Archive (2023 March)

REINSURANCE CASUALTY UNDERWRITING AUDITS WEBINAR *
March 29, 2023 – 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST) – Presented Via Zoom

Guest Speaker
Joseph Carney, Owner,  JEC Consultants, Inc.

This webinar is geared to all levels of experience in conducting casualty underwriting audits of ceding companies.  Topics include pre-audit preparation, key areas of focus during the audit and wrap up strategies.

Mr. Carney is a highly experienced  former casualty treaty underwriting executive who has conducted many such audits during his career. Prior to forming JEC Consultants, Inc. in 2002, he served as Chief Casualty Underwriting Officer for a major U.S. reinsurer and recently concluded a multi-year consulting assignment providing underwriting expertise to an offshore assuming reinsurer. He has an exemplary record of building underwriting teams and managing substantial portfolios at such major reinsurers as Swiss Re, North Star, Prudential, Folksamerica and latterly, Gerling Global Re.  He continues to offer consulting services on reinsurance underwriting and underwriting audits as well as an emphasis on providing expert litigation support to law firms engaged in dispute resolution matters.  He is an experienced ARIAS-US certified arbitrator and has served as umpire or party appointed arbitrator in over a dozen matters.

This session is part of our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” program, forming part of a “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative brings a series of 12 topics together for those professionals who have recently joined the industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics. 

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate member professionals – $75
IRUA Individual Members: (not associated with an IRUA member company)- $75
Non-IRUA Members: – $105

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate. You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

3.6.23

Presenting IRUA’S First Webinar of 2023!

WALL STREET VIEW OF THE INSURANCE/REINSURANCE INDUSTRY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2023
12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST US & Canada) – Presented Via Zoom

Guest Speaker
Seth Bair
Managing Director – Head of Insurance & Asset Management Investment Banking
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a Stifel Company

It’s the New Year so time again for this extremely popular, and the first, IRUA 2023 session! Mr. Bair will be presenting KBW’s view on the Insurance/Reinsurance industry. Always insightful and timely, and following an extremely active 2022 both in loss and M&A activity. We all look forward to hearing his analysis and views and the potential effects on, and prospects for, the publicly traded insurance and reinsurance market. Will there be a “Class of 23”; what are the prospects for Cat Bonds and the ILS and Alternative Capital markets? These and other topics will be discussed and reviewed.

Seth Bair is a Managing Director and Head of Insurance and Asset Management Investment Banking at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Mr. Bair joined KBW in 1998 and, in 2020, was appointed sole Head of the firm’s U.S.-based insurance investment banking practice. He is responsible for M&A, public and private capital raisings, mutual conversions and other investment banking services for the insurance industry.

Previously, he was an Analyst in the financial services group of Alex, Brown & Sons, covering insurance companies, depositories and REITs. He received a BA in political economy from Williams College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Registration Fees
Members: IRUA Corporate Member – $75
IRUA Individual Members: (Not Associated with an IRUA Member Company) $75
Non-IRUA Members – $95

To Register
Visit the IRUA Homepage Website at: www.irua.org or Click Here

Note: Connection details will be emailed the day prior to the meeting to all registered attendees. The Sharing of connection information/links and/or presentations from IRUA webinars is strictly prohibited.

A Note When Registering:
Registration for Members:  The non-member rate is set as the default rate.  You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

REINSURANCE CLAIMS AUDITS*
November 30, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST)
Presented Via Zoom

Our classic Reinsurance Audits session will focus on practical and useful issues from a Reinsurer’s perspective. Frank DeMento, Esq. of Trans Re is an experienced industry professional for whom auditing is a significant part of his work and will provide an up to the minute expose of the most current and practical knowledge.

Guest Speaker
Frank DeMento, JD, CPCU, CLP, Are
Vice President, Claims Manager
Trans Re

This session is part of our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” program, forming part of a “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative brings a series of 12 topics together for those professionals who have recently joined the industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics. 

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate & Individual members – $75
Members must log in to receive the discounted rate.
Non-Members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

CASUALTY UNDERWRITING FOR NON-CASUALTY PROFESSIONALS*
OCTOBER 13, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST)
Presented Via Zoom

This webinar is intended to present the underwriting process of Casualty exposures to those who are new or relatively new to casualty underwriting as well as other reinsurance participants.  This would include those in accounting and finance, claims and even Property Underwriters. Our presenter, James Wilson, will cover the basic aspects of the non-professional casualty lines, the submission requirements, and the underwriting process and timeline from the reinsurance perspective.  Mr. Wilson is Senior Vice President – Senior Underwriter, Casualty at Partner Re US in Stamford, CT, and has many years of valuable experience to share.

Guest Speaker
James Wilson, Senior Vice President/Senior Underwriter, Casualty
Partner Re US

This session is part of our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” program, forming part of a “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative brings a series of 12 topics together for those professionals who have recently joined the industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics. 

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate & Individual members – $75
Members must log in to receive the discounted rate.
Non-Members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.

ALL ABOUT REINSURANCE CONTRACTS*
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 ♦ 12:30 – 1:30 pm (EST) ♦ Presented Via Zoom

This webinar will address the types of reinsurance contracts – pro-rata and excess of loss – and the various articles which play important roles in the application of contracts to the insurance and reinsurance business.

Presenters:
Mark Reynolds
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
Holborn Corporation

Nichole Morrison
Contract Advisor  and Vice President, Contracts
Holborn Corporation

Nichole Morrison is a Contract Advisor and Holborn’s Vice President of Contracts, where she drafts, edits and reviews the one tangible product her clients see – their reinsurance contract.  Previously, Nichole worked in the contracts departments of several other reinsurance intermediaries, including Guy Carpenter and TigerRisk Partners.  Her broad experience has given her insight and expertise in contract wordings, reinsurance structures, and emerging issues.  Nichole graduated from the University of Iowa and holds the ARe designation.

Mark Reynolds serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Holborn and heads its Legal and Contract Departments. He joined the firm in 2013 with 25 years of experience in claims, contracts and legal and regulatory issues as they relate to the insurance and reinsurance industries.

 Mark began his career with the U.S. General Services Administration in 1984, where he focused on lease contracts and property damage claims. He then served in roles of progressively greater responsibility with primary insurers Inapro/Cigna and Homestead Insurance, and reinsurers Met Re, American Re (Munich Re America) and AXA Corporate Solutions Reinsurance Company. Prior to joining Holborn, Mark worked for AXIS Reinsurance as its Vice President and Counsel.

Mark received his B.S. in Business Management/Marketing from the School of Management at Syracuse University, and his J.D. from New York Law School.

This session is part of our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” program, forming part of a “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative brings a series of 12 topics together for those professionals who have recently joined the industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics.  

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate & Individual members – $75
Members must log in to receive the discounted rate.
Non-Members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

REINSURANCE ACCOUNTING FOR UNDERWRITERS & BROKERS*
Thursday, August 4, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST) ♦ Presented Via Zoom

U.S. Insurance and Reinsurance accounting is unique to the industry. We have as our presenters, two highly experienced Arch Re officers, based in Morristown, N.J., who will explain in detail the mechanics of insurance/reinsurance accounting including how and why Statutory Accounting Principles (SAP) varies from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). See the differences between facultative and treaty accounting and how proportional and non-proportional business is accounted for.

Guest Speakers
Shaya Altschuller, CPA, ARe
Corporate Controller
Arch Reinsurance Company

Shaya Altschuller, CPA, has been Corporate Controller at Arch Reinsurance Company since 2014, previously serving as assistant controller since 2008. Mr. Altschuller is responsible for the financial reporting of GAAP and Statutory financial statements and manages Arch Reinsurance Company’s corporate reporting department. He has 21 years of industry experience, including serving as Assistant Vice President for three years at Arch Insurance. He has also served as an auditor specializing in insurance clients at both Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young from 2000-2005.

Mr. Altschuller received a B.S. in accounting from Yeshiva University and is affiliated to with the American Institute of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs.

Jeffrey Pantaliano
Assistant Controller – Reinsurance Accounting
Arch Reinsurance Company

Jeffrey Pantaliano has been in the insurance industry since 2006. He has been with Arch Reinsurance Company since 2012, primarily working with the Facultative division. He was previously a reinsurance accounting manager and has served as assistant controller since 2020. Prior to joining Arch, Mr. Pantaliano worked for Everest National Insurance Company as a billing and collection specialist.

He is a 2004 graduate from Roger Williams University. 

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate member professionals – $75
IRUA Individual Members: (not associated with an IRUA member company)- $75
Non-IRUA members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate. You must be logged in as being from an IRUA member company in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Maria Sclafani at –  mcs@irua.org  –  to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate. Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

CALLING ALL INTERNS AT IRUA MEMBER COMPANIES!!

Have summer interns?  The IRUA Scholars Committee is pleased to bring back this FREE  EVENT which will give your interns a first-hand look at the reinsurance business from active practitioners.

Thursday, June 30, 2022
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Attend Either in Person or Virtually

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE IN-PERSON CAPACITY IS FILLED SO NO NEW REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED   VIRTUAL REMAINS AVAILABLE 

Trans Re, located in downtown Manhattan, is hosting an IN-PERSON & Virtual event including LUNCH at their offices on June 30, 2022.  The event will start at 12 Noon (EST) and run until approximately 2:00 pm.   This event is also be offered VIRTUALLY via Microsoft Teams commencing at 12.30 p.m. after the lunch time portion of the meeting.

Danny Hojnowski, Vice President 0 US Casualty E&O Underwriting of Transatlantic Reinsurance Company will introduce the following professionals who will talk for 10-15min each about how they got into reinsurance, what they do, what they enjoy about their jobs, and why reinsurance is a great career opportunity.

• Kate Tyler – Sompo International – Casualty/Specialty Underwriting
• Jim Rizzo – Beazley – D&O Underwriting
• Miguel Canals – TransRe – Cyber Reinsurance
• Ed  Staryarsky – TransRe – Property Re (Modeling and Underwriting)

Plenty of time has been built into this informal program allocated for questions f as to allow for the most interactive discussion as possible.  Interns will come away informed and excited to become part of the industry.

*****  There is NO CHARGE for Either the In-Person & Lunch or Webinar Attendance  *****

REGISTRATION
Registration is Incredibly Easy! Simply send an email with attendees name,
email address and company they are interning at to:

Maria Sclafani, IRUA’s Executive Administrator at: mcs@irua.org  

 Note:  IN-PERSON Attendance is Limited to 45 people so don’t delay! REGISTER TODAY.

In-Person Attendance Location
Transamerica Reinsurance, 1 Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, New York

Virtual Attendance
  Connection details will be sent on Wednesday June 29
Registrations will be accepted up until 12 Noon EST on June 29.

VITAL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
You will need to show your photo ID and PROOF of COVID-19
vaccination to be permitted to enter the building

NO VAX – NO BUILDING ENTRY

IRUA is, once again, grateful to Trans Re and, in particular, Danny Hojnowski for arranging and hosting this event in their “Excellent” NYC office! Thank you to Trans Re.

CYBER UNDERWRITING UNMASKED*
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST) ♦ Presented Via Zoom

Guest Speakers
Annamaria Landaverde
Cyber Practice Lead, Reinsurance Division
Munich Re US

Rachel Rossini
Product Manager- Cyber and Technology E&O-U.S.
AXA XL

This webinar will focus on the underwriting of cyber exposures.  Leading expert practitioners will explain the development of cyber exposure from how it is recognized today to its continuing evolution.  This is, and will continue to be, an extremely topical issue which has implications for multiple aspects of an enterprise.

This session is part of our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” program, forming part of a “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative brings a series of 12 topics together for those professionals who have recently joined the industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics.  

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate & Individual members – $75
Members must log in to receive the discounted rate.
Non-Members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

CATASTROPHE MODELING FOR UNDERWRITERS & BROKERS*
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST) ♦ Presented Via Zoom

Presented By

SUSAN DENIKE, Guy Carpenter
 Managing Director, North America Catastrophe Advisory

and

SARAH MACIOROWSKI, Guy Carpenter
Assistant Vice President

CLICK  HERE TO REGISTER

Cat modeling is part of all broker’s or underwriter’s work but what does it all mean?  Your presenters will explain what the components, acronyms and key metrics mean and how data drives modeling results.  Hear about different models – including for emerging risks – their output, and how they can be interpreted and applied.  This webinar is suitable for all involved in both property and casualty cat products and lines, including casualty clash and workers compensation.

It is planned to cover the following aspects:

• Why cat models exist and how they’ve evolved
• Basic building blocks (Hazard, Vulnerabilities, Financial aspects)
• What lines of business are typically modeled?
• Secondary modifiers
• Core perils traditionally relied on vs secondary / emerging perils – how do Sub-perils factor in? i.e. storm surge, fire following
• Understanding model uncertainty – model miss, what is and is not intended to be in the “out of the box” results

Interpreting results:

• Acronyms – AAL, OEP, AEP, PML
• Loss perspectives  – GU, GR, RL, TR

How are results used?

• Insurance / Reinsurance, pricing, buying decisions, regulatory responses, rating agencies, etc.
• How do companies use catastrophe models to inform reinsurance transactions?

Ms. Denike is based in Morristown, N.J.  She is  a Managing Director in Guy Carpenter’s Global Strategic Advisory group and specializes in the analysis of catastrophic risk. She began her career with Guy Carpenter more than 30 years ago as a property facultative broker.  After nearly 10 years in that role, she  transitioned to Analytics working in an advisory role in the development of EQECAT’s catastrophe modeling software, at the time a joint venture between Guy Carpenter and EQE.  Since that time, she has focused on managing the deployment of analytics, modeling and placement support for large, complex global accounts across a wide array of classes of business.  Susan graduated from the University at Albany (SUNY) with a degree in Business Administration and subsequently obtained her CPCU designation. 

Ms. Maciorowski is based in Guy Carpenter’s Minneapolis office. She works with a wide spectrum of clients in the analytics department, specifically the catastrophe modeling section. As part of this department, Sarah works with small mutual companies to large, global E&S companies to clean, model, and interpret exceedance probability results using multiple commercial model vendors. Sarah also is a part of Guy Carpenter’s Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) team, where she creates customized maps for clients to better visualize their portfolio. Her GIS skills enable her to supplement traditional analytic responses to client questions with spatial solutions as well.  Sarah studied applied mathematics, business, and stochastics in Chicago’s South Side at the Illinois Institute of Technology where she graduated early. Sarah’s four years of catastrophe modeling experience coupled with her nearly three years of GIS experience fuels her to continue finding the best solutions for Guy Carpenter’s clients.

* The asterisk at the end of this session title denotes that this is another in our “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus Series” of programs, forming part of the “Reinsurance Basic Syllabus”.  This initiative is bringing a series of twelve topics geared towards those professionals who have only recently joined this great industry or who have just a few years of experience.  It is intended to be a “Reinsurance Primer Series” of basic topics and which will be offered on a rolling two-year cycle.  A Certificate will be issued to participants who complete 10 of the 12 topics.  

Registration Fees:
Members: IRUA corporate member professionals – $75
IRUA Individual Members: (not associated with an IRUA member company)- $75
Non-IRUA members – $95

Please Note: Before registering and if you are not sure if your company is an IRUA member, please see the “crawler” on our homepage that features all IRUA member companies.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate. You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Jerry Wallis: jwallis@irua.org or Maria Sclafani: mcs@irua.org to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate. Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

IRUA’s FREE WEBINAR!

REGISTRATION: To register for this FREE webinar, just send an email to Jerry Wallis, IRUA Executive Director at jwallis@irua.org. Capacity is limited so register early.

DEMOTECH AND A FLORIDA MARKET UPDATE
February 17, 2022 ♦ 12:00 – 1:00 pm (EST) ♦ Presented Via Zoom

IRUA and Demotech, Inc. are jointly presenting the 2022 Conference at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, Florida over April 25 – 27, 2022.

Demotech’s President, CEO and Co-Founder, Joe Petrelli, will be a featured speaker as well as a moderator of several sessions. This FREE Florida Market Update Webinar will demonstrate Demotech’s critical role in the coastal property insurance marketplace. This webinar will especially benefit IRUA members and attendees who may want a preview prior to the Conference.

Barry J. Koestler, II, CFA, Chief Ratings Officer, and Robert M. Warren, CPCU, CPA (Inactive), Client Services Manager will also represent Demotech.

Demotech is the second largest rating service in the United States based upon count of uniquely rated insurers. It was the first to review and rate independent, regional and specialty insurance companies commencing in 1989.  Their focus on business models, not size, has attracted several Insurtech companies. Demotech recognizes that a company’s business model and reinsurance program (quantity and quality reinsurance™), not its financial size, are essential to its financial stability.

Joseph Petrelli, ACAS, ASA, MAAA has been engaged in the Property & Casualty Insurance industry since 1969, attending the College of Insurance as a work study student, beginning his career at the predecessor to Insurance Services Office, and then holding positions at Agway Insurance Company, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, and as a consulting actuary prior to founding Demotech in 1985.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from The College of Insurance (now within St. John’s University) and a Master in Business Administration from The Ohio State University.

This presentation will include a discussion of critical balance sheet metrics, thoughts on the characteristics of effective horizontal and vertical reinsurance programs as well as many of the qualitative items that are included in Demotech’s annual review process.

REGISTRATION: To register for this FREE webinar, just send an email to Jerry Wallis, IRUA Executive Director at jwallis@irua.org. Capacity is limited so register early.  

*****Connection information will be emailed to you on Wednesday February 16th, 2022 so please look for it then!*****

For Details of the Conference Agenda, Hotel Bookings, Sponsorship Opportunities and Conference Registration, please visit our website at: www.irua.org