Meaningfully derisks overall exposure to
Russia-Ukraine aviation litigation
Provides preliminary catastrophe loss estimate
for January 2025 California Wildfires
Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited (NYSE:FIHL) ("Fidelis
Insurance Group" or the "Company"), a global specialty insurer,
today announced an update to loss reserves in advance of reporting
its fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings. During the fourth
quarter, the Company incurred net adverse prior year development
attributable to its Aviation and Aerospace line of business of
$287.2 million. This relates to business underwritten in the 2021
and 2022 underwriting years and impacted by the ongoing
Russia-Ukraine aviation litigation.
In respect of the aviation litigation, the Company has been
judiciously settling claims to derisk its overall exposure. In
addition, the Company has strengthened reserves, in large part to
make allowance for ongoing settlement discussions and also to
reflect recent developments and new information received.
To date, the Company has successfully settled or is in various
stages of settlement discussions in respect of approximately
two-thirds of the total exposure related to lessor policy claims
currently in litigation. Of the remaining lessor policy claims in
litigation, a significant portion of these claims relate to the
English trial that commenced in October 2024, in respect of which
the Company continues to hold reserves based on a probabilistic
model of potential court outcomes, incorporating recent
developments and updated information received. The English trial
concluded February 14, 2025, and a court judgment will be rendered
in the coming months.
The prior year development has impacted the Company’s fourth
quarter and full-year performance. For the year ended December 31,
2024, the Company anticipates reporting net income in the range of
$100 to $120 million and operating net income in the range of $120
to $140 million.
Dan Burrows, Group Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We have
meaningfully reduced our overall exposure to the complex and
evolving Russia-Ukraine aviation litigation, lowered the potential
downside risk associated with this event and provided increased
certainty to our shareholders.
Excluding the impact of the prior year development attributable
to our Aviation and Aerospace line of business, our full-year
results would have exceeded our long-term Operating ROAE target.
Our balance sheet remains strong, and our business is
well-positioned to support future growth and deliver long-term
value for shareholders.”
Separately, Fidelis Insurance Group announced today its
preliminary estimate of catastrophe losses related to the January
2025 California wildfires. Based on an insured industry loss
estimate of $40 billion to $50 billion, the Company expects its
catastrophe loss estimates to be in the range of $160 million to
$190 million, net of expected recoveries, reinstatement premiums
and tax. The losses from these wildfires will be reflected in our
first quarter 2025 earnings.
As previously announced, the Company expects to release
financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December
31, 2024, on February 25, 2025, after the close of financial
markets. Starting with the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended
December 31, 2024, the Company will be reporting its financial
results in two operating segments, Insurance and Reinsurance, an
approach which is aligned to the current management operating
structure.
About Fidelis Insurance Group
Fidelis Insurance Group is a global specialty insurer,
leveraging strategic partnerships to offer innovative and tailored
insurance solutions.
We have a highly diversified portfolio, which we believe allows
us to take advantage of the opportunities presented by evolving
(re)insurance markets, proactively shift our business mix across
market cycles, and produce superior underwriting returns.
Headquartered in Bermuda, with offices in Ireland and the United
Kingdom, Fidelis Insurance Group operating companies have an
insurer financial strength rating of A from AM Best, A- from
S&P and A3 from Moody’s. For additional information about
Fidelis Insurance, our people, and our products please visit our
website at www.FidelisInsurance.com.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes certain financial measures that are
not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) including Operating net
income, Operating EPS, Operating ROE and Operating ROAE,
attritional loss ratio and catastrophe and large loss ratio, and
therefore are non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of such
measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP figures are included in
the attached financial information in accordance with Regulation
G.
Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release, posts on our website and LinkedIn and the
related discussion and analysis relating to our financial results
for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 contain,
and our officers and representatives may from time to time make
(including on our related earnings conference call),
“forward-looking statements” which include all statements that do
not relate solely to historical or current facts and which may
concern our strategy, plans, targets, projections or intentions and
are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements can be identified by words such as: “continue,” “grow,”
“opportunity,” “create,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,”
“seek,” “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “target,” “expect,”
“evolve,” “achieve,” “remain,” “proactive,” “pursue,” “optimize,”
“emerge,” “seek,” “build,” “looking ahead,” “commit,” “strategy,”
“predict,” “potential,” “assumption,” “future,” “likely,” “may,”
“should,” “could,” “will” and the negative of these and also
similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements are neither
historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead,
they are qualified by these cautionary statements, because they are
based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions
regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies,
targets, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy
and other future conditions, but are subject to significant
business, economic, legal and competitive uncertainties, many of
which are beyond our control or are subject to change. Our actual
results and financial condition may differ materially from those
indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should
not rely on any of these forward-looking statements.
Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others,
statements we make in relation to: targeted operating results such
as return on equity, net earnings and net earnings per share,
underwriting profitability and target combined, loss and expense
ratios, growth in gross written premiums and book value; our
expectations regarding current settlement discussions, court cases
and current settlement and litigation strategies; our business and
capital management strategy and the performance of our business;
information regarding our estimates for catastrophes, claims and
other loss events; our liquidity and capital resources; and
expectations of the effect on our results of operations and
financial condition of our loss claims, litigation, climate change
impacts, contingent liabilities and governmental and regulatory
investigations and proceedings.
Our actual results in the future could differ materially from
those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of
changes in assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors
impacting us, many of which are outside our control, including:
- our ability to manage risks associated with macroeconomic
conditions including any escalation of the Russia Ukraine Conflict
or those in the Middle East, or related sanctions and other
geopolitical events globally;
- the recent trend of premium rate hardening and factors likely
to drive continued rate hardening or a softening leading to a
cyclical downturn of pricing in the (re)insurance industry;
- the impact of inflation (including social inflation) or
deflation in relevant economies in which we operate;
- our ability to evaluate and measure our business, prospects and
performance metrics and respond accordingly;
- the failure of our risk management policies and procedures to
be adequate to identify, monitor and manage risks, which may leave
us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks;
- any litigation to which we are party being resolved unfavorably
to our prior expectations, whether through court decisions or
otherwise through effecting settlements (where such settlements are
capable of being achieved), based on emerging information, the
actions of other parties or any other failure to resolve such
litigation favorably;
- the inherent unpredictability of litigation and any related
settlement negotiations which may or may not lead to an agreed
settlement of particular matters;
- the outcomes of probabilistic models which are based on
historical assumptions and which can differ from actual results or
other emerging information as compared to such assumptions;
- the less developed data and parameter inputs for industry
catastrophe models for perils such as wildfires and flood;
- the effect of climate change on our business, including the
trend towards increasingly frequent and severe catastrophic
events;
- the possibility of greater frequency or severity of claims and
loss activity than our underwriting, reserving or investment
practices have anticipated;
- the reliability of pricing, accumulation and estimated loss
models;
- the impact of complex causation and coverage issues associated
with attribution of losses;
- the actual development of losses and expenses impacting
estimates for claims which arose as a result of loss activity,
particularly for events where estimates are preliminary until the
development of such reserves based on emerging information over
time;
- the recovery of losses and reinstatement premiums from our
reinsurance providers;
- our potential need for additional capital in the future and the
potential unavailability of such capital to us on favorable terms
or at all;
- our dependence on clients’ evaluation of risks associated with
such clients’ insurance underwriting;
- and those risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed
under the section titled ‘Risk Factors’ in Fidelis Insurance
Holdings Limited’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on
March 15, 2024 (which such section is incorporated herein by
reference) (the “2023 Annual Report”), its Form 6-K filed with the
SEC on February 19, 2025, as well as subsequent Annual and Current
Report filings with the SEC available electronically at
www.sec.gov.
The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and
should be read together with the other cautionary statements
included in filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements
included herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the
cautionary statements contained or referred to therein. Any
forward-looking statements, expectations, beliefs and projections
made by us in this release and on our related conference call speak
only as of the date referenced on such date on which they are made
and are expressed in good faith and our management believes that
there is reasonable basis for them, based only on information
currently available to us. There can be no assurance that
management’s expectations, beliefs, and projections will be
achieved and actual results may vary materially from what is
expressed or indicated by the forward-looking statements.
Furthermore, our past performance, and that of our management team
and of The Fidelis Partnership, should not be construed as a
guarantee of future performance. Except to the extent required by
applicable laws and regulations, we undertake no obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or
oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of
new information, future developments or otherwise. In light of
these risks and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that any
event described in a forward-looking statement might not occur.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250219704023/en/
Fidelis Insurance Group Investor Contact:
Fidelis Insurance Group Miranda Hunter (441) 279 2561
miranda.hunter@fidelisinsurance.com
Fidelis Insurance Group Media Contacts:
Kekst CNC Nick Capuano / Ruth Pachman 917-842-7859 /
917-842-1122 Fidelis@kekstcnc.com
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