victoria, are expected to inflate the calculation of property damage.

"We do stress though this is early days - we would expect many more claims to be lodged in the coming week as property owners return to their communities and get better ideas of the damage," Campbell Fuller from the Insurance Council of Australia told ABC News.

We would stress though that people who are affected by the bushfires should contact their insurer as soon as they can and get that claims process rolling."

However, he told policy holders to be patient as assessors will only be able to enter fire affected areas once they have been declared safe.

"We hope that the actions of firefighters will help protect lives and properties, but experience shows us that bushfires and grass fires are unpredictable and cause widespread damage," Rob Whelan, council's chief executive, said in a statement.

Tune Insurance IPO launch expected february 2013

Tune Insurance IPO launch expected february 2013, Tune Insurance IPO shares prices : The founders of Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd (AIRA.KL) are expected to launch a $65 million initial public offering (IPO) of Tune Insurance Bhd by the end of February, two sources close to the deal told Reuters.

The flotation would be the first of three IPOs due to raise a combined $500 million that Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, founders of Asia's largest budget carrier, are planning this year.

"An investor road show will begin towards the end of this month," one of the sources said, declining to be named as the matter is still private. Tune Insurance officials were not immediately available to comment.

A source with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters in October that Tune Insurance, a unit of financial services-to-discount hotel conglomerate Tune Group owned by Fernandes and Kamarudin, is looking at a market capitalization of $260 million upon listing.

The IPO, comprising 210 million shares, will help to fund Tune Insurance's expansion plans in the underinsured Southeast Asia region, Fernandes, who is due to take on the hire-or-fire role of would-be employer in an Asian adaptation of "The Apprentice" TV show, told reporters last September.

RHB Investment Bank RHBCR.UL is the principal adviser for the IPO. CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (CIMB.KL), CLSA, ECM Libra Financial Group Bhd (ECMA.KL) and RHB are the joint book runners.

indonesia sharia insurance industry forecast 2013

best insurance stock - indonesia sharia insurance market forecast 2013 : Respect of the law will disahkannya about sharia insurance, six months after being all sharia units available in conventional master should spin off. According to sharia economic practitioner of the Shariah Economic Society (MES), Muhammad Syakir Sula. According Syakir Sula, in the year 2013 will be a lot of spin-off insurance sharia or break away from the conventional parent.

"If the Law on insurance verified, draftnya, among others, say six months after confirmation of Law sharia insurance then all units should be in the spin-off," he said, after filling Sharia Insurance Seminar event in Hall Student Center, Wednesday (12/12 / 2012) ago.

If there is no sharia insurance capital to stand on its own, then said Syakir, it should be merged with other syariah insurance. "If the insurance company does not have capital sharia then he should merge, merge with others," he said. It also reveals, from 43 sharia insurance industry, only one or two insurance sharia will not spin off. "But from the 43 sharia insurance industry, most of which only two may not be a spin-off, others I think will spin off its capital for 50 billion is not great," he said.

more Prospective

Syakir too optimistic, development and growth of insurance, capital markets, will be far more prospective pawnshop forward.

"I think now this, in Indonesia is only 22 percent of non-bank industry so the rest of the bank's policy direction forward I think that 22 percent would like to raise this to about 25 percent of the means towards the development and growth of insurance, capital markets, pawnshop will prospective far ahead, I think the regulator will forward this very attention to the balance between the growth of banking insurance growth, "he explained. *

Total insurance claims from hurricane sandy 2012

Best Insurance stock - Total insurance claims from hurricane sandy 2012, insurance claims in 2012,; A leading insurance company says natural disasters cost the industry $65 billion last year and that Superstorm Sandy accounted for nearly two-fifths of the total. However, Munich Re AG said Thursday total insured losses from natural catastrophes were down from a record $119 billion in 2011, when devastating earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand cost the industry dear.

The company said total economic costs in 2012 from natural disasters - including uninsured losses - amounted to $160 billion, compared with the previous year's $400 billion. Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths when it battered eastern coastline areas at the end of October. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest-hit states. Munich Re estimated insured losses from Sandy at $25 billion and total losses at $50 billion.

Here is the number of insurance claims released by various insurance companies sand storm due 2012, which we took from various reputable news sites

Insured Losses From Hurricane Sandy $7-$15 Billion: AIR Worldwide

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimated Tuesday evening that insured losses from Hurricane Sandy to onshore properties in the U.S. would be in the range of $7 billion to $15 billion. AIR’s insured loss estimate includes wind and storm surge damage to onshore residential, commercial and industrial properties and their contents, automobiles, and time element coverage (additional living expenses for residential properties and business interruption for commercial properties). Read More..

AXA Art InsuranceLosses from Hurricane Sandy May Reach $500 Million

Two months after Hurricane Sandy caused severe flooding in many Chelsea galleries, the bill for the art world’s recovery is shaping up to be hefty. By mid-November, AXA Art Insurance, one of the largest art insurers, estimated that it would be paying out $40 million, and a Reuters report last week quoted industry estimates suggesting that insurance losses for flooded galleries and ruined art may come to as much as $500 million – or the rough equivalent of what the art insurance business takes in each year. That would amount to the largest loss the art world and its insurers have ever sustained.Read More..

Swiss Re Sees $900 Million Insured Hurricane Sandy Losses
Swiss Re Ltd. (SREN), the world’s second- biggest reinsurer, said it estimates its claims burden from Hurricane Sandy to be about $900 million. Total market losses could be as much as $25 billion, Swiss Re dropped as much as 0.8 percent in Zurich. It fell 0.6 percent to 66.30 francs at 9:31 a.m., valuing the company at 24.6 billion Swiss francs ($26.5 billion). Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, declined 0.2 percent to 129.6 euros. Hannover Re (HNR1) lost 0.3 percent to 56.98 euros. Read more..

Selective Insurance Group Announces Hurricane Sandy Storm Losses
Insurance Group, Inc. (SIGI) today announced a preliminary pre-tax gross Hurricane Sandy loss of between $100 to $120 million and a pre-tax net loss of approximately $52 million, including reinstatement premiums and reinsurance recoveries. About two-thirds of the claims are in personal lines with the remaining in commercial lines.  One area of uncertainty remains business interruption claims, which are included in the estimates but are still developing as some businesses are not back to full operation.

Selective is the sixth largest writer for the National Flood Insurance Program and expects record claim activity this quarter that will generate estimated, pre-tax, claim service revenue of $12 million, which will partially offset the $52 million loss.  Together, these items will impact the fourth quarter statutory combined ratio by approximately 10 points and add an anticipated 2 points to our previous 2012 full-year guidance for the statutory and GAAP combined ratios. Read More..

AIR increases hurricane Sandy insured loss estimate by over 70%
Risk modeller AIR Worldwide has published an update to their estimate of insured losses resulting from hurricane Sandy today and the numbers have jumped considerably. AIR’s first estimate was published on the 30th October and in that update they gave a range of $7 billion to $15 billion of losses but said they expected it to rise. In today’s update AIR have given a tighter, but much higher estimated range of between $16 billion and $22 billion of losses to the insurance industry from Sandy. That’s a pretty significant jump, with the low-end estimate increasing by 128% from $7B-$16B, the mid-point estimate increasing by 72% from $11B-$19B and the high-end estimate increasing by 46% from $15B to $22B. AIR puts the increase down to the following: Read More..

Hurricane Sandy claims may exceed insurance program funds: FEMA
The federal government's flood insurance program may not have access to enough funds to cover anticipated claims from Hurricane Sandy victims, a top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Thursday. Edward Connor, FEMA's deputy associate administrator for federal insurance, told an insurance advisory panel on Thursday that his agency is projecting a flurry of flood-related claims in the neighborhood of $6 billion to $12 billion. read more..

to complete the total data sandy storm damage insurance claims in 2012, we are in need of data on the number of insurance claims from your insurance company, please post in the comments below

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