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ANALYSIS: Europe’s Fab Four reinsurers

22 April 2010

Europe’s four biggest reinsurance firms - Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re and Scor - returned to form with their latest results releases. We crunch the numbers to analyse their premium volume, investment returns, net income and combined ratios.

Read more: munich re swiss re scor hannover re



The perfect storm for the leader of a reinsurance company breaks when they are able to say that they have genuinely managed to put a smile on the face of investors and policyholders in equal measure and can sleep easy for at least three months.

This rare occurrence comes about only when the heroic leader has simultaneously managed to deliver improved returns, preferably better than was forecast by those annoying equity analysts, and improved capital strength, preferably better than forecast by those equally annoying credit rating analysts.

If it emerges against the backdrop of a still-raging global economic and financial crisis, so much the better.

With performance of this sort, even those fickle mainstream investors and analysts that perennially prefer banks – or indeed it seems any kind of stock – to reinsurers may even sit up and take notice.

According to the year-end numbers it seems that we have arrived at...


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For more catastrophe reports, data and news, click through to the RMS/Reactions Catastrophe Centre.

Poll

Catastrophe bond issuance was $4.3bn in 2011. How much new issuance will there be in 2012?

Less than $3bn
0%
$3bn-$4bn
43%
$4bn-$5bn
29%
$5bn-$6bn
14%
$6bn-$7bn
14%
More than $7bn
0%

Quote

If last year was the year of the cat, then this year could be the year of the debt crisis.

Mike Van Slooten, head of international market analysis at Aon Benfield