The most attractive growth segments experienced the most pressure in pricing, terms and conditions at the 1.1 reinsurance renewals, according to Gallagher Re, with an average reduction in risk-adjusted pricing across the board in P&C and specialty, while US casualty was “an outlier”.

Amid peak activity for firm order terms and signings of 1.1 reinsurance renewals, strong reinsurer demand for property cat appears to be driving softening at the upper end of expectations, while recent tough talk on US casualty is not translating to meaningful reductions in ceding commissions.

Upward pressure on primary pricing in US casualty lines is expected to accelerate at the upcoming 1 January renewals, with a general consensus that the industry is not yet in the "later innings" of prior-year development, according to JMP Securities.

KBW’s Meyer Shields has provided a “largely positive” outlook for specialty and standard commercial insurers, reflecting the historical pattern of peak commercial underwriting margins coming several years after peak pricing increases.

Volante Global has confirmed the launch of its casualty/marine and energy treaty-focused platform Volante Re, with Suart Dale and David Martin appointed to lead.

Latin America remains a good source of business for reinsurers, driven by the property market, but growth in the region’s underlying insurance market is expected to slow, according to Kaspar Mueller, president of reinsurance in Latin America at Swiss Re.

Swiss Re will "remain cautious" on writing new business in its US casualty book after its decision last week to strengthen US liability reserves by $2.4bn in the third quarter, according to CEO Andreas Berger.

Ageas Re, the reinsurance arm of Belgian insurance group Ageas, has announced that launch of a new branch office in Zurich led by Anne Deister as branch manager.

RenaissanceRe president and CEO Kevin O’Donnell has said that increases in underlying casualty need to accelerate for the business to remain attractive over the next 10 years.

Some Bermudian and other reinsurers that have grown in US casualty in recent years to take up the slack left by the pullback of continental reinsurers appear to be signalling reduced appetite for the business ahead of 1.1.

Hannover Re CEO Jean-Jacques Henchoz has warned the industry that a number of casualty risks could become uninsurable in the future if nothing is done to rein in the litigation finance industry.

Continued concerns over the health of the underlying business in casualty will put the topic at the top of the agenda again this conference season, with reinsurer sources suggesting they will take a cedant-by-cedant and program-by-program approach to upcoming renewals.

Social inflation has increased US liability claims by 57 percent in the last decade, with its impact on casualty claims growth set to outweigh the industry earnings benefit from higher interest rates in one to two years, according to Swiss Re.

Ageas Re, the third-party reinsurance arm of Belgian insurance group Ageas, has continued the build-out of its growing casualty team with the hire of Noël Ammann as senior underwriter.

The global strikes, riots, and civil commotions (SRCC) (re)insurance market may be only one catastrophic event away from complete dislocation if current treaty reinsurance contract limits persist, according to Howden Re.