Pembroke, Bermuda - 6 November
2024
Pembroke,
Bermuda - 6 November 2024
Conduit Holdings Limited
("CHL" LSE ticker: CRE)
Trading update for Q3
2024
Continued year-on-year growth of
25.2% in gross premiums written
CHL, the ultimate parent company of Conduit Re, a
multi-line Bermuda-based reinsurance business, today presents its
trading update for the nine months ended 30 September 2024.
Trevor Carvey, Chief Executive
Officer, commented: "Our increase in premiums written of 25%
year-on-year reflects continued growth into our capital base, in
what we view as a strong market with healthy rate adequacy. We have
seen an active quarter from an event perspective, notably natural
catastrophe events across the US, Canada and the Caribbean, and as
a well-diversified, predominantly quota share reinsurer we pick up
our fair share of these, as we expect to do so. Looking forward and
into 2025, we remain committed to risk selection and growing our
business in a measured and balanced manner."
Key highlights:
• Gross premiums written of $957.3
million, a 25.2% increase over the first nine months of 2023
• Reinsurance revenue of $588.2 million,
a 30.3% increase over the first nine months of 2023
• Overall portfolio risk-adjusted rate
change for the nine months ended 30 September 2024 was 1%, net of
claims inflation
• Activity across smaller and mid-size
natural catastrophe and risk events has been elevated, and in
aggregate our estimated undiscounted net loss recorded in the third
quarter was approximately $50 million, net of reinsurance and
reinstatement premiums
• Following the loss events of the third
quarter, our undiscounted combined ratio was in the mid-90s on a
year to date basis through 30 September 2024
• High quality investment portfolio with
average credit quality of AA; duration 2.5 years; book yield of
4.2% and market yield of 4.5% as at 30 September 2024 (respectively
AA, 2.4 years, 2.8% and 5.0% as at 30 September 2023)
Outlook:
• Market conditions remain stable across
the business classes we target, with Property and Specialty lines
in particular providing continued opportunities for growth
• In October, Hurricane Milton made
landfall in Florida and while we are in the early stages of
assessing the loss we expect our undiscounted net loss to be in the
range of $30-50 million, net of reinsurance and reinstatement
premiums
• Recent natural catastrophe and risk
events, as well as pre-2020 industry legacy reserve development,
are expected to support a resilient pricing outlook
• The market outlook supports good risk /
return dynamics, and our portfolio is well positioned to respond to
market conditions. Rates in loss exposed classes, such as marine
liability and civil unrest, are likely to respond positively
• Conduit Re's single location and
efficient structure allow the team to be responsive to quickly
changing market conditions
• Our partnership is valued in the
market, and clients are engaging early in January renewal
conversations
• Conduit Re remains well capitalised and
positioned to deploy capacity to the classes it finds most
attractive across its multi-line platform at upcoming renewals
Underwriting update
Premiums
Gross premiums written for the nine months ended 30
September 2024:
|
2024
|
2023
|
Change
|
Change
|
|
Segment
|
$m
|
$m
|
$m
|
%
|
|
Property
|
536.0
|
403.3
|
132.7
|
32.9%
|
|
Casualty
|
223.6
|
219.2
|
4.4
|
2.0%
|
|
Specialty
|
197.7
|
141.9
|
55.8
|
39.3%
|
|
Total
|
957.3
|
764.4
|
192.9
|
25.2%
|
|
Reinsurance revenue
Reinsurance revenue for the nine months ended 30
September 2024:
|
2024
|
2023
|
Change
|
Change
|
|
Segment
|
$m
|
$m
|
$m
|
%
|
|
Property
|
319.9
|
245.3
|
74.6
|
30.4%
|
|
Casualty
|
148.8
|
125.3
|
23.5
|
18.8%
|
|
Specialty
|
119.5
|
80.7
|
38.8
|
48.1%
|
|
Total
|
588.2
|
451.3
|
136.9
|
30.3%
|
|
Pricing
Pricing levels and terms and conditions generally
continued to be attractive in the nine months ended 30 September
2024.
Conduit Re is seeing an increasing number of
opportunities to deploy its capital into the areas and products
that it targets. The non-catastrophe elements of both Property and
Specialty in particular are providing good opportunities for
selective growth.
Conduit Re's overall risk-adjusted rate change for
the nine months ended 30 September 2024, net of claims inflation,
was 1%, and by segment was:
Property
|
Casualty
|
Specialty
|
3%
|
(1%)
|
1%
|
Gregory Roberts, Chief Underwriting
Officer, commented: "With two months remaining in the year,
the reinsurance industry has already experienced a significant
level of natural catastrophe and large loss activity. Pricing
conditions remain broadly stable and benefit from several years of
compounding rate increases. As a trusted partner, our underwriting
team engages with clients in what is a dynamic marketplace as we
continue to grow while maintaining the balance of our overall
portfolio."
Net reinsurance losses and loss
related amounts
Activity across smaller and mid-size natural
catastrophe and large risk events was elevated in the third
quarter. In aggregate, our estimated undiscounted net loss, after
reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, for these large loss events
recorded in the third quarter was approximately $50 million. While
reserves have been recorded for these events, significant
uncertainty exists in relation to the ultimate losses.
Our loss and reserve estimates have been derived from
a combination of reports and statements from brokers and cedants,
modelled loss projections, pricing loss ratio expectations and
reporting patterns, all supplemented with market data and
assumptions. We will continue to review these estimates as more
information becomes available.
Our undiscounted ultimate loss estimates, net of
ceded reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, for prior years'
reported loss events remain stable.
Investments
In line with our stated strategy, we continue to
maintain a conservative approach to managing our invested assets
with a strong emphasis on preserving capital and liquidity. Our
strategy is focused on maintaining a short-duration, highly-rated
portfolio, with due consideration of the duration of our
liabilities. Our investment portfolio does not hold any
derivatives, equities, alternatives or emerging market debt.
The investment return for the nine months ended 30
September 2024 was 4.9%, driven primarily by a significant decrease
in treasury yields during the third quarter, combined with
investment income given a generally higher yielding portfolio. In
the nine months ended 30 September 2023, the portfolio returned
2.1% driven primarily by investment income.
The breakdown of the managed
investment portfolio is as follows:
|
As at 30
September 2024
|
As at 30 September 2023
|
|
Fixed maturity securities
|
86.6%
|
87.5%
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
13.4%
|
12.5%
|
|
Total
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
Key investment portfolio statistics for our fixed
maturity securities and managed cash were:
|
As at 30
September 2024
|
As at 30 September 2023
|
|
Duration
|
2.5 years
|
2.3 years
|
|
Credit quality
|
AA
|
AA
|
|
Book yield
|
4.2%
|
3.5%
|
|
Market yield
|
4.5%
|
5.8%
|
|
Capital and dividends
Total capital and tangible capital available was
$1.05 billion as at 30 September 2024 (30 September 2023: $0.92
billion).
During the third quarter of 2024, CHL's Board of
Directors declared an interim dividend of $0.18 (£0.1394) per
common share in respect of 2024, which was paid in pounds sterling
on 5 September 2024 to shareholders of record on 16 August 2024,
resulting in an aggregate payment of $29.7 million.
Presentation for Analysts and
Investors at 12:00 noon UK time
Conduit's management team will host a virtual meeting
and conference call for analysts and investors on Wednesday 6
November 2024 at 12:00 noon UK time / 8:00 am Bermuda time.
To access the webcast, please
register in advance here:
https://sparklive.lseg.com/ConduitHoldingsLtd/events/d3bfb5ee-bde7-49a7-b1f7-f92465578a4e/conduit-holdings-limited-q3-2024-trading-update
To access the conference call,
please register to receive unique dial-in details here:
https://registrations.events/direct/LON98987130
The accompanying slides for this presentation are now
available to view on the Investors section of Conduit's website at
www.conduitreinsurance.com. A recording of the conference call will
be made available later in the day at the same location.
Investor Presentation via Investor
Meet Company at 16:00 pm UK time
Trevor Carvey, Chief Executive Officer, and Neil
Eckert, Executive Chairman, will provide a separate live
presentation aimed at retail investors, relating to the Q3 2024
Trading Update via the Investor Meet Company platform, on
Wednesday, 6 November 2024 at 16:00 UK time / 12:00 noon Bermuda
time.
The presentation is also open to all existing
shareholders. No new trading, financial or other CHL information
will be disclosed during the presentation.
There will be an opportunity for Questions &
Answers at the end of the meeting. Questions can be submitted
pre-event via the Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 9:00 am
UK time on the day before the meeting or at any time during the
live presentation.
Investors can sign up to Investor
Meet Company for free, or if signed up, can add to meet Conduit
Holdings Limited via:
https://www.investormeetcompany.com/conduit-holdings-limited/register-investor
Investors who are already registered on the Investor
Meet Company platform and follow Conduit on the Investor Meet
Company platform will automatically be invited.
Media contacts
H/Advisors Maitland - Vikki Kosmalska / Genevieve
Ryan
+44 (0) 207 379 5151
conduitre@h-advisors.global
Investor relations and other
enquiries:
brett.shirreffs@conduitre.bm
Panmure Liberum (Joint Corporate
Broker)
+44 (0) 207 886 2500
Berenberg (Joint Corporate
Broker)
+44 (0) 203 207 7800
Peel Hunt (Joint Corporate
Broker)
+44 (0) 207 418 8900
About Conduit Re
Conduit Re is a multi-line Bermuda-based reinsurance
business with global reach. Conduit Reinsurance Limited is licensed
by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a Class 4 insurer. A.M. Best
has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a
Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- (Excellent) to Conduit
Reinsurance Limited. The outlook assigned to these ratings is
stable.
Conduit Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent of
Conduit Reinsurance Limited and is listed on the London Stock
Exchange (ticker: CRE). References to "Conduit" include Conduit
Holdings Limited and all of its subsidiary companies.
Learn more about Conduit
Re:
Website: https://conduitreinsurance.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/conduit-re
Important information
(disclaimers)
This announcement includes statements that are, or
may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These
forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes",
"estimates", "plans", "goals", "objective", "rewards",
"expectations", "projects", "growth","anticipates", "expects",
"achieve", "intends", "tends", "on track", "well placed",
"estimated", "projected", "may", "will", "aims", "could" or
"should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or
comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans,
objectives, goals, targets, future events or intentions.
Forward-looking statements include statements relating to the
following: (i) future capital expenditures, expenses, revenues,
unearned premiums pricing rate changes, terms and conditions,
earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial
condition, dividend policy, claims development, losses and loss
estimates and future business prospects; and (ii) business and
management strategies and the expansion and growth of Conduit's
operations.
Forward-looking statements may and often do differ
materially from actual results. Forward-looking statements reflect
CHL's current view with respect to future events and are subject to
risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and
assumptions relating to Conduit's business, results of operations,
financial position, liquidity, prospects, growth and strategies.
These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not
limited to: the possibility of greater frequency or severity of
claims and loss activity than Conduit's underwriting, reserving or
investment practices have anticipated; the reliability of
catastrophe pricing, accumulation and estimated loss models; the
actual development of losses and expenses impacting estimates for
claims which arose as a result of recent loss activity,
particularly for recent events where estimates are preliminary as
more information arises, including but not limited to the Ukraine
crisis, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Hurricanes, European storms and
floods, earthquakes, wildfires in North America and Europe; the
impact of complex causation and coverage issues associated with
attribution of losses to wind or flood damage; unusual loss
frequency or losses that are not modelled; the effectiveness of
Conduit's risk management and loss limitation methods, including to
manage volatility; the recovery of losses and reinstatement
premiums from our own reinsurance providers; the development of
Conduit's technology platforms; the impact of cyber attacks
(including as exacerbated by geopolitical tensions) on technology,
data and network security; a decline in Conduit's ratings with A.M.
Best or other rating agencies; the impact that Conduit's future
operating results, capital position and ratings may have on the
execution of Conduit's business plan, capital management
initiatives or dividends; Conduit's ability to implement
successfully its business plan and strategy during 'soft' as well
as 'hard' markets; the premium rates and opportunities which are
available at the time of renewals within Conduit's targeted
business lines; increased competition on the basis of pricing,
capacity or coverage terms and the related demand and supply
dynamics as contracts come up for renewal; the successful
recruitment, retention and motivation of Conduit's key management
and the potential loss of key personnel; the credit environment for
issuers of fixed maturity investments in Conduit's portfolio; the
impact of swings in market interest rates, currency exchange rates
and securities prices; changes by central banks regarding the level
of interest rates and the timing and extent of any such changes;
the impact of inflation or deflation in relevant economies in which
Conduit operates; Conduit becoming subject to income taxes in the
United States or in the United Kingdom; and changes in insurance or
tax laws or regulations in jurisdictions where Conduit conducts
business. Forward-looking statements contained in this interim
update may be impacted by the escalation or expansion of the
Ukraine conflict or conflicts in the Middle East on Conduit's
clients, the volatility in global financial markets and
governmental, regulatory and judicial actions, including coverage
issues.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date
they are made. No representation or warranty is made that any
forward-looking statement will come to pass. CHL disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking
statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change
in the assumptions, conditions or circumstances on which any such
statements are based unless required to do so by law or regulation.
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements
attributable to CHL and/or the group or to persons acting on its
behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary
statements referred to above.
The Conduit renewal indicative rate change measure is
an internal methodology that management intends to use to track
risk-adjusted trends in premium rates of a portfolio of reinsurance
contracts. The change measure reflects management's assessment of
relative changes in price, exposure and terms and conditions. It is
also net of the estimated impact of claims inflation. The
calculation involves a degree of judgement in relation to
comparability of contracts and the assessment noted above,
particularly in Conduit's initial years of underwriting. To enhance
the methodology, management may revise the methodology and
assumptions underlying the change measure, so the trends in premium
rates reflected in the change measure may not be comparable over
time. Consideration is only given to renewals of a comparable
nature so it does not reflect every contract in the portfolio of
Conduit's contracts. The future profitability of the portfolio of
contracts within the change measure is dependent upon many factors
besides the trends in premium rates.