RenaissanceRe Reports Net Income Available to Common Shareholders of $456.8 Million; Operating Income Available to Common Shareholders of $278.1 Million in the Second Quarter of 2021. Reports Strong Growth in Gross Premiums Written.

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RNR) (“RenaissanceRe” or the “Company”) today announced its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2021.

Underwriting Results - Property Segment: Grew gross premiums written by 13.5%; combined ratio of 43.8%

• Gross premiums written increased 13.5%, driven by:
  
  – Growth in the property catastrophe class of business of $49.5 million, or 7.0%, primarily driven by rate improvements, combined with increased shares on existing deals and new opportunities across underwriting platforms.
  
  – Growth in the other property class of business of $91.5 million, or 27.7%, principally driven by rate improvements, which contributed to growth in new and existing business written in the current and prior periods across underwriting platforms, notably within catastrophe exposed U.S. property excess and surplus lines.

• Ceded premiums written were $380.2 million, an increase of $41.8 million, or 12.4%. This increase was primarily driven by an increase in gross premiums written which were ceded to third-party investors in RenaissanceRe’s managed vehicles, principally RenaissanceRe Upsilon Fund Ltd.
  
• Net claims and claim expense ratio decreased 16.1 percentage points, driven by lower current accident year net losses due to the relatively low level of catastrophe activity in the period and higher prior accident year net favorable development in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the second quarter of 2020. This decrease in the net claims and claim expense ratio resulted in a lower combined ratio in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the second quarter of 2020.
  
• Underwriting income of $315.1 million, primarily driven by growth in net earned premiums as well as lower current accident year net incurred losses and higher prior accident year net favorable development.

Underwriting Results - Casualty and Specialty Segment: Grew gross premiums written by 38.1%

• Gross premiums written increased 38.1%, primarily driven by growth in the general casualty, professional liability and other specialty lines of business. This growth was principally driven by increases in new and existing business written in the current and prior periods, combined with rate improvements.
• Net claims and claim expense ratio was comparable to the second quarter of 2020, as the decrease in the current accident year net claims and claim expense ratio, which resulted from lower attritional losses, was offset by lower favorable prior accident year loss development in the second quarter of 2021.
• The underwriting expense ratio increased 0.8 percentage points driven by an increase in the net acquisition expense ratio, principally due to the effects of purchase accounting amortization related to the acquisition of TMR, which favorably impacted the ratio in the second quarter of 2020, partially offset by improved operating leverage in the second quarter of 2021.

Fee Income: Continued growth in management fee income related to increased capital under management

• Total fee income increased by $0.6 million due to higher management fees related to increased capital under management compared to the second quarter of 2020. This was partially offset by lower performance fee income, primarily driven by the decrease in profit commissions resulting from underwriting losses from Winter Storm Uri in the first quarter of 2021.

Investment Results: Performance primarily driven by net realized and unrealized gains in fixed maturity and equity trading portfolios

• Total investment result decreased $265.8 million due to lower net realized and unrealized gains on investments in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020. The investment result in the second quarter of 2020 was favorably impacted by the market recovery following the disruption in global financial markets associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  The total investment result in the second quarter of 2021 was primarily driven by net realized and unrealized gains on investments of $191.0 million, principally within fixed maturity and equity investments, including:

– Net realized and unrealized gains on fixed maturity investments, net of investments-related derivatives of $87.8 million, primarily as a result of decreasing yields on longer duration U.S. treasuries and a general decline in credit spreads.

– Net realized and unrealized gains on equity investments, net of investments-related derivatives of $65.6 million, principally from realized and unrealized gains in the Company’s strategic investment portfolio.

– Net realized and unrealized gains on other investments of $37.6 million, principally from fund investments as a result of fair value appreciation of the underlying investments.

• Managed fixed maturity and short-term investment weighted average yield to maturity was 1.0% and average duration was 3.0 years on total consolidated fixed maturity and short-term investments, at fair value of $17.8 billion at June 30, 2021.

• Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests was $113.5 million compared to $118.7 million in the second quarter of 2020, reflecting strong overall results across the Company’s consolidated joint ventures and managed funds in both periods.

• Income tax expense of $13.9 million compared to $29.9 million in the second quarter of 2020. The income tax expense in both periods was principally driven by net realized and unrealized gains on investments, primarily in the Company’s U.S.-based operations, with significantly higher gains in the second quarter of 2020.

• Raised capital totaling over $200 million in the second quarter of 2021 through RenaissanceRe Medici Fund Ltd. (“Medici”) and Upsilon RFO Re Ltd. (“Upsilon RFO”).

• Raised gross proceeds of $500.0 million in July 2021 through the issuance of 20,000,000 Depositary Shares, each of which represents a 1/1,000th interest in a share of the Company’s 4.20% Series G Preference Shares, $1.00 par value and $25,000 liquidation preference per share (equivalent to $25.00 per Depositary Share). A portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Series G Preference Shares will be used to redeem all of the outstanding 5.375% Series E Preference Shares, and the remaining net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.

• Announced the redemption of all 11,000,000 outstanding 5.375% Series E Preference Shares in July 2021. The 5.375% Series E Preference Shares are anticipated to be redeemed on August 11, 2021 for $275.0 million plus accrued and unpaid dividends thereon. Following the redemption, no 5.375% Series E Preference Shares will remain outstanding.

RenaissanceRe continues to monitor COVID-19 and expects that there may be significant industry losses

• RenaissanceRe continues to evaluate industry trends and potential exposure associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and expects historically significant industry losses to emerge over time as the full impact of the pandemic and its effects on the global economy are realized. Net claims and claim expenses incurred associated with the COVID-19 pandemic were not significant in the second quarter of 2021.
• RenaissanceRe continues to actively monitor information received from or reported by clients, brokers, industry actuaries, regulators, courts, and others, and to assess that information in the context of its own portfolio. Loss estimates represent RenaissanceRe’s best estimate based on currently available information, and actual losses may vary materially from these estimates.

   

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Additional Financial Information

This Press Release includes certain financial measures that are not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“GAAP”) including “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders,” “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders per common share - diluted,” “operating return on average common equity - annualized,” “tangible book value per common share” and “tangible book value per common share plus accumulated dividends.” A reconciliation of such measures to the most comparable GAAP figures in accordance with Regulation G is presented in the attached supplemental financial data.

Please refer to the “Investors - Financial Reports - Financial Supplements” section of the Company’s website at www.renre.com for a copy of the Financial Supplement which includes additional information on the Company’s financial performance.

Conference Call Information

RenaissanceRe will host a conference call on Friday, July 23, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss this release. Live broadcast of the conference call will be available through the “Investors - Webcasts & Presentations” section of the Company’s website at www.renre.com.

About RenaissanceRe

RenaissanceRe is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance that specializes in matching well-structured risks with efficient sources of capital. The Company provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries. Established in 1993, RenaissanceRe has offices in Bermuda, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any forward-looking statements made in this Press Release reflect RenaissanceRe’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to numerous factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements, including the following: the uncertainty of the continuing and future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including measures taken in response thereto and the effect of legislative, regulatory and judicial influences on the Company’s financial performance and the Company’s ability to conduct its business; the frequency and severity of catastrophic and other events the Company covers; the effectiveness of the Company’s claims and claim expense reserving process; the effect of climate change on the Company’s business, including the trend towards increasingly frequent and severe climate events; the Company’s ability to maintain its financial strength ratings; the effect of emerging claims and coverage issues; collection on claimed retrocessional coverage, and new retrocessional reinsurance being available on acceptable terms and providing the coverage that the Company intended to obtain; the highly competitive nature of the Company’s industry, resulting in consolidation of competitors, customers and insurance and reinsurance brokers, and the Company’s reliance on a small and decreasing number of brokers for the preponderance of its revenue; the Company’s exposure to credit loss from counterparties in the normal course of business; the effect of continued challenging economic conditions throughout the world; the performance of the Company’s investment portfolio and financial market volatility; a contention by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd. or any of the Company’s other Bermuda subsidiaries is subject to taxation in the U.S.; the effects of U.S. tax reform legislation, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or European Union (“EU”) measures and possible future tax reform legislation and regulations, including changes to the tax treatment of the Company’s shareholders or investors in its joint ventures or other entities the Company manages; the effect of cybersecurity risks, including technology breaches or failure, on the Company’s business; the Company’s ability to successfully implement its business strategies and initiatives, and the success of any of the Company’s strategic investments or acquisitions, including its ability to manage its operations as its product and geographical diversity increases; the Company’s ability to retain its key senior officers and to attract or retain the executives and employees necessary to manage its business; the Company’s ability to effectively manage capital on behalf of investors in joint ventures or other entities it manages; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; soft reinsurance underwriting market conditions; changes in the method for determining the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and the replacement of LIBOR; losses the Company could face from terrorism, political unrest or war; the Company’s ability to determine any impairments taken on its investments; the effects of inflation; the ability of the Company’s ceding companies and delegated authority counterparties to accurately assess the risks they underwrite; the effect of operational risks, including system or human failures; the Company’s ability to raise capital if necessary; the Company’s ability to comply with covenants in its debt agreements; changes to the accounting rules and regulatory systems applicable to the Company’s business, including changes in Bermuda laws or regulations or as a result of increased global regulation of the insurance and reinsurance industries; the Company’s dependence on the ability of its operating subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends; aspects of the Company’s corporate structure that may discourage third-party takeovers and other transactions; difficulties investors may have in serving process or enforcing judgments against the Company in the U.S.; the cyclical nature of the reinsurance and insurance industries; adverse legislative developments that reduce the size of the private markets the Company serves or impede their future growth and other political, regulatory or industry initiatives adversely impacting the Company; the Company’s ability to comply with applicable sanctions and foreign corrupt practices laws; international restrictions on the writing of reinsurance by foreign companies and government intervention in the natural catastrophe market; the Company’s need to make many estimates and judgments in the preparation of its financial statements; the effect of the exit by the United Kingdom from the EU; and other factors affecting future results disclosed in RenaissanceRe’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and prospectus supplement dated July 7, 2021.

In addition to the GAAP financial measures set forth in this Press Release, the Company has included certain non-GAAP financial measures within the meaning of Regulation G. The Company has provided these financial measures in previous investor communications and the Company’s management believes that these measures are important to investors and other interested persons, and that investors and such other persons benefit from having a consistent basis for comparison between quarters and for comparison with other companies within the industry. These measures may not, however, be comparable to similarly titled measures used by companies outside of the insurance industry. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these non-GAAP measures in assessing the Company’s overall financial performance.

Operating Income (Loss) Available (Attributable) to RenaissanceRe Common Shareholders and Operating Return on Average Common Equity - Annualized

The Company uses “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders” as a measure to evaluate the underlying fundamentals of its operations and believes it to be a useful measure of its corporate performance. “Operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders” as used herein differs from “net income (loss) attributable to RenaissanceRe common shareholders,” which the Company believes is the most directly comparable GAAP measure, by the exclusion of net realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments, excluding other investments - catastrophe bonds, net foreign exchange gains and losses, corporate expenses associated with the acquisition of TMR and the subsequent sale of RenaissanceRe (UK) Limited (“RenaissanceRe UK”), the income tax expense or benefit associated with these adjustments and the portion of these adjustments attributable to the Company's redeemable noncontrolling interests. The Company’s management believes that “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders” is useful to investors because it more accurately measures and predicts the Company’s results of operations by removing the variability arising from: fluctuations in the fair value of the Company’s fixed maturity investment portfolio, equity investments trading, other investments (excluding catastrophe bonds) and investments-related derivatives; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; corporate expenses associated with the acquisition of TMR and the subsequent sale of RenaissanceRe UK; the associated income tax expense or benefit of these adjustments; and the portion of these adjustments attributable to the Company's redeemable noncontrolling interests. The Company also uses “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders” to calculate “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders per common share - diluted” and “operating return on average common equity - annualized.” The following table is a reconciliation of: (1) net income (loss) attributable to RenaissanceRe common shareholders to “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders”; (2) net income (loss) attributable to RenaissanceRe common shareholders per common share - diluted to “operating income (loss) available (attributable) to RenaissanceRe common shareholders per common share - diluted”; and (3) return on average common equity - annualized to “operating return on average common equity - annualized.” Comparative information for all prior periods has been updated to conform to the current methodology and presentation.