Specialty insurer Beazley sponsored the first Cyber Insurance Catastrophe (CAT) bond recently, a new type of ILS or insurance linked security issued by a Bermuda entity. They announced the $45 million private placement on January 9, 2023. The bonds provide investors with a generous floating rate of interest and a return of principal in one year, provided that no single catastrophic event occurs across Beazley’s portfolio of cyber insurance policies that results in more than $300 million of losses. Any losses above $300 million incurred by Beazley on those policies as a result of that one event would be absorbed by the investors, up to the $45 million principal amount. The deal was marketed under an NDA, so not all of the details are available, but the bonds will not protect against losses from a state-sponsored cyberattack, which is typically excluded from cyber insurance policies as an act of war.

Locke Lord’s Insurance & Reinsurance Newsletter provides topical snapshots of recent developments in the fast-changing world of insurance. For further information on any of the subjects covered in the newsletter, please contact one of the members of our Insurance team.

In This Issue:

Yesterday, Locke Lord touched on the general implications of the recent devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on the Insurance-Linked Securities (“ILS”) market here.  With Irma having now left the Florida keys (and reportedly having destroyed upwards of 25% of all homes in the area), it is now

The global stock of insurance linked securities at the end of 2014 was approaching $25.2 billion.  Yesterday George Osborne unleashed the giant peach for the United Kingdom in a seemingly measured statement but one full of promises.

“2.228 Global reinsurance – the government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 that it