Reinsurance

The Hartford, Sompo, Swiss Re, and Gallagher make Ethisphere's list of the 2014 World's Most Ethical Companies.

For 48 publicly traded property and casualty companies across various industry subsectors, aggregate operating earnings increased by 30% in 2013 compared to 2012, thanks to improved underwriting results due to lower catastrophe losses.

The reinsurer did not forecast an industry loss estimate, but said the $500 million estimate reported in some media is clearly too high.

Munich Re, the worlds biggest reinsurer, said profit this year is expected to decline 9.1% as prices charged by the industry are in decline.

Many property and casualty CFOs agree with what large brokers, analysts and industry observers have been saying: alternative capital is holding down reinsurance rates, contributing to a market that is softer than the primary market.

Many property and casualty CFOs agree with what large brokers, analysts and industry observers have been saying: alternative capital is holding down reinsurance rates, contributing to a market that is softer than the primary market.