Stocks

Japanese technology firm SoftBank is now closer to buying a 25 percent stake in Swiss Re for up to CHF$9.23bn ($9.66bn), according to Bloomberg News.

Markel Catco's London-listed Reinsurance Opportunities Fund posted just a 0.35 percent gain to net asset value in February for its ordinary shareholders exposed to last year's losses, the company disclosed today.

New York-listed insurer The Hanover has confirmed that it has hired Goldman Sachs to run a strategic review that could lead to the sale of its Lloyd's business, Chaucer.

Aspen is preparing to run a bid process after being approached by several potential buyers, sister publication The Insurance Insider revealed last night.

Essent Group announced today that it has issued $424.4mn of mortgage insurance notes to protect its subsidiary Essent Guaranty.

Three series of Radnor Re 2018-1 mortgage security notes totalling $424.42mn have been listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX).

ILS manager Hudson Structured Capital Management (HSCM) and Everest Re have agreed a strategic relationship that will see the reinsurer act as anchor investor in a new insurance technology fund that HSCM is launching early this year.

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has more than halved its estimate of losses from Hurricane Irma to $2.04bn from $5bn.

UPC names new quota share partners; RenaissanceRe fee income drops 38%; Elliott and Wand team up on life deal

A 20 percent increase in industry loss estimates for last year's hurricanes and wildfires could see 2017 returns for Markel Catco's London-listed Reinsurance Opportunities Fund drop by a further 8 percent, the retro manager has disclosed.

The Resilience Re platform run by Willis Towers Watson Securities issued two deals amounting to $112.6mn in March.

Axa's plans to significantly expand its risk transfer to reinsurers and capital market partners after its $15.3bn acquisition of XL are a positive sign for the ILS sector amid another expected wave of (re)insurance consolidation.