FEMA Expands Reinsurance Program By Transferring $300M In Flood Risk To Capital Markets

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

FEMA continues to engage reinsurance markets to help strengthen the financial framework of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and promote private sector participation in flood- risk management.

On, April 16, 2019, FEMA entered into a three-year reinsurance agreement, effective April 17, 2019, with Hannover Re (Ireland) Designated Activity Company (DAC). Hannover Re acted as a "transformer," transferring $300 million of the NFIP's financial risk to capital markets investors by sponsoring the issuance of a catastrophe bond through a special purpose reinsurer. FEMA will pay $32 million in premium for the first year of reinsurance coverage. The agreement is structured to cover, for a given flood event, 2.5 percent of losses between $6 billion and $8 billion, and 12.5 percent of losses between $8 billion and $10 billion.

This placement builds on the first transfer of NFIP flood risk to capital markets investors in August 2018, which transferred $500 million in flood risk for three years. These capital market placements complement the NFIP's existing traditional reinsurance coverage, allowing FEMA to grow the NFIP Reinsurance Program that protect against future flood losses. Combined with the August 2018 capital market and January 2019 traditional reinsurance placements, ahead of the 2019 hurricane season, FEMA has transferred $2.12 billion of the NFIP's flood risk to the private sector.

"Our continued engagement with the capital markets contributes to FEMA's commitment to strengthening the financial framework of the NFIP, is beneficial to policyholders and taxpayers, and is a viable example of the role private markets can play in managing U.S. flood risk," said David Maurstad, chief executive of the National Flood Insurance Program.

By engaging both the traditional reinsurance markets and the capital markets, the NFIP can reduce risk transfer costs, access additional market capacity, and further diversify its risk transfer partners.

For the April 2019 placement, FEMA contracted with Aon Securities LLC to serve as structuring agent and with Guy Carpenter and GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities LLC, which is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, for financial advisory services. Aon Securities LLC served as book runner, marketing the catastrophe bond to capital markets investors.

KatRisk LLC, a catastrophe modeler, analyzed NFIP risk for investors.

FEMA received authority to secure reinsurance through the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12), and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA).

FEMA is committed to further developing and maturing the NFIP Reinsurance Program in a manner that helps strengthen the financial framework of the NFIP, is beneficial to policyholders and taxpayers, and expands the role of the private markets in managing U.S. flood risk.