The global catastrophe-bond market just wrapped up its second-best issuance year ever: With approximately $6 billion in fresh capital raised, according to the PCS Year-End 2012 Catastrophe Bond Report: Meeting Expectations, 2012 follows only 2007, in which sponsors raised $7 billion.

Over the past 11 years, seven I names have been retired because of the insured and economic losses those weather events caused.