8 Reinsurers Provide $897M Cover for Lloyd’s Central Fund with Aon as Placing Broker
Lloyd’s announced the marketplace has secured a five-year £650 million ($897 million) reinsurance cover for its Central Fund—a move that aims to protect against adverse tail risk, while supporting growth and bolstering the market’s balance sheet.
The £650 million protection, structured and placed by Aon, is supported by a newly created cell company financed by investment bank JP Morgan along with a panel of eight reinsurers: Arch, Berkshire Hathaway, Everest Re, Hannover Re, Munich Re, RenaissanceRe, SCOR and Swiss Re, according to a statement.
The new coverage has multiple layers designed to reimburse aggregate payments from the Central Fund in excess of £600 million ($828 million) up to £1.25 billion ($1.725 billion), which will serve as a key component in Lloyd’s chain of security.
Lloyd’s describes the cell company, Constellation IC Ltd., as an incorporated cell of White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd., a subsidiary of Aon and managed by Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd.
The Lloyd’s Central Fund is available, at the discretion of the Council of Lloyd’s, to meet any valid claim that cannot be met from the resources of any member. Should syndicates need additional assets to meet their liabilities, the funds at Lloyd’s ensure that members have additional resources available.
Lloyd’s capital structure, referred to as the “chain of security,” has three components: syndicate assets, or working capital; member capital deposited at Lloyd’s, known as “funds at Lloyd’s”, and central assets, which include the Central Fund.
In the rare event that a member’s capital is insufficient and that member is not able to provide further assets to the relevant syndicates, Lloyd’s central capital provides further financial support to ensure valid claims are paid, explained Lloyd’s on its “Capital Structure” web portal.
“We are very proud to place this innovative cover with eight of the world’s leading reinsurance companies and secure the support and commitment from one of the largest investment banks, J.P. Morgan,” said Burkhard Keese, CFO, Lloyd’s, in a statement.
“This unique structure will enable us to support the market’s growth ambitions over the next few years, while also strengthening the resilience of our balance sheet,” he added.
“Our capital management and position are now more resilient than ever, providing enhanced protection for customers,” Keese said.
In addition to protecting the Central Fund, the cover will create a significant buffer against adverse solvency developments, Lloyd’s said. It is expected that the new cover will increase Lloyd’s central solvency ratio.
Alluding to currently favorable conditions in the specialty insurance market, Lloyd’s said the capital buffer will also facilitate growth opportunities.
The effective date of the coverage is Jan. 1, 2021.
Source: Lloyd’s
A version of this article first was published in Insurance Journal’s sister publication, Carrier Management.