Individual and panel interviews with A.M.BestTV
Jonathan Reiss, CFO, Hamilton Insurance Group, said insurers must be aware of the messages they send while recruiting, including how much they rely on word of mouth and traditional methods versus seeking a broader reach for diversified candidates.
Will McCallum, managing director, KPMG, said larger multinational insurers are adjusting their organizations and risk strategies to accommodate cross-border tax issues.
Timothy Kovacs, founder and CEO, Global Junction for Alternative Capital Solutions, said market conditions in Latin America are positive in some areas but uncertain in others.
Paul Bailie, director, Willis Towers Watson Management (Bermuda), said increased regulation and a greater reliance on data analytics have insurance managers expanding their skills and concerns.
Bob Forness, chairman and CEO, Multi-Strat, said the reinsurer is targeting larger investors with an appetite for aggregated casualty risk, including workers' compensation, auto and other lines, many with longer tails.
Investment managers said captive insurers will benefit from rising interest rates, but not if the rates rise too quickly and depress bond yields and raise collateral requirements.
Jack Meskunas, senior director, Oppenheimer & Co., said captive insurers are better off holding bond portfolios in an environment of rising interest rates. The bonds themselves can be held and redeemed, rather than investing in bond funds.
Dennis Silvia, president, Cedar Consulting, said Bermuda is breaking the mold among mature domiciles by showing a willingness to develop speedy new approaches for the introduction of new products and risk-focused technologies.
Mark Jennings, senior vice president, Wilmington Capital Securities, said reinsurers and insurers are consolidating because companies are not distinguishing themselves from one another.
Bob Gagliardi, director of captive management and head of U.S. fronting, AIG, said continued soft pricing for many insurance lines, and cuts in the U.S. tax rate have lessened the incentive for some sponsors to form a captive insurer.
