03.02.2016
Hannover Rück SE DE0008402215
DGAP-News: Hannover Re largely satisfied with outcome of 1 January treaty renewals in property and casualty reinsurance
DGAP-News: Hannover Rück SE / Key word(s): Contract
Hannover Re largely satisfied with outcome of 1 January treaty renewals in
property and casualty reinsurance
03.02.2016 / 07:30
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Press release
Hannover Re largely satisfied with outcome of 1 January treaty renewals in
property and casualty reinsurance
- Markets remain highly competitive, but rate quality for the most part
still acceptable
- Pleasing outcomes in US business and in the German market
- Appreciable rate declines in some specialty lines and in natural
catastrophe business
- Modest decrease of 1.5% in premium volume reflects rigorously selective
underwriting policy
- Rate erosion has no implications for 2016 profit targets
Hannover, 3 February 2016: Despite sustained significant competition in
most areas of property and casualty reinsurance, Hannover Re was
nevertheless largely satisfied with the outcome of its treaty renewals as
at 1 January 2016. "Even though the price decline in some markets was
considerable, our broad diversification enabled us to secure a level of
profitability for our portfolio that can still be described as good. We do
not therefore anticipate any negative impacts on our profit targets for
2016. Once again, our long-standing customer relationships and very good
ratings had a stabilising effect on the treaty renewals", Ulrich Wallin,
Chief Executive Officer of Hannover Re, explained. In keeping with its
systematic policy of selective underwriting, the company reduced its
premium volume by a modest 1.5% in this round of treaty renewals.
The situation on worldwide property and casualty reinsurance markets was
essentially unchanged year-on-year. With market-changing large losses again
absent in 2015 and clients carrying more risks in their retention, the
supply of reinsurance coverage continues to exceed demand. There are,
however, indications that the decline in rates is bottoming out. Signs of
this trend had already begun to emerge last year for the US market.
Of the total premium volume booked in the previous year in property and
casualty reinsurance (excluding facultative business and structured
reinsurance) amounting to EUR 6,777 million, nearly two-thirds of the
treaties with a volume of altogether EUR 4,422 million were up for renewal
as at 1 January 2016. Of this, a premium volume of EUR 4,003 million was
renewed, while treaties worth EUR 419 million were either cancelled or
renewed in modified form. Including increases of EUR 318 million from new
treaties and - to a more limited extent - from changes in prices and treaty
shares, the total renewed premium volume came in at EUR 4,355 million; this
is equivalent to a modest decrease of 1.5% at unchanged exchange rates.
Target markets
Hannover Re is satisfied with the treaty renewals in North American
business. The pressure driving rate reductions has eased somewhat. In
property business as a whole modest rate decreases were booked for
profitable loss-free treaties, while slight rate improvements were obtained
for loss-affected non-proportional covers. It was also pleasing to note
that conditions for proportional treaties remained stable. In casualty
business the anticipated pressure on prices failed to materialise; the rate
level proved to be broadly stable. Hannover Re wrote a number of new
programmes and was able to grow its premium volume for North America by
8.5%.
In Germany, the largest single market within the segment of Continental
Europe, Hannover Re further consolidated its leading position through its
subsidiary E+S Rück. The situation in motor business, in which stable to
slightly higher rates were achieved, was thoroughly satisfactory. Moderate
improvements were also possible in homeowners' comprehensive insurance.
Given the unchanged strained state of industrial fire insurance, the
company was extremely selective in writing this business. The premium
volume for the total portfolio in the German market contracted slightly. In
France Hannover Re was able to expand its existing business relationships.
A pleasing development was also recorded in the Netherlands, where premium
increases were booked. Competition remains fierce in the markets of Eastern
Europe, with rates subject to intense pressure. The exception here was
motor business in Poland and Hungary, where rates had moved higher on the
back of increased claims expectations.
The premium volume for the Continental Europe segment contracted by 3%.
Specialty lines
Despite substantial large losses, the most costly of which was the series
of explosions at the Port of Tianjin, rates in marine reinsurance declined
across virtually all lines and regions. Significant rate reductions were
also recorded in the energy sector on account of abundant surplus
capacities, even though claims activity in 2015 had been lively. The low
price of oil also led to diminished demand for insurance protection, with
corresponding implications for reinsurance cessions. Hannover Re scaled
back its acceptances in marine business, as a consequence of which the
premium volume for renewed business retreated by 8.9%.
The aviation line was also extremely competitive. Given the unchanged ample
supply of insurance capacity, rates fell by between 10% and 15%. We
responded by cutting back our exposure to aviation business and reduced our
market share. The premium volume contracted sharply by 17.8%.
The treaty renewals in credit and surety reinsurance gave greater grounds
for satisfaction. Despite an intensely competitive environment we were able
to defend our market share without giving up on our profitability
requirements. Cessions in the credit line were stable after years of rising
retentions. In surety business only about 50% of the portfolio was up for
renewal on 1 January 2016. It is to be anticipated that the premium volume
in this line will be somewhat lower in 2016. Competition in the area of
political risk business prompted Hannover Re to focus on its existing
customer relationships. The premium income for the portfolio that was up
for renegotiation in these specialty lines contracted only marginally.
Global reinsurance
The picture in Hannover Re's worldwide treaty reinsurance segment was a
mixed one:
Business with agricultural risks proved to be relatively isolated from the
otherwise soft market prevailing in property and casualty reinsurance.
Although competition is making itself felt here too in certain regions or
lines, for the most part stable rates and conditions were booked.
The markets of the Asia-Pacific region continue to be growth markets. In
China, for example, Hannover Re was able to selectively increase its shares
despite the competitive climate. Hannover Re's local presence and its
established customer relationships made substantial premium growth
possible. Despite this, the premium volume booked for worldwide treaty
reinsurance contracted by 3.5%
Natural catastrophe business remained fiercely competitive. An inflow of
additional capacities - such as from the ILS market - was, however,
observed only to a limited extent in the 1 January treaty renewals. As
anticipated, rates continued to decline in the absence of market-changing
large losses. In the United States, for example, rates for loss-free
programmes fell by around 6%. The declines were more marked in Latin
America and Europe. The severe flooding in the United Kingdom in December
2015 had no effect on the January renewals because the scale of the losses
is still not entirely clear; it should have implications for the renewal
dates during the year. The premium volume booked for total natural
catastrophe business retreated by 5.5%.
Outlook for 2016
Despite the soft market conditions overall in property and casualty
reinsurance, Hannover Re expects to achieve its profit targets for the
current year: based on its very good positioning in the reinsurance market
and the high quality of its loss reserves, the company should be able -
depending on the major loss expenditure in property and casualty
reinsurance - to generate another good underwriting result in 2016,
irrespective of the fact that the rate quality in the reinsurance market
has deteriorated in some areas. Hannover Re continues to target a combined
ratio of less than 96%. In view of its selective underwriting policy, the
company expects the premium volume in property and casualty reinsurance to
come in slightly lower.
For its total portfolio - i.e. including life and health reinsurance - the
company expects to book a stable or slightly reduced gross premium volume.
In life and health reinsurance Hannover Re anticipates a further rise in
profitability. The return on investment is likely to be around 2.9%, with
Group net income anticipated in the order of EUR 950 million. As usual, all
statements are subject to the proviso that major loss expenditure does not
exceed the budgeted level of EUR 825 million and that there are no
unforeseen distortions on capital markets.
For further information please contact:
Corporate Communications:
Karl Steinle (tel. +49 511 5604-1500,
e-mail: [email protected])
Media Relations:
Gabriele Handrick (tel. +49 511 5604-1502,
e-mail: [email protected])
Investor Relations:
Julia Hartmann (tel. +49 511 5604-1529,
e-mail: [email protected])
Please visit: www.hannover-re.com
Hannover Re, with gross premium of around EUR 14 billion, is the
third-largest reinsurer in the world. It transacts all lines of property &
casualty and life & health reinsurance and is present on all continents
with around 2,500 staff. Established in 1966, the Hannover Re Group today
has a network of more than 100 subsidiaries, branches and representative
offices worldwide. The Group's German business is written by the subsidiary
E+S Rück. The rating agencies most relevant to the insurance industry have
awarded both Hannover Re and E+S Rück very strong insurer financial
strength ratings: Standard & Poor's AA- "Very Strong" and A.M. Best A+
"Superior". In 2016 Hannover Re celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.
Please note the disclaimer:
https://www.hannover-re.com/535917
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03.02.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
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Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
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Language: English
Company: Hannover Rück SE
Karl-Wiechert-Allee 50
30625 Hannover
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)511-5604-1500
Fax: +49-(0)511-5604-1648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.hannover-re.com
ISIN: DE0008402215
WKN: 840 221
Indices: MDAX
Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Hanover;
Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf,
Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart; Terminbörse EUREX
End of News DGAP News Service
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434247 03.02.2016
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