Australia Turns Corner After Shakeout In recent years, the Australian insurance and reinsurance industry has been dampened by billion-dollar losses and the subsequent exit from the market of GIOs reinsurance operations as well as the failure of New Cap Re, ReAC and HIH Insurance.

Remaining participants have essentially comprised branch and subsidiary operations of major global reinsurance groups, with QBE Reinsurance surviving as the last Australian-owned material participant. Despite these cycles, the Australian market remains highly developed with sophisticated underwriting skills, new and alternate forms of reinsurance cover, and a high level of reinsurance usage.

In the absence of further reinsurance company failures and major catastrophic events equal to the Sydney hailstorm of 1999, the current state of the market could be viewed as returning to uneventful stability in 2001.

This is far from the truth as the reinsurance sector pushes through premium rate increases while the general insurance industry assesses the dramatic demise of HIH Insurance Ltd., keeps pace with rapid high-level consolidation and reviews the impact of an enhanced regulatory framework.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free
PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader.

INCLUDED IN A DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP:

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.

Already have an account?


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

PropertyCasualty360

Join PropertyCasualty360

Don’t miss crucial news and insights you need to make informed decisions for your P&C insurance business. Join PropertyCasualty360.com now!

  • Unlimited access to PropertyCasualty360.com - your roadmap to thriving in a disrupted environment
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including BenefitsPRO.com, ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
  • Exclusive discounts on PropertyCasualty360, National Underwriter, Claims and ALM events

Already have an account? Sign In Now
Join PropertyCasualty360

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.