ILS manager Q3 numbers tell of an industry with strong tailwinds, with some firms having surged ahead on fees and assets under management (AuM) while others reflected more of a consolidating period compared to the prior-year quarter.
Aspen Capital Partners, Axis Capital and Renaissance Re all booked double digit growth in fee income, with Aspen, Nephila and RenRe also making strides in AuM year over year (Axis did not post updated AuM).
RenRe cited rising premiums and improved investment results in helping to drive profits, offsetting Q3 cat losses.
The firm booked $27mn in performance fees, 35% up year over year, helped by strong underwriting results at DaVinci and Vermeer, as well as improved investment outcomes.
DaVinci added more than $400mn in AuM year over year.
At Aspen Capital Markets, fee income also rose strongly, up 41% to $44mn over the prior-year quarter.
Aspen noted that its reinsurance division grew cessions to Aspen Capital Markets in Q3, to existing and newly formed vehicles.
In April, the firm launched Bermuda reinsurer Pando Re in partnership with investor Pimco, supporting a multi-year quota share of casualty insurance, global professional lines insurance, cyber insurance and casualty reinsurance.
Aspen Capital Markets’ AuM stood at $2bn as of Q3, higher by $500mn compared to 30 September last year.
Axis Capital also posted strong growth in fee income from third-party investors, up 30% to $13mn over the prior-year quarter.
In September of last year, Axis announced it had raised $400mn of capital in Bermuda vehicle Monarch Point Re, including equity investments of $75mn from Stone Point Credit and $75mn from a subsidiary of Axis.
At the time of the launch, it expected to retrocede around $400mn of casualty reinsurance written premium in year one.
The firm’s reinsurance premiums ceded were lower by 58% at $149mn in Q3 2024 over $358mn in the prior-year quarter, reflecting a change in the retro agreement with Monarch Point Re in 2024 over 2023.
The cession ratio was 36% in Q3 2024, compared to 80% in Q3 last year.
Axis Capital also co-owns Harrington Re (it has 20%) with Blackstone Group.
Fees fall after one-off boost from side-pocket release
Meanwhile, Markel-owned manager Nephila booked a fall in fee income of 42% to $25mn in Q3 over the prior-year quarter, although this reflected a comparison with a one-off bump in fees in Q3 2023.
In Q3 last year, it booked $43.6mn of fee income, boosted by $29.5mn recognised on the release of a large sum of historic side-pocketed capital.
Stripping out the one-off bump, Nephila’s fee income rose by 77% in Q3 compared to $14mn in the third quarter 2023.
The firm noted favourable impacts from changes in the mix of the investment products in its funds. It added 3% to AuM over the prior-year quarter to stand at $7bn as of 30 September.
AuM at Hiscox Re & ILS stood at $1.5bn as of Q3, which was a fall of 12% compared to $1.7bn as of Q3 2023.
The firm suffered a redemption of around $300mn-$500mn by Australian sovereign wealth scheme Future Fund last year, this publication revealed.
Hiscox Group noted “a robust pipeline” of potential future investors for the Re & ILS division and said it had deployed “additional capital” during 2024, given the attractive underwriting conditions on offer.