Description: This article discusses the closed nature of the Brazilian reinsurance market due to the IRB. The Instituto de Resseguros do Brasil is owned 50% by the 15 insurance companies that are licensed to do business in Brazil and 50% by the Government of Brazil, but the Government owns 100% of the voting shares. All reinsurance business must be transacted with and via the IRB. The process, opportunities and risks associated with this scheme are explored.

Description: This article provides an update on the Life Treaty Project. From Reinsurance Section News, November 2007, Issue No. 61.

Description: Summary of the results of the 2011 Life Reinsurance Survey. Included are US and Canadian individual life results for recurring, portfolio and retrocession reinsurance.

Description: Life reinsurers have done a relatively good job in competing with banks for market share of structured solutions, yet one might conclude that life reinsurers have not done a good job competing with an even bigger and more powerful competitor- the client company’s own retention limit. This article addresses the question: Is there anything a life reinsurer can do to change its business model to serve the needs of a large-retention life insurance company?

Description: The Brazilian market is presently the largest life market in Latin America, so the recent news regarding the abolishment of the reinsurance monopoly there will certainly place Brazil on the radar screens of all major life reinsurers. The article describes the impact on the Brazilian lfe insurance market and the international reinsurance market.

Description: This is an article about the “hardening” market for reinsurance on term and universal life with secondary guarantees. From Small Talk Newsletter, June 2005, Issue No. 24.

Description: Munich American’s annual survey, which is conducted on behalf of the Statistical Research Committee of the Reinsurance Section, covers Canadian and U.S. ordinary and group life reinsurance new business production and in force. The ordinary numbers are further subdivided into: recurring reinsurance1—conventional reinsurance covering an insurance policy with an issue date in the year in which it was reinsured portfolio reinsurance—reinsurance covering an insurance policy with an issue date in a year prior to the year in which it was reinsured, or financial reinsurance, and retrocession reinsurance—reinsurance not directly written by the ceding company. Complete survey results are available from the authors upon request. These results may also be obtained at Munich American’s Web site at www.marclife.com search Research.

Description: Munich American’s annual survey, which is conducted on behalf of the Society of Actuaries Reinsurance Section, covers Canadian and U.S. ordinary and group life reinsurance new business production and in force.

Description: Significant consolidation has occurred in the U.S. reinsurance market over the last five years. The number of companies operating in ordinary life reinsurance has continued to decline—13 primary companies excluding retrocessionaires contributing to the Munich American Reassurance Survey in 2004, compared to 20 companies in 1999. Table 1 and Table 2 indicate the change in market share as well as the change in the composition of the leading participants in the U.S. market for 2004 versus 1999.

Description: These are two letters to the editor, both commenting on the life reinsurance survey article published in the November 2011 issue of 'Reinsurance News.'