Best Reinsurer for Expertise and Market Knowledge (GWP of less than $2bn) winner: Catlin Re

Staff at the Bermuda-based reinsurer were commended on their knowledge and experience. One respondent added that the company is “building up a presence in many European markets” as it continues to grow its global reach.

Catlin Re was also praised for its growth in respect of partnerships with reinsurers in India and China. Respondents echoed comments from the previous year where Catlin also won in this category.

With underwriting hubs in London, Bermuda, the US, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Canada and offices in more than 50 cities, the company’s global reach is continuously expanding.

In 2013, Catlin rebranded its reinsurance operations as Catlin Re to reflect the rapid growth of its reinsurance operations in recent years and because the company believes a separate brand will help clients better understand its various functions and product offerings. Matthew Paskin, executive director of group underwriting at Catlin, became executive chairman of the newly formed unit.

XL Re took second place with a score of 7.13. The reinsurer was commended for being aggressive and learned, while offering fair solutions for clients. One respondent explained that “they truly listen to their customers”, while another added that “the service is efficient and client-focused”.

The company is “building up a presence in many European markets” as it continues to grow its global reach.

Hot on the heels of XL Re was QBE Re, the reinsurance arm of Australian giant QBE, with a score of 7.10. The reinsurer was applauded for its up-to-date market knowledge and its presence within the market. One respondent said that QBE Re offers “great expertise” particularly within various treaties.

Arch Re secured fourth place with a score of 7.04. With operations in most major global insurance centres the reinsurer was praised on its innovative products and knowledge base. One respondent said that “they ask a lot of questions and with that comes knowledge”, while another added that the reinsurer is “demanding to work with but always rewarding”.

AXIS Re, the reinsurance arm of Bermuda-based AXIS Capital, came fifth with a score of 6.99 out of 10. The reinsurer’s market teams were praised as excellent and stable while the reinsurer was commended for its work in the motor industry.

The companies in the shortlists seen here were selected based on the first stage of the research, conducted via phone interviews and open online polls. Respondents were asked to name three companies they regard highly in this category. They were then asked to give details of why they had chosen these firms.

The shortlist for this category reflects the companies mentioned the most frequently.

The researchers then approached the market a second time and, using this shortlist presented in a random order, asked respondents to score each company out of ten based on how they perceive the firm based on the criteria of this category. It is the results of this part of the survey that are shown here.

More than 500 respondents took part in each part of the survey respectively.

The score shows the average score out of ten that each company received in stage two of the survey.

The shortlist was presented to respondents in a random order.