78% upsize in SageSure and SURE’s second Gateway Re cat bond signals strong support from ILS investors and affirms their reputation as leaders in cat-exposed markets.
SageSure, a leading provider of catastrophe-exposed property insurance, and SureChoice Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (“SURE”), a policyholder-owned coastal insurer, successfully closed a $355 million Rule 144A catastrophe bond, a 78 percent upsize from the initial $200 million transaction target.
With the upsize, the deal is the largest cat bond issuance to date since Hurricane Ian, reflecting high levels of demand and widespread support from global insurance-linked securities (ILS) investors. The success of the execution speaks to the strength of SageSure and SURE’s reputation and track record.
“We continue to place significant value on the multi-year and diversified source of reinsurance our catastrophe bond program provides,” said Ed Konar, president of SURE. “Gateway Re is an essential part of our reinsurance structure and allows us to further the important work of protecting property owners in coastal markets.”
As part of the transaction, SURE has entered into a three-year reinsurance arrangement with Gateway Re Ltd., a Bermuda special purpose insurer, to receive multi-year protection against named storms.
SageSure and SURE first entered the cat bond market in May 2022 with its debut Gateway Re Ltd. 2022-1 issuance. The new cat bond expands US named storm coverage across North and South Carolina in addition to the states the previous bond covered: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
“We are excited to see decisive market validation from the global ILS community and appreciate the investor support that led to the bond’s significant upsize,” said Terrence McLean, CEO and co-founder of SageSure. “This transaction supports our ability to provide vital underwriting capacity for our producers in catastrophe-exposed markets.”
Swiss Re Capital Markets acted as the sole structuring agent and bookrunner for the cat bond issuance that secured execution within initial pricing guidance. The Class A tranche doubled in size to $300 million from its initial $150 million target, and the Class B tranche was upsized to $55 million from $50 million.
“Swiss Re Capital Markets is proud to continue our partnership with SageSure and SURE and to guide the largest cat bond issuance since Hurricane Ian,” said Jean-Louis Monnier, the Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Re Capital Markets Corporation. “The impressive response from global investors despite challenging market conditions demonstrates a strong support for reputable sponsors committed to clean cat bond structures and a high level of transparency surrounding exposure growth and reporting.”
About SURE
SURE is the member-owned insurance company for reliable coastal property protection. Founded in 2021 and rated A, Exceptional, by Demotech, Inc., SURE is managed by a team of experienced and passionate insurance leaders who believe in building a safer world, one coastal property at a time. With more than 120,000 policyholders and more than $290 million of in force premium to date, SURE has grown rapidly to meet the needs of challenging markets while prudently managing exposure. As the first Texas-domiciled reciprocal since 2004, SURE is customer-focused by design and offers homeowners, dwelling fire, flood, and commercial coverage through an exclusive partnership with SageSure. To learn more, visit sureins.com.
About SageSure
SageSure is the managing general underwriter specializing in coastal residential and commercial property insurance. SageSure offers more than 50 competitively priced insurance products in 14 coastal states on behalf of its carrier partners, serves more than 400,000 policyholders, and has more than $900 million of in force premium. Since its launch in 2009, SageSure has been pioneering property insurance through its market-leading online quoting and binding platform and its sophisticated risk modeling and scoring technology. For more information, visit sagesure.com.
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Contacts
Walker Sands
sagesure@walkersands.com
