Helping buyers seek protection from frequency losses

The focus of reinsurance renewal discussions is changing. Lower rates remain important, but insurers are increasingly looking at how to improve the protection they buy.

“We really consider this a market full of opportunities, because there are plenty of ways to make that capital and those margins work in even more and broader ways for clients.”

Speaking to The Insurer TV at Baden-Baden, Tobias Andersson, Head of Continental Europe at Howden Re, highlights the opportunities created by strong reinsurer capitalisation and a growing willingness to explore new solutions.

For German cedants, the challenge is particularly acute. Elevated retentions have left insurers absorbing repeated losses from hail, flood and severe convective storms – making programme structure just as important as price.

As Lars Nelson, Managing Director, Head of Germany at Howden Re, explains:

“Cedants this year should aim not only for pure price reductions, but for structural solutions which might improve their programmes going forward.”

Drawing on Howden Re's Breaking the glass report, Tobias and Lars discuss how alternative structures, frequency protection and improved terms can help insurers make better use of current market conditions ahead of the 1 January 2027 renewals.