https://www.insurerbrain.com/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Definition%3ACatastrophe_excess_of_loss_reinsuranceDefinition:Catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance - Revision history2026-07-28T19:48:22ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.9https://www.insurerbrain.com/w/index.php?title=Definition:Catastrophe_excess_of_loss_reinsurance&diff=7361&oldid=prevPlumBot: Bot: Creating new article from JSON2026-03-10T12:50:55Z<p>Bot: Creating new article from JSON</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>🏔️ '''Catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance''' is a [[Definition:Non-proportional reinsurance | non-proportional reinsurance]] arrangement that indemnifies a [[Definition:Cedent | ceding company]] for the portion of catastrophe losses exceeding a pre-agreed retention threshold, up to a stated limit. It stands as the cornerstone of most primary [[Definition:Insurance carrier | insurers']] catastrophe protection programs, shielding their capital from the concentrated impact of events like hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and increasingly, secondary perils such as severe convective storms. The term is often used interchangeably with "[[Definition:Catastrophe excess of loss | catastrophe excess of loss]]," though appending "reinsurance" makes explicit that this is a risk transfer mechanism between a cedent and one or more [[Definition:Reinsurer | reinsurers]].<br />
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🔗 Structurally, a program is divided into multiple layers purchased from different reinsurers or panels of reinsurers. Each layer specifies a monetary band of coverage — for example, $100 million excess of $100 million — and is priced according to the probability of attachment, expected loss, and prevailing market conditions. Reinsurers assess the cedent's [[Definition:Probable maximum loss (PML) | probable maximum loss]] profiles, often relying on third-party [[Definition:Catastrophe model | catastrophe models]] from vendors like AIR, RMS, or CoreLogic to estimate event frequencies and severities. [[Definition:Reinstatement | Reinstatement]] provisions are a critical contractual feature: they determine whether and at what cost coverage is restored after a loss, which directly affects how much protection the cedent has remaining for subsequent events within the same contract period.<br />
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🛡️ For insurers writing significant volumes of [[Definition:Property insurance | property insurance]] in [[Definition:Catastrophe-exposed | catastrophe-exposed]] territories, this form of reinsurance is not optional — it is fundamental to maintaining solvency and meeting [[Definition:Risk-based capital (RBC) | regulatory capital]] requirements. The January 1 renewal season, when the majority of catastrophe excess of loss contracts incept, is a bellwether for the entire reinsurance industry, setting the tone for pricing, terms, and available capacity. Shifts in this market ripple directly into primary insurance pricing: when reinsurance costs rise, insurers pass those costs through to [[Definition:Policyholder | policyholders]] or reduce their exposure. The interplay between catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance and [[Definition:Insurance-linked securities (ILS) | alternative capital sources]] has grown increasingly important, as [[Definition:Catastrophe bond | catastrophe bonds]] and [[Definition:Collateralized reinsurance | collateralized reinsurance]] now compete with and complement traditional treaty placements.<br />
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'''Related concepts'''<br />
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* [[Definition:Catastrophe excess of loss]]<br />
* [[Definition:Non-proportional reinsurance]]<br />
* [[Definition:Probable maximum loss (PML)]]<br />
* [[Definition:Reinstatement]]<br />
* [[Definition:Catastrophe model]]<br />
* [[Definition:Collateralized reinsurance]]<br />
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