Record Breaking Cat Bond Levels; Good News For Carriers

August 19, 2013 by Susanne Sclafane

First-half tallies of 2013 catastrophe bond issues have been coming in from reinsurers and brokers in recent months, with all suggesting that 2013 could be a record year of issuance.Executive SummaryCatastrophe bond issuance for 2013 is poised to break the previous record set in 2007, and carriers are benefitting from a surge in demand as investors start to accept aggregate deals and indemnity triggers, even for commercial business.

Executive Summary

Catastrophe bond issuance for 2013 is poised to break the previous record set in 2007, and carriers are benefitting from a surge in demand as investors start to accept aggregate deals and indemnity triggers, even for commercial business.

Swiss Re, Munich Re and Willis Capital Markets & Advisory are among the counters who put the 2013 first-half total around $3.8-$3.9 billion.

According to a chart in Willis’s report, non-life issuance reached its peak in 2007 with a $7.2 billion total. For the year, “our current best estimate is $6-$7 billion in non-life issuanceā€¦.If sponsors accelerate deal execution into 2013 that would otherwise have occurred in 2014, exceeding $7 billion seems quite possible,” the Willis report says.