PART I
ITEM
1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
Not
Applicable.
ITEM
2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
Not
Applicable.
ITEM
3. KEY INFORMATION
A.
Selected Financial Data
The following
consolidated selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and consolidated selected income statement data for
the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 are derived from IGI’s audited financial statements included elsewhere
in this annual report. The following consolidated selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and January 1, 2017 and
income statement data for the year ended December 31, 2016 are derived from IGI’s audited financial statements not
included in this annual report. IGI’s financial statements have been prepared in U.S. dollars in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board.
The
information in this section is only a summary and should be read in conjunction with IGI’s consolidated financial statements
and related notes and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” contained elsewhere herein. IGI’s
historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future period.
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions except for ratio and per share data
|
|
Selected Income Statement Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
232.3
|
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(82.7
|
)
|
|
|
(114.3
|
)
|
|
|
(98.2
|
)
|
|
|
(97.1
|
)
|
Net written premiums
|
|
|
149.6
|
|
|
|
160.8
|
|
|
|
203.4
|
|
|
|
252.1
|
|
Net change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
8.2
|
|
|
|
(14.0
|
)
|
|
|
(20.1
|
)
|
|
|
(36.6
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
|
157.9
|
|
|
|
146.7
|
|
|
|
183.3
|
|
|
|
215.5
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(71.5
|
)
|
|
|
(86.9
|
)
|
|
|
(85.3
|
)
|
|
|
(118.1
|
)
|
Net policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(34.8
|
)
|
|
|
(36.2
|
)
|
|
|
(42.0
|
)
|
|
|
(45.4
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
|
51.5
|
|
|
|
23.6
|
|
|
|
56.1
|
|
|
|
52.0
|
|
Total investment income, net(1)
|
|
|
8.8
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Net realized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
2.7
|
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(31.3
|
)
|
|
|
(30.9
|
)
|
|
|
(35.4
|
)
|
|
|
(39.3
|
)
|
Other income (expenses)(2)
|
|
|
(0.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
Listing related expenses
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(4.8
|
)
|
(Loss) gain on foreign exchange
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
(3.4
|
)
|
|
|
5.7
|
|
Profit before tax
|
|
$
|
32.0
|
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.6
|
|
|
$
|
25.3
|
|
Income tax
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
(1.7
|
)
|
Profit for the year
|
|
$
|
32.9
|
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.5
|
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to equity holders
|
|
|
0.23
|
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
|
|
0.18
|
|
|
|
0.17
|
|
Core operating income (3)
|
|
|
29.4
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
28.6
|
|
|
|
21.2
|
|
Annualized return on average equity
|
|
|
11.5
|
%
|
|
|
2.3
|
%
|
|
|
8.5
|
%
|
|
|
7.7
|
%
|
Annualized core operating return on average equity
|
|
|
10.3
|
%
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
9.5
|
%
|
|
|
6.9
|
%
|
Cash dividends per share
|
|
$
|
0.10
|
|
|
$
|
0.08
|
|
|
$
|
0.03
|
|
|
$
|
0.08
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
Supplemental information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claims & claim expenses ratio(4)
|
|
|
45.3
|
%
|
|
|
59.2
|
%
|
|
|
46.5
|
%
|
|
|
54.8
|
%
|
Policy acquisition expenses ratio(5)
|
|
|
22.0
|
%
|
|
|
24.7
|
%
|
|
|
22.9
|
%
|
|
|
21.1
|
%
|
G&A expense ratio(6)
|
|
|
19.9
|
%
|
|
|
21.1
|
%
|
|
|
19.3
|
%
|
|
|
18.2
|
%
|
Expense ratio(7)
|
|
|
41.9
|
%
|
|
|
45.8
|
%
|
|
|
42.2
|
%
|
|
|
39.3
|
%
|
Combined ratio(8)
|
|
|
87.1
|
%
|
|
|
105.0
|
%
|
|
|
88.7
|
%
|
|
|
94.1
|
%
|
|
|
As of
January 1,
|
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions except for per share data
|
|
Selected Balance Sheet Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents and term deposits(9)
|
|
$
|
216.2
|
|
|
$
|
210.3
|
|
|
$
|
260.1
|
|
|
$
|
312.2
|
|
Total investments(10)
|
|
$
|
277.4
|
|
|
$
|
279.3
|
|
|
$
|
245.0
|
|
|
$
|
292.5
|
|
Cash/investments
|
|
|
493.6
|
|
|
|
489.6
|
|
|
|
505.1
|
|
|
|
604.7
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
811.0
|
|
|
|
892.7
|
|
|
|
903.1
|
|
|
|
1,009.1
|
|
Technical reserves, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net outstanding claims(11)
|
|
$
|
192.1
|
|
|
$
|
196.6
|
|
|
$
|
196.8
|
|
|
$
|
236.9
|
|
Net unearned premiums(12)
|
|
|
101.5
|
|
|
|
115.6
|
|
|
|
135.7
|
|
|
|
172.3
|
|
Total equity
|
|
|
301.2
|
|
|
|
301.4
|
|
|
|
301.2
|
|
|
|
312.1
|
|
Book value per share(13)
|
|
$
|
2.10
|
|
|
$
|
2.10
|
|
|
$
|
2.21
|
|
|
$
|
2.33
|
|
|
(1)
|
Represents
net investment income and share of profit or loss from associates, net of (1) net realized gains/(losses) on investments, and
(2) unrealized gains/(losses) on investments, calculated as follows (certain numbers in the table do not sum due to rounding):
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($)
in millions
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
$
|
12.3
|
|
|
$
|
12.6
|
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
13.3
|
|
Plus Share of profit
or loss from associates
|
|
|
(0.0
|
)
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
Minus Net realized
gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
2.7
|
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Minus Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Total investment income, net
|
|
$
|
8.8
|
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
9.1
|
|
|
$
|
10.7
|
|
|
(2)
|
Represents
the sum of (1) other revenues, (2) other expenses and (3) impairment loss on insurance receivables, calculated as follows (certain
numbers in the table do not sum due to rounding):
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions except for ratio and per share data
|
|
Other revenues
|
|
$
|
0.0
|
|
|
$
|
0.9
|
|
|
$
|
0.9
|
|
|
$
|
1.4
|
|
Other expenses
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(1.5
|
)
|
|
|
(1.6
|
)
|
|
|
(2.1
|
)
|
Impairment loss on insurance receivables
|
|
|
(0.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
|
(0.5
|
)
|
|
|
(0.6
|
)
|
Other income (expenses)
|
|
$
|
(0.8
|
)
|
|
$
|
(1.8
|
)
|
|
$
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
$
|
(1.3
|
)
|
|
(3)
|
“Core
operating income” is calculated as after-tax profit for the period after adjusting for non-recurring items, adding back
net realized loss (gains) on investments, unrealized loss (gain) on revaluation of financial assets, fair value changes of held
for trading investments, fair value gain on investment property, (loss) gain on foreign exchange and net impairment losses recognized
in earnings. For a reconciliation of “core operating income,” a non-IFRS measure, and profit for the period, an IFRS
measure, see “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Non-IFRS Financial Measures—Core operating income.”
|
|
(4)
|
The
claims and claim expenses ratio represents net claims and claim adjustment expenses as a percentage of net premiums earned.
|
|
(5)
|
The
policy acquisition expenses ratio represents net policy acquisition expenses as a percentage of net premiums earned.
|
|
(6)
|
The
general and administrative expense ratio represents general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net premiums earned.
|
|
(7)
|
The
expense ratio is the sum of the policy acquisition expenses ratio and the general and administrative expenses ratio.
|
|
(8)
|
The
combined ratio is the sum of the claims and claim expenses ratio and the expense ratio.
|
|
(9)
|
Includes
cash and cash equivalents and term deposits.
|
|
(10)
|
Includes
investments, investment properties and investments in associates, calculated as follows:
|
|
|
As of
January 1,
|
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions except for ratio and per share data
|
|
Investments
|
|
$
|
233.8
|
|
|
$
|
234.4
|
|
|
$
|
200.9
|
|
|
$
|
253.7
|
|
Investment properties
|
|
|
30.3
|
|
|
|
30.6
|
|
|
|
30.7
|
|
|
|
25.7
|
|
Investments in associates
|
|
|
13.3
|
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
13.4
|
|
|
|
13.1
|
|
Total investments
|
|
$
|
277.4
|
|
|
$
|
279.3
|
|
|
$
|
245.0
|
|
|
$
|
292.5
|
|
|
(11)
|
Represents
gross outstanding claims, net of reinsurer’s share of outstanding claims.
|
|
(12)
|
Represents
gross unearned premiums, net of reinsurer’s share of unearned premiums.
|
|
(13)
|
Book
value per share is calculated by dividing total equity by the number of shares issued and outstanding.
|
B.
Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not
applicable.
C.
Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not
applicable.
D.
Risk Factors
An
investment in our securities carries a significant degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks and other
information in this annual report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes included herein, in connection
with your ownership of our securities. If any of the events described below occur, our business and financial results could be
adversely affected in a material way. This could cause the trading price of our securities to decline, perhaps significantly,
and you therefore may lose all or part of your investment. The risks set out below are not exhaustive and do not comprise all
of the risks associated with an investment in the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or which
we currently deem immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations,
prospects and/or its share price.
As
used herein, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us” and “our” are
intended to refer to IGI and its subsidiaries prior to the Business Combination and to the Company and its subsidiaries, including
IGI, following the Business Combination.
Risks
Relating to the Insurance and Reinsurance Industry
If
our underwriters fail to assess accurately the underwritten risks or fail to comply with internal guidelines on underwriting or
their underwriting authority or if events or circumstances cause the underwriters’ risk assessment to be incorrect, our
premiums may prove to be inadequate to cover the losses associated with such risks.
Our
underwriting results depend on whether the claims brought by policyholders are consistent with the assumptions and pricing models
we use in underwriting and pricing our insurance covers. It is not possible to predict with certainty whether a single risk or
a portfolio of risks underwritten by us will result in a loss, or the timing and severity of any loss that does occur. If our
underwriters fail to assess accurately the underwritten risks or fail to comply with internal guidelines on underwriting or their
underwriting authority or if events or circumstances cause the underwriters’ risk assessment to be incorrect, our premiums
may prove to be inadequate to cover the losses associated with such risks. Losses may also arise from events or exposures that
are not anticipated when the coverage is priced. In addition to unanticipated events which increase losses beyond our expectations,
we also face the risk of the potential unanticipated expansion of our exposures, particularly in long-tail liability lines of
business. Any failure by us to manage the risks that we underwrite could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations
and financial condition.
The
insurance and reinsurance industries are highly competitive; competitive pressures may result in fewer policies underwritten,
lower premium rates, increased expense for customer acquisition and retention and less favorable policy terms and conditions.
We
operate in highly competitive markets. Customers may evaluate us and our competitors on a number of factors, including financial
strength, underwriting capacity, expertise, local presence, reputation, experience and qualifications of employees, client relationships,
geographic scope of business, products and services offered (including ease of doing business over the electronic placement platforms),
premiums charged, ratings assigned by independent rating agencies, contract terms and conditions and the speed of claims payment.
Our
competitors include independent reinsurance and insurance companies, subsidiaries or affiliates of established worldwide insurance
companies, reinsurance departments of certain insurance companies and domestic and international underwriting operations. Some
of these competitors have greater financial resources than we do and have established long term and continuing business relationships
throughout the industry, which can be a significant competitive advantage. In addition, the lack of strong barriers to entry into
the reinsurance business and the entry of alternative capital markets products and vehicles provide additional sources of insurance
and reinsurance capacity and increased competition. We directly compete with large companies, smaller companies and other niche
insurers and reinsurers.
Our
competitors vary by offered product line and covered territory. We also compete with new companies that enter the insurance and
reinsurance markets, particularly companies with new or “disruptive” technologies or business models. Capital markets
participants have created alternative products that are intended to compete with reinsurance products. Recently, the insurance
industry has faced increased competition from new underwriting capacity, such as the investment of significant amounts of capital
by pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds and other sources of alternative capital primarily into the natural catastrophe insurance
and reinsurance businesses. In addition, technology companies and other third parties have created, and may in the future create,
technology-enabled business models, processes, platforms or alternate distribution channels that may adversely impact our competitive
position.
The
nature of the competition we face may be affected by disruption and deterioration in global financial markets and economic downturns,
including as a result of the effects of the novel coronavirus global pandemic, as well as by governmental responses thereto. For
example, (i) government intervention might result in capital or other support for our competitors, (ii) governments may provide
insurance and reinsurance capacity in markets and to consumers that we target, (iii) governments may take actions to reduce interest
rates, impacting the value of and returns on fixed income investments or (iv) government intervention intended to protect consumers
may restrict increases in premium rates.
Increased
competition can result in fewer policies underwritten, lower premiums for the policies that are underwritten (over and above reductions
due to favorable loss experience), increased expenses associated with acquiring and retaining business and policy terms and conditions
that are less advantageous to us than we were able to obtain historically or that may be available to our competitors.
Consolidation
in the insurance and reinsurance industry could adversely impact us.
The
insurance and reinsurance industry, including our competitors, customers and insurance and reinsurance brokers, has been consolidating.
There has been a large amount of merger and acquisition activity in the insurance and reinsurance sector in recent years which
may continue. We may experience increased competition as a result of that consolidation, with larger entities having enhanced
market power. Increased competition could result in fewer submissions, lower premium rates, less favorable policy terms and conditions
and greater costs of customer acquisition and retention.
Should
the market continue to consolidate, competitors may try to use their enhanced market power to obtain a larger market share through
increased line sizes or through price competition. If competitive pressures reduce our prices, this could in turn lead to reduced
premiums and a reduction in expected earnings. As the insurance industry consolidates, competition for customers will become more
intense and the importance of sourcing and properly servicing each customer will become greater. We could incur greater expenses
relating to customer acquisition and retention, further reducing our operating margins. In addition, insurance companies that
merge may be able to spread their risks across a larger capital base so that they require less reinsurance. The number of companies
offering reinsurance to competitors may decline. Reinsurance intermediaries could also continue to consolidate, potentially adversely
impacting our ability to access business and distribute our products. We could also experience more robust competition from larger,
better capitalized competitors. As a result of the consolidation in the industry, we may experience rate declines and possibly
write less business. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, results of operations, growth and prospects.
Our
operating results are affected by the cyclicality of the insurance and reinsurance industry.
The
insurance and reinsurance industry historically has been cyclical, with significant fluctuations in premium rates and operating
results due to competition, the frequency and/or severity of catastrophic events, levels of underwriting capacity in the industry,
changes in legislation, case law and prevailing concepts of liability, general economic and social conditions and other factors.
Insurance and reinsurance underwriting capacity is related to prevailing premium rates, the level of insured losses and the level
of surplus capacity that, in turn, might fluctuate in response to changes in return on investments earned in the insurance and
reinsurance industry and other factors. These cycles, as well as other factors that influence aggregate supply and demand for
insurance and reinsurance products, are outside of our control.
This
cyclicality has produced periods characterized by intense price competition and widening coverage offerings due to excess underwriting
capacity (a so-called “soft market”), with each line of business experiencing its own cycle. Where a line of business
experiences soft market conditions, we may fail to obtain new insurance business in that line of business at the desired premium
rates. In addition, the cycle may fluctuate as a result of changes in economic, legal, political and social factors. Since cyclicality
is due in large part to the collective actions of insurers, reinsurers and general economic conditions and the occurrence of unpredictable
events, we cannot predict the timing or duration of changes in the market cycle. If we fail to manage the cyclical nature of the
insurance business, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We
operate a diversified business, writing insurance in a variety of lines of business and geographic markets. Different lines of
business and different geographic markets can experience their own cycles and, therefore, the impact of various cycles will depend
in part on the sectors of the insurance and reinsurance industry, as well as the geographic markets, in which we operate. In addition,
increases in the frequency and severity of losses suffered by insurers can significantly amplify these cycles. The effects of
such cyclicality could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Furthermore,
a low-interest rate environment, with reduced investment market returns, could encourage alternative capital providers to enter
the insurance market in order to achieve higher returns. This could have the effect of increasing the level of competition in
the insurance market and applying pressure on premiums, which could affect the gross written premium (“GWP”) that
we are able to generate.
Interest
rate movements can also contribute to cyclicality in insurers’ underwriting results. In a high-interest rate environment,
increased investment returns may reduce insurers’ required contribution from underwriting performance to achieve an attractive
overall return. This may result in a less-disciplined approach to underwriting in the market generally as some underwriters could
be inclined to offer lower premium rates to generate more business. We may therefore have to accept lower rates or broader coverage
terms in order to remain competitive in the market, with the result that our premiums may be inadequate to cover the losses associated
with such risks.
We
may from time to time, as a result of the cyclicality of certain lines of business, decide to concentrate on fewer lines of business.
As a consequence, we may be exposed to additional risk and may be required to hold more regulatory capital on the basis that the
business, and hence the associated risk, is more concentrated, which in turn may affect the efficiency of our business and have
a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If
market conditions cause reinsurance to be more costly or unavailable, we may be required to bear increased risks or reduce the
level of our underwriting commitments.
As
part of our overall risk and capacity management strategy, we purchase reinsurance for certain amounts of risk underwritten by
our insurance company subsidiaries, especially catastrophe risks and those risks with relatively high policy limits. We also purchase
reinsurance on risks underwritten by others which we reinsure. Market conditions beyond our control determine the availability
and cost of the reinsurance protection we seek to purchase, which may affect the level of our business and profitability. Our
reinsurance contracts are generally subject to annual renewal, and we may be unable to maintain our current reinsurance contracts
or to obtain other reinsurance contracts in adequate amounts and at favorable rates. In addition, we may be unable to obtain reinsurance
on terms acceptable to us relating to certain lines of business that we intend to begin underwriting. If we are unable to renew
our expiring contracts or to obtain new reinsurance contracts, either our net exposures would increase or, if we are unwilling
to bear an increase in net exposures, we would have to reduce the level of our underwriting commitments, especially catastrophe
exposed risks.
Our
insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries are subject to extensive insurance laws and regulations. Any failure to comply with existing
regulations or material changes in the regulation of our operations could have a material adverse effect on us.
Our
insurance subsidiaries are subject to the laws and regulations of a number of jurisdictions worldwide, including Bermuda, the
UK, Malaysia, Jordan, Morocco and the UAE. Existing laws and regulations, among other things, limit the amount of dividends that
can be paid by our insurance subsidiaries, prescribe solvency and capital adequacy standards, impose restrictions on the amount
and type of investments that can be held to meet solvency and capital adequacy requirements, require the maintenance of reserve
liabilities, and require pre-approval of acquisitions and certain affiliate transactions. Failure to comply with these laws and
regulations or to maintain appropriate authorizations, licenses, and/or exemptions under applicable laws and regulations may cause
governmental authorities to preclude or suspend our insurance subsidiaries from carrying on some or all of their activities, place
one or more of them into rehabilitation or liquidation proceedings, impose monetary penalties or other sanctions on them or our
affiliates, or commence insurance company delinquency proceedings against our insurance subsidiaries.
The
application of these laws and regulations could affect our liquidity and ability to pay dividends, interest and other payments
on securities, as applicable, and could restrict our ability to expand our business operations through acquisitions of new insurance
subsidiaries. Furthermore, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements may result in significant expenses, which could have
a negative impact on our profitability. We may not have or maintain all required licenses and approvals in every jurisdiction
in which we operate and may not be able to fully comply with the wide variety of laws and regulations applicable to us or the
relevant authority’s interpretation of such laws and regulations. Some regulatory authorities have relatively broad discretion
to grant, renew or revoke licenses and approvals. If we do not have the requisite licenses and approvals or do not comply with
applicable regulatory requirements, the insurance regulatory authorities could preclude or temporarily suspend us from carrying
on some or all of our business activities or impose monetary penalties on us. Also, changes in the level of regulation of the
insurance industry in the jurisdictions in which we operate, or changes in laws or regulations themselves or interpretations by
regulatory authorities, may further restrict the conduct of our business. In some instances, we follow practices based on our
interpretations of regulations or practices that we believe may be generally followed by the industry. These practices may turn
out to be different from the interpretations of regulatory authorities. These types of actions could have a material adverse effect
on our business.
We
may not be able to maintain necessary licenses, permits, authorizations or accreditations in jurisdictions where we and our subsidiaries
currently engage in business or obtain them in new jurisdictions, or may be able to do so only at significant cost. In addition,
we may not be able to comply fully with, or obtain appropriate exemptions from, the wide variety of laws and regulations applicable
to insurance or reinsurance companies. Although we have in place systems and controls designed to comply with applicable laws
and regulations, there can be no assurance that we, our employees, or agents acting on our behalf are in full compliance with
all applicable laws and regulations or their interpretation by the relevant authorities and, given the complex nature of the risks,
it may not always be possible for us to ascertain compliance with such laws and regulations. Failure to comply with or to obtain
appropriate authorizations and/or exemptions under any applicable laws or regulations could subject us to investigations, criminal
sanctions or civil remedies, including fines, injunctions, loss of an operating license, reputational consequences, and other
sanctions, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Changes in the laws or regulations to which we and
our subsidiaries are subject could also have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, in most jurisdictions, government
regulatory authorities have the power to interpret or amend applicable laws and regulations, and have discretion to grant, renew
or revoke licenses and approvals we need to conduct our activities. Such authorities may require us to incur substantial costs
in order to comply with such laws and regulations.
Our
continued expansion into new businesses and markets has brought about additional requirements. While we believe that we have adopted
appropriate risk management and compliance programs, compliance risks will continue to exist, particularly as we become subject
to new rules and regulations. Any failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and government interpretations of such laws
and regulations could also subject us to fines, penalties, equitable relief and changes to our business practices. Compliance
with applicable laws and regulations is time consuming and personnel-intensive. Changes in these laws and regulations could materially
increase our direct and indirect compliance costs and other expenses of doing business and have a material adverse effect on our
results of operations and financial condition.
We
are subject to extensive regulatory supervision and may, from time to time, be subject to inquiries or investigations that could
result in fines, sanctions, variation or revocation of permissions and authorizations, reputational damage or loss of goodwill.
The
conduct of the insurance and reinsurance business is subject to significant legal and regulatory requirements as well as governmental
and quasi-governmental supervision in the various jurisdictions in which our group operates. Our business activities are regulated
by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in our Bermuda operations, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority
in our UK operations, the Jordan Insurance Directorate in our Jordanian operations, the Labuan Financial Services Authority in
our operations in Malaysia, the Dubai Financial Services Authority in our operations in Dubai and the Casablanca Financial City
for our operations in Morocco. This supervision and regulation is generally intended for the benefit of policyholders rather than
shareholders or other investors. Among other things, the insurance laws and regulations applicable to us may:
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require
the maintenance of certain solvency levels;
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restrict
agreements with large revenue-producing agents;
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require
obtaining licenses or authorizations from regulators;
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regulate
transactions, including transactions with affiliates and intra-group guarantees;
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in
certain jurisdictions, restrict the payment of dividends or other distributions;
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require
the disclosure of financial and other information to regulators;
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impose
restrictions on the nature, quality and concentration of investments;
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regulate
the admissibility of assets and capital;
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provide
for involvement in the payment or adjudication of catastrophe or other claims beyond the terms of the policies; and
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establish
certain minimum operational requirements or customer service standards such as the timeliness of finalized policy language or
lead time for notice of non-renewal or changes in terms and conditions.
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As
part of regular, mandated risk assessments, regulators may take steps that have the effect of restricting our business activities,
which may in turn have a material impact on our ability to achieve growth objectives and earnings targets. For example, each regulated
insurance business we operate is subject to a number of restrictions on assets we may hold under relevant regulations and tax
rules, and regulators may, as has happened in the past, alter such restrictions, thus potentially affecting our investment policy
and any associated projected income or growth return from our investments. In addition, based on our perceived risk profile, regulators
may require additional regulatory capital to be held by us (including as part of guidance provided by the regulator to us on a
confidential basis), which, among other things, may affect the business we can write and the amount of dividends we are able to
pay out.
In
addition, legislation and other regulatory initiatives taken or which may be taken in response to conditions in the financial
markets, global supervision and other factors may lead to additional regulation of the insurance industry in the coming years.
The
insurance and reinsurance industries have experienced substantial volatility as a result of investigations, litigation and regulatory
activity by various insurance, governmental and enforcement authorities, concerning various practices within the insurance and
reinsurance industry. If we or any of our subsidiaries were to be found to be in breach of any existing or new laws or regulations
now or in the future, we would be exposed to the risk of intervention by regulatory authorities, including investigation and surveillance,
and judicial or administrative proceedings. In addition, our reputation could suffer and we could be fined or prohibited from
engaging in some or all of our business activities or could be sued by counterparties, as well as forced to devote significant
resources to cooperate with regulatory investigations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Any
future regulatory changes, litigation or failure to comply with applicable laws could result in the imposition of significant
restrictions on our ability to do business, and could also result in suspensions, injunctions, monetary damages, fines or other
sanctions, any or all of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. These events, if they
occur, could affect the competitive market and the way we conduct our business and manage our capital and could result in lower
revenues and higher costs. As a result, such actions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial
condition.
Changes
in IFRS accounting standards applicable to us may require a change in the way in which our future results will be determined and/or
a retrospective adjustment of reported results.
Our
accounts are prepared in accordance with current IFRS applicable to the insurance industry. The International Accounting Standards
Board (the “IASB”) introduced a framework that it described as Phase I which, under its standard IFRS 4, permitted
insurers to continue to use the statutory basis of accounting for insurance assets and liabilities that existed in their jurisdictions
prior to January 2005. In May 2017, the IASB published its replacement standard on insurance accounting (IFRS 17, “Insurance
Contracts”), which will have the effect of introducing fundamental changes to the statutory reporting of insurance entities
that prepare accounts according to IFRS from 2021. In June 2019, the IASB published an exposure draft proposing a number of targeted
amendments to this new standard including the deferral of the effective date by one year from 2021 to 2022. As a result of comments
on this exposure draft, the IASB redeliberated on a number of areas of IFRS 17, and on March 17, 2020, the IASB tentatively decided
that the effective date of IFRS 17 will be deferred to annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2023. The EU
will apply its usual process for assessing whether the standard meets the necessary criteria for endorsement. We are reviewing
the complex requirements of this standard and considering its potential impact. The effect of changes required to our accounting
policies as a result of implementing the new standard is currently uncertain, but these changes can be expected to, amongst other
things, alter the timing of IFRS profit recognition. Given the implementation of this standard is likely to require significant
enhancements to our IT, actuarial and finance systems, it will also have an impact on our expenses. Any changes or modification
of IFRS accounting policies may require a change in the way in which future results will be determined and/or a retrospective
adjustment of reported results to ensure consistency.
Increasing
barriers to free trade and the free flow of capital and fluctuations in the financial markets could adversely affect the insurance
and reinsurance industry and our business.
Recent
political initiatives to restrict free trade and close markets, such as Brexit (as defined below) and the Trump administration’s
decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific partnership and potentially renegotiate or terminate existing bilateral and multilateral
trade arrangements, could adversely affect the insurance and reinsurance industry and our business. The insurance and reinsurance
industries are disproportionately impacted by restraints on the free flow of capital and risk because the value it provides depends
on its ability to globally diversify risk. With respect to Brexit, we are exploring the potential of establishing a new insurance
subsidiary in one of the EEA states to ensure we continue to efficiently access the EU market.
In
addition, prolonged and severe disruptions in the overall public and private debt and equity markets, such as occurred during
2008, and are occurring in connection with the novel coronavirus global pandemic could result in significant realized and unrealized
losses. Public and private debt and equity markets may experience disruption in individual market sectors, such as has occurred
in the energy sector.
Further,
the impact on global markets from the outbreak of global pandemics such as the novel coronavirus (nCoV) is uncertain. The adoption
of certain hygiene measures, including quarantining populations, as well as restrictions on travel and the closing of national
borders may adversely affect our business. Any prolonged restrictive measures in order to control a contagious disease or other
adverse public health developments in our targeted markets may have a material and adverse effect on our business operations.
At this point, the extent to which the coronavirus may impact our results is uncertain.
Given
ongoing global economic uncertainties, evolving market conditions may affect our results of operations, financial position and
capital resources. In the event that there is additional deterioration or volatility in financial markets or general economic
conditions, our results of operations, financial position, capital resources and competitive landscape could be materially and
adversely affected.
Public
health crises, illness, epidemics or pandemics could adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
On
January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) to be a public health
emergency of international concern. This has resulted in increased travel restrictions and extended shutdown of certain businesses
all over the world. While the effects of COVID-19 will be difficult to assess or predict, this outbreak could have a significant
impact on our business. In addition, a pandemic affecting our employees, the employees of subsidiaries and reinsurers, or the
employees of other companies with which we do business could disrupt our business operations. The effectiveness of external parties,
including governmental and non-governmental organizations, in combating the spread and severity of such a pandemic could have
a material impact on the adverse effects we experience. These events, which are beyond our control, could cause a material adverse
effect on our results of operations in any period and, depending on their severity, could also materially and adversely affect
our financial condition.
Recent
turbulence in the financial markets due to the spread of COVID-19 may limit our ability to access the credit or equity markets.
Moreover, changes in interest rates, reduced liquidity or a continued slowdown in global economic conditions may also adversely
affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or prospects. If we were to decide in the future to
raise capital through equity financings, the interest of our shareholders would be diluted, and the securities we issue may have
rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our common shares. Further, extreme market volatility may leave
us unable to react to market events in a prudent manner consistent with our historical practices in dealing with more orderly
markets. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may also face increased costs associated with claims under our policies, an
increased number of customers experiencing difficulty paying premiums or policies being designated as “no lapse” for
periods of time. The cost of reinsurance to us for these policies could increase, and we may encounter decreased availability
of such reinsurance. Continuation of these conditions may potentially affect (among other aspects of our business) the demand
for and claims made under our policies, the ability of clients, counterparties and others to establish or maintain their relationships
with us, our ability to access and efficiently use internal and external capital resources and our investment performance.
Further,
from an operational perspective, our employees, sales associates, brokers and distribution partners, as well as the workforces
of our vendors, service providers and counterparties, may also be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or efforts to mitigate
the pandemic, including government-mandated shutdowns, requests or orders for employees to work remotely, and other social distancing
measures, which could result in an adverse impact on our ability to conduct our business. Disruption to our operations may also
result if our employees, or those of our service partners and counterparties, contract COVID-19 or are affected by travel restrictions,
office closures and other measures impacting on working practices, such as the imposition of remote working arrangements, and
quarantine requirements and isolation measures under local laws, social distancing and/or other psychosocial impacts. While such
measures are in place, there may be an increase across the industry in attempts to compromise IT systems through phishing and
social engineering tactics.
While
governmental and non-governmental organizations are engaging in efforts to combat the spread and severity of COVID-19 and related
public health issues, these measures may not be effective. Due to the evolving and highly uncertain nature of this global pandemic,
including the possible extension of insurance coverage beyond our policy language, it is currently not possible to estimate the
direct or indirect impacts this outbreak may have on our business. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business, results
of operations, financial condition, liquidity or prospects will depend on future developments which are highly uncertain and cannot
be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain
or treat its impact. The global spread of COVID-19 could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial
condition due to the disruptions to commerce, reduced economic activity and other unforeseen consequences of a pandemic that are
beyond our control.
Legislation
enacted in Bermuda as to economic substance may affect our operations.
Pursuant to the Economic Substance Act 2018 (as amended) of
Bermuda and its related regulations (together, the “ES Act”) that came into force on January 1, 2019, a registered
entity other than an entity which is resident for tax purposes in certain jurisdictions outside Bermuda (“non-resident entity”)
that carries on as a business any one or more of the “relevant activities” referred to in the ES Act must comply with
economic substance requirements. The ES Act may require in-scope Bermuda entities which are engaged in such “relevant activities”
to be directed and managed in Bermuda, have an adequate level of qualified employees in Bermuda, incur an adequate level of annual
expenditure in Bermuda, maintain physical offices and premises in Bermuda or perform core income-generating activities in Bermuda.
The list of “relevant activities” includes carrying on any one or more of the following activities: banking, insurance,
fund management, financing, leasing, headquarters, shipping, distribution and service center, intellectual property and holding
entities. The ES Act could affect the manner in which we operate our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations. For purposes of the ES Act, we believe that the Company would be deemed to be a “pure
equity holding company”. The economic substance requirements for a “pure equity holding company” are less onerous
than those for entities which are carrying out other relevant activities (pure equity holding entities are subject to minimum economic
substance requirements). As such, and as long as it does not carry on any other “relevant activity”, we would not expect
to be required to take additional actions beyond the minimum economic substance requirements for the purposes of compliance with
the ES Act. However, our expectations could change subject to further amendment and guidance on the interpretation of the ES Act.
With respect to IGI Bermuda, for the purposes of the ES Act, we believe that IGI Bermuda is carrying on the relevant activity of
“insurance”. IGI Bermuda’s compliance with its regulatory requirements under the Insurance Act 1978 of Bermuda
and related regulations and the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda will assist in evidencing its compliance with the economic substance
requirements under the ES Act, but may not be conclusive. Pending the issuance of additional sector-specific guidance notes by
the Bermuda Government, IGI Bermuda may need to continue to enhance its infrastructure in Bermuda to ensure its compliance with
its economic substance requirements under the ES Act and this may result in, among other things, some additional operational cost.
An entity which is
in-scope of the ES Act is required to complete and file a declaration form in respect of its economic substance compliance no
later than six months after the last day of the first financial year of that entity which commenced on or after January 1, 2019.
The Registrar of Companies of Bermuda will have regard to the information provided in the declaration form in making his assessment
of compliance with the economic substance requirements under the ES Act.
Potential
government intervention in the insurance industry and instability in the marketplace for insurance products could hinder our flexibility
and negatively affect the business opportunities that may be available to us in the market.
Government
intervention in the insurance industry and the possibility of future government intervention have created uncertainty in the insurance
and reinsurance markets. Governmental authorities worldwide have become increasingly interested in potential risks posed by the
insurance industry as a whole to commercial and financial systems in general, and there could be increased regulatory intervention
in the insurance and reinsurance industries in the future.
Government
regulators are generally concerned with the protection of policyholders to the exclusion of other constituencies, including shareholders
of insurers. While we cannot predict the exact nature, timing or scope of possible governmental initiatives, such proposals could
adversely affect our business by, among other things:
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providing
insurance and reinsurance capacity in markets and to consumers that we target;
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requiring
our participation in industry pools and guaranty associations;
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expanding
the scope of coverage under existing policies (for example, following large disasters);
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further
regulating the terms of insurance and reinsurance policies;
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mandating
that insurers provide coverage for areas such as terrorism, where insurance might otherwise be difficult to obtain; or
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disproportionately
benefiting the companies of one country over those of another.
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Government
intervention has in the recent past taken the form of financial support of certain companies in the insurance and reinsurance
industry. Governmental support of individual competitors can lead to increased pricing pressure and a distortion of market dynamics.
The insurance industry is also affected by political, judicial and legal developments that may create new and expanded theories
of liability, which may result in unexpected claims frequency and severity and delays or cancellations of products and services
by insureds, insurers and reinsurers which could adversely affect our business.
European
legislation known as “Solvency II” was introduced with effect from January 1, 2016 and governs the prudential regulation
of insurers and reinsurers. Solvency II requires insurers and reinsurers in Europe to meet risk-based solvency requirements. Solvency
II covers three main areas: (i) the valuation of assets and liabilities on a Solvency II economic basis and risk-based solvency
and capital requirements; (ii) governance requirements effecting the key functions of compliance, internal audit, actuarial and
risk management; and (iii) new supervisory legal entity and group reporting and disclosure requirements, including public disclosures.
Solvency II imposes governance requirements on groups with insurers and/or reinsurers operating in the European Economic Area
and imposes significant requirements for EU-based regulated companies which require substantial documentation and implementation
effort. A number of European Commission delegated acts and technical standards have been adopted, which set out more detailed
requirements based on the overarching provisions of Solvency II. However, further delegated acts, technical standards and guidance
are likely to be published on an ongoing basis.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority has also implemented and imposed additional requirements on the commercial insurance companies it regulates,
driven, in large part, by Solvency II. The European Commission has adopted a decision concluding that Bermuda meets the full equivalence
criteria under Solvency II.
Additionally,
governments and regulatory bodies may take unpredictable action to ensure continued supply of insurance, particularly where a
given event leads to withdrawal of capacity from the market. For example, regulators may seek to force us to offer certain covers
to (re)insureds, constrain our flexibility to apply certain terms and conditions or constrain our ability to make changes to the
pricing of our contracts. There can be no assurance as to the effect that any such governmental or regulatory actions will have
on the financial markets generally or on our competitive position, business and financial condition.
We
cannot predict the exact nature, timing or scope of any possible governmental initiatives and any such proposals could adversely
affect our business. We may not be able to comply fully with, or obtain desired exemptions from, revised statutes, regulations
and policies that currently, or may in the future, govern the conduct of our business. Failure to comply with, or to obtain desired
authorizations and/or exemptions under, any applicable laws could result in restrictions on our ability to do business or undertake
activities that are regulated in one or more of the jurisdictions in which we operate and could subject us to fines and other
sanctions.
Claims
arising from catastrophic events are unpredictable and could be severe.
Our
operations expose us to claims arising out of unpredictable natural and other catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, windstorms,
hailstorms, tornadoes, tsunamis, severe winter weather, earthquakes, floods, fires, explosions, global pandemics, political unrest,
drilling, mining and other industrial accidents, cyber events and terrorism. In addition to the nature of the property business,
economic and geographic trends affecting insured property, including inflation, property value appreciation and geographic concentration,
tend to generally increase the size of losses from catastrophic events over time.
Actual
losses from catastrophic events may vary materially from estimates due to the inherent uncertainties in making such determinations
resulting from several factors, including potential inaccuracies and inadequacies in the data provided by clients, brokers and
ceding companies, the modeling techniques and the application of such techniques, the contingent nature of business interruption
exposures, the effects of any resultant demand surge on claims activity and attendant coverage issues.
The
incidence and severity of catastrophes are inherently unpredictable and our losses from such catastrophes could be substantial.
The extent of losses from such catastrophes is a function of the number, the frequency and severity of events, the total amount
of insured exposure in the areas affected, the effectiveness of our catastrophe risk management program, and the adequacy of our
reinsurance coverage. Increases in the value and concentrations of insured property and demographic changes more broadly, the
effects of inflation and changes in weather patterns may increase the frequency or severity of claims from catastrophic events
in the future. We may from time to time issue preliminary estimates of the impact of catastrophic events that, because of uncertainties
in estimating certain losses, need to be updated as more information becomes available.
Our
most significant catastrophe exposures are set forth below:
Natural
catastrophes. The occurrence of natural catastrophes is inherently uncertain. Generally, over the past
decade, insured losses for catastrophes have increased, due principally to weather-related catastrophes. The increasing concentrations
of economic activities and people living and working in areas exposed to natural catastrophes have resulted in increased exposure
for insurance providers. Increasing insurance penetration, growing technological vulnerability and higher property values have
further compounded the insurance industry’s exposure. A series of extreme weather events resulted in one of the most expensive
years for natural catastrophes in 2017. Significant natural catastrophes affecting us in the recent past have included Hurricane
Maria, Hurricane Irma and the September 2017 earthquake in Mexico. Our most significant claims relating to natural catastrophes,
net of reinsurance, during the recent past have included claims relating to Cyclone Mekunu in Oman in 2018, Typhoon Jebi in Japan
in 2018 and the 2019 earthquake in Papua New Guinea, which amounted to gross claims of $24.2 million and net claims of $11.6 million,
respectively. Possible effects of natural catastrophes could be compounded by climate change, severe weather, floods and drought,
as well as adverse agricultural yields.
Man-made
disasters. Complex technology intersecting with increased population density, infrastructure and higher
rates of utilization of natural resources increase the likelihood and the magnitude of catastrophic man-made events caused by
accident or negligence. Man-made disasters, as well as disasters that pose significant risk to the environment, bear particularly
high potential for losses. Due to the uncertainty of the occurrence of, and loss from, man-made disasters, unexpected large losses
could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. Man-made disasters such
as oil spills from offshore drilling could give rise not only to claims due to the damage caused by such events but also claims
arising from governmental sanctions and civil litigation.
Global
pandemics. The outbreak of a pandemic disease, like the novel coronavirus COVID-19, could have a material
adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and the operating results of our business due to its impact on the economy
and financial markets.
Terrorism. We
face risks related to terrorist and criminal acts on a significant scale (including acts intended to cause strain on financial
and other critical infrastructures, which, given the state of reliance on digital technology, could be triggered by cyber threats).
Our exposure to terrorism and criminal acts arises mainly from the political violence line of business. However, conventions in
the market limit or exclude certain terrorist acts in a number of lines of business. We closely monitor the amount and types of
coverage we provide for terrorism risk under treaties. If we believe we can reasonably evaluate the risk of loss and charge an
appropriate premium for such risk, we will underwrite terrorism exposure on a stand-alone basis. We generally seek to exclude
terrorism from non-terrorism policies.
Cyber. We
do not currently write explicit cyber insurance and seek wherever possible to exclude losses resulting from cyber related events
from our coverages. Notwithstanding this, we do have a degree of potential exposure to losses arising following cyber-attacks
including where cover has been explicitly written back in to policies and exposure to ‘silent cyber’ risks, meaning
risks and potential losses associated with policies where cyber risk is neither specifically included nor excluded in the policies.
Even in cases where we attempt to exclude cybersecurity and certain other similar risks from some coverage written by us, we may
not be successful in doing so.
Systemic
events. In addition to natural and man-made disasters, systemic financial risks have the potential
to cause significant economic disruptions in a variety of geographies and sectors, due to the interconnectedness of the global
economy, which could give rise to significant claims. The 2008 global financial crisis was one such event. In this context, such
economic disruptions could adversely impact certain of the lines of business to which we are exposed including (but not necessarily
limited to) our casualty and financial institutions lines of business.
In
general, while we hold capital to cover catastrophes and uses geographic and line of business diversification and reinsurance
to manage our exposure to risks, these measures may not be sufficient were we to face significant claims in excess of expected
losses. Claims from catastrophic events could reduce our earnings and cause substantial volatility in our results of operations
for any given period. A catastrophic event or multiple catastrophic events could also adversely affect our financial condition
and our capital position. To meet our obligations with respect to claims from catastrophic events, we may be forced to liquidate
some of our investments rapidly, which may involve selling a portion of our investments into a depressed market, which would decrease
our returns from investments and could strain our capital position. Our ability to write new insurance policies could also be
impacted as a result of corresponding reductions in our capital. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect
on our results of operations and our financial condition.
Additionally,
to help assess our exposure to losses from catastrophes we use computer-based models which simulate multiple scenarios using a
variety of assumptions. These models are developed in part by third party vendors and their effectiveness relies on the numerous
inputs and assumptions contained within them, including, but not limited to, scientific research, historical data, exposure data
provided by insureds and reinsureds, data on the terms and conditions of insurance policies and the professional judgment of our
employees and other industry specialists. While the models have evolved considerably over time, they may not necessarily accurately
measure the statistical distribution of potential future losses due to the inherent limitations of the inputs and assumptions
on which they rely. These limitations are evidenced by significant variation in the results obtained from different external vendor
natural catastrophe models, material changes in model results over time due to refinement of the underlying data elements and
assumptions and the uncertain predictive capability and performance of models over longer time intervals.
Due
to the foregoing, it is possible that a catastrophic event or multiple catastrophic events could produce significant losses and
have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Changing
climate conditions may increase the frequency and severity of catastrophic events and thereby adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Over
the past several years, changing weather patterns and climatic conditions, such as global warming, appear to have contributed
to the unpredictability, frequency and severity of natural disasters and created additional uncertainty as to future trends and
exposures. Although the loss experience of catastrophe insurers and reinsurers has historically been characterized as low frequency,
climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, windstorms, floods
and other natural disasters. Many sectors to which we provide insurance and reinsurance coverage might be affected by climate
change. The increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events could make it more difficult for us to predict and model
catastrophic events, reducing our ability to accurately price our exposure to such events and mitigate our risks.
The
effects of global warming and climate change cannot be predicted and may aggravate potential loss scenarios, risk modelling and
financial performance. Increasing global average temperatures may continue in the future and could impact our business in the
long-term. Claims for catastrophic events, or an unusual frequency of smaller losses in a particular period, could expose us to
large losses, cause substantial volatility in our results of operations and could have a material adverse effect on our ability
to write new business. Furthermore, climate change could lead to severe weather events spreading to parts of the world that have
not previously experienced extreme weather conditions. Any of these occurrences may decrease the accuracy of our underwriting
models and may result in us mispricing risk when writing our policies.
If
climate change results in an increase in the frequency and severity of weather-related catastrophes, we may experience additional
catastrophe-related losses or disruptions, which may be material. Additionally, we cannot predict how legal, regulatory and/or
social responses to concerns around global climate change may impact our business. Although we attempt to manage our exposure
to such events through the use of underwriting controls, risk models, and the purchase of third party reinsurance, catastrophic
events are inherently unpredictable and the actual nature of such events when they occur could be more frequent or severe than
contemplated in our pricing and risk management expectations. As a result, the occurrence of one or more catastrophic events could
have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our
investment portfolio and political risk underwriting exposures may be materially adversely affected by global climate change regulation
and other factors.
World
leaders met at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2015 in Paris and agreed to limit global greenhouse
gas emissions in the atmosphere to a level which would not increase the average global temperature by more than 2° Celsius,
with an aspiration of limiting such increase to 1.5° Celsius (the “Paris Agreement”). In order for governments
to achieve their existing and future international commitments to limit the concentration of greenhouse gases under the Paris
Agreement, there is widespread consensus in the scientific community that a significant percentage of existing proven fossil fuel
reserves must not be consumed. In addition, divestment campaigns, which call on asset owners to divest from direct ownership of
commingled funds that include fossil fuel equities and bonds, likewise signal a change in society’s attitude towards the
social and environmental externalities of doing business.
The
U.S. Government confirmed in 2018 that it would cease participating in the Paris Agreement, which may create further uncertainty
regarding investment and valuation for both the fossil fuel and renewable sectors. In accordance with the Paris Agreement, the
earliest possible effective withdrawal date by the United States from the Paris Agreement cannot be before November 4, 2020.
As
a result of the above, energy companies and other companies engaged in the production or storage of fossil fuels may experience
unexpected or premature devaluations or write-offs of their fossil fuel reserves. A material change in the asset value of fossil
fuels or the securities of energy companies and companies in these other sectors may therefore materially adversely affect our
investment portfolio and our results of operations and financial condition.
The
effects of emerging claim and coverage issues, such as (but not limited to) bad faith claims or disputed policy terms, on our
business are uncertain.
As
industry practices and economic, legal, judicial, social, political, technological and environmental conditions change, unexpected
and unintended issues related to claims and coverage may emerge, including new or expanded theories of liability. Claim and coverage
issues can arise when the application of insurance policy language to potentially covered claims is unclear or disputed by the
parties. When such issues emerge they may adversely affect our business by extending coverage beyond our underwriting intent or
increasing the number or size of claims. In some instances, these coverage changes may not become apparent until after we have
issued insurance contracts that are affected by such changes. As a result, the full extent of our liability under insurance policies
may not be known for many years after the policies are issued. Emerging claim and coverage issues could therefore have an adverse
effect on our operating results and financial condition. In particular, our exposure to casualty insurance lines increases our
potential exposure to this risk due to the uncertainties of expanded theories of liability and the “long-tail” nature
of these lines of business.
These
issues may adversely affect our business by either extending coverage beyond our underwriting intent or by increasing the frequency
and/or severity of claims. In some instances, these changes may not become apparent until sometime after we have issued the insurance
or reinsurance contracts that are affected by the changes. In addition, our actual losses may vary materially from our current
estimate of the loss based on a number of factors. Examples of emerging claims and coverage issues include, but are not limited
to:
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judicial
expansion of policy coverage and a greater propensity to grant claimants more favorable amounts and the impact of new theories
of liability;
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plaintiffs
targeting insurers, including us, in purported class action litigation relating to claims-handling and other practices;
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social
inflation trends, including higher and more frequent claims, more favorable judgments and legislated increases;
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medical
developments that link health issues to particular causes, resulting in liability claims;
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claims
relating to unanticipated consequences of current or new technologies, including cyber security related risks;
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claims
relating to potentially changing climate conditions; and
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increased
claims due to third party funding of litigation.
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These
or other changes could impose new financial obligations on us by extending coverage beyond our underwriting intent or otherwise
require us to make unplanned modifications to the products and services that we provide, or cause the delay or cancellation of
products and services that we provide.
The
monetary impact of certain claims may be difficult to predict or ascertain upon inception and potential losses from such claims
can be significant. For example, the full extent of our liability and exposure from claims of bad faith is not ascertainable until
the claim has been presented and investigated. As such, a significant award in monetary terms on the basis of bad faith could
adversely affect our financial condition or operating results.
With
respect to our casualty and specialty reinsurance operations, these legal and social changes and their impact may not become apparent
until some time after their occurrence. For example, we could be deemed liable for losses arising out of a matter which we had
not anticipated or had attempted to contractually exclude. Potential efforts by us to exclude such exposures could, if successful,
reduce the market’s acceptance of our related products. The full effects of these and other unforeseen emerging claim and
coverage issues are extremely hard to predict. As a result, the full extent of our liability under our coverages may not be known
for many years after a contract is issued.
In
addition, the potential passage of new legislation designed to expand the right to sue, to remove limitations on recovery, to
extend the statutes of limitations or otherwise to repeal or weaken tort reforms could have an adverse impact on our business.
The effects of unforeseen developments or substantial government intervention could adversely impact our ability to achieve our
goals. The effects of these and other unforeseen emerging claim and coverage issues are difficult to predict and could harm our
business and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
Risks
Relating to Our Business and Operations
A
prolonged recession or a period of significant turmoil in international financial markets could adversely affect our business,
liquidity and financial condition and our share price.
In
recent years, global financial markets have been characterized by volatility and uncertainty. Unfavorable economic conditions
could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or make credit harder to obtain. Uncertainties in the
financial and commodity markets may also affect our counterparties which could adversely affect their ability to meet their obligations
to us.
Deterioration
or volatility in the financial markets or general economic and political conditions could result in a prolonged economic downturn
or trigger another recession and our operating results, financial position and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.
Further, unfavorable economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on certain of the lines of business we write, including,
but not limited to, political risks and professional liability.
International
financial market disruptions such as the ones experienced in the last global financial crisis in 2008, as well as the economic
effects currently caused by the novel coronavirus global pandemic, along with the possibility of a prolonged recession, may potentially
affect various aspects of our business, including the demand for and claims made under our products, counterparty credit risk,
the ability of our customers, counterparties and others to establish or maintain their relationships with us, our ability to access
and efficiently use internal and external capital resources and our investment performance. Volatility in the U.S. and other securities
markets may also adversely affect our share price. Depending on future market conditions, we could incur substantial realized
and unrealized losses in future periods, which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition, credit
ratings, insurance subsidiaries’ capital levels and our ability to access capital markets.
A
deterioration in macroeconomic, political and other conditions, particularly in select parts of Europe, Central and South America,
the Middle East and Africa, could adversely impact our financial performance.
We
are an international business and are affected by economic, political and other macro conditions and industry specific conditions
in the markets in which we operate, including the UK, continental Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa.
Our
international operations and investments expose us to increased political, operational and economic risks. Deterioration or volatility
in foreign and international financial markets or general economic and political conditions could adversely affect our operating
results, financial condition and liquidity. Economic imbalances and financial market turmoil could result in a widening of credit
spreads and volatility in share prices. The publication of certain financial and economic data could indicate that global financial
markets are deteriorating. These circumstances could lead to a decline in asset values and potentially reduce the demand for insurance
due to limited economic growth prospects. Concerns about the economic conditions, capital markets, political and economic stability
and solvency of certain countries have contributed to global market volatility. Political changes in the jurisdictions where we
operate and elsewhere, some of which may be disruptive, can also interfere with the business of our customers and our activities
in a particular location.
Economic
conditions in the Middle East region affect us given that approximately 11% of our GWP generated in 2018 and 2019, respectively,
originated from risks in this region. In addition, a significant portion of our investment assets are located in the MENA region.
Since the start of the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a dampening or reversal of the high rates of growth that had been
experienced by many countries within the broader Middle East region and in particular the Gulf Co-operative Council countries,
comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (the “GCC”). Since the first half
of 2011 there has been significant political and social unrest in the Middle East region, including violent protests and armed
conflict in a number of countries, with armed conflict in Syria ongoing as of the date of this annual report. The situation has
caused significant disruption to the economies of affected countries, which in some instances has led to an increase in premiums,
but has overall had a destabilizing effect on insurance premiums. While the bulk of our operations are based in London, the staff
is supported by back and middle-office underwriting operations in Jordan. Jordan has proven politically and socially stable, notwithstanding
the recent events in the wider Middle East region. While a change in the political or social situation in Jordan could prove disruptive
to our operations, we have the capacity to relocate our operations in Jordan to London and Dubai should the situation change.
A
deterioration in macroeconomic conditions globally may affect the decisions of current and prospective policyholders as to the
level of insurance or reinsurance coverage which they purchase in any given year, which in turn may, where such parties decide
to reduce or otherwise limit their expenditure on such coverage, affect the amount of business underwritten by us. Also, the nature
of insurance liabilities is one of a promise to pay claims at a point in the future, meaning that a change in macroeconomic conditions
leading to increased inflation may result in an increase in the value at which claims are paid. Our international operations also
may be subject to a number of additional risks, particularly in emerging economies, including restrictions such as price controls,
capital controls, currency exchange limits, ownership limits and other restrictive or anti-competitive governmental actions or
requirements. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, which in turn could have
a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Estimating
insurance reserves is inherently uncertain and, if our loss reserves are insufficient, it will have a negative impact on our results.
To
recognize liabilities for unpaid losses,1 both known or unknown, insurers establish reserves, which is a balance sheet
account entry representing estimates of future amounts needed to pay claims and related expenses with respect to insured events
which have occurred. Estimates and assumptions relating to reserves for net claims and claim adjustment expenses are based on
complex and subjective judgments, often including the interplay of specific uncertainties with related accounting and actuarial
measurements. Such estimates are susceptible to change. For example:
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At
the time of loss information available regarding the circumstances and the extent of a loss may not be fully known.
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It
may not be clear whether the circumstances of a loss are covered.
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If
a legal decision is required to resolve coverage this may take many years.
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The
actions the insured takes to remediate the loss may affect the eventual loss amount (favorably or unfavorably).
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The
availability of replacement parts, skilled labor, access to the loss site and the speed at which repairs can be undertaken may
not be known for some time and may be subject to change.
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It
may be many years before the occurrence of a loss becomes known.
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Where
claims take a long time to settle, new information, changes in circumstances, legal decisions, rates of exchange and economic
conditions (particularly claims inflation) may affect the value and validity of claims made.
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When
a claim is reported, a member of the claims team will establish a “case reserve”. The case reserve will represent
an estimate of the expected settlement amount and will be based on information about the specific claim at that time. The estimate
represents an informed judgment based on general industry reserving practices, the experience and knowledge of the claims handler
and practices of the claims team. If insufficient information is available, the claims handler may be unable to establish an estimate
and will seek further information that will allow an informed estimate to be established. Claims reserves are also established
to provide for:
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losses
incurred but not reported to the insurer (“pure IBNR”);
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1
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The
term “loss” refers to a claim and the direct costs associated with claims settlement. Except where specific reference
to the costs associated with claims settlement is made, the term “claim” and “loss” are used interchangeably.
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potential
changes in the adequacy of case reserves (“Incurred But Not Enough Reported” or “IBNER”); and
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the
estimated expenses of settling claims, both:
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Allocated
Loss Adjustment Expenses: claims specific costs (such as legal, loss adjuster fees); and
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Unallocated
Loss Adjustment Expenses: other general expenses (such as the costs of maintaining the claims handling function).
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The
timing of our results depends in large part on the extent to which the development and settlement of claims and reinsurance recoveries
are consistent with the assumptions used to establish reserves. If expectations for and/or the actual cost of settlement increase
or the timing of reporting and/or settlement changes than we face the risk that the reserves in our financial statements may be
inadequate and need to be increased. In this event an increase in reserves would cause a reduction in our profitability and could
result in operating losses and a reduction of capital.
Reserves
are not an exact calculation of liability, but rather are estimates of the expected cost of settling claims. This process relies
on the assumption that past experience, adjusted for the effects of current developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate
basis for projecting future claims development. The estimates are based on actuarial and statistical projections of facts and
circumstances known at the time of the review, estimates of trends in claim frequency, severity and other variable factors, including
new bases of liability and general economic conditions. These variables can be affected by many factors, including internal and
external events, such as changes in claims handling procedures, economic inflation, foreign currency movements, legal trends,
legislative decisions and changes and the recognition of new sources of claims.
Potentially,
claims may emerge, particularly claims arising from changes in the legal and regulatory environment, the type or magnitude of
which we are unable to predict.
Reserves
for inward reinsurance may be subject to greater uncertainty than for insurance primarily because, as a reinsurer, we rely on
(i) the original underwriting decisions made by ceding companies and (ii) information and data provided by the ceding companies.
As a result, we are subject to the risk that our ceding companies may not have adequately evaluated the risks reinsured by us
and the premiums ceded may not adequately compensate us for the risks we assume. In addition, reinsurance reserves may be less
reliable than insurance reserves because of the greater scope of losses underlying reinsurance claims, limitations in the information
provided and the generally longer lapse of time from the occurrence of the event to the reporting of the loss to the reinsurer
and its settlement.
The
estimation of adequate reserves is more difficult and thus more uncertain for claims arising from “long-tail” policies,
under which claims may not be paid until substantially beyond the end of the policy term. The estimation of such liabilities is
subject to many complex variables, including the current legal environment, specific settlements that may be used as precedents
to settle future claims, assumptions regarding trends with respect to claim frequency and severity, issues of coverage and the
ability to locate defendants. Additional uncertainty also arises from the relative lack of development history, which limits the
scope of experience on which estimates are based. This is partially mitigated by the use of and monitoring against market benchmarks.
While
every effort is made to ensure we are reserved appropriately, changes in trends and other factors underlying our reserve estimates
could result in our reserves being inadequate. Because setting reserves is inherently uncertain we cannot provide assurance that
our current reserves will prove adequate considering subsequent events. If our loss reserves are determined to be inadequate,
we will be required to increase our reserves at the time with a corresponding reduction in our net income for that period. Such
adjustments could have a material adverse effect on our results and our financial condition.
There
is a degree of uncertainty and a high-risk environment for investment and business activities in certain countries in which we
operate.
Some
of the countries in which we operate or may operate in the future are in various stages of developing institutions and legal and
regulatory systems that are not yet as firmly established as they are in Western Europe and the U.S. Some of these countries are
also in the process of transitioning to a market economy and, as a result, are experiencing changes in their economies and their
government policies (including, without limitation, policies relating to foreign ownership, repatriation of profits, property
and contractual rights and planning and permit-granting regimes) that may affect our investments in these countries and may expose
us to the impact of political or economic upheaval, and we could be subject to unforeseen administrative or fiscal burdens.
The
procedural safeguards of the legal and regulatory regimes in these countries are still developing and, therefore, existing laws
and regulations may be applied inconsistently. Often, fundamental contract, property and corporate laws and regulatory regimes
have only recently become effective, which may result in ambiguities, inconsistencies and anomalies in their interpretation and
enforcement. In addition, legislation may often contemplate implementing regulations that have not yet been promulgated, leaving
substantial gaps in the regulatory infrastructure. All of these weaknesses could affect our ability to enforce contractual rights
or to defend ourselves against claims by others. Moreover, in certain circumstances, it may not be possible to obtain the legal
remedies provided under current laws and regulations in a timely manner, or at all. The independence of the judicial systems and
their immunity from economic, political and nationalistic influences in many of the countries in which we operate or may operate
in the future remain largely untested. Instability and uncertainties relating to the legal and regulatory environment in these
countries or other countries in which we may operate in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
We
are subject to various laws, regulations and rules relating to sanctions, the violation of which could adversely affect our operations.
It
is our policy not to underwrite any business directly in countries or for entities targeted under international sanctions of the
UK, the E.U., the United States (OFAC) or the United Nations. Over the past 5 years, we received de minimis revenues relating
to risks in Sudan, Cuba, Syria, Iran and North Korea. Our business in these countries has been compliant with the applicable sanctions
programs. While we have policies and procedures in place designed to ensure that we do not insure any activity that breaches applicable
international sanctions, there remains the risk of an inadvertent breach which may result in lengthy and costly investigations
followed by the imposition of fines or other penalties, any of which might have a material adverse effect on our financial condition
and results of operations. Our business has been affected by the imposition of sanctions in regions that previously were important
markets for us, such as Iran. To the extent that sanctions are imposed on any of our key markets, our business will be negatively
impacted.
We
are subject to various anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, regulations and rules, the violation of which could adversely
affect our operations.
Our
activities are subject to applicable money laundering regulations and anti-corruption laws in the jurisdictions where we operate,
including Bermuda, the UK and the European Union, among others. For example, we are subject to The Bribery Act 2016 of Bermuda
and the UK Bribery Act 2010, which, among other matters, generally prohibit corrupt payments or unreasonable gifts to foreign
governments or officials. We do business, and may continue to do business in the future, in countries and regions where governmental
corruption has been known to exist, and where we may face, directly or indirectly, corrupt demands by officials, or the risk of
unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of our employees, consultants, sponsors or agents. Although we have in place
systems and controls designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations (including continuing education and training programs),
there is a risk that those systems and controls will not always be effective to achieve full compliance, as those laws and regulations
are interpreted by the relevant authorities. Failure to accurately interpret or comply with or obtain appropriate authorizations
and/or exemptions under such laws or regulations could subject us to investigations, criminal sanctions or civil remedies, including
fines, injunctions, loss of an operating license, reputational consequences, and other sanctions, all of which could damage our
business or reputation. Such damage could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We
rely on brokers to source our business and our business may suffer should our relationship with brokers deteriorate.
We
market our insurance and reinsurance worldwide through insurance and reinsurance brokers. Brokers are independent of the insurers
they deal with. Our top 5 international brokers produced 59% of the gross written premiums of our underwriting operations for
the year ended December 31, 2018 and 64.7% for the year ended December 31, 2019. Loss of all or a substantial portion of the business
provided by one or more of these brokers could have a material adverse effect on our business. Due to the concentration of our
brokers, our brokers may have increasing power to dictate the terms and conditions of our arrangements with them, which could
have a negative impact on our business.
Maintaining
good relationships with the brokers from whom we source the policies we underwrite is integral to our positive financial performance.
Events could occur which may damage the relationship between us and a particular broker or broker group, which may result in that
broker or broker group being unwilling to do business with us. The failure, inability or unwillingness of brokers to do business
with us could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Some
of our competitors have higher financial strength ratings, offer a larger variety of products, set lower prices for insurance
coverage, offer higher commissions and/or have had longer term relationships with the brokers we use than we do. This may adversely
impact our ability to attract and retain brokers to sell our insurance products or brokers may increasingly promote products offered
by other companies. The failure or inability of brokers to market our insurance products successfully, or the loss of all or a
substantial portion of the business provided by these brokers, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
We
could be materially adversely affected to the extent that managing general agents, general agents and other producers exceed their
underwriting authority or if our agents, our insureds or other third parties commit fraud or otherwise breach obligations owed
to us.
For
certain business conducted by us, following our underwriting, financial, claims and information technology due diligence reviews,
we authorize managing general agents, general agents and other producers to write business on our behalf within underwriting authority
prescribed by us. We rely on the underwriting controls of these agents to write business within the underwriting authorities provided
by us. Although we have contractual protections in place in virtually all instances and we monitor such business on an ongoing
basis, our monitoring efforts may not be adequate or our agents may exceed their underwriting authority, commit fraud, or otherwise
breach obligations owed to us. To the extent that our agents, our insureds or other third parties exceed their underwriting authority,
commit fraud or otherwise breach obligations owed to us in the future, our financial condition and results of operations could
be materially adversely affected.
We
have a strong delegated authority risk management process established by the IGI UK board of directors and directly managed via
monthly meetings of its delegated authority committee which is attended by certain of our UK executive directors. In particular,
we carry out detailed due diligence on all new agents with regular reviews upon renewal, put in place strong contracts, conduct
regular on-site audits and monitor monthly reports from agents. All agents are required to carry errors and omissions insurance
which would respond in the event that these agents breach their delegated authority.
We
may be exposed to a series of claims for large losses in relation to uncorrelated events that occur at, or around, the same time,
which in the aggregate may result in a material adverse effect on our operations.
We
may be exposed to a series of claims for large losses in relation to uncorrelated and otherwise unrelated events which occur at,
or around, the same time. Some of the more significant examples of large, uncorrelated events are terrorist attacks, fires, explosions
or spills at a refinery, the collapse of a major office building, a series of simultaneous cyber-attacks, the collision of two
ships, an explosion in a port and the loss of an airplane.
These
risks are inherently unpredictable. It is difficult to predict the frequency of events of this nature and to estimate the amount
of loss that any given occurrence will generate. Some of these large losses may also have the potential for exposure across multiple
lines of business. While no such claims may be material to us, in the aggregate they may result in us having to recognize significant
losses in a single reporting period, which could have a material adverse effect on our capital position, results of operations
and financial condition in that particular reporting period. It is also possible that such losses could exceed the reinstatement
capacity of our reinsurance coverage, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
The
availability of reinsurance, retrocessional coverage, and capital market transactions to limit our exposure to risks may be limited
which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
As
is common practice within the insurance industry, we transfer a portion of the risks insured under our policies to other companies
through the purchase of reinsurance. This reinsurance is maintained to protect the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries against
the severity of losses on individual claims, an unusual series of which can produce an aggregate extraordinary loss. Although
reinsurance does not discharge our subsidiaries from their primary obligation to pay for losses insured under the policies they
issue, reinsurance does make the assuming reinsurer liable to the insurance subsidiaries for the reinsured portion of the risk.
Our
reinsurance program uses various methods, such as proportional, non-proportional and facultative reinsurance, to mitigate risks
across our underwriting portfolio, in return for which we cede to third party reinsurers a certain percentage of our GWP in any
given year. That percentage was 33% in the year ended December 31, 2018 and 28% in the year ended December 31, 2019. The program
is finite and absolute in the protection offered, meaning that events outside of its scope would not be covered, and does not
offer unlimited protection against highly extreme but improbable events.
Our
reinsurance program is purchased annually, with elements of the program expiring throughout the year. The amount of coverage purchased
is determined by our risk appetite and underlying exposure base together with the price, quality and availability of such coverage.
Coverage purchased for one year will not necessarily conform to purchases for another year, which may result in variation as to
the extent of the coverage year-on-year, even though some policies we issue are multi-year policies. In addition, reinsurance
cessation and commencement terms, timing and cost could leave us with an exposure where intended reinsurance protection is either
omitted or only partially effective. One or more of our reinsurers could become insolvent, which could cause a portion of our
reinsurance protection to become ineffective. In addition, reinsurers may not always honor their commitments or we may have disagreements
with reinsurers with respect to the extent of their obligations, which could result in our having greater exposure than anticipated.
A failure by reinsurers to cover their portion of our liabilities, and/or disputes with reinsurers over the extent or applicability
of their obligations to us, could depending on the amounts involved have a material adverse effect on our results of operations
and business.
The
availability and cost of reinsurance protection is subject to market conditions, which are beyond our control. Economic conditions
could have a material impact on our ability to manage our risk aggregations through reinsurance or capital markets transactions.
As a result of such market conditions and other factors, we may not be able to successfully mitigate risk through reinsurance
and retrocessional arrangements. There is no guarantee that our desired amounts of reinsurance or retrocessional reinsurance will
be available in the marketplace in the future. In addition to capacity risk, the remaining capacity may not be on terms we deem
appropriate or acceptable or with companies with whom we want to do business.
If
the reinsurance industry were to suffer future substantial losses, the effect could be to limit the availability of appropriate
or acceptable reinsurance coverage for us, which in the event of losses in our risk portfolio could have a material adverse effect
on our financial condition and results of operations.
For
a discussion of certain ongoing disputes with reinsurers, see Note 25 to IGI’s consolidated financial statements included
elsewhere in this annual report.
We
may be faced with a liquidity shortfall following a large loss or a series of large losses due to the settlement of claims prior
to the receipt of monies due under outwards reinsurance arrangements.
As
with all insurance companies, we use our liquidity to fund our insurance and reinsurance obligations, which may include large
and unpredictable claims (including catastrophe claims). While we seek to manage carefully our exposure to catastrophe risk and
while we have a liquidity policy which seeks to ensure sufficient liquidity to withstand claim scenarios at the extreme end of
the business plan projections by reference to actual losses in relation to catastrophe events may differ materially from the losses
that we estimate, given the significant uncertainties with respect to the estimates and the unpredictable nature of catastrophes.
In such scenarios, we may be faced with a shortfall where we are required to settle claims arising under insurance contracts or
where we are required to increase the amount of resources required to be held. In such scenarios, we may be required to (a) liquidate
investments (including some of our less liquid investments), which may be constrained as a consequence of macroeconomic conditions
beyond our control or (b) delay or vary the implementation of our strategic plans so as to maintain appropriate liquidity. Any
of the foregoing may affect the amount of business that we can write, as well as our revenue and profitability.
If
our risk management and loss mitigation methods fail to adequately manage our exposure to losses, the losses we incur could be
materially higher than our expectations and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
We
historically have sought and will continue to seek to manage our exposure to insurance and reinsurance losses through a number
of loss limitation methods, including internal risk management procedures, writing a number of our inwards reinsurance contracts
on an excess of loss basis, enforcement and oversight of our underwriting processes, outwards reinsurance protection, adhering
to maximum limitations on policies whether written on a proportional, first loss, Excess of Loss (XOL) or Possible Maximum Loss
(PML) Maximum Foreseeable Loss (MFL) basis, written in defined geographical zones, limiting program size for each client, establishing
per risk and per occurrence limitations for each event, employing coverage restrictions and following prudent underwriting guidelines
for each program written.
We
also seek to limit our loss exposure through geographic diversification. Geographic zone limitations involve significant underwriting
judgments, including the determination of the area of the zones and the inclusion of a particular policy within a particular zone’s
limits. In addition, various provisions contained in our insurance policies and reinsurance contracts, such as limitations or
exclusions from coverage or choice of forum clauses negotiated to limit our risks, may not be enforceable in the manner we intend,
as it is possible that a court or regulatory authority could nullify or void an exclusion or limitation, or legislation could
be enacted modifying or barring the use of these exclusions and limitations. We cannot be sure that these loss limitation methods
will effectively prevent a material loss exposure which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial
condition.
Underwriting
is a matter of judgment, involving assumptions about matters that are inherently unpredictable and beyond our control, and for
which historical experience and probability analysis may not provide sufficient guidance. Many of our methods of managing risk
and exposures are based upon observed historical market behavior and statistic-based historical models. As a result, these methods
may not predict future exposures, which could be significantly greater than historical measures indicate. Other risk management
methods depend on the evaluation of information regarding markets, policyholders or other matters that are publicly available
or otherwise accessible to us. This information may not always be accurate, complete, up-to-date or properly evaluated. For example,
much of the information that we enter into our risk modelling software is based on third party data that we do not control, and
estimates and assumptions that are dependent on many variables, such as assumptions about loss adjustment expenses, insurance-to-value
and post-event loss amplification (the temporary local inflation of costs for building materials and labor resulting from increased
demand for rebuilding services in the aftermath of a catastrophe). Accordingly, if the estimates and assumptions that we enter
into our risk models are incorrect, or if such models prove to be an inaccurate forecasting tool, the losses we might incur from
an actual catastrophe could be materially higher than our expectation of losses generated from modelled catastrophe scenarios,
and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We
also seek to manage our loss exposure through loss limitation provisions in the policies we issue to customers, such as limitations
on the amount of losses that can be claimed under a policy, limitations or exclusions from coverage and provisions relating to
choice of forum. These contractual provisions may not be enforceable in the manner that we expect or disputes relating to coverage
may not be resolved in our favor. If the loss limitation provisions in our policies are not enforceable or disputes arise concerning
the application of such provisions, the losses we might incur from a catastrophic event could be materially higher than our expectations
and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
In
relation to catastrophe risk, we monitor and control the accumulation of risk for a large number of realistic disaster scenario
events. There are specific scenarios for natural, man-made and economic disasters, and for different business lines. The assumptions
made in such scenarios may not be an accurate guide to actual losses that ultimately are incurred in respect of a particular catastrophe.
No
assurances can be made that these loss limitation methods will be effective and mitigate our loss exposure. One or more catastrophic
events, other loss events, or severe economic events could result in claims that substantially exceed our expectations, or the
protections set forth in our policies could be voided, which, in either case, could have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition or results of operations, possibly to the extent of reducing or eliminating shareholders’ equity.
A
significant amount of our assets are invested in fixed maturity securities and are subject to market fluctuations.
Our
investment portfolio includes a substantial amount of fixed maturity securities. As of December 31, 2019, our investment in fixed
maturity securities was approximately $211.5 million, or 35% of our total investment and cash portfolio, including cash and cash
equivalents. As of that date, our portfolio of fixed maturity securities consisted of corporate securities (80%) and government
securities (20%).
The
fair value of these assets and the investment income from these assets fluctuate depending on general economic and market conditions.
The fair value of fixed maturity securities generally decreases as interest rates rise. If significant inflation or an increase
in interest rates were to occur, the fair value of our fixed maturity securities would be negatively impacted. Conversely, if
interest rates decline, investment income earned from future investments in fixed maturity securities will be lower. Some fixed
maturity securities, such as mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, also carry prepayment risk as a result of interest
rate fluctuations. Additionally, given the low interest rate environment, we may not be able to successfully reinvest the proceeds
from maturing securities at yields commensurate with our target performance goals.
The
value of investments in fixed maturity securities is subject to impairment as a result of deterioration in the credit worthiness
of the issuer, default by the issuer (including states and municipalities) in the performance of its obligations in respect of
the securities and/or increases in market interest rates. To a large degree, the credit risk we face is a function of the economy;
accordingly, we face a greater risk in an economic downturn or recession. During periods of market disruption, it may be difficult
to value certain of our securities, particularly if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable.
There may be certain asset classes that were acquired in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid
due to the current financial environment. In such cases, more securities may require additional subjectivity and management judgment.
Although
the historical rates of default on state and municipal securities have been relatively low, our state and municipal fixed maturity
securities could be subject to a higher risk of default or impairment due to declining municipal tax bases and revenue. Many states
and municipalities operate under deficits or projected deficits, the severity and duration of which could have an adverse impact
on both the valuation of our state and municipal fixed maturity securities and the issuer’s ability to perform its obligations
thereunder. Additionally, our investments are subject to losses as a result of a general decrease in commercial and economic activity
for an industry sector in which we invest, as well as risks inherent in particular securities.
Although
we attempt to manage these risks through the use of investment guidelines and other oversight mechanisms and by diversifying our
portfolio and emphasizing preservation of principal, our efforts may not be successful. Impairments, defaults and/or rate increases
could reduce our net investment income and net realized investment gains or result in investment losses. Investment returns are
currently, and will likely continue to remain, under pressure due to the continued low inflation, actions by the Federal Reserve,
economic uncertainty, more generally, and the shape of the yield curve. As a result, our exposure to the risks described above
could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Losses
on our investments may reduce our overall capital and profitability.
Our
invested assets include a substantial amount of interest rate and credit sensitive instruments such as corporate debt securities.
Fluctuations in interest rates may affect our future returns on such investments, as well as the market values of, and corresponding
levels of capital gains or losses on, such investments. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental
monetary policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions and other factors beyond our control. A decline
in interest rates improves the market value of existing instruments but reduces returns available on new investments, thereby
negatively impacting our future investment returns. Conversely, rising interest rates reduce the market value of existing investments
but should positively impact our future investment returns. During periods of declining market interest rates, we could be forced
to reinvest the cash we receive as interest or return of principal on our investments in lower-yielding instruments. Issuers of
fixed income securities could also decide to redeem such securities early in order to borrow at lower market rates, which would
increase the percentage of our investment portfolio that we would have to reinvest in lower-yielding investments of comparable
credit quality or in lower credit quality investments offering similar yields. Given current low interest rate levels, in the
future we are likely to be subject to the effects of potentially increasing rates. Although we attempt to manage the risks of
investing in a changing interest rate environment, we might not be able to mitigate interest rate sensitivity completely, and
a significant or prolonged increase or decrease in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations
or financial condition.
We
are exposed to counterparty risk in relation to our investments, including holdings of debt instruments to which we are a party.
In particular, our business could suffer significant losses due to defaults on corporate bonds and ratings downgrades.
Furthermore,
as a result of holding debt securities, we are exposed to changes in credit spreads. Widening credit spreads could result in a
reduction in the value of fixed income securities that we hold but increase investment income related to purchases of new fixed
income securities, whereas tightening of credit spreads will generally increase the value of fixed income securities at higher
yields that we hold but decrease investment income generated through purchases of any new fixed income securities.
We
also hold equity securities. Equity investments are subject to volatility in prices based on market movements, which can impact
the gains that can be achieved. We periodically adjust the accounting book values of our investment portfolio (“mark-to-market”)
which could result in increased volatility and uncertainty surrounding reported profits and net asset values at any point in time.
We
also invest to a limited extent in real estate in Jordan and Lebanon. Real estate is subject to price volatility as a result of
interest rate movements and general market conditions, which can impact the value of the real estate portfolio and the rent chargeable
to tenants.
Moreover,
a major loss, series of losses or reduction in premium income could result in a sustained cash outflow requiring early realization,
which may involve selling a portion of our investments into a depressed market, which could decrease our returns from investments
and strain our capital position.
Furthermore,
challenging market conditions are likely to make our assets less liquid, particularly affecting those assets which are by their
nature already inherently less liquid. If, in such conditions, we require significant amounts of cash on short notice in excess
of normal cash requirements (for example, to meet higher-than-anticipated claims) or are required to post or return collateral
in connection with certain of our reinsurance contracts, credit agreements or invested portfolio, we may have difficulty selling
any of our less liquid investments in a timely manner, or may be forced to sell them for less than we otherwise would have been
able to realize if sold in other circumstances.
Market
volatility, changes in interest rates, changes in credit spreads and defaults, a lack of pricing transparency, market illiquidity,
declines in equity prices, and foreign currency movements, alone or in combination, could have a material adverse effect on our
results of operations and financial condition through realized losses, impairments or changes in unrealized positions. Although
we attempt to protect our investment portfolio against the foregoing risks, we cannot ensure that such measures will be effective.
In addition, a decrease in the value of our investments may result in a reduction in overall capital, which may have a material
adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.
Our
results of operations, liabilities and investment portfolio may be materially affected by conditions affecting the level of interest
rates in the global capital markets and major economies, such as central bank policies on interest rates and the rate of inflation.
As
a global insurance and reinsurance company, we are affected by the monetary policies of the Bank of England, the European Central
Bank, the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal System and other central banks around the world. Since the financial crisis of
2007 and 2008, these central banks have taken a number of actions to spur economic activity, such as keeping target interest rates
low and supporting the prices of financial assets through “quantitative easing”. Unconventional monetary policy from
the major central banks, and reversal of such policies, and moderate global economic growth remain key uncertainties for markets
and our business.
Our
exposure to interest rate risk relates primarily to the market price and yield variability of outstanding fixed income instruments
that are associated with changes in prevailing interest rates. Our investment portfolio contains interest rate-sensitive instruments,
such as fixed income securities which have been, and will likely continue to be, affected by variations in the level of interest
rates, whether due to changes in central bank monetary policies, domestic and international fiscal policies as well as more general
economic and political conditions, resulting levels of inflation and other factors beyond our control.
Interest
rates are highly sensitive to the foregoing factors. For example, inflation could lead to higher interest rates and falling fixed
income prices, causing the current unrealized gain position in our fixed income portfolio to decrease. As a result of the interest
rate environment, we have diversified our investment portfolio by investing in a real estate fund and in emerging market debt
to enhance the returns on our investment portfolio. However, these assets are riskier in nature, with potentially greater volatility
based upon changes in economic factors.
Steps
that may be taken by central banks to raise interest rates in the future in order to combat inflation could, in turn, lead to
an increase in our loss costs. Changes in the level of inflation also could result in an increased level of uncertainty in our
estimation of loss reserves for our specialty long-tail segment lines of business. As a result of the above factors, our business,
financial condition, liquidity or operating results could be adversely affected.
The
determination of the amount of allowances and impairments taken on our investments which are held at cost involves the estimation
of uncertainties which, if they turn out to be incorrect, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and
financial condition.
We
perform reviews of our investments annually or whenever there is an indication of impairment in order to determine whether declines
in fair value below the cost basis are considered significant or prolonged declines in the fair value below cost regarding the
recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments. The process of determining whether a security is other-than-temporarily
impaired requires judgment and involves analyzing many factors. Assessing the accuracy of the level of impairments taken, and
allowances reflected, in our financial statements is inherently uncertain given the subjective nature of the process. Furthermore,
additional impairments may need to be taken or allowances provided in the future with respect to events that may impact specific
investments. The determination of impairments taken on our intangible assets and loans varies by type of asset and is based upon
our periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the respective asset class.
Intangible
assets are originally recorded at fair value. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment at least annually or more frequently
if indicators are present and assessments are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available. Management updates
its evaluations regularly and reflects impairments in operations as such evaluations are revised. Intangible asset impairment
charges can result from declines in operating results, divestitures or sustained market capitalization declines and other factors.
Impairment charges could materially affect our financial results in the period in which they are recognized. There can be no assurance
that our management has accurately assessed the level of impairments taken in our financial statements. Furthermore, management
may determine that impairments are needed in future periods and any such impairment will be recorded in the period in which it
occurs, which could materially impact our financial position or results of operations. While historically our other-than-temporary
impairments have not been material, historical trends may not be indicative of future impairments or allowances. As of December
31, 2019, intangible assets represented approximately 1.2% of shareholders’ equity. We continue to monitor relevant internal
and external factors and their potential impact on the fair value of our reportable segments, and if required, we will update
our impairment analysis.
We
cannot guarantee that our reinsurers will pay in a timely fashion, if at all, and, as a result, we could experience losses.
We
purchase reinsurance by transferring part of the risk that have assumed, known as ceding, to a reinsurance company in exchange
for part of the premium we receive in connection with the risk. Although reinsurance makes the reinsurer contractually liable
to us to the extent the risk is transferred or ceded to the reinsurer, it does not relieve us, the reinsured, of our liability
to our policyholders. Our reinsurers may not pay the recoverable reinsurance that they owe to us or they may not pay such recoverables
on a timely basis. Accordingly, we bear credit risk with respect to our reinsurers, and if our reinsurers fail to pay us, our
financial results would be adversely affected. Underwriting results and investment returns of some of our reinsurers may affect
their future ability to pay claims. In addition, from time to time we engage in disputes with reinsurers regarding their contractual
obligations, which may involve arbitration or litigation and could involve amounts that are material. As of December 31, 2019,
the amount owed to us from our reinsurers for paid claims was approximately $36.5 million. For a discussion of certain ongoing
disputes with reinsurers, see Note 25 to IGI’s consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.
Our
operating subsidiaries are rated and a decline in any of these ratings could adversely affect our standing among brokers and customers
and cause our premiums and earnings to decrease.
Ratings
have become an increasingly important factor in establishing the competitive position of insurance and reinsurance companies.
Rating agencies represent independent opinions of the financial strength of insurers and reinsurers and their ability to meet
policyholder obligations. We currently hold financial strength ratings assigned by third party rating agencies which assess and
rate the claims paying ability and financial strength of insurers and reinsurers. The ratings of our operating subsidiaries are
subject to periodic review by, and may be placed on credit watch, revised downward or revoked at the sole discretion of A.M. Best
Inc. or S&P. We currently hold a stable outlook rating of “A (Excellent)” from A.M. Best Inc. (upgraded on September
5, 2019) and a stable outlook rating of “A-” from S&P (affirmed on August 22, 2019).
If
the ratings of our operating subsidiaries are reduced from their current levels by A.M. Best Inc. or S&P, our competitive
position in the insurance industry might suffer and it might be more difficult for us to market our products, expand our insurance
and reinsurance portfolio and renew our existing insurance and reinsurance policies and agreements. A downgrade may also require
us to establish trusts or post letters of credit for ceding company clients and could trigger provisions allowing some clients
to terminate their insurance and reinsurance contracts with us. Some contracts also provide for the return of the premium for
the unexpired periods to the ceding client in the event of a rating downgrade. It is increasingly common for our reinsurance contracts
to contain such terms. A significant downgrade could result in a substantial loss of business as ceding companies and brokers
that place such business move to other reinsurers with higher claims-paying and financial strength ratings and therefore could
have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
A.M.
Best and S&P periodically review our ratings and may revise them downward or revoke them at their sole discretion based primarily
on their analysis of our balance sheet strength (including capital adequacy and claims and claim adjustment expense reserve adequacy),
operating performance and business profile. Factors that could affect such an analysis include but are not limited to:
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if
we change our business practices from our organizational business plan in a manner that no longer supports our ratings;
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if
unfavorable financial, regulatory or market trends affect us, including excess market capacity;
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if
our losses exceed our loss reserves;
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if
we have unresolved issues with government regulators;
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if
we are unable to retain our senior management or other key personnel;
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if
a rating agency has concerns with the quality of our risk management;
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if
our investment portfolio incurs significant losses; or
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if
the rating agencies alter their capital adequacy assessment methodology in a manner that would adversely affect our ratings.
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These
and other factors could result in a downgrade of our ratings. A downgrade of our ratings could cause our current and future brokers
and agents, retail brokers and insureds to choose other, more highly-rated competitors. A downgrade of our ratings could also
increase the cost or reduce the availability of reinsurance to us, increase collateral required for our assumed reinsurance business,
or trigger termination of assumed and/or ceded reinsurance contracts. A downgrade could also adversely limit our access to the
capital markets, which may increase the cost of debt.
In
addition, in view of the earnings and capital pressures recently experienced by many financial institutions, including insurance
companies, it is possible that rating organizations will heighten the level of scrutiny that they apply to such institutions,
will increase the frequency and scope of their credit reviews, will request additional information from the companies that they
rate and may increase the capital and other requirements employed in the rating organizations’ models for maintenance of
certain ratings levels. It is possible that such reviews of the Company may result in adverse ratings consequences, which could
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. A downgrade or withdrawal of any rating could
severely limit or prevent us from writing new and renewal insurance or reinsurance contracts.
The
risk associated with underwriting treaty reinsurance business could adversely affect us.
Like
other reinsurers, our reinsurance group does not separately evaluate each of the individual risks assumed under reinsurance treaties.
Therefore, we are largely dependent on the original underwriting decisions made by ceding companies. We are subject to the risk
that the ceding companies may not have adequately evaluated the risks to be reinsured and that the premiums ceded may not adequately
compensate us for the risks we assume.
Consistent
with market practice, much of our treaty reinsurance business allows the ceding company to terminate the contract below a certain
threshold. Whether a cedent would exercise any of these rights could depend on various factors, such as the reason for and extent
of such downgrade, the prevailing market conditions and the pricing and availability of replacement reinsurance coverage. We cannot
predict to what extent these contractual rights would be exercised, if at all, or what effect this would have on our financial
condition or future operations, but the effect could be material.
Loss
of business reputation or negative publicity could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
We
are vulnerable to adverse market perception because we operate in an industry where integrity and customer trust and confidence
are paramount. In addition, any negative publicity (whether accurate or inaccurate) associated with our business or operations
could result in a loss of clients and/or business and could result in decreased demand. We also may be negatively impacted if
competitors in one or more of our markets engage in practices resulting in increased public attention to our business. Accordingly,
any mismanagement, fraud or failure to satisfy fiduciary responsibilities, or the negative publicity resulting from these or other
activities or any allegation of such activities, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
These factors may further increase our costs of doing business and adversely affect our profitability by impeding our ability
to market our products and services, requiring us to change our products or services or by increasing the regulatory burdens under
which we operate.
A
failure in or damage to our operational systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties, could disrupt our businesses and
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our
business is highly dependent on our ability to process, on a daily basis, a large number of transactions across numerous and diverse
markets in many currencies. In particular, we rely on the ability of our employees, our internal systems and systems operated
by third parties on behalf of the London insurance market, including technology centers, to process a high volume of transactions.
As our client base and geographical reach expands, developing and maintaining our operational systems and infrastructure requires
continuing investment. Our financial, accounting, data processing and other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate
properly or become disabled as a result of events that are wholly or partially beyond our control, adversely affecting our ability
to process these transactions or provide these services.
In
addition, our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other information in our
computer systems and networks. We rely on these systems for critical elements of our business processes, including, for example,
entry and retrieval of individual risk details, premium and claims processing, monitoring aggregate exposures and financial and
regulatory reporting. Although we take industry standard protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant,
our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code
and other events that could have a security impact.
We
routinely transmit and receive personal, confidential and proprietary information by email and other electronic means. We have
discussed and worked with clients, vendors, service providers, counterparties and other third parties to develop secure transmission
capabilities, but we do not have, and may be unable to put in place, secure capabilities with all of our clients, counterparties
and other third parties and we may not be able to ensure that these third parties have appropriate controls in place to protect
the confidentiality of the information. An interception, misuse or mishandling of personal, confidential or proprietary information
being sent to or received from a client, counterparty or other third party could result in legal liability and/or regulatory action
(including, without limitation, under data protection and privacy laws and standards) and reputational harm.
If
one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize our or our clients’ or counterparties’ confidential
and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions
or malfunctions in our, our clients’, our counterparties’ or third parties’ operations, which could result in
significant losses or reputational damage. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective
measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial
losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by us. Any expansion of existing
or new laws and regulations regarding data protection could further increase our liability should protected data be mishandled
or misused.
While
we maintain a disaster recovery database and are currently implementing a real-time disaster recovery system, we operate from
premises and in markets that may be affected by acts of terrorism or nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological exposure, as
well as effects resulting from the novel coronavirus global pandemic. Such actions may be uninsurable and, were they to occur
in our premises or those of third parties with or through which we conduct our business, it could prevent us from carrying on
that business, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We
have outsourced certain technology and business process functions to third parties and may continue to do so in the future. Our
outsourcing of certain technology and business process functions to third parties may expose us to increased risk related to data
security, service disruptions or the effectiveness of our control system, which could result in monetary and reputational damage
or harm to our competitive position. These risks could grow as vendors increasingly offer cloud-based software services rather
than software services which can be run within our data centers.
Any
of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We
could be adversely affected by the loss of one or more key employees or by an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel,
which could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations, or ability to realize our strategic business plan.
Our
success has depended and will continue to depend on the continued services and continuing contributions of our underwriters, management
and other key personnel and our ability to continue to attract, motivate and retain the services of qualified personnel. While
we have entered into employment contracts or letters of appointment with such key personnel, the retention of their services cannot
be guaranteed. We may also encounter unforeseen difficulties associated with the transition of members of our senior management
team to new or expanded roles necessary to execute our strategic and tactical plans from time to time.
The
pool of talent from which we actively recruit is limited. Although, to date, we have not experienced difficulties in attracting
and retaining key personnel, the inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our
financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our underwriting staff is critical to our success in the production
of business. While we do not consider any of our key executive officers or underwriters to be irreplaceable, the loss of the services
of key executive officers or underwriters or the inability to hire and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future could
delay or prevent us from fully implementing our business strategy which could affect our financial performance.
Special
considerations apply to our Bermuda operations. Under Bermuda law, non-Bermudians, other than spouses of Bermudians and individuals
holding permanent or working resident certificates, are not permitted to engage in any gainful occupation in Bermuda without a
work permit issued by the Bermuda government. A work permit is only granted or extended if the employer can show that, after a
proper public advertisement, no Bermudian, spouse of a Bermudian or individual holding a permanent or working resident certificate
is available who meets the minimum standards reasonably required for the position. The Bermuda government places a six-year term
limit on individuals with work permits, subject to specified exemptions for persons deemed to be key employees of businesses with
a significant physical presence in Bermuda.
Offices
in other jurisdictions, such as Dubai, may have residency and other mandatory requirements that affect the composition of our
local boards of directors, executive teams and choice of third party service providers. Due to the competition for available talent
in such jurisdictions, we may not be able to attract and retain personnel as required by our business plans, which could disrupt
operations and adversely affect our financial performance.
Our
success will depend in part upon our continuing ability to recruit and retain employees of suitable skill and experience, and
we may find that we are not able to recruit sufficient or qualified staff, or that the individuals that we would like to recruit
will not be able to obtain the necessary work permits if required or that we will not be able to retain such staff. The loss of
the services of one, or some of, the underwriters, management or other key personnel or the inability to recruit and retain staff
of suitable quality could adversely affect our ability to continue to conduct our business, which could have a material adverse
effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Changes
in employment laws, taxation and acceptable compensation practice may limit our ability to attract senior employees to our current
operating platforms.
Our
business and operations are, by their nature, international and we compete for senior employees on a global basis. Changes in
local employment legislation, taxation and the approach of regulatory bodies to compensation practices within our operating jurisdictions
may impact our ability to recruit or retain senior employees or the cost to us of doing so. Any failure to retain senior employees
may adversely affect the strategic growth of our business and operating results.
We
enter into various contractual arrangements with third parties generally, including brokers, insurance, reinsurance and financing
arrangements; any deterioration in the creditworthiness of, defaults by, commingling of funds by, or reputational issues related
to, counterparties or other third parties with whom we transact business could adversely impact our financial condition and results
of operations.
We
are exposed to credit risk relating to policyholders, independent agents and brokers. For example, our policyholders, independent
agents or brokers may not pay a part of or the full amount of premiums owed to us, and our brokers or other third party claim
administrators may not deliver amounts owed on claims under our insurance and reinsurance contracts for which we have provided
funds. If the counterparties or other third parties with whom we transact business default or fail to meet their payment obligations,
it could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. If the counterparties or other third parties
with whom we transact business experience reputational issues, they may in turn cause other counterparties, third parties or customers
to question our reputation in respect of choosing to enter into contractual arrangements with such counterparties.
As
credit risk is generally a function of the economy, we face a greater credit risk in an economic downturn. While we attempt to
manage credit risks through underwriting guidelines, collateral requirements and other oversight mechanisms, our efforts may not
be successful. For example, to reduce such credit risk, we may require certain third parties to post collateral for some or all
of their obligations to us. In cases where we receive pledged securities and the applicable counterparty is unable to honor its
obligations, we may be exposed to credit risk on the securities pledged and/or the risk that our access to that collateral may
be stayed as a result of bankruptcy. In cases where we receive letters of credit from banks as collateral and one of our counterparties
is unable to honor its obligations, we are exposed to the credit risk of the banks that issued the letters of credit. During 2019,
no third parties were required to post collateral for our benefit.
Brokers
present a credit risk to us. We will pay amounts owed on valid claims under our insurance and reinsurance contracts to brokers,
and these brokers, in turn, will pay these amounts over to the clients making the claim under the policy underwritten by us. If
a broker fails to make such a payment, it is possible that we will be liable to the client for the deficiency in a particular
jurisdiction because of local laws or contractual obligations under the applicable Terms of Business Agreement in place and settlement
terms and conditions as set out in the relevant contract. Likewise, in certain jurisdictions, when the insured or ceding insurer
pays premiums for these policies to brokers for payment over to us, these premiums might be considered to have been paid and the
insured or ceding insurer will no longer be liable to us for those amounts only where the broker was appointed as our agent under
the applicable Terms of Business Agreement in place and underlined terms and conditions as set out in the relevant contract, whether
or not we have actually received the premiums from the broker, while leaving us at risk in respect of the underlying policy. These
risks are heightened during periods characterized by financial market instability and/or an economic downturn or recession. Consequently,
we assume a degree of credit risk associated with our brokers. We have experienced some losses related to this credit risk in
the past.
In
addition, brokers generally are entitled to commingle payments made by, or owing to, us, with their other client monies. These
commingled funds owing to us could then be claimed by other creditors or otherwise disposed of, which could prevent us from recovering
the amount due to it. However, the majority of insurance policies have Premium Payment Warranties that enable us to cancel coverage
in case of non-payment of premiums. Of the brokers with whom we transact business, as of December 31, 2019, 85% were located in
the UK, 3% were located elsewhere in Europe, 11% were located in the MENA region, Africa or Asia, the majority of which were from
subsidiaries of UK brokers, and 1% were located in North, South and Central America.
Our
operating results may be adversely affected by the failure of policyholders, brokers or other intermediaries to honor their payment
obligations.
In
accordance with industry practice, we generally pay amounts owed on claims under our insurance and reinsurance contracts to brokers
and these brokers, in turn, pay these amounts to the clients that purchased insurance and reinsurance from us. In some jurisdictions
where we write a significant amount of business, depending on whether the broker is our agent or the client’s agent, if
a broker fails to make such a payment it is highly likely that we will be liable to the client for the deficiency because of local
laws or contractual obligations. Likewise, when the client pays premiums for policies to brokers for payment to us, these premiums
are generally considered to have been paid and, in most cases, the client will no longer be liable to us for those amounts whether
or not we have actually received the premiums. Consequently, we assume a degree of credit risk associated with brokers with respect
to most of our (re)insurance business.
In
addition, bankruptcy, liquidity problems, distressed financial conditions or the general effects of economic recession may increase
the risk that policyholders may not pay a part of, or the full amount of, premiums owed to us despite an obligation to do so.
While a majority of our policies include a premium payment warranty, it is possible that some policies may not permit us to cancel
our insurance even if we have not received payment. If non-payment becomes widespread, whether as a result of bankruptcy, lack
of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, delay due to litigation, bad faith and fraud or other events,
it could have a material adverse impact on our business and operating results.
Our
liquidity and counterparty risk exposures may be adversely affected by the impairment of financial institutions.
We
routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial
banks, investment banks and other institutions. We are exposed to the risk that these counterparties are unable to make payments
or provide collateral to a third party when required, or that securities that we own are required to be sold at a loss in order
to meet liquidity, collateral or other payment requirements. In addition, our investments in various fixed income securities issued
by financial institutions expose us to credit risk in the event of default by these issuers. With respect to derivatives transactions
that require exchange of collateral, due to mark to market movements, our risk may be exacerbated in the event of default by a
counterparty. Any such losses could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. In such an event, we may
not receive the collateral due to us from the defaulted counterparty.
We
are exposed to credit risk in certain of our business operations.
In
addition to exposure to credit risk related to our investment portfolio, and reliance on brokers and other agents, we are subject
to credit risk with respect to our reinsurance because the ceding of risk to reinsurers and retrocessionaires does not relieve
us of our liability to the clients or companies we insure or reinsure. Our reinsurers may not pay the reinsurance recoverables
that they owe to us or they may not pay such recoverables on a timely basis. The collectability of reinsurance is subject to the
solvency of the reinsurers, interpretation and application of contract language and other factors. We are selective in regard
to our reinsurers, placing reinsurance with those reinsurers with stronger financial strength ratings from A.M. Best or S&P,
a sovereign rating or a combination thereof. Despite strong ratings, the financial condition of a reinsurer may change based on
market conditions. In certain instances, we may also require assets in trust, letters of credit or other acceptable collateral
to support balances due. However, there is no certainty that we can collect on these collateral agreements in the event of a reinsurer’s
default.
Additionally,
we write retrospectively rated policies (i.e., policies in which premiums are adjusted after the policy period based on the actual
loss experience of the policyholder during the policy period). In this instance, we are exposed to credit risk to the extent the
adjusted premium is greater than the original premium. Although we have not experienced any material credit losses to date, an
increased inability of our policyholders to meet their obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition and results of operations.
Although
we have not experienced any material credit losses to date, an inability of our reinsurers or retrocessionaires to meet their
obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our losses for a
given event or occurrence may increase if our reinsurers or retrocessionaires dispute or fail to meet their obligations to us
or the reinsurance protections purchased by us are exhausted or are otherwise unavailable for any reason. Our failure to establish
adequate reinsurance arrangements or the failure of our existing reinsurance arrangements to protect us from overly concentrated
risk exposure could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We
may be forced to retain a higher proportion of risks than we would otherwise prefer, incur additional expense, or purchase reinsurance
from companies with a higher credit risk or we may underwrite fewer or smaller contracts or seek alternatives such as, for example,
risk transfer to capital markets. Any of these factors could negatively impact our financial performance.
We
may not be able to raise capital in the long term on favorable terms or at all.
Each
of our regulated underwriting entities is required to meet stipulated regulatory capital requirements. These include capital requirements
imposed by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority and the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
While
the specific regulatory capital requirements vary between jurisdictions, under applicable regulatory regimes, required capital
can be impacted by items such as line of business mix, product type, underwriting premium volume and reserves. The regulatory
capital requirements that we may have to comply with are subject to change due to factors beyond our control. In general, regulatory
capital requirements are expected to evolve over time as regulators continue to respond to demands for tighter controls over financial
institutions, and the expectation is that these requirements will only become more stringent.
An
inability to meet applicable regulatory capital requirements in the longer term due to factors beyond our control may lead to
intervention by a relevant regulator which, in the interests of customer security, may require us to take steps to restore regulatory
capital to acceptable levels, potentially by requiring us to raise additional funds through financings or to reduce or cease to
write new business. To the extent we are required to raise additional external funding in the longer term, macroeconomic factors
could impact our ability to access the capital markets and the bank funding market and the ability of counterparties to meet their
obligations to us.
To
the extent that cash flows generated by our operations are insufficient to fund future operating requirements, or that our capital
position is adversely impacted by a decline in the fair value of our investment portfolio, losses from catastrophic events or
otherwise, we may need to raise additional funds through financings or curtail our growth. Any further equity or debt financings,
or capacity needed for letters of credit, if available at all, may be on terms that are unfavorable to us. Our ability to raise
such capital successfully would depend upon the facts and circumstances at the time, including our financial position and operating
results, market conditions, and applicable legal issues. If we are unable to obtain adequate capital when needed, our business,
results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected. We also may be required to liquidate fixed maturities
or equity securities, which may result in realized investment losses.
Our
access to capital may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating agencies take negative actions against us. Our inability
to obtain adequate capital when needed could have a negative impact on our ability to invest in, or take advantage of opportunities
to expand our businesses, such as possible acquisitions or the creation of new ventures. Any of these effects could have a material
adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our
future capital requirements depend on many factors, including our ability to write new business successfully, deploy capital into
more profitable business lines, identify acquisition opportunities, manage investments and preserve capital in volatile markets,
and establish premium rates and reserves at levels sufficient to cover losses. Our operations are subject to significant volatility
in capital due to our exposure to potentially significant catastrophic events. We monitor our capital adequacy on an ongoing basis.
To the extent our funds are insufficient to fund future operating requirements or cover claims losses, we may need to raise additional
funds through corporate finance transactions or curtail our growth and reduce our liabilities. Any such financing, if available
at all, may be on terms that are not favorable to us. Our ability to raise such capital successfully would depend upon the facts
and circumstances at the time, including our financial position and operating results, market conditions and applicable regulatory
filings and legal issues. If we cannot obtain adequate capital on favorable terms, or obtain it at all, our business, financial
condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
We
are involved in legal and other proceedings from time to time, and we may face damage to our reputation or legal liability as
a result.
In
the ordinary course of business, we are involved in lawsuits, arbitrations and other formal and informal dispute resolution procedures
in a variety of jurisdictions, the outcomes of which will determine our rights and obligations under insurance, reinsurance and
other contractual agreements or under tort laws or other legal obligations. Any lawsuit brought against us or legal proceeding
that we may bring to enforce our rights could result in substantial costs, divert the time and attention of our management, result
in counterclaims (whether meritorious or as a litigation tactic), result in substantial monetary judgments or settlement costs
and harm our reputation, any of which could seriously harm our business.
From
time to time, we may institute or be named as a defendant in legal proceedings, and we may be a claimant or respondent in arbitration
proceedings. These proceedings have in the past involved, and may in the future involve, coverage or other disputes with ceding
companies, disputes with parties to which we transfer risk under reinsurance arrangements, disputes with other counterparties
or other matters. We are also involved, from time to time, in investigations and regulatory proceedings, certain of which could
result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines and other outcomes. We could also be subject to litigation risks arising from
potential employee misconduct, including non-compliance with internal policies and procedures. We cannot determine with any certainty
what new theories of recovery may evolve or what their impact may be on our business. Multi-party or class action claims may present
additional exposure to substantial economic, non-economic or punitive damage awards. The loss of even one of these claims, if
it results in a significant damage award or a judicial ruling that was otherwise detrimental, could create a precedent in the
industry that affects a great many future or unrelated claims and so could have a material adverse effect on our operating results
and financial condition.
Except
as described under “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Litigation,” we are
not currently subject to any pending litigation which individually or in the aggregate would reasonably be expected to have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. However, in the future, substantial legal
liability could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and could cause significant
reputational harm.
Information
technology systems that we use could fail or suffer a security breach, which could have a material adverse effect on us or result
in the loss of sensitive information.
Our
business is dependent upon the operational effectiveness and security of our enterprise systems and those maintained by third
parties. Among other things, we rely on these systems to interact with producers, insureds, customers, clients, and other third
parties, to perform actuarial and other modeling functions, to underwrite business, to prepare policies and process premiums,
to process claims and make claims payments, to prepare internal and external financial statements and information, as well as
to engage in a wide variety of other business activities. A significant failure of our enterprise systems, or those of third parties
upon which we may rely, whether because of a natural disaster, network outage or a cyber-attack on our systems, could compromise
our personal, confidential and proprietary information as well as that of our customers and business partners, impede or interrupt
our business operations and result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, additional regulatory
scrutiny and fines, litigation and monetary and reputational damages.
Our
computer systems and network infrastructure present security risks and could be susceptible to hacking, computer viruses, data
breaches, or ransomware attacks. The cyber-attack threat landscape is evolving, and there is a risk that increases in the frequency
and severity of cyber-attacks on our clients could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. Any such failure
could affect our operations and could materially adversely affect our results of operations by requiring us to expend significant
resources to correct the defect, as well as by exposing us to litigation or losses not covered by insurance.
Our
operations rely on the secure processing, transmission and storage of confidential information in our computer systems and networks
and the cloud. Our technologies, systems and networks may become the target of cyber-attacks or information security breaches
that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our or our insureds’
or reinsureds’ confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt our or our insureds’, reinsureds’
or other third parties’ business operations, which in turn may result in legal claims, regulatory scrutiny and liability,
reputational damage, the incurrence of costs to eliminate or mitigate further exposure and the loss of customers. Although to
date we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches, there can be
no assurance that we will not suffer such losses in the future. While we make efforts to maintain the security and integrity of
our information technology networks and related systems, and have implemented various measures and an incident response protocol
to manage the risk of, or respond to, a security breach or disruption, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and
measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful or damaging. Our risk and
exposure to these matters remains heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats and the outsourcing
of some of our business operations. As a result, cyber-security and the continued development and enhancement of our controls,
processes and practices designed to protect our systems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized
access remain a priority. As cyber-threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to
continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.
Although
we have implemented controls and have taken protective actions to reduce the risk of an enterprise failure and protect against
a security breach, such measures may be insufficient to prevent, or mitigate the effects of, a global natural disaster or a cyber-attack
on our systems that could result in liability to us, cause our data to be corrupted or stolen and cause us to commit resources,
management time and money to prevent or correct those failures.
Employee
or agent negligence, error or misconduct may be difficult to detect and prevent, and certain failures, including internal or external
fraud, operational errors, systems malfunctions, or cyber-security incidents, could materially adversely affect our operations.
Losses
arising from employee or agent negligence, error or misconduct may result from, among other things, dealings with third party
brokers, fraud, errors, failure to document transactions properly or obtain proper internal authorization, or failure to comply
with regulatory requirements. It is not always possible for us to deter or prevent employee or agent misconduct and the precautions
taken to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Resultant losses could have a material adverse effect
on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our
business depends on our ability to process a large number of increasingly complex transactions. If any of our operational, accounting,
or other data processing systems fail or have other significant shortcomings, we could be materially adversely affected. Similarly,
we depend on our employees and could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our employees causes a significant operational
breakdown or failure, either as a result of human error, intentional sabotage or fraudulent manipulation of our operations or
systems. Third parties with whom we do business, including vendors that provide services or security solutions for our operations,
could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns, failures, or capacity constraints
of their own systems or employees. Any of these occurrences could diminish our ability to operate our business, or cause financial
loss, potential liability to insureds, inability to secure insurance, reputational damage or regulatory intervention, which could
materially adversely affect us.
In
addition, our computer systems and network infrastructure present security risks and could be susceptible to hacking, computer
viruses, data breaches, or ransomware attacks. Any such failure could affect our operations and could materially adversely affect
our results of operations by requiring us to expend significant resources to correct the defect, as well as by exposing us to
litigation or losses not covered by insurance. Although we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, our business
operations may be materially adversely affected by significant and widespread disruption to our physical infrastructure or operating
systems and those of third party service providers that support our business.
Disruptions
or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our business and customers, or cyber-attacks or security
breaches of the networks, systems or devices that our customers use to access our products and services, could result in customer
attrition, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or
additional compliance costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Our
operating results may be adversely affected by an unexpected accumulation of attritional losses.
In
addition to our exposures to catastrophes and other large losses as discussed above, our operating results may be adversely affected
by unexpectedly large accumulations of attritional losses. Attritional losses are defined as losses from claims excluding catastrophes
and large one-off claims. We seek to manage this risk by using appropriate underwriting processes to guide the pricing, terms
and acceptance of risks. These processes, which may include pricing models, are intended to ensure that premiums received are
sufficient to cover the expected levels of attritional losses and a contribution to the cost of catastrophes and large losses
where necessary. However, it is possible that our underwriting approaches or our pricing models may not work as intended and that
actual losses from a class of risks may be greater than expected. Our pricing models are also subject to the same limitations
as the models used to assess our exposure to catastrophe losses noted above. Accordingly, these factors could adversely impact
our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.
We
are dependent on the use of third party software and data, and any reduction in third party product quality or any failure to
comply with our licensing requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of
operations.
We
rely on third party software and data in connection with our underwriting, claims, investment, accounting and finance activity.
We depend on the ability of third party software and data providers to deliver and support reliable products, enhance their current
products, develop new products on a timely and cost-effective basis, and respond to emerging industry standards and other technological
changes. Third party software and data we use may become obsolete or incompatible with versions of products that we will be using
in the future, or may lead to temporary or permanent data loss when upgraded to newer versions.
We
anticipate that we will continue to rely on such third party software in the future. Although we believe that there are commercially
reasonable alternatives to the third party software we currently license, this may not always be the case, or it may be difficult
or costly to replace such software. In addition, integration of new third party software may require significant work and require
substantial investment of our time and resources. Our use of additional or alternative third party software would require us to
enter into license agreements with third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Many
of the risks associated with the use of third party software cannot be eliminated, and these risks could negatively affect our
business.
We
also monitor our use of third party software and data to comply with applicable license requirements. Despite our efforts, such
third parties may challenge our use of such software and data, resulting in loss of rights or costly legal actions. Our business
could be materially adversely affected if we are not able, on a timely basis, to effectively replace the functionality provided
by software or data that becomes unavailable or fails to operate effectively for any reason. Any of the foregoing could have a
material adverse effect on our results of operations.
If
we are unable to keep pace with the technological advancements in the insurance industry, our ability to compete effectively could
be impaired.
We
are committed to developing and maintaining information technology systems that will allow our insurance subsidiaries to compete
effectively. There can be no assurance that the development of current technology for future use will not result in our being
competitively disadvantaged, especially with those carriers that have greater resources. If we are unable to keep pace with the
advancements being made in technology, our ability to compete with other insurance companies who have advanced technological capabilities
will be negatively affected. Further, if we are unable to effectively execute and update or replace our key legacy technology
systems as they become obsolete or as emerging technology renders them competitively inefficient, our competitive position and
cost structure could be adversely affected.
Compliance
with laws and regulations governing the processing of personal data and information may impede our services or result in increased
costs. The failure to comply with such data privacy laws and regulations could result in material fines or penalties imposed by
data protection or financial services conduct regulators and/or awards of civil damages and any data breach may have a material
adverse effect on our reputation, results of operations or financial condition, or have other adverse consequences.
Our
business relies on the processing of data in many jurisdictions and the movement of data across national borders. The collection,
storage, handling, disclosure, use, transfer and security of personal information that occurs in connection with our business
is subject to federal, state and foreign data privacy laws. These legal requirements are not uniform and continue to evolve, and
regulatory scrutiny in this area is increasing around the world. In many cases, these laws apply not only to third party transactions,
but also to transfers of information among us and our subsidiaries. Privacy and data protection laws may be interpreted and applied
differently from country to country and may create inconsistent or conflicting requirements.
The
General Data Privacy Regulation (the “GDPR”) came into force throughout the European Union (the “E.U.”)
in May 2018 and has extra-territorial effect. It requires all companies processing data of E.U. citizens to comply with the GDPR,
regardless of the company’s location. It also imposes obligations on E.U. companies processing data of non-E.U. citizens.
The GDPR imposes new requirements regarding the processing of personal data and confers new rights on data subjects including
the “right to be forgotten” and the right to “portability” of personal data. The GDPR imposes significant
punishments for non-compliance which could result in a penalty of up to 4% of a company’s global annual revenue.
Compliance
with the enhanced obligations imposed by the GDPR requires investment in appropriate technical or organizational measures to safeguard
the rights and freedoms of data subjects, may result in significant costs to our business and may require us from time to time
to further amend certain of our business practices. Enforcement actions, investigations and the imposition of substantial fines
and penalties by regulatory authorities as a result of data security incidents and privacy violations increased dramatically during
2018. The enactment of more restrictive laws, rules, regulations, or future enforcement actions or investigations could impact
us through increased costs or restrictions on our business, and noncompliance could result in regulatory penalties, significant
legal liability, and reputational damage and cause us to lose business.
In
addition, unauthorized disclosure or transfer of sensitive or confidential client or Company data, whether through systems failure,
employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, by us or other parties with whom we do business, could subject us to significant
litigation, monetary damages, regulatory enforcement actions, fines and criminal prosecution in one or more jurisdictions. Such
events could also result in negative publicity and damage to our reputation and cause us to lose business, which could therefore
have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We
are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates which may adversely affect our operating results.
We
are exposed to currency risk mainly on insurance written premiums and incurred claims that are denominated in a currency other
than our functional currency. The currencies in which these transactions are primarily denominated are sterling (GBP) and euro
(EUR). As a significant portion of our transactions are denominated in U.S. dollars, this reduces currency risk. Intra-group transactions
are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars.
Part
of our monetary assets and liabilities are denominated in a currency other than our functional currency and are subject to risks
associated with currency exchange fluctuation. We reduce some of this currency exposure by maintaining some of our bank balances
in foreign currencies in which some of our insurance payables are denominated.
We
are exposed to changes in exchange rates arising from the mismatch of cash flows due to currency exchange fluctuations.
We
are also subject to currency translation risk, which arises from the translation into our functional currency for reporting purposes
of income from operations conducted in other currencies, which can cause volatility in reported earnings from our business conducted
overseas and translation gains and losses. In preparing our financial statements, we use period-end rates to translate all monetary
assets and liabilities in foreign currencies in the balance sheet to our functional currency and presentational currency. The
non-monetary assets and liabilities, namely unearned premium reserves, loss reserves and deferred acquisition costs, are measured
at fair value and translated using the exchange rates as of the date of the measurement of fair value.
We
write business on a worldwide basis, and our results of operations may be affected by fluctuations in the value of currencies
other than the U.S. Dollar. The primary foreign currencies in which we operate are the Euro, the British Pound Sterling, and the
Japanese Yen. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may reduce our revenues, increase our liabilities and costs and cause
fluctuations in the valuation of our investment portfolio. We may therefore suffer losses solely as a result of exchange rate
fluctuations. In order to mitigate our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations in our net insurance liabilities, we have invested
and expect to continue to invest in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. In addition, we may replicate
investment positions in foreign currencies using derivative financial instruments. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
manage these risks effectively or that they will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of
operations.
The
exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union could have a material adverse effect on our business.
On
January 31, 2020, the UK left the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”. Under the terms of the Brexit withdrawal agreement
between the UK and the EU, the UK has entered a transition period whereby it is no longer a member of the EU but will remain a
member of the single market and customs union until December 31, 2020. The purpose of the transition period is to provide time
for the UK and the EU to negotiate their future relationship. Arrangements for trade with the EU will remain essentially unchanged
until the end of the transition period. EU law will continue to apply in the UK during the transition period and therefore passporting
will continue, as will consumer rights and protections derived from EU law. At the end of transition period, the UK’s relationship
with the EU will be determined by the new agreements it has entered into on trade and other areas of co-operation. In the absence
of the UK and the EU agreeing on a trade deal to begin when the transition period ends, or agreeing on an extension to the transition
period, the UK will exit the transition period on December 31, 2020 trading on World Trade Organization terms with the EU. Other
areas of co-operation between the UK and the EU may also be affected if no deal is reached.
Brexit
has adversely affected global financial markets. The uncertainty surrounding the implementation and effect of Brexit could continue
to have an adverse effect on markets, including foreign currency markets, and could increase market volatility and illiquidity.
The uncertainty could contribute to a decline in equity markets, bond markets, interest rates and property prices.
The
nature of the future relationship between the UK and the EU remains uncertain. Depending on the outcome of the negotiations, the
UK could lose “passporting” rights for UK firms across the EEA and access to the EU’s single market, which could
have a detrimental impact on the UK economy. Any negative change in barrier-free access between the UK and EU may affect our ability
to rely on the EU’s market freedoms, in particular free movement of services. If companies based in the UK lose passporting
rights throughout the EU as a result of Brexit, we have developed contingency plans to ensure that we will continue to be able
to provide insurance services throughout Europe. This plan includes setting up a new insurance subsidiary in one of the EEA states
to ensure we continue to efficiently access the EU market. The application process for this subsidiary is still ongoing. We have
evaluated the impact on our business in the event that our UK contingency plans are not implemented on a timely basis and we became
unable to operate business in Europe through our UK operations. As of December 31, 2019, our UK subsidiary had approximately $12.4
million of European — domiciled direct business measured in terms of gross written premiums (excluding $11.1 million of
business in Norway which is a member of the EEA but not the EU). Therefore, we have calculated that, based on our business levels
at December 31, 2019, our UK subsidiary had approximately $12.4 million of business which would not be able to be renewed in the
event that our UK contingency plans are not implemented on a timely basis.
Depending
on the outcome of the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and EU, the UK could lose access to the single EU
market and to free trade deals with several countries that already have agreements with the EU. Such a decline in trade could
affect the attractiveness of the UK and impact our UK business. We also face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and
consequences related to Brexit, including with respect to volatility in financial markets, exchange rates and interest rates.
These uncertainties could increase the volatility of, or reduce, our investment results in particular periods or over time. Brexit
could adversely affect European or worldwide political, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in political
institutions and regulatory agencies. The regulatory landscape following Brexit also remains uncertain. Brexit could lead to divergence
between UK and EU regulatory systems as the UK determines which EU laws and regulations to maintain and which to replace, which
could have negative tax, accounting and financial reporting obligations.
Any
of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations and financial condition.
Intra-group
arrangements found not to be on arm’s length terms may adversely affect our tax charge.
Trading
relationships between our members in different jurisdictions will in general be subject to the transfer pricing regimes of the
jurisdictions concerned. We intend to operate intra-group trading arrangements and relationships on demonstrable and documented
arm’s length terms. If, however, such trading arrangements were found not to be on arm’s length terms, adjustments
might be required to taxable profits in the relevant jurisdictions, which could lead to an increase in our overall tax charge;
this could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Legislation
to adopt these standards has been enacted or is currently under consideration in a number of jurisdictions, including country-by-country
reporting. As a result, our earnings may be subject to income tax, or intercompany payments may be subject to withholding tax,
in jurisdictions where they are not currently taxed or at higher rates of tax than currently taxed. The applicable tax authorities
could also attempt to apply such taxes to past earnings and payments. Any such additional taxes could materially increase our
effective tax rate. Also, the adoption of these standards may increase the complexity and costs associated with tax compliance
and adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.
Changes
in accounting principles and financial reporting requirements could impact our reported financial results and reported financial
condition.
Our
financial statements are prepared in accordance with international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”) as issued
by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”). The IASB, or other regulatory bodies, periodically introduce
modifications to financial accounting and reporting standards or issue new financial accounting and reporting standards under
which we prepare our consolidated financial statements. These changes can materially impact the means by which we report financial
information, affecting our results of operations. Also, we could be required to apply new or revised standards retroactively.
The
impact of unanticipated developments in accounting practices and standards, particularly those that apply to insurance companies,
cannot be predicted but may affect the calculation of net earnings, shareholders’ equity and other relevant financial statement
line items. In addition, such changes may cause additional volatility in reported earnings, decrease the understandability of
our financial results and affect the comparability of our reported results with the results of others.
The
preparation of consolidated financial statements requires us to make many estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts
of assets, liabilities (including claims and claim expense reserves), shareholders’ equity, revenues and expenses, and related
disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience, where possible, and on various other assumptions we believe to be
reasonable under the circumstances, which form the basis for our judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities
that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our judgments and estimates may not reflect our actual results. We utilize actuarial
models as well as historical insurance industry loss development patterns to establish our claims and claim expense reserves.
Actual claims and claim expenses paid may deviate, perhaps materially, from the estimates reflected in our financial statements.
Additionally,
our internal control over financial reporting may have gaps or other deficiencies and there is no guarantee that significant deficiencies
or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting may not occur in the future. Any such gaps or deficiencies
may require significant resources to remediate and may also expose us to litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or other losses.
Inadequate process design or a failure in operating effectiveness could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements
due to, but not limited to, poorly designed systems, changes in end-user computing, poorly designed IT reports, ineffective oversight
of outsourced processes, failure to perform relevant management reviews, accounting errors or duplicate payments, any of which
could result in a restatement of financial accounts.
If
actual renewals of our existing policies and contracts do not meet expectations, our gross written premiums in future fiscal periods
and our future operating results could be materially adversely affected.
A
majority of our insurance policies and reinsurance contracts are for a one-year term. We make assumptions about the renewal rate
and pricing of the prior year’s policies and contracts in our financial forecasting process. If actual renewals do not meet
expectations, our gross written premiums in future fiscal periods and our future operating results and financial condition could
be materially adversely affected.
We
may be adversely impacted by inflation.
We
monitor the risk that the principal markets in which we operate could experience increased inflationary conditions, which would,
among other things, cause loss costs to increase, and impact the performance of our investment portfolio. We believe the risk
of inflation across our key markets is increasing. The impact of inflation on loss costs could be more pronounced for those lines
of business that are considered to be long-tail in nature, as they require a relatively long period of time to finalize and settle
claims. Changes in the level of inflation also result in an increased level of uncertainty in our estimation of loss reserves,
particularly for specialty long-tail segment lines of business. The onset, duration and severity of an inflationary period cannot
be estimated with precision.
Our
efforts to expand in targeted geographical markets and lines of business may not be successful and may create enhanced risks.
A
number of our planned business initiatives involve expanding in targeted geographical markets and lines of business. To develop
new markets and business lines, we may need to make substantial capital and operating expenditures, which may adversely affect
our results in the near term. In addition, the demand for our products in new markets and lines of business may not meet our expectations.
To the extent we are able to expand in new markets and business lines, our risk exposures may change and the data and models we
use to manage such exposures may not be as sophisticated as those we use in existing markets and business lines. This, in turn,
could lead to losses in excess of expectations. Moreover, we are considering setting up new offices and increasing staff at existing
offices as part of our growth strategy. Such growth, which may include hiring additional underwriters, could make it more difficult
for us to monitor and enforce compliance with internal underwriting authorities, limits and controls. We cannot be certain that
we will be successful or identify attractive targets in these new markets.
The
Business Combination may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Uncertainty
about the effect of the Business Combination on our employees and the brokers, insurers, cedants, customers and other third parties
with whom we have a business relationship may have an adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition. These
risks include the following:
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Our
ratings may be adversely affected, which could have an adverse effect on business, financial condition and operating results;
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Brokers,
insurers, cedants, customers and other third parties with whom we have a business relationship may delay or defer certain business
decisions or might decide to seek to terminate, change or renegotiate their relationships with us as a result of the Business
Combination, which could negatively affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows;
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The
manner in which brokers, insurers, cedants and other third parties perceive us may be negatively impacted, which in turn could
affect our ability to compete for or write new business or obtain renewals in the marketplace;
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Current
and prospective employees may experience uncertainty about their future roles with us, which might adversely affect our ability
to attract and retain employees who generate and service our business; and
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We
could be subject to litigation related to the Business Combination.
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In
addition, we have paid significant costs relating to the Business Combination, such as financial, legal, accounting, advisory
and printing fees.
Risks
Relating to Ownership of Our Securities
Following
the consummation of the Business Combination, our only significant asset is our ownership of IGI (and, indirectly, IGI’s
subsidiaries) and such ownership may not be sufficient to pay dividends or make distributions or loans to enable us to pay any
dividends on our common shares or satisfy other financial obligations.
We
are a holding company and do not directly own any operating assets other than our ownership of interests in IGI. We depend on
IGI for distributions, loans and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations, including our
expenses as a publicly traded company and to pay any dividends. The earnings from, or other available assets of, IGI may not be
sufficient to make distributions or pay dividends, pay expenses or satisfy our other financial obligations.
Additionally,
our primary operating subsidiary is IGI Bermuda, which is subject to Bermuda regulatory constraints that affect its ability to
pay dividends on its common shares and make other distributions. Under the Bermuda Insurance Act 1978, as amended (the “Insurance
Act”), and related regulations, IGI Bermuda, as a Class 3B insurer, is required to maintain certain minimum solvency levels
and is prohibited from declaring or paying dividends that would result in noncompliance with this requirement. In addition, a
Class 3B insurer is prohibited from declaring or paying any dividends of more than 25% of its total statutory capital and surplus,
as shown on its previous financial year statutory balance sheet, unless at least seven days before payment of the dividends it
files an affidavit with the Bermuda Monetary Authority that it will continue to meet its required solvency margins.
Fluctuations
in operating results, earnings and other factors, including incidents involving our customers and negative media coverage, may
result in significant decreases in the price of our securities.
The
stock markets experience volatility that is often unrelated to operating performance. These broad market fluctuations may adversely
affect the trading price of our common shares and, as a result, there may be significant volatility in the market price of our
common shares. If we are unable to operate profitably as investors expect, the market price of our common shares will likely decline
when it becomes apparent that the market expectations may not be realized. In addition to operating results, many economic and
seasonal factors outside of our control could have an adverse effect on the price of our common shares and increase fluctuations
in its earnings. These factors include certain of the risks discussed herein, operating results of other companies in the same
industry, changes in financial estimates or recommendations of securities analysts, speculation in the press or investment community,
negative media coverage, the risk of potential legal proceedings or government investigations, the possible effects of war, terrorism
and other hostilities, the effects of global pandemics such as the novel coronavirus, adverse weather conditions, changes in general
conditions in the economy or the financial markets or other developments affecting the insurance industry.
Because
IGI has operated as a private company, we have limited experience complying with public company obligations and fulfilling these
obligations will be expensive and time consuming and may divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operation of
our business.
IGI
has operated historically as a privately-owned company and, accordingly, many of our senior management have limited experience
managing a publicly-traded company and have limited experience complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public
companies. In particular, the significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations imposed on public companies will require
substantial attention from our senior management and may divert attention away from the day-to-day management of our businesses,
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, corporate
governance obligations, including with respect to the development and implementation of appropriate corporate governance policies,
and concurrent service on the board of directors and possibly multiple board committees, will impose additional burdens on our
non-executive directors.
In
addition, we will incur significant additional legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses, including costs associated with
public company reporting requirements following completion of the Business Combination. We also will incur higher costs associated
with complying with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
(the “Dodd-Frank Act”), and related rules implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq. The expenses incurred by public companies
generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these laws and regulations to increase
our legal and financial compliance costs after the Business Combination and to render some activities more time-consuming and
costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. We may need to hire more employees
or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs and expenses. Being a public company
could make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance,
and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar
coverage. Being a public company could also make it more difficult and expensive for us to attract and retain qualified persons
to serve on our board of directors, board committees or as executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations
as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common shares, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially
civil litigation.
Failure
to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating
results and stock price.
Prior
to the consummation of the Business Combination, IGI was neither a publicly listed company, nor an affiliate of a publicly listed
company, and had not dedicated accounting personnel and other resources to address internal control and other procedures commensurate
with those of a publicly listed company. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary to increase the reliability
of financial reports.
In
connection with the external audit of IGI’s financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and
2018, in preparation for the Business Combination, IGI noted certain deficiencies in financial reporting and internal control
which will be deemed to be a material weakness under applicable PCAOB standards. Management has begun its remediation process
to improve its entity-level and financial reporting control environment, including engaging outside consultants in areas such
as valuation of investments. However, as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019, we continue to report this material weakness
as it has not yet been remediated. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has defined a material weakness as a deficiency,
or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that
a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
IGI’s
material weakness identified relates to an entity level and financial reporting control environment that is neither designed,
nor operates, with appropriate precision to prevent or detect accounting or disclosure errors that may be material to the financial
statements and a lack of a fully developed accounting department infrastructure commensurate with those of a publicly listed company
able to evaluate, account for and disclose complex transactions.
Neither
IGI nor its auditors were required to perform an evaluation of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017,
2018 and 2019 in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as it was a private company. In addition, the Company
is exempt from providing a report of management on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting under Section
404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 until it files its second annual report on Form 20-F. Our independent registered public
accounting firm will not be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant
to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 until our first annual report on Form 20-F following the date on which we
cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company,” which may be up to five full fiscal years following the date of
the Closing. If such evaluations were performed, additional control deficiencies may be identified by our management, and those
control deficiencies could also represent one or more material weaknesses.
In
addition, we cannot predict the outcome of this determination and whether we will need to implement remedial actions in order
to implement effective control over financial reporting. If in subsequent years we are unable to assert that our internal control
over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors express an opinion that our internal control over financial reporting
is ineffective, we may fail to meet the future reporting obligations in a timely and reliable manner and our financial statements
may contain material misstatements. Any such failure could also adversely cause our investors to have less confidence in the accuracy
and completeness of our financial reports, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our securities.
We
will invest to significantly enhance the entity level and financial reporting control environment as well as the accounting department
infrastructure. The measures we will implement to address IGI’s material weakness include strengthening the resources within
the accounting function, continuing to implement new systems and automating processes, conducting training for our personnel with
respect to IFRS and SEC financial reporting requirements and documenting and evaluating the controls over financial reporting.
We plan to have remediated this material weakness by December 31, 2020. In this regard, we will need to dedicate internal resources,
recruit personnel with public reporting experience, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess
and document the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting. This may include taking steps to improve control processes
as appropriate, validating that controls are functioning as documented and implementing a continuous reporting and improvement
process for internal control over financial reporting to ensure that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
is effective.
A
market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
An
active trading market for our securities following the Business Combination may never develop or, if developed, may not be sustained.
In addition, the price of our securities could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, many of which are outside our control,
such as our performance, large purchases or sales of the common shares, legislative changes and general economic, political or
regulatory conditions. The release of our financial results may also cause our share price to vary. If an active market for our
securities does not develop, it may be difficult for you to sell our common shares you own or purchase without depressing the
market price for the shares or to sell the shares at all. The existence of an active trading market for our securities will depend
to a significant extent on our ability to meet and continue to meet Nasdaq’s listing criteria, which we may be unable to
accomplish.
The
price of our common shares may be volatile.
The
price of our common shares may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including:
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actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our semi-annual and annual results and those of other public companies in the insurance and reinsurance
industry;
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mergers
and strategic alliances in the insurance and reinsurance industry;
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market
prices and conditions in the insurance and reinsurance industry;
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changes
in government regulation applicable us and our subsidiaries and the industry in which we operate;
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potential
or actual military conflicts, acts of terrorism or the effects of global pandemics such as the novel coronavirus;
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the
failure of securities analysts to publish research about the Company, or shortfalls in our operating results compared to levels
forecast by securities analysts;
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announcements
concerning us or our competitors; and
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the
general state of the securities markets.
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These
market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common shares, regardless of our operating performance.
We
may issue additional common shares or other equity securities without shareholder approval, which would dilute your ownership
interests and may depress the market price of our common shares.
We
may issue additional common shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among
other things, future acquisitions, without shareholder approval, in a number of circumstances.
Our
issuance of additional common shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:
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our
existing shareholders’ proportionate ownership interest in the Company will decrease;
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the
amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends in the future, may decrease;
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the
relative voting strength of each previously outstanding common share may be diminished; and
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the
market price of our common shares may decline.
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You
will have limited ability to bring an action against the Company or against its directors and officers, or to enforce a judgment
against the Company or them, because the Company is incorporated in Bermuda, because the Company conducts its operations primarily
outside of the United States and because a majority of the Company’s directors and officers reside outside the United States.
We
are an exempted company incorporated in Bermuda and, as a result, the rights of the holders of our common shares will be governed
by Bermuda law and our memorandum of association and our Amended and Restated Bye-laws. We conduct our operations through subsidiaries
which are located primarily outside the United States. All of our current assets are located outside the United States, and substantially
all of our business is conducted outside the United States. All of our officers and a majority of our directors reside outside
the United States and a substantial portion of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. As a result,
it could be difficult or impossible for you to effect service of process on these individuals in the United States in the event
that you believe that your rights have been infringed under applicable securities laws or otherwise or to enforce in the United
States judgments obtained in U.S. courts against the Company or those persons based on civil liability provisions of the U.S.
securities laws. It is doubtful whether the courts in Bermuda will enforce judgments obtained in other jurisdictions, including
the U.S., against the Company or its directors or officers under the securities laws of those jurisdictions or entertain actions
in Bermuda against the Company or its directors or officers under the securities laws of other jurisdictions. In addition, our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws state that all disputes arising out of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda or out of or in connection
with our Amended and Restated Bye-laws are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Bermuda.
Shareholders
of Bermuda exempted companies such as the Company also have no general rights under Bermuda law to inspect corporate records and
accounts other than rights to review the Company’s memorandum of association and bye-laws, financial statements, minutes
of the shareholder meetings and the shareholder register. This could make it more difficult for you to obtain the information
needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with
a proxy contest.
As
a result of all of the above, public shareholders might have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions
taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a
U.S. company.
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws designate the Supreme Court of Bermuda, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as the exclusive
forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’
ability to bring certain actions or proceedings in a forum of their choosing.
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the Supreme Court of Bermuda will be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the exclusive
forum for any dispute that arises concerning the Companies Act or out of or in connection with our Amended and Restated Bye-laws,
including any question regarding the existence and scope of any bye-law and/or whether there has been any breach of the Companies
Act or the bye-laws by an officer or director (whether or not such a claim is brought in the name of a shareholder or in the name
of the Company).
To
the fullest extent permitted by law, the forum selection bye-law discussed above will apply to derivative actions or proceedings
brought on behalf of the Company and arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, although we have been advised by the
SEC that in the opinion of the SEC, our shareholders cannot waive compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations
thereunder. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision in connection with any such derivative action
or proceeding arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, and it is possible that a court could find the forum selection
bye-law to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
This
forum selection bye-law could limit the ability of our shareholders to bring certain actions or proceedings involving disputes
with us or our directors, officers and other employees in a forum of such our shareholders’ choosing. If a court were to
find the forum selection bye-law inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions
or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely
affect our business and financial condition.
U.S.
persons who own our securities may have more difficulty in protecting their interests than U.S. persons who are shareholders of
a U.S. corporation.
The
Companies Act, which applies to the Company, differs in some material respects from laws generally applicable to U.S. corporations
and their shareholders. These differences include, but are not limited to, the manner in which directors must disclose transactions
in which they have an interest, the rights of shareholders to bring class action and derivative lawsuits, the scope of indemnification
available to directors and officers and provisions relating to amalgamations, mergers and acquisitions and takeovers. Holders
of our common shares may therefore have more difficulty protecting their interests than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated
in a jurisdiction within the U.S.
Generally,
the duties of directors and officers of a Bermuda company are owed to the company and not, in the absence of special circumstances,
to the shareholders as individuals. Shareholders of Bermuda companies typically do not have rights to take action against directors
or officers of the company and may only do so in limited circumstances. Class actions and derivative actions are typically not
available to shareholders under Bermuda law. The Bermuda courts, however, would ordinarily be expected to permit a shareholder
to commence an action in the name of a company to remedy a wrong to the company where the act complained of is alleged to be beyond
the corporate power of the company or illegal, or would result in the violation of the company’s memorandum of association
or bye-laws. Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws state that all disputes arising out of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda or out
of or in connection with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Bermuda.
This would make it more difficult to make certain claims against the Company or its directors or officers in jurisdictions outside
of Bermuda, including the U.S. Additionally, our Amended and Restated Bye-laws contain a waiver by the Company’s shareholders
of any claim or right of action, both individually and on the Company’s behalf, against any of the Company’s directors
or officers. The waiver applies to any action taken by an officer or director, or the failure of an officer or director to take
any action, in the performance of his or her duties, except with respect to any matter involving any fraud or dishonesty on the
part of the officer or director. This waiver limits the right of shareholders to assert claims against the Company’s officers
and directors unless the act or failure to act involves fraud or dishonesty.
Nasdaq
may delist our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to engage in transactions in our securities and subject
us to additional trading restrictions.
In
connection with the Business Company, we applied to have our common shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq upon consummation of
the Business Combination. In order to list common shares and warrants, we are required to meet the Nasdaq initial listing requirements,
including the requirement to have at least 300 round lot holders of our common shares, at least 50% of which must hold at least
$2,500 of securities. Although we were able to meet those initial listing requirements, we may be unable to maintain the listing
of our securities in the future.
If
Nasdaq subsequently delists our securities, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a
limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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a
limited amount of news and analyst coverage for the Company; and
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a
decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
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In addition, the permission of the Bermuda Monetary Authority
is required, under the provisions of the Exchange Control Act, for all issuances and transfers of shares (which includes our common
shares) of Bermuda companies to or from a non-resident of Bermuda for exchange control purposes, other than in cases where the
Bermuda Monetary Authority has granted a general permission. The Bermuda Monetary Authority, in its notice to the public dated
June 1, 2005, granted a general permission for the issue and subsequent transfer of any securities of a Bermuda company from and/or
to a non-resident of Bermuda for exchange control purposes for so long as any “Equity Securities” of the company (which
would include our common shares) are listed on an “Appointed Stock Exchange” (which would include Nasdaq). In granting
the general permission the Bermuda Monetary Authority accepts no responsibility for our financial soundness or the correctness
of any of the statements made or opinions expressed in this annual report. If our common shares are delisted from Nasdaq and not
otherwise listed on an Appointed Stock Exchange, the issue and transfer of our equity securities (which would include our common
shares) would be subject to the prior approval of the Bermuda Monetary Authority, unless the Bermuda Monetary Authority has granted
a general permission in respect of any such issue or transfer.
Provisions
in our memorandum of association and our Amended and Restated Bye-laws may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price
investors might be willing to pay in the future for our securities and could entrench management.
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that our shareholders may
consider to be in their best interests. Among other provisions, the staggered board of directors and Wasef Jabsheh’s director
appointment rights may make it more difficult for our shareholders to remove incumbent management and accordingly discourage transactions
that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities. For so long as Wasef Jabsheh,
together with his family and/or affiliates, own at least 10% of our issued and outstanding common shares, Wasef Jabsheh will be
entitled to appoint two directors to our board of directors. For so long as Wasef Jabsheh, together with his family and/or affiliates,
own at least 5% of our issued and outstanding common shares, Wasef Jabsheh will be entitled to appoint one director to our board
of directors. Other anti-takeover provisions in our Amended and Restated Bye-laws include the ability of our board of directors
to issue preference shares with preferences and voting rights determined by the board without shareholder approval, the indemnification
of our officers and directors, the requirement that directors may only be removed from our board of directors for cause, the provision
that shareholders may take specified action by written consent only if such action is by unanimous written consent, the requirement
for the affirmative vote of 66% of the directors then in office and holders of at least 66% of the voting shares to amend specified
provisions in our Amended and Restated Bye-laws and the requirement that a business combination with a 15% shareholder must be
approved by an affirmative vote of 66% of the voting shares owned by non-interested shareholders and our board of directors. These
provisions could also make it difficult for our shareholders to take certain actions and limit the price investors might be willing
to pay for our securities.
As
a “foreign private issuer” under the rules and regulations of the SEC, we are permitted to, and will, file less or
different information with the SEC than a company incorporated in the United States or otherwise subject to these rules, and will
follow certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain Nasdaq requirements applicable to U.S. issuers.
The
Company is considered a “foreign private issuer” under the Exchange Act and is therefore exempt from certain rules
under the Exchange Act. For example, we are not required to file current reports on Form 8-K or quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,
we are exempt from the U.S. proxy rules which impose certain disclosure and procedural requirements for U.S. proxy solicitations
and we will not be required to file financial statements prepared in accordance with or reconciled to U.S. GAAP so long as our
financial statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. We are not
required to comply with Regulation FD, which imposes restrictions on the selective disclosure of material information to shareholders,
and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions
of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the
SEC as frequently or within the same time frames as U.S. companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act. Accordingly,
holders of the Company’s securities may receive less or different information about the Company than they may receive with
respect to public companies incorporated in the United States.
In
addition, as a “foreign private issuer” whose common shares are listed on Nasdaq, we are permitted to follow
certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain Nasdaq requirements. Unlike the requirements of
Nasdaq, the corporate governance practice and requirements in Bermuda do not require us to have a majority of independent
directors; do not require us to establish a nomination committee or a nomination committee consisting of only independent
directors; do not require us to have a compensation committee or a compensation committee consisting of only independent
directors; and do not require us to hold regular executive sessions of the board of directors where only independent
directors shall be present. Such Bermuda home country practices may afford less protection to holders of our common shares.
We intend to voluntarily comply with certain Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, including having a majority of
independent directors on the board of directors and establishing compensation and nomination committees of the board, but we
are not required to do so and may cease doing so at any time as long as we maintain our status as a “foreign private
issuer.”
We
could lose our status as a “foreign private issuer” under current SEC rules and regulations if more than 50% of our
outstanding voting securities become directly or indirectly held of record by U.S. holders and one of the following is true: (i)
the majority of our directors or executive officers are U.S. citizens or residents; (ii) more than 50% of our assets are located
in the United States; or (iii) our business is administered principally in the United States. If we lose our status as a foreign
private issuer in the future, we will no longer be exempt from the rules described above and, among other things, will be required
to file periodic reports and annual and quarterly financial statements as if we were a company incorporated in the United States
(including preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP). If this were to happen, we would likely incur substantial
costs in fulfilling these additional regulatory requirements and members of our management would likely have to divert time and
resources from other responsibilities to ensuring these additional regulatory requirements are fulfilled.
The
Company could be or may become a passive foreign investment company, by reason of its subsidiaries failing to qualify as “qualified
insurance corporations,” which also could result in other adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
A
non-U.S. corporation will be considered a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for any taxable year if
either at least 75% of its gross income for such taxable year is passive income or at least 50% of the value of its assets
(based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or
are held for the production of passive income. For purposes of the PFIC rules, a corporation is treated as owning its
proportionate share of the assets and earning its proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which it
owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock (the “Look-Through Rule”). Accordingly, for
purposes of these rules, the Company will be treated as owning all the assets of the three insurance companies through which
it conducts its business (viz., IGI Bermuda, the Labuan Branch and IGI UK (together, the “Insurance Subs”)).
Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the
active conduct of a trade or business), passive assets generally include assets held for the production of such income, and
gains from the disposition of passive assets are generally all included in passive income. Special rules apply, however, in
determining whether the income of an insurance company is passive income for purposes of these rules. Specifically, income
derived in the active conduct of an insurance business by a “qualified insurance corporation” is excluded from
the definition of passive income, even though that income would otherwise be considered passive. The Company expects that
each of the Insurance Subs will for the current year be, and for foreseeable future years will continue to be, a qualified
insurance corporation for purposes of the PFIC rules. Taking into account the income and assets of the Insurance Subs, which
are treated as the income and assets of The Company for purposes of the PFIC rules, and treating that income and assets as
active, the Company expects that less than 75% of its total income and that less than 50% of its total assets will be
passive. Thus, the Company expects that it will not be treated as a PFIC for the current year and does not expect to be so
treated in foreseeable future years. However, the PFIC determination is factual in nature and is made annually. In
particular, it will depend on the relative assets and insurance liabilities of each of the Insurance Subs and on the manner
in which they conduct their businesses and are regulated. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the Company will not be
a PFIC for the current year or will not become a PFIC in any future taxable year. A U.S. investor that owns Company common
shares or warrants during any year in which the Company is a PFIC will generally be subject to adverse U.S. federal income
tax consequences. See “Taxation—Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Passive
Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”).”
The
Company may be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Under
Section 7874 of the Code, a corporation created or organized outside the United States that acquires, directly or indirectly,
substantially all of the assets held, directly or indirectly, by a U.S. corporation, may in certain circumstances be treated as
a U.S. corporation, rather than treated as a foreign corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or may be subject to certain
other adverse tax consequences. The Company does not expect these rules to apply to the it, notwithstanding its acquisition of
Tiberius through the Merger, and the Company expects to be respected, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a foreign corporation.
The rules under Section 7874 of the Code are complex, however, and their application to the Company is not entirely free from
doubt; whether they apply depends in part on the amount of the Company’s income that is “passive” for purposes
of the rules of Section 7874, which depends in turn on the amount of that income that is passive under the PFIC rules. Thus, the
Company’s expectation that the rules of Section 7874 will not apply to it is based on its expectation that each of the Insurance
Subs will, as of the date of consummation of the Merger, be a qualified insurance corporation, so that their insurance related
income and assets will not be treated as passive, for purposes of the PFIC rules. As explained above, however, the qualification
of the Insurance Subs is not entirely certain. Thus there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert successfully that the
rules of Section 7874 apply to the Company, including with the result that the Company is treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. If the Company were to be treated as a U.S. corporation for such purposes, which the Company does
not expect, the Company could be subject to substantial U.S. tax liability and its non-U.S. shareholders could be subject to U.S.
withholding tax on any dividends.
Holders
of our securities should consult their tax advisors regarding the status of the Company under Section 7874 and the U.S. federal
income tax considerations to them of holding common shares or warrants in light of such status.
We
are an “emerging growth company” and, as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable
to emerging growth companies, our common shares may be less attractive to investors.
We
are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act and we intend to take advantage of some of the exemptions
from reporting requirements that are available to emerging growth companies, including:
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not
being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment
of our internal control over financial reporting;
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reduced
disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in periodic reports and registration
statements; and
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not
being required to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder
approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
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We
cannot predict if investors will find our common shares less attractive because we rely on these exemptions. If some investors
find our common shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for common shares and our share
price may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary
of the Closing, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be
a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million
as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt
during the prior three-year period.
Under
Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time
as those standards apply to private companies. Given that we currently report and expect to continue to report under IFRS as issued
by the IASB, we will not be able to use this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting
standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required by the IASB.
Even
if the Company were no longer a foreign private issuer and ceased to be an emerging growth company, under SEC rules effective
as of the date of this annual report, so long as the Company's “public float” (market value of common shares held
by non-affiliates) remains less than $250 million as of the end of its most recent second fiscal quarter it would qualify as
a “smaller reporting company” eligible for relief from certain SEC disclosure requirements. For example, smaller
reporting companies, like emerging growth companies, are not required to provide a compensation discussion and analysis under
Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K or auditor attestation of internal controls over financial reporting. As of the date of this
annual report, the Company's public float was less than $250 million.
Former
IGI shareholders will continue to exert significant influence over the Company as a result of their shareholdings, and their interests
may not be aligned with those of the other shareholders.
Following
the Business Combination, former IGI shareholders own approximately 61.4% of our issued and outstanding common shares. The former
IGI shareholders will continue to be able to exercise a significant degree of influence over the outcome of certain matters requiring
an ordinary resolution of our shareholders including:
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the
appointment and removal of directors;
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a
change of control in the Company, which could deprive shareholders of an opportunity
to earn a premium for the sale of their shares over the then prevailing market price;
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substantial
mergers or other business combinations;
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the
acquisition or disposal of substantial assets;
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the
alteration of our share capital;
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amendments
to our organizational documents; and
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the
winding up of the Company.
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Furthermore,
Wasef Jabsheh, who was IGI’s Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman and is currently our Chief Executive Officer
and Chairman, is our largest single shareholder and beneficially owns approximately 33.3% of our issued and outstanding common
shares. Two other former IGI shareholders, Oman International Development & Investment Company SAOG (“Ominvest”)
and Argo Re Limited (“Argo”), beneficially own 14.3% and 10.3% of our issued and outstanding common shares, respectively.
In addition, Mohammed Abu Ghazaleh, the former Chairman of IGI’s board of directors, beneficially owns 4.9% of our issued
and outstanding common shares. (Beneficial ownership is calculated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC.) Although
there are corporate governance controls in place to mitigate conflicts of interest of members of senior management and major shareholders
vis-à-vis the Company and minority shareholders, the former IGI shareholders may make decisions in respect of the business
that do not serve the interests of the Company or the minority shareholders. Among other consequences, this concentration of ownership
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and might therefore negatively affect the market price of our
common shares.
The
grant and future exercise of registration rights may adversely affect the market price of our common shares.
Pursuant
to the registration rights agreement among Tiberius and the Sponsor, and officers and directors of Tiberius, that was assumed
by the Company in connection with the Business Combination, and the registration rights agreement among the Company, the Sponsor
in its capacity as the Purchaser Representative, and investors named therein entered into at the Closing of the Business Combination,
we are required to file a resale registration statement shortly after closing which registers for resale our common shares held
by the Sponsor, the former officers and directors of Tiberius and former shareholders of IGI. In addition, the Sponsor, the former
officers and directors of Tiberius and certain former shareholders of IGI can demand that the Company register their registrable
securities under certain circumstances and also have piggyback registration rights for their securities in connection with certain
registrations of securities that we undertake. We are also required to file and maintain an effective registration statement under
the Securities Act covering securities issued at Closing to investors pursuant to forward purchase contracts and securities issued
at Closing to the PIPE Investors. We are also required to file a registration statement covering the issuance of our common shares
upon the exercise of our warrants. The Company filed such registration statement with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared
effective on April 27, 2020.
The
registration of these securities pursuant to the registration statement will permit the public resale of such securities, subject
to lockup agreements executed by the Sponsor and certain former shareholders of IGI. The registration and availability of such
a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common
shares.
Sales
of a substantial number of our securities in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our common shares.
Following
the Business Combination, as of March 17, 2020, the Sponsor held 2,902,152 of our common shares, including 1,842,152 common shares
subject to vesting, and is subject to a one-year lock-up restriction post-Closing (subject to certain exceptions). On April 6,
2020, the Sponsor distributed all of its 2,902,152 common shares, including 1,842,152 common shares subject to vesting, to its
members, subject to the same one-year lock-up restriction. In addition, as of April 27, 2020, (1) Wasef Jabsheh held 13,462,974
common shares, including 1,131,148 of our common shares subject to vesting, and warrants to purchase 4,000,000 of our common shares,
and is subject to a one-year lock-up restriction post-Closing, (2) Oman International Development & Investment Company SAOG
(“Ominvest”) held 6,944,538 common shares, and Argo Re Limited (“Argo”) held 4,525,432 common shares,
including 39,200 common shares subject to vesting, and warrants to purchase 500,000 common shares and (3) Ominvest and Argo are
subject to no lock-up restriction on one-third of their shares, a six-month lock-up restriction on one-third of their shares and
a 12-month lock-up restriction on one-third of their shares (subject to certain exceptions). After the lock-up agreements expire,
these common shares and common shares which are issuable upon exercise of such warrants will become eligible for future sale in
the public market. Sales of a significant number of our common shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales
could occur, could reduce the market price of our common shares.
Future
resales of the common shares issued to the former IGI shareholders may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly,
even if our business is doing well.
Under
the Business Combination Agreement, the former IGI shareholders received, among other things, a significant amount of our common
shares. Under a registration rights agreement, we are required to register for resale all of our common shares that were issued
to the former IGI shareholders. The Company filed such registration statement with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared
effective on April 27, 2020. Upon the effectiveness of such registration statement, all of such shares became freely transferable.
However, notwithstanding such registration, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement and related agreements, the three former
largest IGI shareholders, who collectively hold over 75% of the shares held by the former IGI shareholders, are restricted from
selling any of our common shares that they receive as a result of the Share Exchange (i) in the case of Wasef Jabsheh, during
a twelve month period after the Closing date of the Business Combination, subject to certain exceptions, and (ii) in the case
of Argo and Ominvest, with respect to one-third of their shares, during a six month period after Closing, and with respect to
one-third of their shares, during a 12 month period after Closing, subject to certain exceptions. See the section entitled “Item
7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—Related Party Transactions—Transactions Related to the Business
Combination—Lock-up Agreements.”
In
addition, subject to lock-up agreements signed by the three largest IGI shareholders, the former IGI shareholders also may sell
our common shares pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available. In these cases, the resales must meet the criteria
and conform to the requirements of that rule, including, because the Company is a former shell company, waiting until March 23,
2021, one year after our filing with the SEC of a Shell Company Report on Form 20-F containing Form 10 type information reflecting
the Business Combination.
Upon
expiration of the applicable lock-up periods (with respect to the three largest IGI shareholders), and upon effectiveness of the
registration statement filed by us pursuant to the registration rights agreement or upon satisfaction of the requirements of Rule
144 under the Securities Act, or another applicable exemption from registration, the former IGI shareholders may sell large amounts
of our common shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, which could have the effect of increasing the
volatility in our share price or putting significant downward pressure on the price of our securities.
The
issue of additional shares in the Company in connection with future acquisitions or pursuant to share incentive plans or otherwise
may dilute all other shareholdings.
We
may seek to raise financing to fund future acquisitions and other growth opportunities. We may, for these and other purposes,
such as in connection with share incentive plans, issue additional equity or convertible equity securities that could dilute your
ownership in the Company and may include terms that give new investors rights that are superior to yours. Any issuances by us
of equity securities may be at or below the prevailing market price of our common shares and in any event may have a dilutive
impact on your ownership interest, which could cause the market price of our common shares to decline.
The
decision by our board of directors whether or not to declare dividends, and if so the amount declared, will be based on all relevant
considerations, including market conditions and the views and recommendations of regulatory authorities.
Our
board of directors will evaluate whether or not to pay dividends and, if so, whether to pay dividends on a quarterly, semi-annual
or annual basis. The board’s evaluation will depend on numerous factors, including our results, market conditions, contractual
obligations, legal restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by the board of directors. Among other things, in the current
environment, the board of directors will take into consideration the views of regulators with respect to dividend policies of
insurance companies as well as the board’s and management’s evaluation of global market conditions. In addition, there
are certain restrictions on the declaration and payment of dividends by the Company’s insurance subsidiaries which such
restrictions are further detailed in this annual report.
On
April 8, 2020, the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority issued a statement that “when insurers are considering whether or
not to proceed with any dividend payments, their boards should pay close attention to the need to protect policyholders and maintain
safety and soundness. Decisions regarding capital or significant risk management issues need to be informed by a range of scenarios,
including very severe ones.” The PRA stated that “we welcome the prudent decision from some insurance companies today
to pause dividends given the uncertainties associated with Covid-19.”
In
addition, on April 2, 2020, the European Insurance and Occupational Pension Authority issued a statement on dividend distribution
and variable remuneration policies in the context of COVID-19. EIOPA stated that (re) insurers should “take all necessary
steps to continue to ensure a robust level of own funds to be able to protect policyholders and absorb potential losses.”
EIOPA also stated that it “urges that at the current juncture (re) insurers temporarily suspend all discretionary dividend
distributions and share buy backs aimed at remunerating shareholders.
Although
the Company still anticipates that it will declare dividends, the board of directors has not yet made any final decisions with
respect to its dividend policy. Any decision to declare dividends will be made based on an evaluation and review of the Company’s
latest results and the Company’s analysis of its pending claims, market conditions, and advice from the Company’s
regulators, among other factors. In addition, as a Bermuda exempted company, the Company must comply with the provisions of the
Companies Act 1981 regulating the payment of dividends and making distributions from contributed surplus. The Company may not
declare or pay a dividend, or make a distribution out of contributed surplus, if there are reasonable grounds for believing that:
(a) the company is, or would after the payment be, unable to pay its liabilities as they become due; or (b) the realizable value
of the company’s assets would thereby be less than its liabilities.
Reports
published by analysts, including projections in those reports that differ from our actual results, could adversely affect the
price and trading volume of our common shares.
We
currently expect that securities research analysts will establish and publish their own periodic projections for our business.
These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results we achieve. Our share price may decline if our actual
results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who write
reports on the Company downgrades our common shares or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share
price could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of the Company or fails to publish reports on the Company
regularly, our share price or trading volume could decline. While we expect research analyst coverage, if no analysts commence
coverage of the Company, the trading price and volume for our common shares could be adversely affected.
Item 4. Information on the
Company
A.
History and development of the Company
General
International General Insurance Holdings Ltd. was incorporated
on October 28, 2019 under the laws of Bermuda as an exempted company solely for the purpose of effectuating the Business Combination,
which was consummated on March 17, 2020, at which time we became a public company with our common shares and warrants listed on
the Nasdaq. We are a foreign private issuer and file reports with the SEC using the rules and forms applicable to foreign private
issuers. Prior to the Business Combination, the Company owned no material assets and did not operate any business.
Our
registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM11, Bermuda. Our principal executive office is located
at 74 Abdel Hamid Sharaf Street, PO Box 941428, Amman 11194, Jordan, and our telephone number is +962 6 562 2009. Our agent for
service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, DE 19711.
The
SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers
that file electronically with the SEC which is accessible at http://www.sec.gov.
Our principal website address is http://www.iginsure.com that
contains reports and other information that we file with or furnish electronically with the SEC. The information contained on our
website does not form a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this annual report.
Business
Combination
On
October 10, 2019, IGI entered into the Business Combination Agreement (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”)
with Tiberius Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Tiberius”), Lagniappe Ventures LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company (the “Sponsor”) (solely in its capacity as the Purchaser Representative) (the “Purchaser Representative”),
Wasef Jabsheh (solely in his capacity as the representative of the holders of IGI’s outstanding capital shares (the “Sellers”))
and, pursuant to a joinder thereto, the Company and Tiberius Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary
of the Company (“Merger Sub”).
Pursuant
to the Business Combination Agreement, among other matters, on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing”) (1) Merger Sub
merged with and into Tiberius, with Tiberius surviving the merger and each of the former security holders of Tiberius receiving
securities of the Company (the “Merger”) and (2) all of the outstanding share capital of IGI was exchanged by the
Sellers for a combination of common shares of the Company and aggregate cash consideration of $80.0 million (the “Share
Exchange” and, together with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, the
“Business Combination”).
As
a result of and upon consummation of the Business Combination, each of Tiberius and IGI became a subsidiary of the Company and
the Company became a new public company owned by the prior stockholders of Tiberius and the prior shareholders of IGI. Upon consummation
of the Business Combination pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, our common shares and warrants to purchase
common shares became listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”).
As of December 31, 2019 as well as immediately prior to the
closing of the Business Combination, the Company had one common share issued and outstanding and no preference shares issued and
outstanding. At the closing of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing”), the Company issued
(1) 29,759,999 common shares to former shareholders of IGI in exchange for their IGI shares and (2) 18,687,307 common shares to
former stockholders of Tiberius, including (i) 9,339,924 common shares issued in exchange for public shares of Tiberius common
stock that remained outstanding and were not redeemed immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, (ii) 4,132,500
common shares issued in exchange for Tiberius founder shares, including 3,012,500 shares subject to vesting at prices ranging from
$11.50 to $15.25 per share, (iii) 2,900,000 common shares issued in exchange for shares of Tiberius common stock that were issued
to certain investors pursuant to forward purchase contracts and (iv) 2,314,883 common shares issued in exchange for shares of Tiberius
common stock that were issued to certain investors in a private placement. In addition, the Company issued 17,250,000 warrants,
including (i) 12,750,000 warrants issued to former stockholders of Tiberius and (ii) 4,500,000 warrants that were issued in exchange
for 4,000,000 Tiberius warrants transferred to Wasef Jabsheh and 500,000 Tiberius warrants transferred to Argo Re Limited (“Argo”).
Immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company had 48,447,306 common shares issued and outstanding
(including 3,012,500 common shares subject to vesting but which are issued and outstanding for purposes of voting and receipt of
dividends) and 17,250,000 warrants.
In
connection with the Business Combination, (1) Tiberius stockholders exercised redemption rights with respect to 7,910,076 shares
of Tiberius common stock at a price of approximately $10.43 per share, (2) Tiberius repurchased 6,000,000 warrants pursuant to
two warrant purchase agreements and such warrants were subsequently cancelled, (3) the Sponsor forfeited 180,000 shares of Tiberius
common stock, and (4) the Sponsor transferred 4,000,000 warrants and 1,131,148 shares of Tiberius common stock to Wasef Jabsheh
and 500,000 warrants and 39,200 shares of Tiberius common stock to Argo.
Immediately
prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, all of Tiberius’s outstanding units automatically separated into
their component securities and were subsequently delisted from Nasdaq.
In
addition, loans and advances from the Sponsor to Tiberius in the aggregate principal amount of $1,790,000 were repaid at Closing.
Other
than in connection with the Business Combination, since our incorporation, there have been no material changes to our share capital,
mergers, amalgamations or consolidations of the Company or any of our significant subsidiaries, no acquisitions or dispositions
of material assets other than in the ordinary course of business, no material changes in the mode of conducting our business,
no material changes in the types of products produced or services rendered and no name changes. There have been no bankruptcy,
receivership or similar proceedings with respect to the Company or its significant subsidiaries. There have been no public takeover
offers by third parties for our shares nor any public takeover offers by us for the shares of another company which have occurred
during the last or current financial years.
B.
Business Overview
Securityholders
should read this section in conjunction with the more detailed information about the Company contained in this annual report,
including our audited financial statements and the other information appearing in the section entitled “Operating and Financial
Review and Prospects.”
General
We
are a highly-rated global provider of specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions in over 200 countries and territories. We
underwrite a diversified portfolio of specialty risks including energy, property, construction and engineering, ports and terminals,
general aviation, political violence, casualty, financial institutions, marine liability and treaty reinsurance. Our size affords
us the ability to be nimble and seek out profitable niches that can generate attractive underwriting results. Our underwriting
focus is supported by exceptional service to our clients and brokers. Founded in 2001, our wholly owned subsidiary International
General Insurance Holdings Ltd., a company organized under the laws of the Dubai International Financial Center (“IGI”),
has prudently grown our business with a focus on underwriting profitability and risk-adjusted shareholder returns as measured
by total value creation over time. Since the inception of IGI in 2001 through December 31, 2019, our total value creation, defined
as the growth in tangible book value per share plus accumulated shareholder dividends, has been 380% as of December 31, 2019.For
additional information regarding total value creation, see “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Non-IFRS
Financial Measures—Tangible book value per diluted common share plus accumulated dividends.”
Our
primary objective is to underwrite specialty products that maximize return on equity subject to prudent risk constraints on the
amount of capital we expose to any single event. We follow a careful and disciplined underwriting strategy with a focus on individually
underwritten specialty risks through in-depth assessment of the underlying exposure. We use data analytics and modern technology
to offer our clients flexible products and customized and granular pricing. We manage our risks through a variety of means, including
contract terms, portfolio selection and underwriting and geographic diversification. Our underwriting strategy is supplemented
by a comprehensive risk transfer program with reinsurance coverage from highly-rated reinsurers that we believe lowers our volatility
of earnings and provides appropriate levels of protection in the event of a major loss event.
Our
Chief Executive Officer, Wasef Jabsheh, with the assistance of our President, Walid Jabsheh, founded IGI in 2001. Wasef Jabsheh
has over 50 years of industry experience. Under our management’s leadership we have developed a culture of prudent and disciplined
underwriting focused on generating superior risk-adjusted returns. Our “underwriting first” approach has led to a
strong track record of profitable growth in our core lines of business and has allowed for successful expansion into new lines
of business and geographic locations without compromising underwriting profitability. We have expanded our gross written premium
(“GWP”) from $153 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 to $349.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019,
resulting in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6%, while delivering a consistently strong underwriting performance which
is demonstrated by an average combined ratio of 91.7% over the same time period. Our growth and underwriting performance has allowed
us to post consistently strong profitability levels with an unlevered return on average equity of 8.6% over the same time period
with limited volatility through market cycles.
Our
primary underwriting subsidiary, International General Insurance Co. Ltd. (“IGI Bermuda”), is a class 3B insurance
and reinsurance company regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. IGI Bermuda’s subsidiary, International General Insurance
Company (UK) Ltd. (“IGI UK”), underwrites EU domiciled business and risks that are predominantly sourced through London
brokers and is regulated by the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority (“PRA”) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority
(“FCA”). We maintain our centralized operational functions in Amman, Jordan, complemented by offices in London and
Dubai and our Asia Pacific hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We are licensed as a Tier 2 reinsurer in Labuan, Malaysia and have a
representative office in Casablanca, Morocco.
Our
presence in various geographic locations provides us with access to global business in profitable niche markets. Our technical
underwriting capabilities, client service, nimble culture and ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions further support
our strong market position and reputation as an expert in niche businesses in our core geographies.
The
following charts show the sources of IGI’s gross written premium by geography, segment and line of business during the year
ended December 31, 2019:
GWP by geography, 2019
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GWP by segment and lines of business, 2019
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Our
Competitive Strengths
We
believe we distinguish ourselves from our competitors as follows:
Market
respected and highly effective management team
Our
management team has an average of over 30 years of relevant experience working in insurance, reinsurance and capital markets in
various countries. We are led by our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wasef Jabsheh, who has over 50 years of industry experience
and has been recognized with multiple industry accolades including “2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Jordan”.
Our key management team has worked together for several years, providing stability and consistency of approach to the market.
In addition, our senior management team takes a hands-on approach to the business and is readily accessible to the underwriters
and other employees, making for a flat structure where decisions are made quickly. The management team has embedded a high performance,
service-oriented culture within the Company, which has helped differentiate us in the market.
Local
knowledge and access to attractive geographies
Our
local knowledge and presence in attractive markets is a competitive advantage. We have exposure in over 200 countries and territories
in both mature and high-growth markets with attractive growth rates. Through our global platform with presence in various geographic
locations, the vast experience of our senior management and underwriters and our long-standing relationships with an extensive
network of specialty brokers, we have differentiated access to profitable niche businesses in our core markets, including the
UK, continental Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.
Long-standing
relationships with key brokers
Our
longstanding relationships with brokers, and ultimately clients, enable us to receive a regular and sizeable flow of our preferred
business. We source almost all of our business through brokers, with our top five international brokers producing 64.7% of our
premiums in the year ended December 31, 2019. We have held relationships with many of those brokers since inception. We believe
that we have been able to develop strong broker relationships through the high quality of service that we provide and also through
our enhanced reputation in the marketplace. A pillar of our high quality client service is prompt and professional claims management.
We use Xchanging Insurance Services’ electronic system for the majority of our premiums and claims, aligning our service
levels with London market standards.
Geographically
diverse, specialty and niche book of business
Since
IGI’s inception, management’s objective has been to offer specialty and niche products requiring underwriting and
technical skills balanced by geography and line of business. We actively manage our exposures by geographic zone to maintain a
diverse portfolio of underlying risks. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we wrote 33% of our business in the United Kingdom,
11% in Continental Europe, 14% in Latin America, 11% in the Middle East and 9% in Asia. The remaining business was underwritten
in the Caribbean, Africa, Australasia and North America. We currently underwrite business in three business segments through 10
lines of business spanning across attractive specialty and niche products. Of $349.2 million in gross written premiums for the
year ended December 31, 2019, 41% was generated by our specialty long-tail segment, 54% by the specialty short-tail segment and
5% by the reinsurance segment.
Disciplined
risk selection
Our
underwriting approach combines decades of customized underwriting experience of our management team with sophisticated modelling
tools that utilize actuarial data across all of our lines of business. Our analytical pricing framework is embedded in our business
and is incorporated into our pricing metrics, underwriting and risk management. For the year ended December 31, 2019, 69% of our
business was individually underwritten where our underwriters analyzed submissions and determined if the underlying risk of each
contract met our overall risk and profitability requirements. In addition, 26% was sourced through Managing General Agents, that
are required to strictly adhere to our narrowly defined underwriting criteria and return thresholds and only 5% was originated
through reinsurance treaties. We believe that our analytically-driven underwriting approach has been the foundation of our ability
to generate attractive risk-adjusted underwriting margins.
Prudent
risk management framework
We
reduce the volatility of our operating results and manage our exposure to catastrophe events through several risk mitigation strategies,
including the purchase of reinsurance from highly-rated reinsurers. We believe that our reinsurance program provides appropriate
levels of protection and visibility into our earnings. In addition, our reinsurance coverage is highly tailored according to the
underlying exposure.
Scalable
technology-enabled operating platform
Operating
a technology-enabled platform utilizing a “hub-approach” of maintaining a single profit center in Amman, Jordan has
enabled us to optimize our cost base by offering cost-efficient central services. We have invested in technology that has identifiable
benefits for our business across underwriting, actuarial, risk, capital and pricing functions among others. Since 2015 we have
implemented a digital transformation initiative to proactively adapt to market changes and industry shifts. This focus on technology
has enhanced our approach to clients, brokers and regulators, allowing for greater ease of doing business and transparency.
Our
Strategy
We
aim to continue creating superior long-term value for our shareholders by pursuing the following strategies:
Expand
our presence in existing markets
Our
size relative to the market opportunity positions us to execute on our strategy of growing in our already existing profitable
markets and lines of business. We believe that we are well-positioned in the London and Middle Eastern markets to capitalize on
the increasing focus in those markets on portfolio remediation to improve underwriting profitability. In addition, we believe
we are beneficiaries of capacity reductions and withdrawals from specific classes of businesses by certain (re)insurers. Our differentiated
product offerings, superior client service and robust capital position support our strategy to continue growing in our existing
core markets.
Expand
our presence to new specialty lines of business and markets
We
seek to leverage our proven advantages of technical underwriting, local market knowledge, distribution relationships and financial
strength to grow into adjacent lines and markets. We continually seek to evaluate additional lines of business and markets that
will complement our core competencies and where we believe we can generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. For example, in 2011,
we started underwriting our ports and terminals line of business, which has grown to $22.4 million of premiums in 2019. In addition,
our expansion into Kuala Lumpur has opened up new business opportunities that will further strengthen our offerings in Asia Pacific.
We also expect to further expand in the U.S. market. We have received approval by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
(NAIC) to begin writing U.S. excess and surplus (“E&S”) lines business effective April 1, 2020.
Maintain
balance sheet strength and thorough reserves assessment
Our
balance sheet strength underpins our clients’ confidence in our business and uniquely positions us among other insurers
and reinsurers of our size. We maintain a conservative balance sheet, which reflects our rigorous reserving practices, use of
reinsurance and conservative investment policy. Our business profile including our well-diversified and profitable book of business,
along with our strong capitalization, among other factors, led to A.M. Best upgrading us from “A-” (Excellent) to
“A” (Excellent) in September 2019.
We
have a thorough reserving adequacy assessment process designed and overseen by qualified internal actuaries. The reserving committee
is responsible to the board of directors for the governance of the reserving process and for the recommendation of the quantum
of claims reserves to be booked. The committee includes members of senior management who represent underwriting, claims, outward
reinsurance and finance. Key inputs to the committee include, but are not limited to, the quarterly actuarial reserve review,
presented by the group chief actuary, and discussions with the heads of claims, reinsurance and underwriting. Our policy is to
reserve to a “best estimate” basis.
Maintain
our conservative investment strategy
We
have a conservative investment strategy, maintaining a short-to-medium term investment portfolio maturity profile with the purpose
of providing sufficient liquidity and stable returns with limited volatility. We follow an “underwriting first” model
and have designed an investment strategy that allows us to maximize our underwriting profits in a capital efficient manner. As
of December 31, 2019, our investment portfolio was comprised primarily of cash and fixed income securities. Cash (including cash
equivalents and term deposits) represented 51.6% of our invested assets and fixed income securities represented 35% of our invested
assets as of December 31, 2019. Our fixed income portfolio is geographically diverse with an average maturity of two years, with
79.2% of the securities in our portfolio having an S&P rating of ‘A’ and above as of December 31, 2019.
Continue
to purchase conservative reinsurance coverage, while optimizing for risk-adjusted returns
We
believe that protecting our earnings and balance sheet through the use of reinsurance is critical in ensuring that we are able
to meet obligations to our policyholders and generate strong returns for our shareholders. We are active purchasers of reinsurance
and seek to find opportunities to maximize risk-adjusted results by finding dislocations and inefficiencies in the market. We
plan to maintain a conservative, robust reinsurance program to help ensure that we are adequately protected against potential
catastrophe losses while minimizing the volatility of our operating results.
Our
Segments
We
conduct our worldwide operations through three reportable segments under IFRS segment reporting: Specialty Long-tail, Specialty
Short-tail and Reinsurance.
Our
Specialty Long-tail segment includes (1) our casualty business, which includes our professional indemnity, directors and officers,
legal expenses, intellectual property and other casualty lines of business, (2) our financial institutions line of business and
(3) our marine liability line of business. The lines of business in our specialty long-tail segment are generally characterized
by claims that are often reported and ultimately paid or settled years, or even decades, after the related loss events occur.
As a general rule, estimates of accident year or underwriting year ultimate losses for long-tail businesses are notably more uncertain
than those for short-tail businesses.
Our
Specialty Short-tail segment includes our energy (upstream, downstream and renewable), property, construction and engineering,
political violence, ports and terminals and general aviation lines of business. The lines of business in our specialty short-tail
segment generally include exposures for which losses are usually known and paid within a relatively short period of time after
the underlying loss event has occurred. The underlying loss events typically tend to be of lower frequency and higher severity.
Our
Reinsurance segment includes our inward reinsurance treaty business.
In
addition, we have a corporate function (“Corporate”), which includes the activities of the parent company, and which
carries out certain functions, including investment management. Corporate includes investment income on a managed basis and other
non-segment expenses, predominantly general and administrative, stock compensation, finance and transaction expenses. Corporate
also includes the activities of certain key executives such as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Our corporate
expenses and investment results are presented separately within the corporate segment section.
The
following tables show our gross written premium for the prior three years both on a segment basis and on a line of business and
a geographic basis:
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Specialty Long-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
$
|
43.1
|
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
16.1
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
Specialty Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
|
87.9
|
|
|
|
81.4
|
|
|
|
72.1
|
|
Property
|
|
|
53.7
|
|
|
|
43.8
|
|
|
|
46.1
|
|
Construction & Engineering
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
|
|
18.2
|
|
|
|
20.7
|
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
9.7
|
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Ports & Terminals
|
|
|
17.3
|
|
|
|
19.1
|
|
|
|
22.4
|
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
19.0
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
19.2
|
|
Reinsurance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treaty Reinsurance
|
|
|
17.7
|
|
|
|
17.8
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
UK
|
|
$
|
42.9
|
|
|
$
|
76.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
|
|
34.5
|
|
|
|
37.3
|
|
Worldwide
|
|
|
26.3
|
|
|
|
35.0
|
|
|
|
33.3
|
|
Middle East
|
|
|
36.1
|
|
|
|
32.4
|
|
|
|
36.9
|
|
Africa
|
|
|
14.8
|
|
|
|
13.6
|
|
|
|
16.5
|
|
Asia
|
|
|
33.9
|
|
|
|
27.8
|
|
|
|
32.8
|
|
Central America
|
|
|
35.6
|
|
|
|
26.7
|
|
|
|
37.7
|
|
South America
|
|
|
33.4
|
|
|
|
26.4
|
|
|
|
11.1
|
|
North America
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
4.3
|
|
Caribbean Islands
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
|
|
15.1
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Australasia
|
|
|
8.4
|
|
|
|
12.6
|
|
|
|
15.2
|
|
Grand Total
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
Specialty
Long-tail Segment
Casualty
Our
casualty line of business represented approximately 24% and 33% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019,
respectively.
Major
subclasses within the casualty line of business include directors’ and officers’ insurance, legal expenses, professional
indemnity, comprehensive commercial general liability, public liability, product liability, employers’ liability, workers’
compensation, event liability, completed operations liability, intellectual property liability and media and advertising liability.
We primarily underwrite casualty risks from Europe and the UK on a “primary” basis, meaning that loss up to a limit
is covered primarily, or on an excess-of-loss basis.
Financial
Institutions
Our
financial institutions line of business represented approximately 5% and 7% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and
2019, respectively.
The
financial institutions business covers a range of risks including bankers’ blanket bond, financial institutions professional
indemnity, financial institutions directors’ & officers’ liability, plastic card fraud, electronic computer crime,
vault risk, cash in transit, commercial crime and fidelity guarantee, and money.
Marine
Liability
Our
marine liability line of business represented approximately 1% of our GWP for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019,
respectively.
Our
marine liability portfolio covers third party liabilities related to marine risks, including ship repairer’s liability,
ship owner’s protection and indemnity, Wharfinger’s liability, Stevedore’s liability, Charterer’s liability
and port and terminal excess liability. We focus our marine liability portfolio predominantly on Asia and Europe.
Specialty
Short-tail Segment
Energy
Our
energy businesses represented approximately 27% and 21% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
We have a lead capability in both upstream energy and downstream energy (oil & gas, petrochemicals, refining, conventional
power and renewable energy), with a maximum exposure of $50 million and $35 million for any single risk in upstream and downstream
energy, respectively. We have a strong presence in major energy insurance hubs and in 2018 began underwriting renewable energy.
Our
upstream energy team covers the oil and gas industry both offshore and onshore. Our industry knowledge and products allow us to
service a broad spectrum of clients involved with the construction, exploration & production, operating, contracting and decommissioning
industries. Our focus is on operators and companies with proven track records and strong risk management policies worldwide, with
a particular focus in the Middle East, the wider Afro-Asian region and Scandinavia, excluding named windstorms in the U.S. Gulf
of Mexico area. We have a strong presence in major energy insurance hubs, namely the United Kingdom, Norway, the United Arab Emirates
and Malaysia. Our clients in the upstream energy line of business include major oil and gas corporations, national and state-owned
oil and gas operations, independent oil and gas companies, integrated energy companies, contractors and service industry companies.
Our
downstream energy business provides expert insurance for a wide range of onshore energy plants around the world, with a particular
focus in the Middle East, Afro-Asian, European and Latin American regions. We underwrite a portfolio of predominantly operating
risks in the onshore energy sector, with an emphasis on operators and companies with proven track records and strong risk management
policies, with a geographically diversified portfolio that excludes U.S. natural catastrophe perils. Our clients in the downstream
energy line of business include petrochemical operators, oil refineries, utilities, independent power producer (IPP) companies
and energy pipeline operators. We insure a spread of operational risks including machinery breakdown and property damage, and
associated loss of revenues.
We
began underwriting renewable energy in 2018. Our renewable energy business provides expert insurance for a wide range of risks
including: wind power (onshore and offshore), solar power (photovoltaic, concentrated, thermal and floating), bioenergy (biomass,
biogas, biofuels and waste-to-energy), hydro, geothermal, wave & tidal, battery storage, and other emerging technologies,
e.g. energy efficiency. We cover the full life-cycle of a renewable energy project, namely construction, marine and inland transit,
operational and decommissioning, including associated loss of revenues, liabilities, as well as natural catastrophe risks. We
write business on a worldwide basis, excluding all U.S. natural catastrophe perils.
Property
Our
property business represented approximately 14% and 13% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Our
property offering includes coverage for physical damage, machinery breakdown, business interruption and forestry. We cover a wide
variety of risks from large hotels to industrial manufacturing. Our clients include a wide range of businesses involved in sectors
such as leisure, commercial and industrial property, manufacturing, heavy industry and infrastructure, civil works and communications.
Construction
& Engineering
Our
construction and engineering business represented approximately 6% of our GWP for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and
2019, respectively.
Our
construction and engineering line of business provides coverage construction all risks (CAR), civil engineering completed risks
(CECR), machinery breakdown and business interruption (MB/BI), erection all risks (EAR), contractors’ plant and equipment
(CPE/CPM) and inherent defects insurance (IDI). We focus our construction & engineering portfolio on inherent defects
insurance, construction all-risk and erection all-risk.
Political
Violence
Our
political violence portfolio represented approximately 4% and 2% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Our
political violence line of business focuses on comprehensive sabotage and terrorism, strikes, riots, civil commotions, malicious
damage, missing mutiny, coup d’etat, insurrection, revolution, rebellion, war and civil war. Our offering does not normally
include risks associated with nuclear, chemical or biological terrorism, trade disruption insurance or standalone contingent business
interruption risks. Our coverage generally includes physical loss or damage, business interruption, debris removal and third party
liability following a political violence peril.
Ports
and Terminals
Our
ports and terminals business represented approximately 6% of our GWP for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Our
current offerings in this line of business include handling of equipment, damage to port property, business interruption and damage
to port craft, liabilities to authorities and other liabilities. We primarily serve port authorities, terminal operators, stevedores,
warehouse operators and depot operators. This also includes a variety of organizations specializing in other aspects of the shipping
industry, including freight forwarders, non-vessel operating common carriers, ship managers, ship agents and ship brokers.
General
Aviation
Our
general aviation business represented approximately 6% and 5% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Our
general aviation portfolio covers worldwide commercial and industrial operations, including coverage for hull, hull and spares,
war and allied perils, third party legal liability, general aviation premises, spares, passenger legal liability, personal accident
and general aviation hangar keepers. We focus our general aviation portfolio on South and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Reinsurance
Segment
Our
reinsurance business represented approximately 6% and 5% of our GWP for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Our
reinsurance portfolio includes primarily underwritten programs related to the marine liability, energy, property, engineering,
motor, casualty and aviation sectors, and is concentrated in the MENA region and the wider Afro-Asian and European markets. Our
reinsurance portfolio is primarily written on a non-proportional or excess-of-loss basis. Property reinsurance forms the most
significant portion of our overall treaty reinsurance portfolio.
Our
History
Our
group was founded in 2001 and commenced operations in Jordan in 2002, underwriting business in the offshore energy, onshore energy,
property, marine liability and engineering lines of business. In 2005, we raised $75 million of capital through a private
placement and commenced underwriting our reinsurance portfolio. In 2006, we established a holding company in the DIFC and also
established our Labuan branch, which is licensed to issue Labuan law-governed policies, including Islamic law-compliant re-takaful
policies. In 2007, we established our Bermuda subsidiary and commenced underwriting our financial institutions portfolio. In 2009,
we acquired SR Bishop which was renamed North Star Underwriting Limited (“North Star”). In 2009, we established our
UK subsidiary, which commenced business in 2011. The UK subsidiary underwrites most of IGI’s UK-governed policies and serves
as an important point of contact for brokers based in London.
On
March 17, 2020, IGI completed the Business Combination with Tiberius, as a result of which each of IGI and Tiberius became a subsidiary
of the Company and the Company became a new public company owned by the prior stockholders of Tiberius and the prior shareholders
of IGI. Upon consummation of the Business Combination, our common shares and warrants to purchase common shares became listed
on Nasdaq.
Platform
Overview
We
primarily underwrite business through IGI Bermuda and IGI UK (which is a subsidiary of IGI Bermuda). Additionally, we issue Labuan-governed
policies (through a capitalized Malaysian branch of IGI Bermuda) and are also licensed to issue Islamic re-takaful policies. The
platforms through which IGI issues these policies are discussed below.
IGI
Bermuda
IGI’s
Bermuda-governed policies are issued pursuant to a license held by IGI Bermuda. The underwriting operations for the Bermuda-governed
policies are located in IGI Underwriting Company Limited (“IGI Underwriting”), which is registered and based in Amman,
Jordan. When a Bermuda-governed policy is sourced through IGI’s office in the United Kingdom, the policy is referred to
the office in Amman for formal underwriting approval. IGI Dubai also has underwriting authority to underwrite Bermuda-governed
policies through an underwriting agency agreement, subject to authority limits, and IGI Morocco operates a representative office
of IGI Bermuda in Casablanca which is authorized to issue Bermuda governed policies. IGI Bermuda has two additional wholly-owned
subsidiaries: Specialty Mall Investment Co., which focuses on real estate properties, development, and leasing, and IGI Services
Limited, which focuses on owning and chartering aircraft.
IGI
UK
IGI’s
UK-governed policies are primarily underwritten by IGI UK based in London. IGI UK serves as an important point of contact for
brokers based in London, through whom IGI sources the majority of its business. In addition, IGI UK provides IGI with access to
European business through its EU licenses. IGI also owns North Star, a specialty underwriting agency for writing marine liability,
war and special risks policies and which is based alongside IGI UK in IGI’s London office. North Star is currently not transacting
any business, but can easily be reactivated.
IGI
Labuan Branch
International General
Insurance Co. Ltd — Labuan Branch (the “Labuan Branch”), a second-tier reinsurer registered in Labuan, Malaysia,
is licensed to issue Labuan law-governed policies, including Islamic law-compliant re-takaful policies. IGI’s Labuan-based
operation is supported by an Asia Pacific hub in Kuala Lumpur, which also serves as a point of contact for local brokers in Asia.
Representation
and Intermediate Offices (Non-Risk Bearing Companies)
IGI
Morocco
IGI
Bermuda operates a representative office of IGI Bermuda in Casablanca, which is regulated by Casablanca Finance City. Our Casablanca
operations constitute our Africa hub and provide access to the Northern, Central and West African markets.
IGI
Dubai
IGI
Dubai is authorized as a category four entity by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and it operates as a marketing and intermediate
office of IGI Bermuda in Dubai. Our Dubai operations constitute our Middle East hub and provide access to the MENA region including
the Gulf Cooperation Council markets.
Underwriting
Our
underwriting process is managed by our experienced management team, which adheres to strict process controls. We have assembled
a team of experienced lead underwriters and claims personnel with significant regional and international experience. This diverse
array of talent and experience creates strategic advantages with regard to local knowledge, protocols and methods of business
production. We have rigorous acceptance criteria for our underwriting risk, and will exit or reduce exposures in lines of business
or client types that do not perform in accord with our expectations.
Each
risk submitted to an underwriter is assessed on its own merits. The experience and expertise of senior management and the underwriters
are ultimately the determining factor in deciding whether to underwrite a given risk. As a result, we rely on our underwriters’
discretion in acquiring business. However, when exercising their discretion, the underwriters take into account several key considerations,
some of which may include the following:
|
●
|
the
type and level of risk assumed;
|
|
●
|
the
nature of the insured’s operations;
|
|
●
|
the
pricing of the policy submitted and the pricing trend of similar policies in the market;
|
|
●
|
the
quality and specifications of the insured’s assets;
|
|
●
|
the
insured’s risk management program, if necessary, and, if required, surveys to be
conducted on the insured’s assets and operations;
|
|
●
|
the
adequacy of the insured’s credit rating;
|
|
●
|
the
general terms and conditions of the policy submitted, with a preference for standard
market wordings and clauses;
|
|
●
|
the
insured’s loss record, including the record of the insured’s losses divided
by total premiums (“Burn Cost Analysis”);
|
|
●
|
the
experience of the underwriters from their prior dealings with the insured, broker or
ceding company, as applicable;
|
|
●
|
the
experience and reputation of the broker submitting the risk;
|
|
●
|
the
legal and general economic conditions of the insured’s country of domicile;
|
|
●
|
the
insured’s geographical location and trading territories;
|
|
●
|
the
adequacy of available reinsurance coverage, including coverage for catastrophe and the
total combined risks that could be involved in a single loss event;
|
|
●
|
our
catastrophic aggregation capacity; and
|
|
●
|
the
approval of the broker by the compliance department according to the onboarding policy
and the necessary sanctions screening.
|
Pursuant
to our delegated authority matrix, which sets underwriting limits for each line of business and each underwriter, the underwriters
have the authority to enter into binding policies. If a policy exceeds the underwriter’s limits, the policy is then referred
to our officer who has the authority to bind the policy. Management also receives periodic reports that allow them to oversee
the business and identify underwritings that deviate from acceptable parameters, providing management the opportunity to intervene
to rectify such deviations. Monthly key performance indicator reports are reviewed by the management team to monitor the performance
of the underwriting teams.
Risk
Management Strategy
We
have a comprehensive risk management framework that defines the corporate risk appetite, risk strategy and the policies required
to monitor, manage and mitigate the risk inherent in our business. In doing so, we aim to comply with corporate governance and
industry best practice and to monitor risks against six main risk objectives: (i) ensuring losses remain within planned limits,
(ii) ensuring volatility of results fall within planned limits, (iii) compliance with existing and emerging regulatory requirements,
(iv) preserving rating agency credit ratings, (v) maintaining adequate solvency and liquidity, and (vi) avoiding any reputational
risk. Below is a summary of our current risk governance arrangements and risk management strategy.
We
operate an integrated enterprise-wide risk management strategy designed to deliver shareholder value in a sustainable and efficient
manner while providing a high level of policyholder protection. The execution of our integrated risk management strategy is based
on:
|
●
|
the
establishment and maintenance of an internal control and risk management system based
on a three lines of defence approach to the allocation of responsibilities between risk
accepting units (first line), risk management activity and oversight from other central
control functions (second line) and independent assurance (third line);
|
|
●
|
identifying
material risks to the achievement of our objectives including emerging risks;
|
|
●
|
the
articulation of our risk appetite and a suite of key risk limits for each material component
of risk where appropriate;
|
|
●
|
the
cascading of risk appetite and key risk limits for material risks to each operating subsidiary
and, where appropriate, risk accepting business units;
|
|
●
|
measuring,
monitoring, managing and reporting risk positions and trends;
|
|
●
|
the
use, subject to an understanding of their limitations, of a range of deterministic and
stochastic modelling techniques to test the risk and capital implications of strategic
and tactical business decisions; and
|
|
●
|
stress
and scenario testing designed to help us better understand and develop contingency plans
for the potential effects of extreme events or combinations of events on capital adequacy
and liquidity.
|
The
main types of risks that we face are summarized as follows:
Insurance
risk: Insurance risk includes the risks of inappropriate underwriting, ineffective management of underwriting, inadequate
controls over exposure management in relation to catastrophic events and insufficient reserves for losses including claims
incurred but not reported.
Market
risk: The risk of variation in the income generated by, and the fair value of, our investment portfolio, cash and cash
equivalents and derivative contracts including the effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Credit
risk: The risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to
incur a financial loss.
Liquidity
risk: The risk that we will not be able to meet our commitments associated with insurance contracts and financial
liabilities as they fall due.
Operational
risk: The risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, personnel or systems, or from external
events.
Strategic
risk: The risk of adverse impact on shareholder value or income and capital of adverse business decisions, poor execution
or failure to respond to market changes.
Regulatory
risk: The risk of non-compliance with regulatory requirements, including ensuring we understand and comply with changes
to those requirements, is assessed and managed as an operational risk. There is a residual risk that changes in regulation
could impact our ability to operate profitably in some jurisdictions or some lines of business.
Taxation
risk: The risk that we do not understand, plan for and manage our tax obligations is assessed and managed as operational
risk. There is a residual risk that changes in taxation could impact our ability to operate profitably in some jurisdictions or
some lines of business.
Emerging
risk: The risk that events or issues not previously identified or fully understood could impact our operations or
financial results.
We
divide risks into “core” and “non-core” risks. Core risks comprise those risks which are inherent in the
operation of our business, including insurance risks in respect of our underwriting operations and market and liquidity risks
in respect of our investment activity. We intentionally expose the Company to core risks with a view to generating shareholder
value but seek to manage the resulting volatility in our earnings and financial condition within the limits defined by our risk
appetite. However, these core risks are intrinsically difficult to measure and manage and we may not, therefore, be successful
in this respect. All other risks, including regulatory and operational risks, are classified as non-core. We seek, to the extent
we regard as reasonably practicable and economically viable, to avoid or minimize our exposure to non-core risks.
Marketing
and Distribution
We
source our business primarily through brokers, with 64.7% of 2019 premiums coming from five producing brokers. Given our regional
focus, we also make use of a range of smaller, more regional brokers, such as NASCO, UIB, Fenchurch Faris and Chedid Re. Currently,
our largest broker relationships as measured by gross written premiums are with Arthur J. Gallagher, Aon, Miller, Marsh and RKH
Group.
Claims
Management
We
offer prompt and professional claims service to our policyholders and service providers. Our claims department works closely with
our underwriting team in order to achieve a synchronized and efficient process for managing claims. Technology is deeply embedded
in our claims process, improving accuracy and efficiency. Our systems allow us to review real-time, detailed information on our
current claims activity across our Company.
The
key responsibilities of our claims management department are to:
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process,
manage and resolve reported insurance or reinsurance claims efficiently and accurately
in order to ensure the proper application of intended coverage, reserve in a timely fashion
for the probable ultimate cost of both indemnity and expense and make timely payments
in the appropriate amount on those claims for which we are legally obligated to pay;
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select
appropriate counsel and experts for claims and manage claims-related litigation and regulatory
compliance;
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contribute
to the underwriting process by collaborating with both underwriting teams and senior
management in terms of the evolution of policy language and endorsements and providing
claim-specific feedback and education regarding legal activities;
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contribute
to the analysis and reporting of financial data and forecasts by collaborating with the
finance and actuarial functions relating to the drivers of actual claim reserve developments
and potential for financial exposures on known claims; and
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support
our marketing efforts through the quality of our claims service.
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Reserving
When
a claim is reported to us or when an event occurs, we establish loss reserves to cover our estimated ultimate losses under the
insurance policies that we underwrite, and loss adjustment expenses relating to the investigation and settlement of policy claims.
These reserves include estimates of the cost of the claims reported to us (case reserves) and estimates of the cost of claims
that have been incurred but not yet reported (“IBNR”) and are net of estimated related salvage, subrogation recoverables
and reinsurance recoverables. The case reserve will represent an estimate of the expected settlement amount and will be based
on information about the specific claim at that time. The estimate represents an informed judgment based on general industry case
reserving practices, the experience and knowledge of the claims handler and practices of the claims team.
The
following charts show the percentage breakdown of net case and IBNR including ULAE reserves as of December 31, 2018 and 2019:
December 31, 2018
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December 31, 2019
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The
reserving committee is responsible to the board of directors for the governance of the reserving process and for the recommendation
of the quantum of claims reserves to be booked. The committee includes members of senior management who represent underwriting,
claims, outward reinsurance and finance. The committee meets quarterly and agrees the carried reserve for each product line. Key
inputs to the committee include but are not limited to the quarterly actuarial reserve review, presented by the group chief actuary,
and discussions with the heads of claims, reinsurance and underwriting. The committee also considers the findings of third-party
independent actuarial reviews. At present these reviews are undertaken every six months. In support of IGI’s annual statutory
submission to the Bermuda Monetary Authority, a ‘big four’ actuarial consultant conducts an actuarial review of the
loss reserves to support their statutory loss reserve opinion. While our management considers the results of such review and opinion, the reserves recorded by the Company
represent management’s best estimate.
For
additional information regarding our reserves, our reserves development and our reserves releasing, see “Operating and
Financial Review and Prospects—Reserves.”
Investments
Investment
income represents a component of our earnings. We collect premiums and are required to hold a portion of these funds in reserves
until claims are paid. We invest these reserves primarily in fixed maturity investments. We manage most of our investment portfolio
in-house, with the exception of approximately $9.4 million as of December 31, 2019 which is managed by a third party investment
advisor. Our investment team is responsible for implementing our investment strategy as set by the investment committee of the
board of directors.
The
following charts show the percentage breakdown of our investment assets by class as of December 31, 2018 and 2019:
Investment by Asset
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Investment by Asset
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Class as of December 31, 2018
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Class as of December 31, 2019
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For
additional information regarding our investments, see “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Investments.”
Reinsurance
We
follow a common industry practice of reinsuring a portion of our exposures and paying to reinsurers a portion of the premiums
received on the policies that we write. Reinsurance is purchased principally to reduce net liability on individual risks and to
protect against catastrophic losses. Although reinsurance does not legally discharge an insurer from its primary liability for
the full amount of the policies, it does make the assuming reinsurer contractually liable to the insurer to the extent of the
reinsurance coverage. We monitor the financial condition of our reinsurers and attempt to place our coverages only with substantial,
financially sound carriers. As a result, generally the reinsurers who reinsure our casualty insurance must have an A.M. Best rating
of “A” (Excellent) or better.
Regulatory
Overview
Bermuda
Regulatory Considerations
Bermuda
Insurance Regulation
The
Insurance Act. The Insurance Act, which regulates the business of IGI Bermuda, provides that no person shall carry on any
insurance business in or from within Bermuda unless registered as an insurer under the Insurance Act by the Bermuda Monetary
Authority. The Bermuda Monetary Authority, in deciding whether to grant registration, has broad discretion to act as it
thinks fit in the public interest. The Bermuda Monetary Authority is required by the Insurance Act to determine whether the
applicant is a fit and proper body to be engaged in the insurance business and, in particular, whether it has, or has
available to it, adequate knowledge and expertise. The registration of an applicant as an insurer is subject to its complying
with the terms of its registration and such other conditions as the Bermuda Monetary Authority may impose at any time. It is
not necessary that the insurance company be incorporated in Bermuda. A foreign corporation may obtain a permit under the
Companies Act 1981 (the “Companies Act”) to carry on business in Bermuda and then be registered as an insurer in
Bermuda under the Insurance Act. (The Insurance Act does not distinguish between insurers and reinsurers: companies are
registered (licensed) under the Insurance Act as “insurers” (although in certain circumstances a condition to
registration may be imposed to the effect the company may carry on only reinsurance business). The Insurance Act uses the
defined term “insurance business” to include reinsurance business. References herein to insurance companies
include reinsurance companies.) The Insurance Act also grants to the Bermuda Monetary Authority powers to supervise,
investigate and intervene in the affairs of insurance companies. An Insurance Advisory Committee appointed by the Bermuda
Minister of Finance advises the Bermuda Monetary Authority on matters connected with the discharge of the Bermuda Monetary
Authority’s functions and subcommittees thereof supervise, investigate and review the law and practice of insurance in
Bermuda, including reviews of accounting and administrative procedures. The Insurance Act imposes on Bermuda insurance
companies’ solvency and liquidity standards, as well as auditing and reporting requirements. Bermuda is a
Solvency II equivalent jurisdiction, meaning that Bermuda’s laws and regulations broadly mirror the requirements
under the Solvency II regime. See “Business—Regulatory Overview—UK and EU Regulatory
Framework” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Capital Requirements—PRA
Requirements.” Certain significant aspects of the Bermuda insurance regulatory framework applicable to
Class 3B insurers are set forth below.
Classification
of Insurers. The Insurance Act distinguishes between insurers carrying on long-term business, insurers carrying on
general business and insurers carrying on special purpose business. There are two classifications of insurers carrying on
special purpose business: special purpose insurers and collateralized insurers.
The classifications of insurers carrying on general business
range from Class 1 insurers (pure captives) to Class 4 insurers (large commercial underwriters).
There
are five classifications of insurers carrying on long-term business (Classes A, B, C, D and E).
Classification
as a Class 3B Insurer. A corporate body is registrable as a Class 3B insurer where (i) 50% or more of its net premiums
written or (ii) 50% or more of its net claims and claim expense provisions, represent unrelated business and its total net written
premiums from unrelated business are $50,000,000 or more. IGI Bermuda is registered as a Class 3B insurer with the Bermuda Monetary
Authority in Bermuda and is regulated as such under the Insurance Act.
Minimum
Paid-Up Share Capital. A Class 3B insurer is required to maintain fully paid up share capital of at least
$120,000.
Principal
Representative and Principal Office. A Class 3B insurer is required to appoint a resident principal representative and to
maintain a principal office in Bermuda. The principal office may be the office of the person acting as principal representative
and will normally be different from the registered office of the company. IGI Bermuda has appointed Marsh IAS Management Services
(Bermuda) Ltd. as its principal representative. The address of IGI Bermuda’s principal office is 44 Church Street, Hamilton
HM12, Bermuda. Without a reason acceptable to the Bermuda Monetary Authority, an insurer may not terminate the appointment of
its principal representative, and the principal representative may not cease to act as such, unless 30 days’ written notice
of the intention to do so is given to the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
It
is the duty of the principal representative to forthwith notify the Bermuda Monetary Authority where the principal representative
(i) reaches the view that there is a likelihood of the insurer (for which the principal representative acts) becoming insolvent,
(ii) comes to the knowledge that the insurer (for which the principal representative acts) has become insolvent or (iii) has reason
to believe that a reportable “event” has occurred. Examples of a reportable “event” include a failure
by the insurer to comply substantially with a condition imposed upon it by the Bermuda Monetary Authority relating to a solvency
margin or a liquidity or other ratio, a significant loss reasonably likely to cause the insurer to fail to comply with its enhanced
capital requirement (discussed below) and the occurrence of a “material change” (as such term is defined under the
Insurance Act) in its business operations.
Within
14 days of such notification to the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the principal representative must furnish the Bermuda Monetary
Authority with a written report setting out all the particulars of the case that are available to the principal representative.
Where
there has been a significant loss which is reasonably likely to cause the insurer to fail to comply with its enhanced capital
requirement, the principal representative must also furnish the Bermuda Monetary Authority with a capital and solvency return
reflecting an enhanced capital requirement prepared using post-loss data. The principal representative must provide this within
45 days of notifying the Bermuda Monetary Authority regarding the loss.
Furthermore,
where a notification has been made to the Bermuda Monetary Authority regarding a material change, the principal representative
has 30 days from the date of such notification to furnish the Bermuda Monetary Authority with unaudited interim statutory financial
statements in relation to such period as the Bermuda Monetary Authority may require, together with a general business solvency
certificate in respect of those statements.
Head
Office Requirement. A Class 3B insurer shall maintain its head office in Bermuda. In determining whether the insurer satisfies
this requirement, the Bermuda Monetary Authority shall consider, inter alia, the following factors: (i) where the underwriting,
risk management and operational decision making of the insurer occurs; (ii) whether the presence of senior executives who are
responsible for, and involved in, the decision making related to the insurance business of the insurer are located in Bermuda;
and (iii) where meetings of the board of directors of the insurer occur. In making its determination, the Bermuda Monetary Authority
may also have regard to (a) the location where management of the insurer meets to effect policy decisions of the insurer; (b)
the residence of the officers, insurance managers or employees of the insurer; and (c) the residence of one or more directors
of the insurer in Bermuda. IGI Bermuda’s Head Office remediation plan was assessed. It was concluded that there must be
a frequent presence of the senior executives who are responsible for and involved in the decision making related to the insurance
business in Bermuda. IGI Bermuda may need to continue to enhance its infrastructure in Bermuda to ensure that it is managed and
directed from Bermuda, which may result in additional operational cost. IGI Bermuda’s Head Office remediation plan may be
changed based on additional guidance by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, subsequent legislative requirements and/or any other governmental
issuances which may affect the interpretation of the Head Office requirements and thus impacting IGI Bermuda’s remediation
plan.
Loss
Reserve Specialist. A Class 3B insurer is required to appoint an individual approved by the Bermuda Monetary Authority
to be its loss reserve specialist. In order to qualify as an approved loss reserve specialist, the applicant must be an individual
qualified to provide an opinion in accordance with the requirements of the Insurance Act and the Bermuda Monetary Authority must
be satisfied that the individual is fit and proper to hold such an appointment.
The
Class 3B insurer is required to submit annually an opinion of its approved loss reserve specialist with its capital and solvency
return in respect of its total general business insurance technical provisions (i.e. the aggregate of its net premium provisions,
net claims and claim expense provisions and risk margin, as each is reported in the insurer’s statutory economic balance
sheet). The loss reserve specialist’s opinion must state, among other things, whether or not the aggregate amount of technical
provisions shown in the statutory economic balance sheet as at the end of the relevant financial year (i) meets the requirements
of the Insurance Act and (ii) makes reasonable provision for the total technical provisions of the insurer under the terms of
its insurance contracts and agreements.
Annual
Financial Statements. A Class 3B insurer is required to prepare and submit, on an annual basis, audited GAAP financial
statements (as defined below) and audited statutory financial statements.
A
Class 3B insurer is required to prepare and submit to the Bermuda Monetary Authority financial statements which have been prepared
under generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards (“GAAP financial statements”).
The
Insurance Act prescribes rules for the preparation and substance of statutory financial statements (which include, in statutory
form, a balance sheet, an income statement, a statement of capital and surplus and notes thereto). The statutory financial statements
include detailed information and analysis regarding premiums, claims, reinsurance and investments of the insurer.
The
insurer’s annual GAAP financial statements and the auditor’s report thereon and the statutory financial statements
are required to be filed with the Bermuda Monetary Authority within four months from the end of the relevant financial year (unless
specifically extended with the approval of the Bermuda Monetary Authority).
The
statutory financial statements do not form a part of the public records maintained by the Bermuda Monetary Authority but the GAAP
financial statements are available for public inspection.
Declaration
of Compliance. At the time of filing its statutory financial statements, a Class 3B insurer is also required to
deliver to the Bermuda Monetary Authority a declaration of compliance, in such form and with such content as may be prescribed
by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, declaring whether or not the Class 3B insurer has, with respect to the preceding financial
year (i) complied with all requirements of the minimum criteria applicable to it; (ii) complied with the minimum margin of solvency
as of its financial year end; (iii) complied with the applicable enhanced capital requirements as of its financial year end; (iv)
complied with applicable conditions, directions and restrictions imposed on, or approvals granted to, the Class 3B insurer and
(v) complied with the minimum liquidity ratio for general business as of its financial year end. The declaration of compliance
is required to be signed by two directors of the Class 3B insurer, and if the Class 3B insurer has failed to comply with any of
the requirements referenced in (i) through (v) above or observe any limitations, restrictions or conditions imposed upon the issuance
of its license, if applicable, the Class 3B insurer will be required to provide the Bermuda Monetary Authority with particulars
of such failure in writing. A Class 3B insurer shall be liable to civil penalty by way of a fine for failure to comply with a
duty imposed on it in connection with the delivery of the declaration of compliance.
Annual
Statutory Financial Return and Annual Capital and Solvency Return. A Class 3B insurer is required to file with the Bermuda
Monetary Authority a statutory financial return no later than four months after its financial year end (unless specifically extended
with the approval of the Bermuda Monetary Authority).
The
statutory financial return of a Class 3B insurer shall consist of (i) an insurer information sheet, (ii) an auditor’s report,
(iii) the statutory financial statements and (iv) notes to the statutory financial statements.
The
insurer information sheet shall state, among other matters, (i) whether the general purpose financial statements of the insurer
for the relevant year have been audited and an unqualified opinion issued, (ii) the minimum margin of solvency applying to the
insurer and whether such margin was met, (iii) whether or not the minimum liquidity ratio applying to the insurer for the relevant
year was met and (iv) whether or not the insurer has complied with every condition attached to its certificate of registration.
The insurer information sheet shall state if any of the questions identified in items (ii), (iii) or (iv) above is answered in
the negative, whether or not the insurer has taken corrective action in any case and, where the insurer has taken such action,
describe the action in an attached statement.
The directors of a Class 3B insurer are required to certify
whether the minimum solvency margin has been met, and the independent approved auditor is required to state whether in its opinion
it was reasonable for the directors to make this certification.
Where
an insurer’s accounts have been audited for any purpose other than compliance with the Insurance Act, a statement to that
effect must be filed with the statutory financial return.
In addition, each year the insurer is required to file with
the Bermuda Monetary Authority a capital and solvency return along with its annual statutory financial return. The prescribed form
of capital and solvency return comprises the insurer’s Bermuda Solvency Capital Requirement (“BSCR”) model or
an approved internal capital model in lieu thereof (more fully described below), together with such schedules as prescribed by
the Insurance (Prudential Standards) (Class 4 and Class 3B Solvency Requirement) Rules 2008, as amended from time to time.
Neither
the statutory financial return nor the capital and solvency return is available for public inspection.
Quarterly
Financial Return. A Class 3B insurer, not otherwise subject to group supervision, is required to prepare and file quarterly
financial returns with the Bermuda Monetary Authority on or before the last day of the months of May, August and November of each
year. The quarterly financial returns consist of (i) quarterly unaudited financial statements for each financial quarter (which
must minimally include a balance sheet and income statement and must also be recent and not reflect a financial position that
exceeds two months) and (ii) a list and details of material intra-group transactions that the insurer is a party to and the insurer’s
risk concentrations that have materialized since the most recent quarterly or annual financial returns, details surrounding all
intra-group reinsurance and retrocession arrangements and other intra-group risk transfer insurance business arrangements that
have materialized since the most recent quarterly or annual financial returns and (iii) details of the ten largest exposures to
unaffiliated counterparties and any other unaffiliated counterparty exposures exceeding 10% of the insurer’s statutory capital
and surplus.
Public
Disclosures. Pursuant to recent amendments to the Insurance Act, all commercial insurers and insurance groups are required
to prepare and file with the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and also publish on their website, a financial condition report. The
Bermuda Monetary Authority has discretion to approve modifications and exemptions to the public disclosure rules, on application
by the insurer if, among other things, the Bermuda Monetary Authority is satisfied that the disclosure of certain information
will result in a competitive disadvantage or compromise confidentiality obligations of the insurer.
Independent
Approved Auditor. A Class 3B insurer must appoint an independent auditor who will audit and report on the insurer’s
GAAP financial statements and statutory financial statements, each of which are required to be filed annually with the Bermuda
Monetary Authority. The auditor must be approved by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as the independent auditor of the insurer.
If the insurer fails to appoint an approved auditor or at any time fails to fill a vacancy for such auditor, the Bermuda Monetary
Authority may appoint an approved auditor for the insurer and shall fix the remuneration to be paid to the approved auditor within
14 days, if not agreed sooner by the insurer and the auditor. IGI Bermuda’s Bermuda Monetary Authority-approved independent
auditor is Ernst & Young.
Non-insurance
Business. No Class 3B insurer may engage in non-insurance business unless that non-insurance business is ancillary to its
core business. Non-insurance business means any business other than insurance business and includes carrying on investment business,
managing an investment fund as operator, carrying on business as a fund administrator, carrying on banking business, underwriting
debt or securities or otherwise engaging in investment banking, engaging in commercial or industrial activities and carrying on
the business of management, sales or leasing of real property.
Minimum
Liquidity Ratio. The Insurance Act provides a minimum liquidity ratio for general business insurers. A Class 3B insurer engaged
in general business is required to maintain the value of its relevant assets at not less than 75% of the amount of its relevant
liabilities as defined by the Insurance Act. Relevant assets include cash and time deposits, quoted investments, unquoted bonds
and debentures, first liens on real estate, investment income due and accrued, accounts and premiums receivable, reinsurance balances
receivable, funds held by ceding reinsurers and any other assets which the Bermuda Monetary Authority, on application in any particular
case made to it with reasons, accepts in that case.
There
are certain categories of assets which, unless specifically permitted by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, do not automatically
qualify as relevant assets, such as unquoted equity securities, investments in and advances to affiliates and real estate and
collateral loans.
The
relevant liabilities are total general business insurance reserves and total other liabilities less deferred income taxes and
letters of credit, guarantees and other instruments.
Minimum
Solvency Margin and Enhanced Capital Requirements. The Insurance Act provides that the value of the statutory assets of an
insurer must exceed the value of its statutory liabilities by an amount greater than its prescribed minimum solvency margin (“MSM”).
The
MSM that must be maintained by a Class 3B insurer with respect to its general business is the greater of (i) $1,000,000, or (ii)
20% of the first $6,000,000 of net written premiums; if in excess of $6,000,000, the figure is $1,200,000 plus 15% of net written
premiums in excess of $6,000,000 or (iii) 15% of the aggregate of net claims and claim expense provisions and other insurance
reserves or (iv) 25% of the ECR (as defined below) as reported at the end of the relevant year.
Class
3B insurers are also required to maintain available statutory economic capital and surplus at a level equal to or in excess of
its enhanced capital requirement (“ECR”) which is established by reference to either the BSCR model or an approved
internal capital model.
The
BSCR model is a risk-based capital model which provides a method for determining an insurer’s capital requirements (statutory
economic capital and surplus) by taking into account the risk characteristics of different aspects of the insurer’s business.
The BSCR formula establishes capital requirements for ten categories of risk: fixed income investment risk, equity investment
risk, interest rate/liquidity risk, currency risk, concentration risk, premium risk, reserve risk, credit risk, catastrophe risk
and operational risk. For each category, the capital requirement is determined by applying factors to asset, premium, reserve,
creditor, probable maximum loss and operation items, with higher factors applied to items with greater underlying risk and lower
factors for less risky items.
While
not specifically referred to in the Insurance Act (or required thereunder), the Bermuda Monetary Authority has also established
a target capital level (“TCL”) for each Class 3B insurer equal to 120% of its ECR. The TCL serves as an early warning
tool for the Bermuda Monetary Authority and failure to maintain statutory capital at least equal to the TCL will likely result
in increased regulatory oversight.
Any
Class 3B insurer which at any time fails to meet its MSM requirements must, upon becoming aware of such failure, immediately notify
the Bermuda Monetary Authority and, within 14 days thereafter, file a written report with the Bermuda Monetary Authority containing
particulars of the circumstances that gave rise to the failure and setting out its plan detailing specific actions to be taken
and the expected timeframe in which the insurer intends to rectify the failure.
Any
Class 3B insurer which at any time fails to meet its applicable enhanced capital requirement shall, upon becoming aware of that
failure, or of having reason to believe that such a failure has occurred, immediately notify the Bermuda Monetary Authority in
writing and within 14 days of such notification file with the Bermuda Monetary Authority a written report containing particulars
of the circumstances leading to the failure; and a plan detailing the manner, specific actions to be taken and time within which
the insurer intends to rectify the failure and within 45 days of becoming aware of that failure, or of having reason to believe
that such a failure has occurred, furnish the Bermuda Monetary Authority with (i) unaudited statutory economic balance sheets
and unaudited interim statutory financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP covering such period as the Bermuda Monetary
Authority may require; (ii) the opinion of a loss reserve specialist in relation to the total general business insurance technical
provisions as set out in the economic balance sheet, where applicable; (iii) a general business solvency certificate in respect
of the financial statements; and (iv) a capital and solvency return reflecting an enhanced capital requirement prepared using
post failure data where applicable.
Eligible
Capital. To enable the Bermuda Monetary Authority to better assess the quality of the insurer’s capital resources, a
Class 3B insurer is required to disclose the makeup of its capital in accordance with the recently introduced ’3-tiered
eligible capital system’. Under this system, all of the insurer’s capital instruments will be classified as either
basic or ancillary capital which in turn will be classified into one of three tiers based on their “loss absorbency”
characteristics. Highest quality capital will be classified as Tier 1 Capital, and lesser quality capital will be classified as
either Tier 2 Capital or Tier 3 Capital. Under this regime, up to certain specified percentages of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Capital
may be used to support the Class 3B insurer’s MSM, ECR and TCL.
The
characteristics of the capital instruments that must be satisfied to qualify as Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Capital are set out
in the Insurance (Eligible Capital) Rules 2012, and amendments thereto. Under these rules, Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Capital may,
until January 1, 2026, include capital instruments that do not satisfy the requirement that the instrument be non-redeemable or
settled only with the issuance of an instrument of equal or higher quality upon a breach, or if it would cause a breach, of the
ECR.
Where
the Bermuda Monetary Authority has previously approved the use of certain instruments for capital purposes, the Bermuda Monetary
Authority’s consent will need to be obtained if such instruments are to remain eligible for use in satisfying the MSM and
the ECR.
Code
of Conduct. The Insurance Code of Conduct (the “Insurance Code of Conduct”) prescribes the duties, standards,
procedures and sound business principles that must be complied with by all insurers registered under the Insurance Act. The Bermuda
Monetary Authority will assess an insurer’s compliance with the Insurance Code of Conduct in a proportional manner relative
to the nature, scale and complexity of its business. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Insurance Code of Conduct
will be taken into account by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in determining whether an insurer is conducting its business in a
sound and prudent manner as prescribed by the Insurance Act, may result in the Bermuda Monetary Authority exercising its powers
of intervention and investigation (see below) and will be a factor in calculating the operational risk charge under the insurer’s
BSCR or approved internal model.
Restrictions
on Dividends and Distributions. A Class 3B insurer is prohibited from declaring or paying a dividend if it is in breach of
its MSM, ECR or minimum liquidity ratio or if the declaration or payment of such dividend would cause such a breach. Where an
insurer fails to meet its MSM or minimum liquidity ratio on the last day of any financial year, it will be prohibited from declaring
or paying any dividends during the next financial year without the approval of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
In
addition, a Class 3B insurer is prohibited from declaring or paying in any financial year dividends of more than 25% of its total
statutory capital and surplus (as shown on its previous financial year’s statutory balance sheet) unless it files (at least
seven days before payment of such dividends) with the Bermuda Monetary Authority an affidavit signed by at least two directors
(one of whom must be a Bermuda resident director if any of the insurer’s directors are resident in Bermuda) and the principal
representative stating that it will continue to meet its solvency margin and minimum liquidity ratio. Where such an affidavit
is filed, it shall be available for public inspection at the offices of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Reduction
of Capital. No Class 3B insurer may reduce its total statutory capital by 15% or more, as set out in its previous year’s
financial statements, unless it has received the prior approval of the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Total statutory capital consists
of the insurer’s paid in share capital, its contributed surplus (sometimes called additional paid in capital) and any other
fixed capital designated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as statutory capital (such as letters of credit).
A
Class 3B insurer seeking to reduce its statutory capital by 15% or more, as set out in its previous year’s financial statements,
is also required to submit an affidavit signed by at least two directors (one of whom must be a Bermuda resident director if any
of the insurer’s directors are resident in Bermuda) and the principal representative stating that the proposed reduction
will not cause the insurer to fail its relevant margins and such other information as the Bermuda Monetary Authority may require.
Where such an affidavit is filed, it shall be available for public inspection at the offices of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Policyholder
Priority. In the event of a liquidation or winding up of an insurer, policyholders’ liabilities receive prior payment
ahead of general unsecured creditors. Subject to the prior payment of preferential debts under the Employment Act and the Companies
Act, the insurance debts of an insurer must be paid in priority to all other unsecured debts of the insurer. Insurance debt is
defined as a debt to which an insurer is or may become liable pursuant to an insurance contract, excluding debts owed to an insurer
under an insurance contract where the insurer is the person insured. Insurance contract is defined as any contract of insurance,
capital redemption contract or a contract that has been recorded as insurance business in the financial statements of the insurer
pursuant to the Insurance Accounts 1980 or the Insurance Account Rules 2016, as applicable.
Fit
and Proper Controllers. The Bermuda Monetary Authority maintains supervision over the controllers of all registered
insurers in Bermuda.
A
controller includes (i) the managing director of the registered insurer or its parent company; (ii) the chief executive of the
registered insurer or of its parent company; (iii) a shareholder controller; and (iv) any person in accordance with whose directions
or instructions the directors of the registered insurer or of its parent company are accustomed to act.
The
definition of a shareholder controller is set out in the Insurance Act but generally refers to (i) a person who holds 10% or more
of the shares carrying rights to vote at a shareholders’ meeting of the registered insurer or its parent company, or (ii)
a person who is entitled to exercise 10% or more of the voting power at any shareholders’ meeting of such registered insurer
or its parent company, or (iii) a person who is able to exercise significant influence over the management of the registered insurer
or its parent company by virtue of its shareholding or its entitlement to exercise, or control the exercise of, the voting power
at any shareholders’ meeting.
A
shareholder controller that owns 10% or more, but less than 20%, of the shares as described above is defined as a 10% shareholder
controller; a shareholder controller that owns 20% or more, but less than 33%, of the shares as described above is defined as
a 20% shareholder controller; a shareholder controller that owns 33% or more, but less than 50%, of the shares as described above
is defined as a 33% shareholder controller; and a shareholder controller that owns 50% or more of the shares as described above
is defined as a 50% shareholder controller.
Where
the shares of the registered insurer, or the shares of its parent company, are traded on a recognized stock exchange, and a person
becomes a 10%, 20%, 33% or 50% shareholder controller of the insurer, that person shall, within 45 days, notify the Bermuda Monetary
Authority in writing that he has become such a controller. In addition, a person who is a shareholder controller of a Class 3B
insurer whose shares or the shares of its parent company (if any) are traded on a recognized stock exchange must serve on
the Bermuda Monetary Authority a notice in writing that he has reduced or disposed of his holding in the insurer where the proportion
of voting rights in the insurer held by him will have reached or has fallen below 10%, 20%, 33% or 50% as the case may be, not
later than 45 days after such disposal.
Where
the shares of an insurer, or the shares of its parent company, are not traded on a recognized stock exchange (i.e. private companies),
the Insurance Act prohibits a person from becoming a shareholder controller unless he has first served on the Bermuda Monetary
Authority notice in writing stating that he intends to become such a controller and the Bermuda Monetary Authority has either,
before the end of 45 days following the date of notification, provided notice to the proposed controller that it does not object
to his becoming such a controller or the full 45 days has elapsed without the Bermuda Monetary Authority filing an objection.
Where neither the shares of the insurer nor the shares of its parent company (if any) are traded on any stock exchange, the Insurance
Act prohibits a person who is a shareholder controller of a Class 3B insurer from reducing or disposing of his holdings where
the proportion of voting rights held by the shareholder controller in the insurer will reach or fall below 10%, 20%, 33% or 50%,
as the case may be, unless that shareholder controller has served on the Bermuda Monetary Authority a notice in writing stating
that he intends to reduce or dispose of such holding.
Any
person who contravenes the Insurance Act by failing to give notice or knowingly becoming a controller of any description before
the required 45 days has elapsed is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of $25,000 on summary conviction.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority may file a notice of objection to any person who has become a controller of any description where it
appears that such person is not, or is no longer, a fit and proper person to be a controller of the registered insurer. Before
issuing a notice of objection, the Bermuda Monetary Authority is required to serve upon the person concerned a preliminary written
notice stating the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s intention to issue formal notice of objection. Upon receipt of the preliminary
written notice, the person served may, within 28 days, file written representations with the Bermuda Monetary Authority which
shall be taken into account by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in making its final determination. Any person who continues to be
a controller of any description after having received a notice of objection shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable
on summary conviction to a fine of $25,000 (and a continuing fine of $500 per day for each day that the offence is continuing)
or, if convicted on indictment, to a fine of $100,000 and/or two years in prison.
Notification
by Registered Person of Change of Controllers and Officers. All registered insurers are required to give written notice to
the Bermuda Monetary Authority of the fact that a person has become, or ceased to be, a controller or officer of the registered
insurer within 45 days of becoming aware of such fact. An officer in relation to a registered insurer means a director, chief
executive or senior executive performing duties of underwriting, actuarial, risk management, compliance, internal audit, finance
or investment matters.
Notification
of Material Changes. All registered insurers are required to give notice to the Bermuda Monetary Authority of their intention
to effect a material change within the meaning of the Insurance Act. For the purposes of the Insurance Act, the following changes
are material: (i) the transfer or acquisition of insurance business being part of a scheme falling under section 25 of the Insurance
Act or section 99 of the Companies Act, (ii) the amalgamation with or acquisition of another firm, (iii) engaging in unrelated
business that is retail business, (iv) the acquisition of a controlling interest in an undertaking that is engaged in non-insurance
business which offers services and products to persons who are not affiliates of the insurer, (v) outsourcing all or substantially
all of the company’s actuarial, risk management, compliance or internal audit functions, (vi) outsourcing all or a material
part of an insurer’s underwriting activity, (vii) the transfer other than by way of reinsurance of all or substantially
all of a line of business, (viii) expansion into a material new line of business, (ix) the sale of an insurer and (x) outsourcing
of an officer role.
No
registered insurer shall take any steps to give effect to a material change unless it has first served notice on the Bermuda Monetary
Authority that it intends to effect such material change and, before the end of 30 days, either the Bermuda Monetary Authority
has notified such company in writing that it has no objection to such change or that the period has lapsed without the Bermuda
Monetary Authority having issued a notice of objection.
Before
issuing a notice of objection, the Bermuda Monetary Authority is required to serve upon the person concerned a preliminary written
notice stating the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s intention to issue formal notice of objection. Upon receipt of the preliminary
written notice, the person served may, within 28 days, file written representations with the Bermuda Monetary Authority which
shall be taken into account by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in making its final determination.
Group Supervision.
We are not currently subject to group supervision by the Bermuda Monetary Authority; however, the Bermuda Monetary Authority may,
in respect of our insurance group, determine in the future that it is appropriate for it to act as our group supervisor. An insurance
group is defined as a group of companies that conducts insurance business. The Bermuda Monetary Authority may make such determination
where it ascertains that (i) the group is headed by a “specified insurer” (that is to say, it is headed by either
a Class 3A, Class 3B or Class 4 general business insurer or a Class C, Class D or Class E long term insurer or another class of
insurer designated by order of the Bermuda Monetary Authority); or (ii) where the insurance group is not headed by a “specified
insurer”, where it is headed by a parent company which is incorporated in Bermuda or (iii) where the parent company of the
group is not a Bermuda company, in circumstances where the Bermuda Monetary Authority is satisfied that the insurance group is
directed and managed from Bermuda or the insurer with the largest balance sheet total is a specified insurer.
Where
the Bermuda Monetary Authority determines that it should act as the group supervisor, it shall designate a specified insurer that
is a member of the insurance group to be the designated insurer (the “Designated Insurer”) and it shall give to the
Designated Insurer and other applicable insurance regulatory authority written notice of its intention to act as group supervisor.
Before the Bermuda Monetary Authority makes a final determination whether or not to act as group supervisor, it shall take into
account any written representations made by the Designated Insurer submitted within such period as is specified in the notice.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority may exclude any company that is a member of an insurance group from group supervision on the application
of the Designated Insurer, or on its own initiative, provided the Bermuda Monetary Authority is satisfied that (i) the company
is situated in a country or territory where there are legal impediments to cooperation and exchange of information, (ii) the financial
operations of the company have a negligible impact on insurance group operations or (iii) the inclusion of the company would be
inappropriate with respect to the objectives of group supervision.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority may, on its own initiative or on the application of the relevant Designated Insurer, include within
group supervision a company that is a member of the group that is not on the Register of Group Particulars (described below) if
it is satisfied the financial operations of the company in question may have a material impact on the insurance group’s
operations and its inclusion would be appropriate having regard to the objectives of group supervision.
Once
the Bermuda Monetary Authority has been designated as group supervisor, the Designated Insurer must ensure that the insurance
group of which it is a member appoints (i) an individual approved by the Bermuda Monetary Authority who is qualified as a group
actuary to provide an opinion on the insurance group’s insurance technical provisions in accordance with the requirements
of Schedule XIV “Group Statutory Economic Balance Sheet” of the Insurance (Prudential Standards) (Insurance Group
Solvency Requirement) Rules 2011 and (ii) an auditor approved by the Bermuda Monetary Authority to audit the financial statements
of the group.
Pursuant
to its powers under the Insurance Act, the Bermuda Monetary Authority will maintain a register of particulars for every insurance
group (the “Register of Group Particulars”) for which it acts as the group supervisor, detailing the names and addresses
of (i) the Designated Insurer; (ii) each member company of the insurance group falling within the scope of group supervision;
(iii) the principal representative of the insurance group in Bermuda; (iv) other competent authorities supervising other member
companies of the insurance group; and (v) the insurance group auditors. The Designated Insurer must immediately notify the Bermuda
Monetary Authority of any changes to the above details entered on the Register of Group Particulars.
Where the Bermuda Monetary Authority assumes the role as group
supervisor, it performs a number of supervisory functions including (i) coordinating the gathering and dissemination of relevant
or essential information for going concern and emergency situations, including the dissemination of information which is of importance
for the supervisory task of other competent authorities; (ii) carrying out supervisory reviews and assessments of the insurance
group; (iii) carrying out assessments of the insurance group’s compliance with the rules on solvency, risk concentration,
intra-group transactions and good governance procedures; (iv) planning and coordinating through regular meetings held at least
annually (or by other appropriate means) with other competent authorities, supervisory activities in respect of the insurance group,
both as a going concern and in emergency situations; (v) coordinating enforcement actions that may need to be taken against the
insurance group or any of its members; and (vi) planning and coordinating meetings of colleges of supervisors in order to facilitate
the carrying out of the functions described above.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority may, for the purposes of group supervision, make rules applying to Designated Insurers which take into
account any activities of the insurance group of which they are members or of other members of the insurance group. Such rules
may make provision for: (i) the assessment of the financial situation of the insurance group; (ii) the solvency position of the
insurance group (including the imposition of prudential standards in relation to enhanced capital requirements, capital and solvency
returns, insurance reserves and eligible capital that must be complied with by the Designated Insurers); (iii) the system of governance
and risk management of the insurance group; (iv) intra-group transactions and risk concentrations; and (v) supervisory reporting
and disclosure in respect of the insurance group.
As noted above, we are not currently subject to group supervision,
but the Bermuda Monetary Authority may exercise its authority to act as our group supervisor in the future.
Supervision,
Investigation, Intervention and Disclosure. The Bermuda Monetary Authority may, by notice in writing served on a registered
person or a designated insurer, require the registered person or designated insurer to provide such information and/or documentation
as the Bermuda Monetary Authority may reasonably require with respect to matters that are likely to be material to the performance
of its supervisory functions under the Insurance Act. In addition, it may require such person’s auditor, underwriter, accountant
or any other person with relevant professional skill of such registered person or designated insurer to prepare a report on any
aspect pertaining thereto. In the case of a report, the person so appointed shall immediately give the Bermuda Monetary Authority
written notice of any fact or matter of which he becomes aware or which indicates to him that any condition attaching to his registration
under the Insurance Act is not or has not or may not be or may not have been fulfilled and that such matters are likely to be
material to the performance of its functions under the Insurance Act. If it appears to the Bermuda Monetary Authority to be desirable
in the interests of the clients of a registered person or relevant insurance group, the Bermuda Monetary Authority may also exercise
these powers in relation to subsidiaries, parent companies and other affiliates of the registered person or designated insurer.
If
the Bermuda Monetary Authority deems it necessary to protect the interests of the policyholders or potential policyholders of
an insurer or insurance group, it may appoint one or more competent persons to investigate and report on the nature, conduct or
state of the insurer’s or the insurance group’s business, or any aspect thereof, or the ownership or control of the
insurer or insurance group. If the person so appointed thinks it necessary for the purposes of the investigation, such person
may also investigate the business of any person who is or has been at any relevant time, a member of the insurance group or of
a partnership of which the person being investigated is a member. In this regard, it shall be the duty of every person who is
or was a controller, officer, employee, agent, banker, auditor, accountant, barrister and attorney or insurance manager to produce
to the person appointed such documentation as the appointed person may reasonably require for purposes of the investigation, and
to attend and answer questions relevant to the investigation and to otherwise provide such assistance as may be necessary in connection
therewith.
Where
the Bermuda Monetary Authority suspects that a person has failed to properly register under the Insurance Act or that a registered
person or designated insurer has failed to comply with a requirement of the Insurance Act or that a person is not, or is no longer,
a fit and proper person to perform functions in relation to a regulated activity, it may, by notice in writing, carry out an investigation
into such person (or any other person connected thereto). In connection therewith, the Bermuda Monetary Authority may require
every person who is or was a controller, officer, employee, agent, banker, auditor, accountant, barrister and attorney or insurance
manager to make a report and produce such documents in his care, custody and control and to attend before the Bermuda Monetary
Authority to answer questions relevant to the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s investigation and to take such actions as the
Bermuda Monetary Authority may direct. The Bermuda Monetary Authority may also enter any premises for the purposes of carrying
out its investigation and may petition the court for a warrant if it believes a person has failed to comply with a notice served
on him or there are reasonable grounds for suspecting the completeness of any information or documentation produced in response
to such notice or that its directions will not be complied with or that any relevant documents would be removed, tampered with
or destroyed.
If
it appears to the Bermuda Monetary Authority that the business of the registered insurer is being conducted in a way that there
is a significant risk of the insurer becoming insolvent or being unable to meet its obligations to policyholders, or that the
insurer is in breach of the Insurance Act or any conditions imposed upon its registration, or the minimum criteria stipulated
in the Insurance Act is not or has not been fulfilled in respect of a registered insurer, or that a person has become a controller
without providing the Bermuda Monetary Authority with the appropriate notice or in contravention of a notice of objection, or
the registered insurer is in breach of its ECR, or that a designated insurer is in breach of any provision of the Insurance Act
or the regulations or rules applicable to it, the Bermuda Monetary Authority may issue such directions as it deems desirable for
safeguarding the interests of policyholders or potential policyholders of the insurer or the insurance group. The Bermuda Monetary
Authority may, among other things, direct an insurer, for itself and in its capacity as designated insurer of the insurance group
of which it is a member, (1) not to take on any new insurance business, (2) not to vary any insurance contract if the effect would
be to increase the insurer’s liabilities, (3) not to make certain investments, (4) to realize certain investments, (5) to
maintain in, or transfer to the custody of, a specified bank, certain assets, (6) not to declare or pay any dividends or other
distributions or to restrict the making of such payments, (7) to limit its premium income, (8) not to enter into specified transactions
with any specified person or persons of a specified class, (9) to provide such written particulars relating to the financial circumstances
of the insurer as the Bermuda Monetary Authority thinks fit, (10) (as an individual insurer only and not in its capacity as designated
insurer) to obtain the opinion of a loss reserve specialist and submit it to the Bermuda Monetary Authority and/or (11) to remove
a controller or officer.
The
Bermuda Monetary Authority has the power to assist other regulatory authorities, including foreign insurance regulatory authorities,
with their investigations involving insurance and reinsurance companies in Bermuda if it is satisfied that the assistance being
requested is in connection with the discharge of regulatory responsibilities and that such cooperation is in the public interest.
The grounds for disclosure by the Bermuda Monetary Authority to a foreign regulatory authority without consent of the insurer
are limited and the Insurance Act provides for sanctions for breach of the statutory duty of confidentiality.
Cancellation
of Insurer’s Registration. An insurer’s registration may be cancelled by the Bermuda Monetary Authority at the
request of the insurer or on certain grounds specified in the Insurance Act. Failure by the insurer to comply with its obligations
under the Insurance Act or if, the Bermuda Monetary Authority believes that the insurer has not been carrying on business in accordance
with sound insurance principles, would be examples of such grounds.
Certain
Other Bermuda Law Considerations. All Bermuda “exempted companies” are exempt from certain Bermuda laws restricting
the percentage of share capital that may be held by non-Bermudians. However, exempted companies may not participate in certain
business transactions, including (1) the acquisition or holding of land in Bermuda except that required for their business and
held by way of lease or tenancy for a term not exceeding 50 years or, with the consent of the Minister of Economic Development
(the “Minister”) granted in his discretion by way of lease or tenancy for a term not exceeding 21 years in order to
provide accommodation or recreational facilities for officers and employees of the Company, (2) the taking of mortgages on land
in Bermuda to secure an amount in excess of $50,000 without the consent of the Minister, (3) the acquisition of any bonds or debentures
secured by any land in Bermuda, other than certain types of Bermuda government securities or securities issued by Bermuda public
authorities or (4) the carrying on of business of any kind in Bermuda, except in furtherance of business carried on outside Bermuda
or under license granted by the Minister. Generally it is not permitted without a special license granted by the Minister to insure
Bermuda domestic risks or risks of persons of, in or based in Bermuda.
All
Bermuda companies must comply with the provisions of the Companies Act regulating the payment of dividends and making distributions
from contributed surplus. A company may not declare or pay a dividend, or make a distribution out of contributed surplus, if there
are reasonable grounds for believing that: (a) the company is, or would after the payment be, unable to pay its liabilities as
they become due; or (b) the realizable value of the company’s assets would thereby be less than its liabilities.
Bermuda
Exchange Control Regulation. The permission of the Bermuda Monetary Authority is required, under the provisions of the Exchange
Control Act 1972 of Bermuda and related regulations, for all issuances and transfers of shares (which includes our common shares)
of Bermuda companies to or from a non-resident of Bermuda for exchange control purposes, other than in cases where the Bermuda
Monetary Authority has granted a general permission. The Bermuda Monetary Authority, in its notice to the public dated June 1,
2005, has granted a general permission for the issue and subsequent transfer of any securities of a Bermuda company from and/or
to a non-resident of Bermuda for exchange control purposes for so long as any “Equity Securities” of the company (which
include our common shares) are listed on an “Appointed Stock Exchange” (which include Nasdaq). In granting the general
permission the Bermuda Monetary Authority accepts no responsibility for our financial soundness or the correctness of any of the
statements made or opinions expressed in this annual report.
Although
IGI Bermuda is incorporated in Bermuda, IGI Bermuda is classified as a non-resident of Bermuda for exchange control purposes by
the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Other than transferring Bermuda Dollars out of Bermuda, there are no restrictions on IGI Bermuda’s
ability to transfer funds into and out of Bermuda or to pay dividends in currency other than Bermuda Dollars to nonresidents of
Bermuda who are holders of our common shares.
UK
and EU Regulatory Framework
General.
U.K. insurance companies are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (the “PRA”) and the Financial Conduct
Authority (the “FCA”). The PRA is responsible for the prudential regulation of banks, building societies, credit unions,
insurers and major investment firms and the FCA is responsible, among other things, for the regulation of the conduct of business
of financial services firms. A subsidiary of IGI, International General Insurance Company (UK) Ltd. (“IGI UK”), is
authorized by the PRA to effect and carry out (re)insurance contracts in the U.K. in all classes of general (non-life) business
and is regulated by both the PRA and the FCA.
An
insurance company with authorization to write insurance business in the U.K. may currently provide cross-border services in member
states of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) subject to having notified the appropriate EEA host state regulator via
the PRA prior to commencement of the provision of services and the appropriate EEA host state regulator not having good reason
to refuse consent. As an alternative, such an insurance company may establish a branch office within an EEA member state, subject
to it also notifying the appropriate EEA host state regulator via the PRA. IGI UK is licensed to write insurance business under
the “freedom of services” within all EEA member states and under the “freedom of establishment” rights
in Ireland (freedom of services and freedom of establishment rights together, “Passporting Rights”) contained in the
European Council’s Solvency II Directive. As a general insurer, IGI UK is able to carry out insurance business on a cross-border
services basis across the EEA.
Following the United Kingdom’s
decision to withdraw from the E.U. (“Brexit”), IGI UK’s U.K. operations will lose their EEA financial services
Passporting Rights at the end of the transitional (or implementation period) which is currently due to expire on December 31,
2020. For more information on the uncertainty surrounding the implementation and effect of Brexit, refer to “Item 3.
Key Information—D. Risk Factors—The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union could have a material
adverse effect on our business.”
Restrictions
on Dividend Payments. The company law of England and Wales prohibits English companies, including IGI UK, from declaring dividends
to their shareholders unless they have profits available for distribution. The determination of whether a company has profits
available for distribution is based on its accumulated realized profits and other distributable reserves less its accumulated
realized losses. While the U.K. insurance regulatory rules impose no statutory restrictions on a general insurer’s ability
to declare a dividend, the PRA’s rules require each authorized insurance company within its jurisdiction to maintain its
solvency margin at all times. For ordinary share capital to count as tier 1 capital for solvency purposes, dividends must be capable
of being cancelled at any time prior to payment.
Solvency
Requirements. Under the E.U. directive covering capital adequacy, risk management and regulatory reporting for
insurers (the “Solvency II Directive”), an insurer has the option of seeking the approval of a full or partial internal
model from its regulator or to use a standard formula to calculate its capital requirements.
Solvency
II Regime Reports and Returns. Under the Solvency II regime, IGI UK is required to disclose to the PRA quarterly and annual
Quantitative Reporting Templates (“QRTs”) and, at least every three years, a narrative Regular Supervisory Report
(“RSR”). The QRTs report quantitative information on a Solvency II and local GAAP basis including, among other things,
the balance sheet and own funds, Solvency II capital position, invested assets, premiums, claims and technical provisions, reinsurance
and group specific information. The RSR includes both qualitative and quantitative information and is more forward-looking. IGI
UK must also complete a set of annual National Specific Templates (“NSTs”) which are only applicable to solo firms
(i.e., specific companies as against groups). An annual Solvency and Financial Condition Report (“SFCR”), which must
include a mixture of narrative information and a sub-set of the QRTs, must also be submitted and posted on IGI’s website.
Similarly, IGI UK must submit an annual Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (“ORSA”) to the PRA. The ORSA report is produced
annually and provides a summary of all of the activity and processes during the preceding year to assess and report on risks and
ensure that our overall solvency needs are met at all times including a forward-looking assessment. It also explains the linkages
between business strategy, business planning and capital and risk management processes.
Change
of Control Prior Notifications. The PRA (in consultation with the FCA) regulate the acquisition of “control” of
any U.K. insurance company and Lloyd’s managing agent which are authorized under the Financial Services and Markets Act
2000 (“FSMA”). The FCA regulates the acquisition of “control” of authorized firms that are only authorized
and regulated by the FCA. Any legal entity or individual that (together with any person with whom it or he is “acting in
concert”) directly or indirectly acquires 10% or more of the shares in a U.K. authorized insurance company or Lloyd’s
managing agent, or their parent company, or is entitled to exercise or control the exercise of 10% or more of the voting power
in such authorized insurance company or Lloyd’s managing agent or their parent company, would be considered to have acquired
“control” for the purposes of the relevant legislation, as would a person who had significant influence over the management
of such authorized insurance company, managing agent or their parent company by virtue of his shareholding or voting power in
either. A purchaser of 10% or more of the common shares of the Company would therefore be considered to have acquired “control”
of IGI UK. Under FSMA, any person proposing to acquire “control” over a U.K. authorized insurance company must give
prior notification to the PRA of his intention to do so. The PRA would then have up to 60 working days (which may be extended
by up to a further 30 working days) to consider that person’s application to acquire “control.” Acquiring control
without having made the relevant prior application and having received the PRA’s approval (following consultation with the
FCA) would constitute a criminal offense by the controller. In addition, if IGI UK fails to notify the PRA of the proposed change
of control this could also result in action being taken against IGI UK. A person who is already deemed to have “control”
will require prior approval of the PRA and the FCA if such person increases their level of “control” beyond certain
percentages. These percentages are 20%, 30% and 50%. Similar requirements apply in relation to the acquisition of control of a
U.K. authorized person which is an insurance intermediary except that application for approval is made to, and decided by, the
FCA and the threshold triggering the requirement for prior approval is 20% of the shares or voting power in the insurance intermediary
or its parent company. The approval of the Council of Lloyd’s is also required in relation to the change of control of a
Lloyd’s managing agent or member. Broadly, Lloyd’s applies the same tests in relation to control as are set out in
FSMA (see above) and in practice coordinates its approval process with that of the PRA.
Senior
Managers and Certification Regime. In December 2019, the FCA and PRA extended the application of the Senior Managers &
Certification Regime, which previously applied to U.K.-regulated entities in the banking sector, to insurers, reinsurers, insurance
intermediaries and other U.K.-regulated entities. The Senior Managers & Certification Regime (“SM&CR”) is
an enhanced individual accountability framework which builds upon and replaces the existing regulatory framework of the Senior
Insurance Managers Regime and the Approved Persons regime. The SM&CR seeks to ensure that senior persons who are effectively
running insurance firms, or who have responsibility for other key functions at those firms, meet standards of fitness and propriety
for acting with integrity, honesty and skill and that senior management be responsible for compliance with U.K. regulatory requirements.
Insurance
Distribution Directive. On October 1, 2018, the Insurance Distribution Directive (“IDD”) replaced the Insurance
Mediation Directive (“IMD”). While IMD only applied to insurance intermediaries, IDD applies to all those who conduct
insurance distribution to clients, such as insurers (i.e., IGI UK), insurance intermediaries, and firms such as banks or retailers
who provide insurance alongside their primary business and whose clients range from individual consumers to large multinational
organizations. The main provisions of IDD include remuneration disclosure, cross-selling limitations and professional training
requirements.
Dubai
International Financial Center (“DIFC”)
IGI,
our wholly owned subsidiary, is currently organized under the laws of the DIFC. The DIFC is a financial free zone with its own
civil and commercial laws established in the Emirate of Dubai pursuant to Law No. (9) of 2004 issued by the Ruler of Dubai. The
DIFC operates within a unique legal and regulatory framework that is distinct from those applicable in the rest of the United
Arab Emirates (the “UAE”). Such framework was achieved through a synthesis of UAE federal law and Dubai law, pursuant
to: (i) an amendment to Article (121) of the UAE Constitution which deals with the division of powers between Federal and Emirati
authorities and allows enacting a financial free zone law, which in turn allows an Emirati Government to create a financial free
zone within a particular Emirate; (ii) the enactment of the Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 which exempts financial free zones from
all UAE federal civil and commercial laws, thereby permitting the DIFC to have its own civil and commercial laws modelled closely
on international standards and principles of common law (although UAE criminal law still applies); and (iii) the Cabinet Resolution
No. (28) of 2007 on the Executive Regulations of the Federal Law No. (8) of 2004.
Companies
operating in the DIFC are subject to the DIFC Companies Law No. (5) of 2018, and the DIFC Operating Law No. (7) of 2018 in addition
to the DIFC Companies and Operating Regulations as well as other DIFC commercial legislation.
The
DFSA administers the DIFC Regulatory Law, DIFC Law No. (1) of 2004. The DIFC Regulatory Law establishes the constitution of the
DFSA and enables the creation of the regulatory framework within which entities may be licensed, authorized, registered and supervised
by the DFSA.
Dubai
Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”)
The
DFSA is a financially and administratively independent body that was established on September 13, 2004 by Law No. (9) of 2004
issued by the Ruler of Dubai. The DFSA acts as the independent financial regulator in the DIFC, supervising regulated companies
and monitoring their compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The DFSA’s powers as a regulator are granted to it
under the provisions of DIFC Regulatory Law. As a result of such provisions, the DFSA is authorized to establish rules that enable
it to respond swiftly to market developments and business needs. The DFSA has authority and responsibility for implementing the
core financial services related laws that are applicable in the DIFC, including the DIFC Regulatory Law No. (1) of 2004, the DIFC
Collective Investment Law No. (2) of 2010, the DIFC Markets Law No. (1) of 2012, the DIFC Law Regulating Islamic Financial Business
No. (13) of 2004 and the Investment Trust Law No. (5) of 2006. Furthermore, subsidiary legislation is provided by “Rules”
set out in the “DFSA Rulebook,” which is issued under the DIFC Regulatory Law. The DFSA Rulebook is made up of topic-area
modules which specify their scope and the audience to whom they apply. The DFSA Rulebook contains additional commentary as guidance
which is designed to assist DIFC participants in complying with their legal and related obligations. Certain other matters that
are not Rules, such as application forms and returns, are contained in the DFSA Sourcebook modules, which also comprise topic-area
modules.
Legislation,
rules and regulations governing companies incorporated in the DIFC and financial activities in the DIFC are available on the websites
of the DIFC and the DFSA at www.difc.ae and www.dfsa.ae, respectively. We have not independently verified the information contained
on these websites and cannot provide any assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. The information contained
on these websites does not form a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this annual report.
Money
Laundering and Financial Crime Regime in the UAE
IGI
is registered in the DIFC and is subject to DFSA supervision for the purpose of anti-money laundering compliance in the DIFC.
Under Article 70(3) of the DIFC Regulatory Law, the DFSA has jurisdiction for the regulation of anti-money laundering in the DIFC
and is the relevant authority that licenses and supervises Relevant Persons in the DIFC for the purposes of the UAE Federal legislation
relating to money laundering, terrorist financing, the financing of unlawful organizations or sanctions non-compliance. Further,
the UAE criminal law applies in the DIFC and, therefore, companies registered in the DIFC must be aware of their obligations in
respect of UAE criminal law as well as the DIFC Regulatory Law. Relevant UAE criminal laws include, but are not limited to, Federal
Law No. 20 of 2018 regarding combating money laundering and terrorist financing, Federal Law No. 7 of 2014 regarding combating
terrorism offenses, the implementing regulations under those laws and the UAE Penal Code.
Labuan,
Malaysia
International
General Insurance Co. Ltd. — Labuan Branch (the “Labuan Branch”), a branch of IGI for purposes of engaging in
business in Malaysia, is licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority as a “second-tier offshore reinsurer,”
which means that local brokers may only offer reinsurance business to IGI after first offering it to first-tier reinsurers.
The Labuan Branch is licensed
to issue Labuan law-governed policies. In 2010, the Labuan Branch obtained the approval of the Labuan Financial Services Authority
to start issuing Islamic law-compliant re-takaful policies.
Jordan
Our
subsidiary, IGI Underwriting Co. Ltd (“IGI Underwriting”), which is based in Amman, Jordan, is subject to regulation
of the Jordan Insurance Directorate. The Jordan Insurance Directorate was established in 2014 under the Ministry of Industry,
Trade and Supply. The Jordan Insurance Directorate is now responsible for supervising and controlling the industry sector. IGI
Underwriting is licensed in Jordan under Instruction No. (4) of 2010 “Instructions of Licensing and Regulating the Business
& Responsibilities of the Coverholder.” As a licensed offshore entity, IGI Underwriting is required to update certain
information with the Jordan Insurance Directorate annually, including information regarding the following:
|
●
|
the
business conducted by IGI Underwriting during the year;
|
|
●
|
the
names of insurance and reinsurance companies with which IGI Underwriting has concluded
binding authorities and the date of termination of each authority;
|
|
●
|
a
valid insurance policy possessed by IGI Underwriting; and
|
|
●
|
any
other data, documents or information required by the Director General of the Jordan Insurance
Directorate.
|
Morocco
A
representative office of International General Insurance Co. Ltd., which is based in Morocco and serves as our Africa hub, is
regulated by the Casablanca Finance City.
Competition
The
insurance and reinsurance industries are mature and highly competitive. Competition varies significantly on the basis of product
and geography. Insurance and reinsurance companies compete on the basis of many factors, including premium charges, general reputation
and perceived financial strength, the terms and conditions of the products offered, ratings assigned by independent rating agencies,
speed of claims payments, reputation and experience in the particular risk to be underwritten, quality of service, the jurisdiction
where the reinsurer or insurer is licensed or otherwise authorized, capacity and coverages offered and various other factors.
Increased competition could result in fewer submissions for our products and services, lower rates charged, slower premium growth
and less favorable policy terms and conditions, any of which could adversely impact our growth and profitability.
We
compete with major U.S., U.K., Bermudian, European and other domestic and international insurers and reinsurers and underwriting
syndicates from Lloyd’s, some of which have longer operating histories, more capital and/or more favorable ratings than
we do, as well as greater marketing, management and business resources. We also compete with capital market participants that
create alternative products, such as catastrophe bonds, that are intended to compete with traditional reinsurance products. In
addition to asset managers and reinsurers who provide collateralized reinsurance and retrocessional coverage, the availability
of these non-traditional products could reduce the demand for both traditional insurance and reinsurance products.
In
recent years, various institutional investors have increasingly sought to participate in the property and casualty insurance and
reinsurance industries. Well-capitalized new entrants to the property and casualty insurance and reinsurance industries, or existing
competitors that receive substantial infusions of capital, provide increasing competition, which may adversely impact our business
and profitability. Further, an expanded supply of reinsurance capital may lower costs for insurers that rely on reinsurance and,
as a consequence, those insurers may be able to price their products more competitively.
Litigation
There are no governmental,
legal or arbitration proceedings to which we are a party which are expected to have a material effect on our financial position
or profitability (including any such proceedings which are pending or threatened or which we are aware of), except as stated below.
However, in any given quarter, litigation could arise which might have an adverse effect on our results for such quarter. See
“Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations—We are involved
in legal and other proceedings from time to time, and we may face damage to our reputation or legal liability as a result.”
In
addition, it is not unusual for commercial insurers to engage in disputes with reinsurers regarding the contractual obligations
of such reinsurers. Reinsurance is an important risk mitigation measure because it enables us to cede portions of our underwriting
risk to others. Although reinsurance does not discharge our subsidiaries from their primary obligation to pay for losses insured
under the policies they issue, reinsurance does make the assuming reinsurer liable to the insurance subsidiaries for the reinsured
portion of the risk. As of December 31, 2019, the amount owed to us from our reinsurers for paid claims was approximately $36.5
million. In some cases there can be disputes with reinsurers over their contractual obligations and their understanding of our
maximum liability for the underlying insurance policy which is being reinsured. Insurers can seek to avoid reinsurance policies
for a variety of reasons, including allegations that they did not appreciate our maximum liability. In some cases these disputes
and disagreements can result in arbitration or even litigation, initiated in some cases by us and in some cases by our reinsurers.
We are currently in arbitration or discussions with some reinsurers over their potential coverage and it is always possible that
an arbitrator or judge could issue an adverse award or judgment. A failure by reinsurers to honor their obligations, supported
in arbitration or court proceedings, could depending on the amount involved have a material adverse effect on our results of operations
and business. See Note 25 to IGI’s consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.
Disclosure of Certain
Activities Under Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act
Under Section 219
of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which added Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act, the Company is
required to disclose certain activities and those of its affiliates related to Iran and to persons sanctioned by the U.S. under
programs relating to terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and trading with North Korea that occurred in the
period covered by this annual report.
The non-U.S. based
subsidiaries of the Company operate in compliance with applicable laws and regulations of the various jurisdictions in which they
operate, including applicable international (United Nations and European Union) laws and regulations. While our companies based
and operating outside the United States generally are not subject to U.S. law, as an international group, we have in place policies
and procedures that apply to all our affiliates worldwide and often impose requirements that go beyond local law.
International General
Insurance Company (UK) Ltd. (“IGI UK”), a subsidiary of IGI Bermuda organized under the laws of the United Kingdom,
has in place a GBP-denominated insurance policy for the UK and Hong Kong branches of Melli Bank PLC, which is designated on the
Specially Designated Nationals List (“SDN list”) of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the
U.S. Department of Treasury. The policy was entered into in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The parent company
Melli Bank and the Tehran branch of Melli Bank PLC are excluded from the policy. The total gross premium and net premium arising
from the policy is in each case less than $100,000. The policy is set to expire on September 30, 2020. We have issued a notice
of cancelation to the policy with Melli Bank PLC.
In addition, IGI
Bermuda, our subsidiary organized under the laws of Bermuda, is in the maintenance phase for three EUR-denominated policies providing
construction insurance for UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A is not designated on any US sanctions
lists. These policies were entered into and active during the time sanctions were eased pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (“JCPOA”). Since the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA, the policies have been in a maintenance
phase. The policies reinsured the construction of the final part of an offshore platform installation on behalf of Petro Paydar
Iranian Company, an entity that is not on the SDN list. The relevant field operator for the location of the offshore platform
was Pars Oil & Gas Company, an entity that was not, at the time the policies were active, on the SDN list. The maintenance
phase is set to expire on May 16, 2020. The total gross premium of these policies for the entire period of cover is approximately
$513,901 and the total net premium arising from these policies, which is difficult to calculate with precision, is estimated to
be $398,274. We do not intend to renew these policies upon their expiration in May 2020.
C.
Organizational Structure
The
following diagram depicts the organizational structure of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the date of this annual report.
The organizational structure of the Company and its subsidiaries
presented above is similar to the IGI group structure as of December 31, 2019, except that, following the closing of the Business
Combination, the Company became a new holding company of the IGI group owned by the former stockholders of Tiberius and the former
shareholders of IGI, and each of IGI and Tiberius became a subsidiary of the Company.
D.
Property, Plants and Equipment
We
lease the following properties as of December 31, 2019.
|
|
|
|
Gross Floor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Area
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(square
|
|
|
|
Lease
period
|
Country
|
|
Location
|
|
meter)
|
|
Use
|
|
Start
|
|
End
|
United
Kingdom
|
|
5th
Floor, Forum House, 15–18 Lime Street, London
|
|
439
|
|
London
office
|
|
24
October 2019
|
|
24
May 2026
|
United
Kingdom
|
|
6th
Floor, Forum House, 15–18 Lime Street, London
|
|
376
|
|
London
office
|
|
24
October 2019
|
|
24
May 2026
|
United
Arab Emirates
|
|
Office
606, Level 6, Tower 1, Al Fattan Currency House, Dubai
|
|
170
|
|
Dubai
office
|
|
20
November 2018
|
|
19
November 2021
|
Malaysia
|
|
29th
Floor, Menara TA One Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur
|
|
204
|
|
Malaysia
office
|
|
1
July 2019
|
|
30
June 2022
|
Malaysia
|
|
Unit
B1, Level 11 ( C ), Block 4 Office Tower, Financial Park Complex Labuan, Jalan Merdeka, Federal Territory of Labuan
|
|
7
|
|
Labuan
office
|
|
16
December 2019
|
|
15
December 2020
|
Morocco
|
|
32–42,
Bd Abdelmoumen – Residence Walili 25 – 4th Floor P.O. Box 20000 Casablanca
|
|
138
|
|
Morocco
office
|
|
1
June 2019
|
|
31
May 2020
|
In
addition we owned the following real estate interests as of December 31, 2019:
Country
|
|
Location
|
|
Ownership
Interest
|
|
Gross
Floor Area
(square meter)
|
|
Use
|
Jordan
|
|
Specialty
Mall building, 74 Abdel Hamid Sharaf Street, PO Box 941428, Amman 11194
|
|
100
|
%
|
17,878
|
|
Commercial
leasing investment
|
Lebanon
|
|
Golden
Rock S.A.L., Beirut
|
|
32.7
|
%
|
10,402
|
|
Commercial
leasing investment
|
Lebanon
|
|
Silver
Rock S.A.L., Beirut
|
|
32.7
|
%
|
1,493
|
|
Commercial
leasing investment
|
Lebanon
|
|
Star
Rock S.A.L., Beirut
|
|
32.7
|
%
|
1,334
|
|
Commercial
leasing investment
|
Lebanon
|
|
Société
Immobilière Nationale S.A.L., Beirut
|
|
32.7
|
%
|
962
|
|
Commercial
leasing investment
|
Jordan
|
|
34
plots, area number 4, Al Qalayed, Um Al Basateen.
|
|
100
|
%
|
27,770
|
|
Land
purchased for investment purposes
|
Item 4A. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not
applicable.
Item 5.
Operating and Financial Review and Prospects
This section should
be read in conjunction with the “Business” and “Selected Historical Financial Information” sections and
the consolidated financial statements of IGI which are included elsewhere in this annual report. The financial information contained
herein is taken or derived from such consolidated financial statements, unless otherwise indicated. The following discussion contains
forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those that are discussed in these forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this annual
report, particularly under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.”
Introduction
We
are a highly-rated global provider of specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions in over 200 countries and territories. We
underwrite a diversified portfolio of specialty risks including energy, property, construction and engineering, ports and terminals,
general aviation, political violence, casualty (non-U.S.), financial institutions, marine liability and treaty reinsurance. Our
size affords us the ability to be nimble and seek out profitable niches that can generate attractive underwriting results. Our
underwriting focus is supported by exceptional service to our clients and brokers. Founded in 2001, our wholly owned subsidiary,
IGI, has prudently grown our business with a focus on underwriting profitability and risk-adjusted shareholder returns as measured
by total value creation over time. Since the inception of IGI in 2001 through December 31, 2019, our total value creation, defined
as the growth in tangible book value per share plus accumulated shareholder dividends, has been 380% as of December 31, 2019.
For additional information regarding total value creation, see “–Non-IFRS Financial Measures–Tangible book
value per diluted common share plus accumulated dividends.”
Our
primary objective is to underwrite specialty products that maximize return on equity subject to prudent risk constraints on the
amount of capital we expose to any single event. We follow a careful and disciplined underwriting strategy with a focus on individually
underwritten specialty risks through in-depth assessment of the underlying exposure. We use data analytics and modern technology
to offer our clients flexible products and customized and granular pricing. We manage our risks through a variety of means, including
contract terms, portfolio selection and underwriting and geographic diversification. Our underwriting strategy is supplemented
by a comprehensive risk transfer program with reinsurance coverage from highly-rated reinsurers that we believe lowers our volatility
of earnings and provides appropriate levels of protection in the event of a major loss event.
We
conduct our worldwide operations through three reportable segments under IFRS segment reporting: Specialty Long-tail, Specialty
Short-tail and Reinsurance. Our Specialty Long-tail segment includes (1) our casualty business, which includes our professional
indemnity, directors and officers, legal expenses, intellectual property and other casualty lines of business, (2) our financial
institutions line of business and (3) our marine liability line of business. Our Specialty Short-tail segment includes our energy
(upstream, downstream and renewable), property, construction and engineering, political violence, ports and terminals and general
aviation lines of business. Our Reinsurance segment includes our inward reinsurance treaty business.
In
addition, we have a corporate function (“Corporate”) which includes the activities of our holding company and certain
functions, including investment management. Corporate includes investment income on a managed basis and other non-segment expenses,
predominantly general and administrative, stock compensation, finance and transaction expenses. Corporate also includes the activities
of certain key executives such as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Our corporate expenses and investment
results are presented separately within the corporate segment section.
The
following table sets out IGI’s gross written premiums by segment and lines of business during the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Specialty Long-tail
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
$
|
43.1
|
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
16.1
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
Specialty Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
|
87.9
|
|
|
|
81.4
|
|
|
|
72.1
|
|
Property
|
|
|
53.7
|
|
|
|
43.8
|
|
|
|
46.1
|
|
Construction & Engineering
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
|
|
18.2
|
|
|
|
20.7
|
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
9.7
|
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Ports & Terminals
|
|
|
17.3
|
|
|
|
19.1
|
|
|
|
22.4
|
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
19.0
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
19.2
|
|
Reinsurance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treaty Reinsurance
|
|
|
17.7
|
|
|
|
17.8
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
The
following table sets out IGI’s gross written premiums based on geographical concentration for the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
UK
|
|
$
|
42.9
|
|
|
$
|
76.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
|
|
34.5
|
|
|
|
37.3
|
|
Worldwide
|
|
|
26.3
|
|
|
|
35.0
|
|
|
|
33.3
|
|
Middle East
|
|
|
36.1
|
|
|
|
32.4
|
|
|
|
36.9
|
|
Africa
|
|
|
14.8
|
|
|
|
13.6
|
|
|
|
16.5
|
|
Asia
|
|
|
33.9
|
|
|
|
27.8
|
|
|
|
32.8
|
|
Central America
|
|
|
35.6
|
|
|
|
26.7
|
|
|
|
37.7
|
|
South America
|
|
|
33.4
|
|
|
|
26.4
|
|
|
|
11.1
|
|
North America
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
4.3
|
|
Caribbean Islands
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
|
|
15.1
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Australasia
|
|
|
8.4
|
|
|
|
12.6
|
|
|
|
15.2
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
Recent
Developments
Closing
of the Business Combination
On
March 17, 2020, IGI completed the Business Combination with Tiberius, as a result of which we became a new public company owned
by the former stockholders of Tiberius and the former shareholders of IGI and each of IGI and Tiberius became our subsidiary.
Upon consummation of the Business Combination, our common shares and warrants to purchase our common shares were listed on Nasdaq.
As of December 31, 2019 as well as immediately prior to the
closing of the Business Combination, the Company had one common share issued and outstanding and no preference shares issued and
outstanding. At the closing of the Business Combination, the Company issued (1) 29,759,999 common shares to former shareholders
of IGI in exchange for their IGI shares and (2) 18,687,307 common shares to former stockholders of Tiberius, including (i) 9,339,924
common shares issued in exchange for public shares of Tiberius common stock that remained outstanding and not redeemed immediately
prior to the closing of the Business Combination, (ii) 4,132,500 common shares issued in exchange for Tiberius founder shares,
including 3,012,500 shares subject to vesting at prices ranging from $11.50 to $15.25 per share, (iii) 2,900,000 common shares
issued in exchange for shares of Tiberius common stock that were issued to certain investors in a private placement pursuant to
forward purchase agreements, and (iv) 2,314,883 common shares issued in exchange for shares of Tiberius common stock that were
issued to certain investors in a private placement.
In
addition, the Company issued 17,250,000 warrants, including (i) 12,750,000 warrants issued to former stockholders of Tiberius
and (ii) 4,500,000 warrants that were issued in exchange for 4,000,000 Tiberius warrants transferred to Wasef Jabsheh and 500,000
Tiberius warrants transferred to Argo. Immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company had 48,447,306
common shares (including 3,012,500 common shares subject to vesting) and 17,250,000 warrants issued and outstanding.
Coronavirus
Pandemic: COVID-19
In
March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic related to the rapidly spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,
which has led to a global health emergency. In response to this outbreak, the governments of many countries have taken preventative
or protective actions, such as imposing restrictions on travel and business operations and advising or requiring individuals to
limit or forego their time outside of their homes. These actions have expanded significantly in the past several weeks and are
expected to continue to expand. Global financial markets have also experienced extreme volatility and disruptions to capital and
credit markets. As a result, economic uncertainties have arisen which could impact the Company’s operations and its financial
position. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s operational and financial performance will depend on certain
developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak, regulatory and private sector responses, which may be precautionary,
and the impact on our customers, workforce, and vendors, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted.
The
COVID-19 outbreak is disrupting production and sales across a range of industries, and it could materially adversely impact the
Company or its reinsurers or have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. Any of the foregoing could harm our
business and we cannot anticipate all the ways in which the current global health crisis and financial market conditions could
adversely impact our business.
We
intend to continue to execute on our strategic plans and operational initiatives during the outbreak. However, the uncertainties
associated with the protective and preventative measures being put in place or recommended by both governmental entities and other
businesses, among other uncertainties, may result in delays or modifications to these plans and initiatives. Management is actively
monitoring the impact of the global situation on our financial condition, liquidity, operations, industry and workforce. Given
the daily evolution of COVID-19 and the global responses to curb its spread, the Company is not able to estimate the effects of
COVID-19 on its results of operations, financial condition or liquidity for fiscal year 2020. Moreover, the Company anticipates
that these events may adversely impact our results for the first quarter of 2020 and potentially beyond.
While
we have not yet finalized our results for the first quarter of 2020, based on preliminary analysis, the adverse impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on the Company during the first quarter of 2020 was primarily evidenced by declines in the Company’s foreign
exchange, equity and fixed income unrealized valuations. We have also seen a few preliminary notifications regarding potential
claims relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are still evaluating their applicability to the respective policy wordings. At
the same time, during a period of credit spread widening, the Company has invested an increased portion of its cash in investment
grade corporate securities.
We have modeled adverse
scenarios and have performed reverse stress testing which indicate that the Company will continue to meet its regulatory solvency
requirements and have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities for a period of at least one year after the date of IGI’s
audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 included elsewhere in this annual report. See “Item
3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Insurance and Reinsurance Industry—Public health crises,
illness, epidemics or pandemics could adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.”
In
light of these uncertainties, and given the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulty of forecasting with reasonable
accuracy the full duration, magnitude and pace of recovery across our end markets, the Company is withdrawing its previously issued
guidance for 2020 and 2021.
Description
of Certain Income Statement Line Items
The
definition and method of calculation of certain line items from IGI’s consolidated income statement are provided below:
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums comprise the total premiums receivable for the whole period of cover provided by contracts entered into during
the accounting period. They are recognized on the date on which the policy commences. Premiums include any adjustments arising
in the accounting period for premiums receivable in respect of business written in prior accounting periods. Rebates that form
part of the premium rate, such as no-claim rebates, are deducted from the gross premium; others are recognized as an expense.
Premiums also include estimates for pipeline premiums, representing amounts due on business written but not yet notified. We generally
estimate the pipeline premium based on management’s judgment and prior experience.
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums comprise the total premiums payable for the reinsurance cover provided by retrocession contracts entered
into during the year and are recognized on the date on which the policy incepts. Premiums include any adjustments arising in the
accounting period in respect of reinsurance contracts incepting in prior accounting periods.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Unearned
premiums related to gross written premiums constitutes the proportion of premiums written in a year that relate to periods of
risk after the reporting date. Unearned premiums are calculated on a pro rata basis. The proportion attributable to subsequent
periods is deferred as a provision for unearned premiums.
Unearned
reinsurance premiums related to reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums constitutes the proportion of premiums written in
a year that relate to periods of risk after the reporting date. Unearned reinsurance premiums are deferred over the term of the
underlying direct insurance policies for risk-attaching contracts and over the term of the reinsurance contract for losses-occurring
contracts.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Claims,
comprising amounts payable to contract holders and third parties and related loss adjustment expenses, net of salvage and other
recoveries, are charged to income as incurred. Claims comprise the estimated amounts payable, in respect of claims reported to
us and those not reported at the consolidated statement of financial position date.
We
generally estimate our claims based on appointed loss adjusters or leading underwriters’ recommendations. In addition, a
provision based on management’s judgment and our prior experience is maintained for the cost of settling claims incurred
but not reported at the consolidated statement of financial position date.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses constitutes claims and claim adjustments expenses net of reinsurers’ share of claims.
Net
policy acquisition expenses
Policy
acquisition costs and commissions earned represent commissions paid and received in relation to the acquisition and renewal of
insurance and retrocession contracts which are deferred and expensed over the same period over which the corresponding premiums
are recognized in accordance with the earning pattern of the underlying contract.
Total
investment income, net
Net
investment income is principally comprised of income from interest, dividends, gains and losses from investments in properties,
expected credit losses on investments and investment custodian fees and other investment expenses. For purposes of this discussion,
“total investment income, net” reflects the sum of net investment income and share of profit or loss from associates,
calculated net of (1) net realized gains/(losses) on investments and (2) net unrealized gains/(losses) on investments.
Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments
Net
realized gains and losses on investments is comprised of net gains and losses on sale of available for sale investments, realized
gains and losses on the sale of bonds at fair value through other comprehensive income and realized gains and losses on the sale
of equities at fair value through profit and loss account.
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments includes unrealized losses on the revaluation of financial assets at fair value through profit and
loss account and fair value changes of held for trading investments.
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses is comprised of human resources expenses, business promotion, travel and entertainment expenses, statutory,
advisory and rating expenses, information technology and software expenses, office operation expenses, depreciation and amortization,
bank charges and board of directors’ expenses.
Other
income (expenses)
Other
income (expenses) include the sum of (1) other revenues, (2) other expenses and (3) impairment loss on insurance receivables.
Listing
related expenses
Listing
related expenses are expenses incurred in connection with our initial listing on Nasdaq that are not capitalizable and instead
are charged to the consolidated statement of income as incurred. Transaction expenses incurred mainly consist of professional
fees (such as legal and accounting fees) and other miscellaneous costs that are directly related to the listing on Nasdaq.
Gain
(loss) on foreign exchange
Gain
(loss) on foreign exchange represents gains and/or losses incurred as a result of foreign currency transactions.
Income
tax
Income
tax reflects (1) income tax payable by IGI Labuan in accordance with the Labuan Business Activities Tax Act 1990, (2) tax payable
by IGI Casablanca pursuant to the Casablanca Finance City Tax Code and (3) corporate tax payable by IGI UK and North Star Underwriting
Limited in accordance with UK tax law. International General Insurance Co. Ltd. (IGI Bermuda) is a tax-exempt company. IGI Holdings
(a DIFC-registered company) and IGI Dubai are not subject to income tax according to the UAE tax law, and IGI Underwriting is
a tax-exempt company in Jordan.
Non-IFRS
Financial Measures
In
presenting our results, management has included and discussed certain non-IFRS financial measures. We believe that these non-IFRS
measures, which may be defined and calculated differently by other companies, better explain and enhance an understanding of our
results of operations. However, these measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined in accordance with IFRS.
Tangible
book value per diluted common share plus accumulated dividends
In
addition to presenting book value per common share determined in accordance with IFRS, we believe that the key financial indicator
for evaluating our performance and measuring the overall growth in value generated for shareholders is “book value per diluted
common share plus accumulated dividends,” a non-IFRS financial measure.
The
following table presents reconciliations of “book value per common share” to “book value per diluted common
share plus accumulated dividends.”
|
|
December 31, 2019
|
|
($) in millions, except per share data and the number of shares
|
|
Equity
Amount
|
|
|
Common Shares Issued and Outstanding
|
|
|
Per Share Amount
|
|
Book value per share
|
|
$
|
312.1
|
|
|
|
134,025,678
|
|
|
$
|
2.33
|
|
Non-IFRS adjustments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intangible assets
|
|
$
|
(3.9
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
Tangible book value per share
|
|
|
308.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.30
|
|
Accumulated dividends
|
|
|
105.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.79
|
|
Tangible book value per share plus accumulated dividends
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
3.09
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2018
|
|
($) in millions, except per share data and the number of shares
|
|
Equity
Amount
|
|
|
Common
Shares Outstanding
|
|
|
Per Share Amount
|
|
Book value per share
|
|
$
|
301.2
|
|
|
|
136,375,678
|
|
|
$
|
2.21
|
|
Non-IFRS adjustments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intangible assets
|
|
$
|
(2.9
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
Tangible book value per share
|
|
|
298.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.19
|
|
Accumulated dividends
|
|
|
94.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.68
|
|
Tangible book value per share plus accumulated dividends
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
2.87
|
|
Our
total value creation from the inception of IGI in 2001 through December 31, 2019 was 380%, reflecting growth in tangible book
value per share of 261% plus dividend payments of 119%.
Core
operating income
In
addition to presenting profit for the year determined in accordance with IFRS, we believe that showing “core operating income,”
a non-IFRS financial measure, provides investors with a valuable measure of profitability and enables investors, rating agencies
and other users of our financial information to more easily analyze our results in a manner similar to how management analyzes
our underlying business performance.
Core
operating income is calculated by the addition or subtraction of certain income statement line items from profit for the year,
the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure, as illustrated in the table below:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Profit for the year
|
|
$
|
32.9
|
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.5
|
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
Non-IFRS adjustments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net realized (gains) on investments
|
|
|
(2.7
|
)
|
|
|
(3.1
|
)
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
|
|
(1.0
|
)
|
Net impairment losses recognized in earnings
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
Unrealized loss (gain) on investments
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
Fair Value Changes of Held for Trading Investments
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Listing related expenses
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
4.8
|
|
Fair value gain on investment property
|
|
|
(1.0
|
)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
(Gain) loss on foreign exchange (tax adjusted) (1)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
|
|
(2.6
|
)
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
(4.9
|
)
|
Core operating income
|
|
$
|
29.5
|
|
|
$
|
1.3
|
|
|
$
|
28.6
|
|
|
$
|
21.2
|
|
Average shareholders’ equity (2)
|
|
|
287.6
|
|
|
|
301.3
|
|
|
|
301.3
|
|
|
|
306.7
|
|
Annualized return on average equity
|
|
|
11.5
|
%
|
|
|
2.3
|
%
|
|
|
8.5
|
%
|
|
|
7.7
|
%
|
Annualized core operating return on average equity
|
|
|
10.3
|
%
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
9.5
|
%
|
|
|
6.9
|
%
|
(1)
|
For
2019, represents 2019 Gain/Loss on foreign exchange adjusted for the tax expense of $0.8
million.
|
(2)
|
Average
shareholders’ equity as of any date equals the shareholders’ equity at such
date, plus the shareholders’ equity as of the same date of the prior year,
divided by 2.
|
“Core
operating income,” a non-IFRS financial measure, measures the performance of our operations without the influence of after-tax
gains or losses on investments and foreign currencies and other items as noted in the table above. We exclude these items from
our calculation of “core operating income” because the amount of these gains and losses is heavily influenced by,
and fluctuates in part according to, the availability of investment market opportunities and other factors. We believe these amounts
are largely independent of our core underwriting activities and including them distorts the analysis of trends in our operations.
We believe the reporting of core operating income enhances an understanding of our results by highlighting the underlying profitability
of our core insurance operations. Our profitability is impacted by earned premium growth, the adequacy of our pricing, loss frequency
and severity. Over time our profitability is also influenced by underwriting discipline, which seeks to manage exposure to loss
through favorable risk selection and diversification, our management of claims, use of reinsurance and ability to manage expense
ratio, which we accomplish through management of acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses.
Return
on average equity and core operating return on average equity, both a non-IFRS financial measure, represent the returns generated
on common shareholders’ equity during the year. Our objective is to generate superior returns on capital that appropriately
reward shareholders for the risks assumed.
A.
Operating Results
The
following section reviews IGI’s results of operations during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The discussion
includes presentations of IGI’s results on a consolidated basis and on a segment-by-segment basis.
Results
of Operations — Consolidated
The
following table summarizes IGI’s consolidated income statement for the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(114.3
|
)
|
|
|
(98.2
|
)
|
|
|
(97.1
|
)
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
160.8
|
|
|
$
|
203.4
|
|
|
$
|
252.1
|
|
Net change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(14.0
|
)
|
|
|
(20.1
|
)
|
|
|
(36.6
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
146.7
|
|
|
$
|
183.3
|
|
|
$
|
215.5
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses(1)
|
|
|
(86.9
|
)
|
|
|
(85.3
|
)
|
|
|
(118.1
|
)
|
Net policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(36.2
|
)
|
|
|
(42.0
|
)
|
|
|
(45.4
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
|
$
|
56.1
|
|
|
$
|
52.0
|
|
Total investment income, net(2)
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Net realized gains on investments
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(30.9
|
)
|
|
|
(35.4
|
)
|
|
|
(39.3
|
)
|
Other income (expenses)
|
|
|
(1.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
Listing related expenses
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
(4.8
|
)
|
Gain (loss) on foreign exchange
|
|
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
(3.4
|
)
|
|
|
5.7
|
|
Profit before tax
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.6
|
|
|
$
|
25.3
|
|
Income tax
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
(1.7
|
)
|
Profit for the year
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.5
|
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
(1)
|
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses represents claims occurring during the year, adjusted
either upward or downward based on the prior year’s adverse (or favorable) development
in claims, as follows:
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Claims occurring during the current year
|
|
|
110.3
|
|
|
|
94.3
|
|
|
|
124.4
|
|
Prior year adverse (favorable) development
|
|
|
(23.4
|
)
|
|
|
(9.0
|
)
|
|
|
(6.3
|
)
|
Net claims and claims adjustment expenses for current year
|
|
|
86.9
|
|
|
|
85.3
|
|
|
|
118.1
|
|
See
“Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — Reserves — Reserving Results & Development”
for a discussion of the claims development in each of these years.
(2)
|
Represents
net investment income and share of profit or loss from associates, net of (1) net realized
gains/(losses) on investments, and (2)
unrealized gains/(losses) on investments, calculated as follows:
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
$
|
12.6
|
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
13.3
|
|
Plus Share
of profit or loss from associates
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
Minus Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Minus Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Total investment income, net
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
9.1
|
|
|
$
|
10.7
|
|
Year
ended December 31, 2019 compared to year ended December 31, 2018 (Consolidated)
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(98.2
|
)
|
|
|
(97.1
|
)
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
203.4
|
|
|
$
|
252.1
|
|
Net change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(20.1
|
)
|
|
|
(36.6
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
183.3
|
|
|
$
|
215.5
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(85.3
|
)
|
|
|
(118.1
|
)
|
Net policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(42.0
|
)
|
|
|
(45.4
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
56.1
|
|
|
$
|
52.0
|
|
Total investment income, net(1)
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Net realized gains on investments
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Unrealized(losses)/gains on investments
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(35.4
|
)
|
|
|
(39.3
|
)
|
Other income (expenses)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
Listing related expenses
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
(4.8
|
)
|
(Loss) gain on foreign exchange
|
|
|
(3.4
|
)
|
|
|
5.7
|
|
Profit before tax
|
|
$
|
25.6
|
|
|
$
|
25.3
|
|
Income tax
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
(1.7
|
)
|
Profit for the year
|
|
$
|
25.5
|
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
(1)
|
Represents
net investment income and share of profit or loss from associates, net of (1) net realized
gains/(losses) on investments, and (2)
unrealized gains/(losses) on investments, calculated as follows:
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
13.3
|
|
Plus Share
of profit or loss from associates
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
Minus Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
Minus Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Total investment income, net
|
|
$
|
9.1
|
|
|
$
|
10.7
|
|
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums increased 15.8% from $301.6 million in 2018 to $349.2 million in 2019. This was primarily due to 55% growth (or
$50.5 million) in the specialty long-tail segment. This increase was partially offset by a decrease of 1.6% (or $3.0 million)
in the specialty short-tail segment. The increase in gross written premiums was the result of a number of factors, including new
business generated and improved renewal pricing, all resulting from hardening markets and superior underwriting.
The
following table sets out the contribution of the lines of business to IGI’s gross written premiums written during the years
indicated:
|
|
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
Specialty Long-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
|
|
57.3
|
%
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
16.1
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
|
|
43.6
|
%
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
61.9
|
%
|
Specialty Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
|
81.4
|
|
|
|
72.1
|
|
|
|
(11.4
|
)%
|
Property
|
|
|
43.8
|
|
|
|
46.1
|
|
|
|
5.3
|
%
|
Construction and Engineering
|
|
|
18.2
|
|
|
|
20.7
|
|
|
|
13.8
|
%
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
|
|
(27.2
|
)%
|
Ports and Terminals
|
|
|
19.1
|
|
|
|
22.4
|
|
|
|
17.4
|
%
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
19.2
|
|
|
|
6.7
|
%
|
Reinsurance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treaty Reinsurance
|
|
|
17.8
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
%
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
$
|
349.2
|
|
|
|
15.8
|
%
|
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums decreased 1.1% from $98.2 million in 2018 to $97.1 million in 2019. This was primarily due to two
significant changes in reinsurance:
|
(i)
|
There
was a decline in the general aviation line of business due to a change in the quota share
cession to 0% in 2019 as opposed to 20% in 2018, causing a reduction of $4.0 million
in quota share premiums. IGI elected to retain the business fully for a number of reasons
including a hardening rate environment and unfavorable quota share renewal terms.
|
|
(ii)
|
There
was a decrease in political violence reinsurance due to a change in the quota share cession
from 40% in 2018 to 25% in 2019. IGI elected to retain a larger portion of the political
violence portfolio due to improved profitability outlook for the business line. IGI also
purchased a surplus line treaty in order to increase its capacity in this class of business.
|
The
decrease in reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums was also due to a reduction in facultative reinsurance purchasing and
a decline in excess of loss recoveries that had a consequential effect on the reinstatement premiums being payable.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Net
change in unearned premiums increased by 82.1% from $20.1 million in 2018 to $36.6 million in 2019. The increase was attributed
to an overall increase in net written premiums of $20.6 million in our specialty short-tail segment coupled with a greater proportion
of premiums weighted to the fourth quarter of 2019 as compared to 2018.
Net
premiums earned
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned increased 17.6% from $183.3 million in 2018 to $215.5 million in 2019. This was
primarily due to an increase in gross earned premiums and a decrease in reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Gross
claims and claim adjustment expenses decreased 24.3% from $211.0 million in 2018 to $159.8 million in 2019, and reinsurers’
share of claims decreased 66.8% from $125.8 million in 2018 to $41.7 million in 2019. As a result, net claims and claim adjustment
expenses increased 38.4% from $85.3 million in 2018 to $118.1 million in 2019. This was primarily due to building appropriate
IBNR reserves across our growing business in the long tail segment and an increase in retention in the specialty short-tail segment
with consequentially lower claims recovery in 2019 as compared to 2018. For a discussion of the portion of net claims and claims
adjustment expenses in the year ended December 31, 2019 that was caused by the prior year’s adverse development in claims,
see “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Reserves—Reserving Results & Development.”
IGI’s
overall net claims and claim adjustment expenses ratio increased by 8.3 percentage points from 46.5% for 2018 to 54.8% for 2019.
The majority of the increase is attributable to the specialty long-tail segment, increasing from 53.6% in 2018 to 61.0% in 2019,
as a result of higher incurred losses and additional IBNR reserve booked for the growing business under the specialty long-tail
segment.
The
tables below outline incurred losses on catastrophe events in the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.
|
|
For the Year Ended
December 31, 2019
|
|
($ in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
Net Incurred
Amount
|
|
Catastrophe Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Petronas Explosion Fire
|
|
$
|
3.6
|
|
|
$
|
3.3
|
|
Various Flood Events
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
Hurricane Dorian
|
|
|
2.3
|
|
|
|
2.3
|
|
LNG1 Gas Production Fire Explosion
|
|
|
2.2
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
Typhoon Hagibis
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Other
|
|
|
7.4
|
|
|
|
6.0
|
|
Provided during the year related to prior accident years
|
|
|
7.0
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
26.8
|
|
|
$
|
18.6
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended
December 31, 2018
|
|
($ in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Incurred
Amount
|
|
Catastrophe Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cyclone Mekunu
|
|
$
|
21.0
|
|
|
$
|
8.4
|
|
Typhoon Jebi Japan
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Papua New Guinea Earthquake
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
Mexico Earthquake February 2018
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
Kuwait Rainstorm Floods
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
Other
|
|
|
8.8
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
Provided during the year related to prior accident years
|
|
|
7.3
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
41.5
|
|
|
$
|
19.8
|
|
Net
policy acquisition expenses
Net
policy acquisition expenses increased by 8.1% from $42.0 million in 2018 to $45.4 million in 2019. The policy acquisition expense
ratio for 2018 was 22.9% compared to 21.1% for 2019. This decline in the policy acquisition expense ratio was led by cost savings
in the energy, property and general aviation lines of business in the specialty short-tail segment along with the financial institutions
and casualty lines of business in the specialty long-tail segment.
Net
underwriting results
Due
to the foregoing, net underwriting results decreased from $56.1 million in 2018 to $52.0 million in 2019, a decrease of $4.1 million
or 7%.
Total
investment income, net
Total
investment income, net increased by 17.6% from $9.1 million in 2018 to $10.7 million in 2019. This was primarily due to the increase
of 12% in interest income earned on bank deposits and fixed income bonds, which is mainly attributed to deployment in structured
US-dollar term deposits with a bank in Jordan at the beginning of 2019 that provided higher than average yields within our overall
bank deposits portfolio.
Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments
Net
realized gains on investments decreased from $1.3 million in 2018 to $1.0 million in 2019. Net realized gain in 2019 included
a $1 million gain on the disposal of US equity securities, partially offset by a loss on maturity and call of fixed income bonds
amounting to $0.7 million, and a realized gain of $0.7 million on the sale of one of our investment properties.
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments reflects a net gain of $1.3 million in 2019 compared to net loss of $0.9 million in 2018. This
primarily represents mark to market improvement in valuation of assets classified at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL)
of $1.6 million compared to a loss of $0.9 million in 2018. This increase of $1.6 million was offset by a $0.3 million decrease
in the fair valuation of investment properties.
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses increased by 11.1% from $35.4 million in 2018 to $39.3 million in 2019. This was primarily due to
an increase in human resource costs in connection with planned growth.
Other
income (expenses)
Other
income (expenses) increased by 8.3% from $1.2 million in 2018 to $1.3 million in 2019.
Gain
(loss) on foreign exchange
Net
gain on foreign exchange amounted to $5.7 million in 2019 compared to a net loss of $3.4 million in 2018. This was primarily due
to an increase in the Pound Sterling – USD foreign exchange rate by more than 4% from December 31, 2018 to December 31,
2019 coupled with higher Pound Sterling denominated cash and insurance receivable balances led by the Company’s increased
business in the specialty long-tail segment.
Profit
for the year
As
a result of the foregoing, the profit after tax for the year decreased from $25.5 million in 2018 to $23.6 million in 2019 mainly
due to the year-over-year decrease in net underwriting results of 6.9%, partly offset by the gain from foreign exchange in 2019,
compared to a loss in 2018.
Year
ended December 31, 2018 compared to year ended December 31, 2017 (Consolidated)
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(114.3
|
)
|
|
|
(98.2
|
)
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
160.8
|
|
|
$
|
203.4
|
|
Net change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(14.0
|
)
|
|
|
(20.1
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
146.7
|
|
|
$
|
183.3
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(86.9
|
)
|
|
|
(85.3
|
)
|
Net policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(36.2
|
)
|
|
|
(42.0
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
|
$
|
56.1
|
|
Total investment income, net(1)
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
Net realized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(30.9
|
)
|
|
|
(35.4
|
)
|
Other income (expenses)
|
|
|
(1.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
(Loss) gain on foreign exchange
|
|
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
(3.4
|
)
|
Profit before tax
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.6
|
|
Income tax
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
Profit for the year
|
|
$
|
7.0
|
|
|
$
|
25.5
|
|
|
(1)
|
Represents
net investment income and share of profit or loss from associates, net of (1) net realized
gains/(losses) on investments, and (2)
unrealized gains/(losses) on investments, calculated as follows:
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
$
|
12.6
|
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
Plus Share
of profit or loss from associates
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
Minus
Net realized gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Minus Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
Total investment income, net
|
|
$
|
10.3
|
|
|
$
|
9.1
|
|
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums increased 9.6% from $275.1 million in 2017 to $301.6 million in 2018. This was primarily due to growth of (i)
54.8% (or $32.6 million) in the specialty long-tail segment and (ii) 0.9% (or $0.2 million) in the reinsurance segment. This increase
was partially offset by a decrease of 3.1% (or $6.2 million) in the specialty short-tail segment.
The
following table sets out the contribution of the lines of business to IGI’s gross written premiums during the years indicated:
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
Specialty Long-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
$
|
43.1
|
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
|
|
70.8
|
%
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
16.1
|
|
|
|
13.1
|
%
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
6.6
|
%
|
Specialty Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
|
87.9
|
|
|
|
81.4
|
|
|
|
(7.5
|
)%
|
Property
|
|
|
53.7
|
|
|
|
43.8
|
|
|
|
(18.5
|
)%
|
Construction and Engineering
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
|
|
18.2
|
|
|
|
75.3
|
%
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
9.7
|
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
|
|
17.2
|
%
|
Ports and Terminals
|
|
|
17.3
|
|
|
|
19.1
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
%
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
19.0
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
(5.3
|
)%
|
Reinsurance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treaty Reinsurance
|
|
|
17.7
|
|
|
|
17.8
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
%
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
275.1
|
|
|
$
|
301.6
|
|
|
|
9.6
|
%
|
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums decreased 14.1% from $114.3 million in 2017 to $98.2 million in 2018. This decrease was primarily
due to a decline in the reinsurers’ quota share that was led by the retroactive cancellation of quota share reinsurance
cover on one of the sizeable facility accounts in the casualty line of business that was reversed in 2018 as income and a decline
in the general aviation line of business due to a change in the quota share cession in 2018.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Net
change in unearned premiums increased by 43.4% from $14 million in 2017 to $20.1 million in 2018. This was due to the increase
in gross written premiums in the specialty long-tail segment lines of business, which are earned over a longer period than gross
written premiums in the short-tail and reinsurance segments, thus increasing the unearned premiums for the same year.
Net
premiums earned
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned increased 24.9% from $146.7 million in 2017 to $183.3 million in 2018. The increase
was due to an increase in the overall gross written premiums for all segments and increased earned premiums, specifically from
the specialty long-tail segment.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Gross
claims and claim adjustment expenses decreased 16.3% from $252.2 million in 2017 to $211.0 million in 2018 and
reinsurers’ share of claims decreased 23.9% from $165.2 million in 2017 to $125.8 million in 2018. As a result, net
claims and claim adjustment expenses decreased 1.9% from $86.9 million in 2017 to $85.3 million in 2018. This was primarily
due to less attritional and catastrophe losses in 2018 as compared to 2017 which had significant catastrophe losses in the
specialty short-tail segment. For a discussion of the portion of net claims and claims adjustment expenses in 2017 and 2018
that was caused by the prior year’s favorable development in claims, see “Operating and Financial Review and
Prospects — Reserves — Reserving Results & Development.”
IGI’s
overall claims and claim expenses ratio decreased by 13 percentage points to 46.5% for the year ended December 31, 2018 as compared
to 59.2% in the year ended December 31, 2017.
The
tables below outline incurred losses on catastrophe events in the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.
|
|
For
the Year Ended
December 31,
2018
|
|
($ in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
Net Incurred
Amount
|
|
Catastrophe Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cyclone Mekunu
|
|
$
|
21.0
|
|
|
$
|
8.4
|
|
Typhoon Jebi Japan
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
Papua New Guinea Earthquake
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
Mexico Earthquake February 2018
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
Kuwait Rainstorm Floods
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
Other
|
|
|
8.8
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
Provided during the year related to prior accident years
|
|
|
7.3
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
41.5
|
|
|
$
|
19.8
|
|
|
|
For
the Year Ended
December 31,
2017
|
|
($ in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
Net Incurred
Amount
|
|
Catastrophe Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hurricane Maria
|
|
$
|
36.3
|
|
|
$
|
9.9
|
|
Cyclone Debbie
|
|
|
6.9
|
|
|
|
4.3
|
|
Hurricane Irma
|
|
|
24.9
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
Ruwais Refinery Explosion Fire
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
|
Krishnapatnam Storm
|
|
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
1.8
|
|
Other
|
|
|
64.6
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
|
Provided during the year related to prior accident years
|
|
|
6.3
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
174.1
|
|
|
$
|
23.6
|
|
Net
policy acquisition expenses
Net
policy acquisition expenses increased by 15.8% from $36.2 million in 2017 to $42.0 million in 2018. The policy acquisition expense
ratio for 2017 was 24.7% compared to 22.9% for 2018.
Net
underwriting results
As
a result of the foregoing, net underwriting results increased by 137.8% from $23.6 million in 2017 to $56.1 million in 2018. The
increase was due to growth in net premiums earned and a reduction in net claims and claim adjustment expenses.
Total
investment income, net
Total
investment income, net decreased 12.0% from $10.3 million in 2017 to $9.1 million in 2018. This was primarily due to (i) a $2.3
million decrease in income from real estate and share of profit from associates (who are in the business of commercial building
leasing) and (ii) a $0.4 million decrease in dividends. These reductions were offset by a $1.1 million increase in interest income
and a $0.3 million decrease in custodian fees and other investment expenses.
Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments
Net
realized gains/(losses) on investments decreased by 59% from a gain of $3.1 million in 2017 to a gain of $1.3 million in 2018.
The net realized gain in 2018 included a realized gain of $1.9 million on the disposal of equity securities, partially offset
by a $0.7 million loss on maturity and call of fixed income bonds. The net realized gain in 2017 included a realized gain of $3.7
million on the disposal of equity securities, partially offset by a $0.6 million loss on maturity and call of fixed income bonds.
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments decreased from a gain of $0.1 million in 2017 to a loss of $0.9 million in 2018. The decrease was
due to the fact that IGI adopted IFRS 9 with effect from January 1, 2018. Accordingly, certain securities in IGI’s existing
portfolio were earmarked as assets at fair value through profit and loss (FVTPL) and $0.9 million of mark to market devaluation
was recorded as FVTPL investments during the year ended December 31, 2018.
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses increased 14.4% from $30.9 million in 2017 to $35.4 million in 2018. This was primarily due to an
increase in human resources expenses which IGI had planned for and increases in statutory, advisory and rating expenses from $1.8
million in 2017 to $3.0 million in 2018.
Other
income (expenses)
Other
income/expenses decreased by 33.3% from $1.8 million in 2017 to $1.2 million in 2018.
(Loss)
gain on foreign exchange
(Loss)
gain on foreign exchange was a gain of $2.6 million in 2017 compared to a loss of $3.4 million in 2018. The change was primarily
due to IGI’s major currencies (the pound and the euro) depreciating against the US dollar on average by 8-9% during 2018,
while simultaneously euro and pound denominated business increased to 39% of total gross written premiums in the year ended December
31, 2018 compared to 23% in year ended December 31, 2017. This increase in foreign exchange exposure during 2018 coupled with
the sharp depreciation in said currencies during 2018 compared to 2017 resulted in a net loss of $3.4 million during 2018.
Profit
for the year
As
a result of the foregoing, profit for the year increased from $7.0 million in 2017 to a profit of $25.5 million in 2018. This
increase was mainly due to the increase in the net underwriting results of 137.8%.
Results
of Operations — Specialty Long-tail Segment
The
following table summarizes the results of operations of IGI’s specialty long-tail segment for the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
59.4
|
|
|
$
|
92.0
|
|
|
$
|
142.5
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(9.9
|
)
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
(22.5
|
)
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
49.5
|
|
|
$
|
92.0
|
|
|
$
|
120.0
|
|
Net change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(11.1
|
)
|
|
|
(22.1
|
)
|
|
|
(23.5
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
38.3
|
|
|
$
|
69.9
|
|
|
$
|
96.5
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(14.3
|
)
|
|
|
(37.3
|
)
|
|
|
(58.8
|
)
|
Net policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(10.7
|
)
|
|
|
(16.2
|
)
|
|
|
(21.3
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
13.3
|
|
|
$
|
16.5
|
|
|
$
|
16.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claims & claim expense ratio
|
|
|
37.4
|
%
|
|
|
53.4
|
%
|
|
|
61
|
%
|
Policy acquisition expenses ratio
|
|
|
27.9
|
%
|
|
|
23.1
|
%
|
|
|
22.1
|
%
|
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums in the specialty long-tail segment increased 55% from $92.0 million in 2018 to $142.5 million in 2019. This increase
was primarily due to positive rate movement in the casualty line of business of approximately 30%. In particular, our ‘professional
indemnity’ and ‘legal expense’ product lines experienced a growth of $31 million (57%) and $4 million (68%),
respectively, in 2019 compared to 2018. The financial institutions line of business also experienced positive rate movement of
17.7% compared to 2018. In addition, new business of $1.3 million within the marine liability line of business contributed to
the total increase in gross written premiums.
Gross
written premiums in the specialty long-tail segment increased 54.8% from $59.4 million in 2017 to $92.0 million in 2018. This
increase was primarily due to positive rate movement compared to the prior year, particularly driven by the casualty and financial
institutions lines of business which amounted to 11.6% and 17.7%, respectively. New business also contributed to the increase
in the gross written premium, specifically within the casualty (particularly the professional indemnity cover) and financial institutions
lines of business.
The
breakdown of gross written premiums in the specialty long-tail segment by line of business is as follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Long-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
$
|
43.1
|
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
|
$
|
115.9
|
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
16.1
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
2.2
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
59.4
|
|
|
$
|
92.0
|
|
|
$
|
142.5
|
|
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums in the specialty long-tail segment changed from income of $0.04 million in 2018 to an expense of $22.5
million in 2019. The reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums in 2018 represented the retroactive cancellation of a quota
share cover in the casualty line of business that was reversed and reflected in 2018 as income. Moreover, in 2019, reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums increased. In 2019, IGI purchased quota share reinsurance and non-proportional reinsurance amounting
to $15 million and $5 million, respectively.
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums in the specialty long-tail segment changed from an expense of $9.9 million in 2017 to income of $0.04
million in 2018. This was primarily due to retroactive cancellation of a quota share cover in the casualty line of business that
was reversed and reflected in 2018 as income. However, this was offset by the introduction of a new 50% quota share cover on legal
expenses (after the event cover only). Further, in 2018, IGI took additional facultative reinsurance for certain new businesses
within the financial institutions line of business.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Net
change in unearned premiums in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 6.5% from $22.1 million in 2018 to $23.5 million in
2019. This was primarily due to the increase in unearned premiums in 2019 compared to the prior year which was in line with the
increase in gross written premiums mainly in the casualty line of business and financial institutions line of business.
Net
change in unearned premiums in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 98.6% from $11.1 million in 2017 to $22.1 million
in 2018. This was primarily due to the increase in unearned premiums during 2018 compared to the prior year which was in line
with the increase in gross written premiums.
Net
premiums earned
As
a result of the foregoing, (1) net premiums earned in the specialty long-tail segment increased 38% from $69.9 million in 2018
to $96.5 million in 2019, and (2) net premiums earned in the specialty long-tail segment increased 82.3% from $38.3 million in
2017 to $69.9 million in 2018.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Net
claims and claims adjustment expenses in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 57.6% from $37.3 million in 2018 to $58.8
million in 2019. This was primarily due to higher incurred losses coupled with an adequate increase in our IBNR provision to reflect
our growing casualty and financial institutions product lines in 2019 as compared to 2018.
Net
claims and claims adjustment expenses in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 160.1% from $14.3 million in 2017 to $37.3
million in 2018. This was primarily due to higher incurred losses, and an increase in retentions in 2018 as compared to 2017 under
the directors and officers and professional indemnity product lines of the casualty line of business. During 2018, when the claims
and claims expense ratio increased to 63.8%, the casualty line of business experienced adverse claims movement as a result of
one claim from the 2014 accident year and a combination of one large and other smaller claims from the 2017 accident year. In
addition, there was a significant increase in net incurred claims in the casualty line of business from $4.3 million during 2017
to $19.4 million during 2018. The growth in net retained premiums from $43 million in 2017 to $73.6 million in 2018 in the casualty
line, which necessitated building an IBNR provision for the growing professional indemnity product line, also contributed to the
higher claims and claims expense ratio in 2018 compared to previous years.
Claims
and claims expense ratios for the specialty long-tail segment by line of business were as follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Specialty Long-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty
|
|
|
55.4
|
%
|
|
|
63.8
|
%
|
|
|
68.1
|
%
|
Financial Institutions
|
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
9.2
|
%
|
|
|
43.6
|
%
|
Marine Liability
|
|
|
0.7
|
%
|
|
|
94.8
|
%
|
|
|
-42.8
|
%
|
Total
|
|
|
37.4
|
%
|
|
|
53.4
|
%
|
|
|
61.0
|
%
|
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the casualty line of business were 55.4% in 2017, 63.8% in 2018 and 68.1% in 2019. During
2019, the increase in the ratio from 63.8% to 68.1% was mainly driven by the deterioration across three large professional indemnity
and commercial D&O liability claims related to the 2018 accident year. Growth in gross written premiums from $43 million to
$73.6 million and $115.9 million in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively, in the casualty line and related IBNR provisions contributed
to the higher claims and claims expense ratio in 2019 compared to previous years. In addition, there was an increase in net incurred
claims in the casualty line of business from $4.3 million, to $19.4 million and $30.5 million during 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
During 2018, when the ratio increased to 63.8%, the casualty line of business experienced adverse claims movement as a result
of one claim from the 2014 accident year and a combination of one large and other smaller claims from the 2017 accident year.
During 2019, IGI introduced a new portfolio of primary professional indemnity business which is a little shorter tailed and has
a higher loss ratio than the remainder of IGI’s professional indemnity business.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the financial institutions line of business were 4.7% in 2017, 9.2% in 2018 and 43.6% in 2019.
The reported claims and claims expense ratio was relatively low for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018. IGI
experienced higher frequency and severity of claims in the financial institutions business during accident years 2014 and 2015.
Many of these claims were related to theft by bank employees in the Middle East and former Soviet states. As a result, in 2015,
IGI modified its reserving approach to the financial institutions business in line with its understanding of broader changes in
the market. During 2017, IGI determined that the steps taken to address the poor claims experience in accident years 2014 and
2015 had been effective and further adjusted its reserving approach. The change in calendar year 2017 resulted in reduced case-reserves
for accident years 2014 and 2015 and a lower claims and claims expense ratio for the year ended December 31, 2017.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the marine liability line of business were 0.7% in 2017, 94.8% in 2018 and -42.8% in 2019.
The volume of business written in the marine liability line of business is small and the variations in the results correspond
to a small number of claims arising (or not arising) during each year and the degree of successful challenge and/or subrogation
of these claims.
Policy
acquisition expenses
Policy
acquisition expenses in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 31.8% from $16.2 million in 2018 to $21.3 million in 2019.
The policy acquisition expense ratio for 2019 was 22.1% compared to 23.1% for 2018.
Policy
acquisition expenses in the specialty long-tail segment increased by 51.1% from $10.7 million in 2017 to $16.2 million in 2018.
The policy acquisition expense ratio for 2017 was 27.9% compared to 23.1% for 2018.
Results
of Operations — Specialty Short-tail Segment
The
following table summarizes the results of operations of IGI’s specialty short-tail segment for the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
198.0
|
|
|
$
|
191.8
|
|
|
$
|
188.8
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
(104.4
|
)
|
|
|
(98.2
|
)
|
|
|
74.6
|
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
93.6
|
|
|
$
|
93.6
|
|
|
$
|
114.2
|
|
Change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(2.3
|
)
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
(12.8
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
91.3
|
|
|
$
|
95.6
|
|
|
$
|
101.4
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(60.5
|
)
|
|
|
(36.6
|
)
|
|
|
(44.7
|
)
|
Policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(22.9
|
)
|
|
|
(22.8
|
)
|
|
|
(21.2
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
7.9
|
|
|
$
|
36.3
|
|
|
$
|
35.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claims & claim expense ratio
|
|
|
66.2
|
%
|
|
|
38.2
|
%
|
|
|
44.1
|
%
|
Policy acquisition expenses ratio
|
|
|
25.1
|
%
|
|
|
23.8
|
%
|
|
|
20.9
|
%
|
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 1.6% from $191.8 million in 2018 to $188.8 million in 2019.
The slight change in gross written premiums was principally due to the following:
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the energy line of business decreased by 11.4% from $81.4 million
in 2018 to $72.1 million in, 2019. This decrease was principally due to the loss of a
major account in Venezuela which could not be renewed due to sanctions imposed on the
country.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the construction and engineering line of business increased 13.8%
from $18.2 million in 2018 to $20.7 million in 2019. This was mainly due to capacity
constraints in the market, which enabled IGI to increase its gross premiums written in
the construction and engineering lines of business.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the political violence line of business decreased by 27.3% from $11.4
million in 2018 to $8.3 million in 2019. This was primarily due to negative rate movement
of -1.7% compared to the prior year and a decline in new business.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the ports and terminals line of business increased by 17.2% from
$19.1 million in 2018 to $22.4 million in 2019. This was mainly due to an increase in
new business and positive rate movement of 8.9% on a comparative basis.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the general aviation line of business increased by 6.6% from $18.0
million in 2018 to $19.2 million in 2019. This was primarily due to general aviation
positive rate movement of 36.9% compared to the prior year.
|
Gross
written premiums in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 3.1% from $198.0 million in 2017 to $191.8 million in 2018.
This slight decrease was principally due to:
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the energy line of business decreased 7.5% from $87.9 million in
2017 to $81.4 million in 2018. The decrease was in part due to unacceptable terms and
conditions.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the property line of business decreased 18.4% from $53.7 million
in 2017 to $43.8 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to the non-renewal of
accounts due to unacceptable terms and conditions on both renewal and new business. Certain
accounts in 2017 renewed in 2019 and not 2018 as they were written on a greater than
12-month period.
|
|
●
|
Gross
written premiums in the construction and engineering line of business increased 75.3%
from $10.4 million in 2017 to $18.2 million in 2018. The increase in gross written premiums
was mainly caused by the introduction of a new business, inherent defect insurance, which
is longer-tail in nature, which added $10.2 million to the overall growth in this line
of business compared to the prior year.
|
The
breakdown of gross written premiums in the specialty short-tail segment by line of business is as follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
$
|
87.9
|
|
|
$
|
81.4
|
|
|
$
|
72.1
|
|
Property
|
|
|
53.7
|
|
|
|
43.8
|
|
|
|
46.0
|
|
Construction & Engineering
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
|
|
18.2
|
|
|
|
20.7
|
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
9.7
|
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Ports & Terminals
|
|
|
17.3
|
|
|
|
19.1
|
|
|
|
22.4
|
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
19.0
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
19.2
|
|
Total Gross Written Premiums
|
|
$
|
198.0
|
|
|
$
|
191.8
|
|
|
$
|
188.8
|
|
Reinsurers’
share of insurance premiums
Reinsurance
premiums ceded in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 24% from $98.2 million in 2018 to $74.6 million in 2019. This
was primarily due to (i) a decrease in quota share reinsurance premiums as result of the lower quota share cession in the general
aviation and the political violence lines of business on a comparative basis and (ii) a decrease in facultative reinsurance purchases.
The decline in facultative reinsurance purchases in the energy and property lines of business combined was $9.2 million.
Reinsurance
premiums ceded in the specialty short-tail segment decreased 5.9% from $104.4 million in 2017 to $98.2 million in 2018. This was
primarily due to a decrease in quota share reinsurance premiums as result of lower quota share cession in the general aviation
and political violence lines of business compared to the prior year.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Net
change in unearned premiums increased from a positive change of $2.0 million in 2018 to a change of $12.8 million in 2019. The
increase was due to an overall increase in net written premiums of $20.6 million in our specialty short-tail segment. The change
in unearned premiums was also due to the particular seasonality of the business underwritten in our specialty short tail segment,
which witnessed a greater amount of net written premium in the fourth quarter of 2019 as compared to 2018.
Net
change in unearned premiums in the specialty short-tail segment closed at $2.3 million in 2017 compared to positive change of
$2.0 million in 2018. This was primarily due to the overall decline in gross written premiums in the specialty short-tail segment
in 2018 compared to the prior year.
Net
premiums earned
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned in the specialty short-tail segment increased 6% from $95.6 million in 2018 to
$101.4 million in 2019.
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned in the specialty short-tail segment increased 4.7% from $91.3 million in 2017 to
$95.6 million in 2018.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses in the specialty short-tail segment increased by 22.3% from $36.6 million in 2018 to $44.7
million in 2019. This was primarily due to additional IBNR of $1.0 million in 2019 compared to a release of $6.9 million in 2018.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 39.5% from $60.5 million in 2017 to $36.6
million in 2018. This was primarily due to less attritional and catastrophe losses in 2018 as compared to 2017 which suffered
net losses from major catastrophes in the fourth quarter of the year.
IGI’s
overall net claims and claims expense ratio increased by 6 percentage points to 44.1% for the year ended December 31, 2019 as
compared to 38.2% during the year ended December 31, 2018.
IGI’s
overall net claims and claims expense ratio decreased by 28 percentage points to 38.2% for the year ended December 31, 2018 as
compared to 66.2% during the year ended December 31, 2017.
Claims
and claims expense ratios for the specialty short-tail segment by line of business were as follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Specialty Short-tail
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy
|
|
|
33.7
|
%
|
|
|
18.0
|
%
|
|
|
20.0
|
%
|
Property
|
|
|
74.5
|
%
|
|
|
64.4
|
%
|
|
|
49.4
|
%
|
Construction and Engineering
|
|
|
51.3
|
%
|
|
|
137.5
|
%
|
|
|
81.6
|
%
|
Political Violence
|
|
|
34.1
|
%
|
|
|
31.0
|
%
|
|
|
65.7
|
%
|
Ports and Terminals
|
|
|
127.6
|
%
|
|
|
(13.7
|
%)
|
|
|
20.7
|
%
|
General Aviation
|
|
|
143.5
|
%
|
|
|
101.3
|
%
|
|
|
84.7
|
%
|
Total
|
|
|
66.2
|
%
|
|
|
38.2
|
%
|
|
|
44.1
|
%
|
In
the specialty short-tail segment, overall the changes in the claims and claims expense ratios were driven mainly by specific events
and/or large claims rather than reserve movements.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the energy line of business were 33.7% in 2017, 18.0% in 2018 and 20.0% in 2019. The slight
increase is a result of lower earned premium recorded in the energy line of business which caused a higher loss ratio despite
the same level of incurred losses on a comparative basis. The energy line of business had a favorable experience in 2018, with
the ratio decreasing to 18.0%, with $0.9 million of movement in actual net incurred claims related to 2017 and prior accident
years.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the property line of business were 74.5% in 2017, 64.4% in 2018 and 49.4% in 2019. Losses
in the property line of business, which increased in 2017 and 2018, were mainly driven by the 2017 catastrophe events coupled
with a major risk loss in 2018. The decrease in the ratio during 2019 is driven by the favorable claims movement and the low number
of catastrophe events compared to prior years.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the construction and engineering line of business were 51.3% in 2017, 137.5% in 2018 and 81.6%
in 2019. During 2018, the construction and engineering line of business experienced higher frequency of small attritional claims,
resulting in a higher loss ratio compared to 2017 and 2019.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the political violence line of business were 34.1% in 2017, 31.0% in 2018 and 65.7% in 2019.
This is reflected in lower ratios in 2017 and 2018. The increase in the ratio during 2019 was mainly driven by unfavorable development
in one of the large claims related to the 2018 accident year.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the ports and terminals line of business were 127.6% in 2017, (13.7%) in 2018 and 20.7% in
2019. The higher ratio in 2017 was mainly driven by one event and the deterioration resulting from the unusual scale of this widely
reported event. In particular, the majority of the losses suffered within the ports and terminals line in 2017 were related to
the insolvency of two large shipping companies which occurred during the aforementioned year resulting in claims being submitted
by three of IGI’s clients involved in the leasing of shipping containers used by these shipping companies. The policies
covered the assureds for not only standard property type risks but also the costs of repatriating or forwarding containers leased
out to the assured’s client in the event the containers become stranded or held on the open seas or ports. These costs were
extensive. IGI viewed the location of this event as a worldwide event because the relevant containers at issue were scattered
over many continents. Subsequent coverage has been modified to exclude the container leasing business and has resulted in favorable
experience in the line since then. The experience in 2019 continued to be favorable.
The
claims and claims expense ratios in the general aviation line of business were 143.5% in 2017, 101.3% in 2018 and 84.7% in 2019.
The general aviation line of business experienced a high frequency of losses in 2017. This was identified and addressed in 2018,
resulting in improved experience and significant rate increases, which continued to be the case in 2019.
Policy
acquisition expenses
Policy
acquisition expenses in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 7% from $22.8 million in 2018 to $21.2 million in 2019.
The policy acquisition expense ratio for 2019 was 20.9% compared to 23.8% in 2018.
Policy
acquisition expenses in the specialty short-tail segment decreased by 0.7% from $22.9 million in 2017 to $22.8 million in 2018.
The policy acquisition expense ratio for 2017 was 25.1% compared to 23.8% for 2018.
Results
of Operations — Reinsurance Segment
The
following table summarizes the results of operations of IGI’s reinsurance segment for the years indicated:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross written premiums
|
|
$
|
17.7
|
|
|
$
|
17.8
|
|
|
$
|
18.0
|
|
Reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Net written premiums
|
|
$
|
17.7
|
|
|
$
|
17.8
|
|
|
$
|
18.0
|
|
Change in unearned premiums
|
|
|
(0.6
|
)
|
|
|
(0.0
|
)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
Net premiums earned
|
|
$
|
17.1
|
|
|
$
|
17.8
|
|
|
$
|
17.7
|
|
Net claims and claim adjustment expenses
|
|
|
(12.1
|
)
|
|
|
(11.4
|
)
|
|
|
(14.5
|
)
|
Policy acquisition expenses
|
|
|
(2.6
|
)
|
|
|
(3.1
|
)
|
|
|
(3.0
|
)
|
Net underwriting results
|
|
$
|
2.4
|
|
|
$
|
3.3
|
|
|
$
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claims & claim expense ratio
|
|
|
70.9
|
%
|
|
|
64.2
|
%
|
|
|
82.0
|
%
|
Policy acquisition expenses ratio
|
|
|
15.3
|
%
|
|
|
17.1
|
%
|
|
|
16.9
|
%
|
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums in the reinsurance segment increased 0.9% from $17.8 million in 2018 to $18.0 million in 2019.
Gross
written premiums in the reinsurance segment increased 1.0% from $17.7 million in 2017 to $17.8 million in 2018.
Net
change in unearned premiums
Net
change in unearned premiums in the reinsurance segment increased from $0.02 million in 2018 to $0.2 million in 2019. The increase
was due to the reinsurance portfolio for 2019 being more heavily weighted to the second half of the year compared to 2018.
Net
change in unearned premiums in the reinsurance segment decreased by 95.4% from $0.6 million in 2017 to $0.02 million in 2018.
The gross written premium in 2017 was relatively similar to that in 2018, resulting in roughly less unearned premium in 2018 compared
to 2017.
Net
premiums earned
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned in the reinsurance segment decreased 0.3% from $17.8 million in 2018 to $17.7 million
in 2019.
As
a result of the foregoing, net premiums earned in the reinsurance segment increased 4.2% from $17.1 million in 2017 to $17.8 million
in 2018.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses in the reinsurance segment increased 27.3% from $11.4 million in 2018 to $14.5 million in
2019. This was primarily due to higher losses incurred in 2019 amounting to $13.0 million as compared to $9.7 million in 2018.
Net
claims and claim adjustment expenses in the reinsurance segment decreased 5.6% from $12.1 million in 2017 to $11.4 million in
2018. Net claims and claim adjustment expenses decreased primarily due to fewer attritional and catastrophe losses in 2018 as
compared to 2017 which suffered significant catastrophe losses.
Claims
and claims expense ratios for the reinsurance segment for the three years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:
|
●
|
IGI’s
net claims and claims expense ratio for the reinsurance segment increased by 17.8% percentage
points to 82.0% for 2019 as compared to 64.2% for 2018. Key drivers of this are the adverse
catastrophe claims related to the 2019 accident year; Hurricane Dorian, Typhoons Faxai
and Hagibis.
|
|
●
|
IGI’s
net claims and claims expense ratio for the reinsurance segment decreased by 7 percentage
points to 64.2% for 2018 as compared to 70.9% for 2017.
|
Policy
acquisition expenses
Policy
acquisition expenses in the reinsurance segment decreased by 1.8% from $3.1 million 2018 to $3.0 million in 2019. The policy acquisition
expense ratio for 2019 was 16.9% compared to 17.1% for 2018.
Policy
acquisition expenses in the reinsurance segment increased by 16.6% from $2.6 million in 2017 to $3.1 million in 2018. The policy
acquisition expense ratio for 2017 was 15.3% compared to 17.1% for 2018.
B. Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our
principal sources of capital are equity and external reinsurance. The principal sources of funds for our operations are insurance
and reinsurance premiums and investment returns. The principal uses of our funds are to pay claims benefits, related expenses,
other operating costs and dividends to shareholders.
We
have not historically incurred debt. As of December 31, 2019, we had $8.0 million of letters of credit outstanding to the order
of reinsurance companies for collateralizing insurance contract liabilities in accordance with reinsurance arrangements, which
reflects a slight increase from $7.3 million as of December 31, 2018. In addition, as of December 31, 2019 we had outstanding
a $0.3 million letter of guarantee for the benefit of Friends Provident Life Assurance Limited for collateralizing IGI’s
rent payment obligation for one of its offices.
We
have historically paid regular dividends to our shareholders. In both March 2017 and August 2017, we declared a dividend of $0.04
per share, and in August 2018 IGI declared a dividend of $0.03 per share. In March 2019 and August 2019, we declared a dividend
of $0.04 and $0.04 per share, respectively. Our overall capital requirements are based on regulatory capital adequacy and solvency
margins and ratios imposed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation
Authority of the Bank of England (PRA) in the United Kingdom. In addition, we set our own internal capital policies. Our overall
capital requirements can be impacted by a variety of factors including economic conditions, business mix, the composition of our
investment portfolio, year-to-year movements in net reserves, our reinsurance program and regulatory requirements.
Capital
position
We
are a holding company with no direct source of operating income. We are therefore dependent on our capital raising abilities and
dividend payments from our subsidiaries. The ability of our subsidiaries to distribute cash to us to pay dividends is limited
by regulatory capital requirements.
Our
operations generate cash flow as a result of the receipt of premiums in advance of the time when claim payments are required.
Net cash from operating activities, together with other available sources of liquidity, historically has enabled us to meet our
long-term liquidity requirements. We expect that net cash from operating activities will enable us to meet our long-term liquidity
requirements for at least the next 12 months.
We
target a solvency ratio of more than 120% of the group capital requirement to ensure capital strength, enable opportunistic growth
and support a stable dividend policy.
Cash
flows
There
are three main sources of cash flows for IGI: operating activities, investing activities and financing activities. The movement
in net cash provided by or used in operating, investing and financing activities and the effect of foreign currency rate changes
on cash and cash equivalents is provided in the following table:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Net cash flows (used in) from Operating activities after tax
|
|
$
|
13.0
|
|
|
$
|
104.1
|
|
|
$
|
21.4
|
|
Net cash flows used in investing activities
|
|
|
(1.6
|
)
|
|
|
(1.2
|
)
|
|
|
(1.0
|
)
|
Net cash flows used in financing activities
|
|
|
(11.5
|
)
|
|
|
(19.1
|
)
|
|
|
(16.5
|
)
|
Change in cash and cash equivalent
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
83.8
|
|
|
|
3.9
|
|
Effect of foreign currency rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
1.9
|
|
|
|
(3.2
|
)
|
|
|
3.8
|
|
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
1.8
|
|
|
$
|
80.6
|
|
|
$
|
7.7
|
|
Net
cash from operating activities
Net
cash flows from operating activities decreased by $82.7 million from net cash inflow of $104.1 million in the twelve months ended
December 31, 2018 compared to net cash inflow of $21.4 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2019. Net cash inflow for
the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of $107.4 million generated from operations, significantly reduced by the $86 million
deployment in investments, net of sale proceeds including term deposits. In the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 net cash
inflow consisted of $46.1 million generated from operations accompanied by further net cash inflow of $58 million from the net
sale proceeds of investments including term deposits.
Net
cash flows from operating activities increased 700% from $13.0 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 to $104.1
million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. This was primarily due to the higher cash inflow from operations mainly
arising from growth in premium income which net claims pay out had a minimal increase compared to the previous year. In addition,
cash inflows of $58 million were generated in 2018 from the disposal and maturity of investments including term deposits net of
investment purchases.
Net
cash used in investing activities
Net
cash flow used in investing activities decreased from $1.2 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 to $1.0 million
in the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Net
cash flow used in investing activities was $1.6 million in twelve months ended December 31, 2017, declining by $0.4 million to
$1.2 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018.
Net
cash used in financing activities
Net
cash flows used in financing activities declined by 13.6 % from $19.1 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 to
$16.5 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2019. Cash outflow from financing activities in the twelve months ended
December 31, 2019 reflected the purchase of $5 million treasury shares during the year, compared to the purchase of $15 million
of treasury shares in December 31, 2018. In addition, the total dividends paid in 2019 were $10.8 million compared to $4 million
in 2018.
Net
cash flows used in financing activities increased by 66.0% from $11.5 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 to
$19.1 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. Cash outflow from financing activities in 2018 represented the purchase
of 7 million treasury shares and the payment of the 2018 interim dividend during 2018 whereas cash outflow from financing activities
in 2017 reflected the payment of the final 2016 dividend and the 2017 interim dividend during 2017.
Ratings
In
September 2019, we were upgraded by A.M. Best Company (“A.M. Best”) from “A-” (Excellent) to “A”
(Excellent)/Stable. The upgrade reflects A.M. Best’s view of our financial strength, underwriting performance and ability
to meet obligations to policyholders.
In
2015, S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) upgraded our financial strength rating to “A-”/Stable. S&P
reaffirmed this rating in August 2019.
Capital
Requirements
We
are subject to regulatory and internal management capital requirements.
Bermuda Monetary Authority requirements
IGI
Bermuda is regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and as such is subject to the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s capital
requirements. For purposes of IGI Bermuda’s capital requirements, the Bermuda Monetary Authority considers the combination
of risk bearing entities that consolidate into IGI Bermuda in addition to treating other companies in the IGI group as “investments
in affiliates” and so assesses the capital and solvency of the group as a whole. IGI Bermuda holds sufficient capital adequacy
and solvency margins as mandated by the statutory capital requirements of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
IGI
Bermuda holds a class 3B insurance and reinsurance license which is given to large commercial insurers with net written premiums
written exceeding $50 million. IGI Bermuda generated net written premiums of $60.7 million, $203.4 million and $252.1 million
in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The
Bermuda Insurance Act provides that the statutory assets of a general business insurer must exceed its statutory liabilities by
an amount greater than the prescribed minimum margin of solvency (the “MSM”) which varies with the type of registration
of the insurer under the Insurance Act.
For
Class 3B licensed entities the MSM is the greater of:
|
●
|
for
insurers with net premium income (the “NPI”) of up to $6 million, 20% of
NPI, and for insurers with NPI of greater than $6 million, the aggregate of $1.2 million
plus 15% of the amount by which NPI exceeds $6 million;
|
|
●
|
15%
of the aggregate of net claims and claim expense provisions and other general business
insurance reserves; or
|
|
●
|
25%
of the ECR (as defined below) as reported at the end of the relevant year.
|
As
such, the MSM required of IGI was $26.9 million, $25.7 million and $31.9 million in each of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The Bermuda Monetary Authority also requires Class 3B insurers
to maintain an additional amount of capital equal to, or exceeding, the enhanced capital requirement (“ECR”). The ECR
is equal to the higher of each insurer’s MSM or the Bermuda Solvency Capital Requirement (the “BSCR”). The BSCR
is calculated based on models provided by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The ECR required of IGI Bermuda was $107.7 million, $102.7
million and $136.8 million in each of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The Bermuda Monetary Authority also established a target capital
level (“TCL”) above the ECR which insurers are expected to hold at least in total equivalent to 120% of the ECR (“the
Target Capital”). The TCL required of IGI Bermuda was $129.3 million, $123.3 million and $164.2 million in each of 2017,
2018 and 2019, respectively.
IGI Bermuda’s audited statutory financial statements submitted
to the Bermuda Monetary Authority reflect the foregoing capital adequacy and solvency margin requirements, as well as IGI’s
actual statutory capital surplus, which exceeded the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s requirements by 251%, 287% and 244% in
2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019*
|
|
Bermuda Monetary Authority regulatory requirements
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Minimum Margin of Solvency (MSM)
|
|
$
|
26.9
|
|
|
$
|
25.7
|
|
|
$
|
31.9
|
|
Enhanced Capital Requirement (ECR)
|
|
|
107.7
|
|
|
|
102.7
|
|
|
|
136.8
|
|
Target Capital Level (TCL)
|
|
|
129.3
|
|
|
|
123.3
|
|
|
|
164.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IGI Bermuda’s statutory capital and surplus
|
|
$
|
270.8
|
|
|
$
|
295.0
|
|
|
$
|
336
|
|
Bermuda Solvency Capital Requirement Ratio
|
|
|
251
|
%
|
|
|
287
|
%
|
|
|
244
|
%
|
|
*
|
2019
BSCR ratio is based on unaudited statutory financial statements of IGI Bermuda applying regulatory guidelines effective for the
year end 2019.
|
PRA
requirements
IGI
UK is subject to regulation by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) and the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority
(the “PRA”). The Solvency Capital Requirement (“SCR”) for IGI UK is governed by the Solvency II regime
which sets rules governing the level and quality of capital held by an insurer and the capital requirements applicable to that
firm.
The
Solvency II measure of available capital (“Own Funds”) uses IFRS shareholders’ funds as a starting point and
applies a number of specific adjustments prescribed under Solvency II. The primary adjustments reflect the fact that Solvency
II is based on the principle of an economic balance sheet – outstanding reserves and associated reinsurance recoverables
being considered on a discounted best-estimate basis. A full reconciliation between the Solvency II and IFRS bases is provided
in the annual Solvency & Financial Condition Report published on IGI’s website (www.iginsure.com).
The
Solvency II measure of required capital, the SCR, is calibrated using the Value at Risk (VaR) of the basic own funds of an insurance
or reinsurance undertaking subject to a confidence level of 99.5% over a one-year year period, with a minimum of €3.7 million.
IGI UK has chosen the Solvency II Standard Formula (the “Standard Formula”) method to calculate its SCR.
IGI
has assessed the appropriateness of the Standard Formula on both a qualitative and quantitative basis and considers it to provide
an appropriate fit to the Company’s business and risk profile.
Specifically,
the assessment confirms that the Standard Formula:
|
●
|
captures
the full scope of risks to which the Company is exposed and for which the holding of
capital is an appropriate response;
|
|
●
|
is
sufficiently sensitive to future changes in the risk profile on both the asset and liabilities
side of the balance sheet including the influence of outward reinsurance arrangements;
|
|
●
|
has
been applied in full with no application of undertaking specific parameters, simplifications
or transitional measures; and
|
|
●
|
is
applied with no consideration for the risk absorbing effect of technical provisions and
deferred taxes resulting in an SCR requirement that is more prudent.
|
The
Standard Formula SCR and associated Solvency II Own Funds are recalculated at least quarterly and at other times in response to
an actual or projected material change in the risk profile and the results reported in full to the Audit, Risk and Compliance
Committee of the UK Board in addition to being communicated to the IGI Bermuda and IGI Holdings Boards.
The
adequacy of the Company’s Own Funds to meet the SCR is monitored on an ongoing basis and particularly in the event of an
anticipated or actual material impairment in the level of Own Funds.
IGI
UK’s audited statutory financial statements submitted to the PRA reflect the foregoing capital adequacy and solvency margin
requirements, as well as IGI UK’s actual statutory capital surplus, which exceeded the PRA’s requirements by 38% and
22% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. IGI UK’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 also reflect the
foregoing capital adequacy and solvency margin requirements, as well as IGI UK’s actual statutory capital surplus, which
exceeded the PRA’s requirements by 64%.
C. Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.
We had no significant research and development policies or activities for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018
and 2019. Other than several registered trademarks related to our corporate branding, software for our underwriting system that
we license from third parties and licenses required to be obtained from appropriate insurance regulatory authorities that are
discussed elsewhere in the annual report, we do not have any patents, trademarks or licenses that are material for conducting
our business.
D. Trend Information
Other
than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events
for the current fiscal year that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity
or capital reserves, or that caused the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results
or financial conditions.
E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
An
off-balance sheet arrangement is any transaction, agreement or other contractual arrangement involving an unconsolidated entity
under which a company has (1) made guarantees, (2) a retained or contingent interest in transferred assets, (3) an obligation
under derivative instruments classified as equity or (4) any obligation arising out of a material variable interest in an unconsolidated
entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support to us, or that engages in leasing, hedging or research
and development arrangements with us. We have no arrangements of these types that management believes may have a material current
or future effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations
Contractual
Obligations
As
December 31, 2019, maturities of our operating lease liabilities were as follows:
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Within one year
|
|
$
|
0.6
|
|
After one year but not more than three years
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
After three years but not more than five years
|
|
|
0.4
|
|
More than five years
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
Total operating lease payments
|
|
|
1.7
|
|
Less: imputed interest
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1.6
|
|
Future
minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases under previous lease standard (IAS 17) as of December 31 were
as follows:
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Within one year
|
|
$
|
0.5
|
|
|
$
|
0.6
|
|
After one year but not more than three years
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
After three years but not more than five years
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
More than five years
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1.6
|
|
|
$
|
2.0
|
|
We
have contractual obligations to pay claims under insurance and reinsurance contracts for specified loss events under those contracts.
Such loss payments represent our most significant future payment obligations. Unlike other contractual obligations, payments are
not determinable from the terms specified within the contract. For example, a payment will only be made if an insured loss under
the contract occurs, and if a payment is to be made, the amount and timing of such payment cannot be determined from the contract.
|
|
Less than
one year
|
|
|
More than one year
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
172.3
|
|
|
$
|
240.8
|
|
|
$
|
413.1
|
|
Other liabilities(1)
|
|
|
13.8
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
14.9
|
|
Insurance payables(2)
|
|
|
53.5
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
53.5
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
$
|
239.6
|
|
|
$
|
241.9
|
|
|
$
|
481.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
166.1
|
|
|
$
|
218.3
|
|
|
$
|
384.4
|
|
Other liabilities(1)
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
Insurance payables(2)
|
|
|
33.0
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
33.0
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
$
|
207.4
|
|
|
$
|
218.3
|
|
|
$
|
425.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
179.0
|
|
|
$
|
204.3
|
|
|
$
|
383.2
|
|
Other liabilities(1)
|
|
|
7.1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
7.1
|
|
Insurance payables(2)
|
|
|
34.0
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
34.0
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
$
|
220.0
|
|
|
$
|
204.3
|
|
|
$
|
424.3
|
|
|
(1)
|
Other
liabilities includes (1) accrued expenses of $7.2 million as of December 31, 2019, 5.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and $4.4
million as of December 31, 2017, (2) accounts payable of $1.7 million as of December 31, 2019, $2.4 million as of December 31,
2018, and $2.7 million as of December 31, 2017, (3) a listing related cost payable of $3.7 million as of December 31, 2019, (4)
lease liability of $1.6 million as of December 31, 2019 and (5) corporate tax payable of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2019.
|
|
(2)
|
Insurance
payables includes (1) amounts due to reinsurers in respect of ceded premiums of $50.9 million as of December 31, 2019, $32.8 million
as of December 31, 2018 and $34.0 million as of December 31, 2017 and (2) payables due to insurance companies and intermediaries
of $2.6 million as of December 31, 2019, $0.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and $0.7 million as of December 31, 2017.
|
Investments
Our
primary investment objectives are to maintain liquidity, preserve capital and generate a stable level of investment income. We
purchase securities that we believe are attractive on a relative value basis and seek to generate returns in excess of predetermined
benchmarks. Our investment strategy has historically been established by our investment team and has historically been approved
by our board of directors. The strategy is comprised of high-level objectives and prescribed investment guidelines which govern
asset allocation. In accordance with our investment guidelines, we maintain certain minimum thresholds of cash, short-term investments,
and highly-rated fixed maturity securities relative to our consolidated net reserves and estimates of probable maximum loss exposures
at the 1 in 100 year threshold to provide necessary liquidity in a wide range of reasonable scenarios. As such, we structure our
managed cash and investment portfolio to support policyholder reserves and contingent risk exposures with a liquid portfolio of
high quality fixed-income investments with a comparable duration profile.
We
manage most of our investment portfolio in-house, with the exception of approximately $33 million which is managed by a third
party investment advisor. Our investment team is responsible for implementing the investment strategy as set by the investment
committee of the board of directors and routinely monitors the portfolio to ensure that these parameters are met.
The
fair value of our investments, cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 was
as follows:
|
|
Fair Value
|
|
Asset Description
|
|
December 31,
2018
|
|
|
December 31,
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Fixed income securities
|
|
$
|
165.6
|
|
|
$
|
211.5
|
|
Fixed and call deposits
|
|
|
150.6
|
|
|
|
250.8
|
|
Cash at banks and held with investment managers
|
|
|
109.4
|
|
|
|
61.4
|
|
Equities
|
|
|
26.9
|
|
|
|
34.0
|
|
Real estate
|
|
|
44.1
|
|
|
|
38.8
|
|
Alternative funds
|
|
|
8.4
|
|
|
|
8.2
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
505.1
|
|
|
$
|
604.7
|
|
The
following table shows the distribution of bonds and debt securities with fixed interest rates according to the international rating
agencies’ classifications as of December 31, 2019:
Rating Grade
|
|
Bonds
|
|
|
Unquoted
Bonds
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
AAA
|
|
$
|
45.0
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
45.0
|
|
AA+
|
|
|
4.6
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
4.6
|
|
AA
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
AA-
|
|
|
11.8
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
11.8
|
|
A+
|
|
|
19.9
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
19.9
|
|
A
|
|
|
34.4
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
34.4
|
|
A-
|
|
|
41.4
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
41.4
|
|
BBB+
|
|
|
16.0
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
16.0
|
|
BBB
|
|
|
15.9
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
15.9
|
|
BBB-
|
|
|
7.3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
7.3
|
|
BB+
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
BB
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
BB-
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
Not Rated
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
4.5
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
208.5
|
|
|
$
|
3.7
|
|
|
$
|
211.5
|
|
The
following table summarizes our investment results as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019:
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
($) in millions, unless otherwise specified
|
|
Average investments, at cost(1)
|
|
$
|
396.9
|
|
|
$
|
407.8
|
|
|
$
|
418.3
|
|
Net investment income(2)
|
|
|
13.6
|
|
|
|
9.4
|
|
|
|
13.0
|
|
Percent earned on average investments(1)
|
|
|
3.4
|
%
|
|
|
2.3
|
%
|
|
|
3.1
|
%
|
Net realized (gains)/losses on investments(3)
|
|
|
(3.1
|
)
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
|
|
(1.0
|
)
|
Change in unrealized investment (gains)/losses(4)
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
(1.6
|
)
|
Fair value (gains)/loss on investment property
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
Total investment income,
net(5)
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Investment yield(6)
|
|
|
2.6
|
%
|
|
|
2.2
|
%
|
|
|
2.6
|
%
|
|
(1)
|
Includes
investments, investment properties, investments in associates, cash and cash equivalents (representing deposits of original maturities
of three months or less) and deposits with original maturities of more than three months.
|
|
(2)
|
Net
investment income is comprised of income from interest, dividends, gains and losses from investments and investment properties,
change in the unrealized investment gains/losses, fair value gains/losses on investment property, share of profit from associate
companies in the business of commercial leasing, impairments and expected credit losses on investments and investment custodian
fees and other investment expenses.
|
|
(3)
|
Net
realized gains and losses on investments is comprised of net gains and losses on the sale of available for sale investments, realized
gains and losses on sale of bonds at fair value through other comprehensive income, fair value changes of held for trading investments.
|
|
(4)
|
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investments includes unrealized losses on revaluation of financial assets at fair value through a profit and
loss account and the fair value changes of held for trading investments.
|
|
(5)
|
Total
investment income, net is Net investment income plus Share of profit or loss from associates, minus net realized gains/(losses)
on investments, minus unrealized gains/(losses) on investments.
|
|
(6)
|
Total
investment income, net divided by average investments.
|
For
comparison, the following are the coupon returns for the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and the dividend returns for the S&P
500® Index:
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
|
|
|
3.0
|
%
|
|
|
3.0
|
%
|
|
|
3.2
|
%
|
S&P 500® Index (dividend return)
|
|
|
2.4
|
%
|
|
|
2.4
|
%
|
|
|
2.6
|
%
|
The
cost or amortized cost and carrying value of our fixed-maturity investments as of December 31, 2019 is presented below by contractual
maturity. Actual maturities could differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay certain
obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
|
|
As of December 31, 2019
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
Carrying Value
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2020
|
|
$
|
59.0
|
|
|
$
|
59.2
|
|
2021
|
|
|
98.4
|
|
|
|
98.9
|
|
2022
|
|
|
33.3
|
|
|
|
33.8
|
|
2023
|
|
|
11.3
|
|
|
|
11.4
|
|
2024
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
4.1
|
|
2025
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
2029*
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
3.3
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
210.3
|
|
|
$
|
211.6
|
|
|
*
|
There
are no investments with contractual maturities of 2026, 2027 or 2028.
|
Reinsurance
We
follow customary industry practice of reinsuring a portion of our exposures in exchange for paying reinsurers a part of the premiums
received on the policies we write. Our reinsurance program enhances the quality of our core operations by reducing exposure to
potential catastrophe and other high severity losses, limiting volatility in underwriting performance, and providing us with greater
visibility into our future earnings. Although reinsurance does not legally discharge an insurer from its primary liability for
the full amount of the policies, it does make the assuming reinsurer liable to the insurer to the extent of the reinsurance coverage.
We monitor the financial condition of our reinsurers and place our coverages only with financially sound carriers. Reinsurance
coverage and retentions vary depending on the line of business, location of the risk and nature of loss. Our reinsurance purchases
include the following:
|
●
|
Property
reinsurance treaties — We purchase property reinsurance to reduce our exposure
to large individual property losses and catastrophe events. Following is a summary of
significant property reinsurance treaties in effect as of January 1, 2020: Our property
per risk reinsurance generally covers losses between an average entry point in excess
of $8.1 million up to $35.0 million PML. PML error is purchased beyond this limit for
a further $45.0 million. Our catastrophe reinsurance purchase is $80.0 million with a
reinstatable limit above an entry point of $6.9 million.
|
|
●
|
Casualty
reinsurance treaties — We purchase casualty reinsurance to reduce our exposure
to large losses. A significant treaty in effect as of January 1, 2020 provides protection
for losses of $7.5 million in excess of $2.5 million, of which we place 85%, with the
remaining 15% of co-insurance.
|
|
●
|
Facultative
reinsurance — We also purchase facultative reinsurance on certain individual policies
or risks below the treaty to reduce net liabilities.
|
|
●
|
Other
reinsurance — Depending on the operating unit, we purchase specific additional
reinsurance to supplement the above programs.
|
Our
reinsurance strategy is generally driven by our objective to maximize risk adjusted returns and informed by our capital position
and cost of reinsurance coverage. We buy property reinsurance to reduce exposure to large individual property losses and catastrophe
events. We buy casualty reinsurance to reduce exposure to large liability losses. We purchase facultative and other reinsurance
to balance our book of business and optimize our returns. We monitor the reinsurance market closely and at times will cede a greater
proportion of our premiums if the availability and cost of reinsurance improves the overall risk and profitability profile of
our business. Conversely, when the reinsurance markets are less attractive, we will seek to retain a greater portion of the premiums
we write. Our reinsurance purchasing strategy impacts our financial results as our net premiums may increase or decrease depending
on our reinsurance program.
We
buy most of our casualty reinsurance on a “risk attaching” basis. Under risk attaching treaties, all claims from policies
incepting during the year of the reinsurance contract are covered even if they occur after the expiration date of the reinsurance
contract. If we are unable to renew or replace our existing reinsurance coverage, protection for unexpired policies would remain
in place until their expiration. In such case, we could revise our underwriting strategy for new business to reflect the absence
of reinsurance protection. Property catastrophe reinsurance is generally placed on a “loss occurring basis,” whereby
only claims occurring during the year are covered. If we are unable to renew or replace these reinsurance coverages, unexpired
policies would not be protected, and therefore we would seek to purchase run off coverage.
Reinsurance
Recoverables
At
December 31, 2019, approximately 94% of IGI’s reinsurance recoverables on unpaid losses (not including ceded unearned premiums)
of $176.2 million were due from carriers which had an A.M. Best rating of “A-” or better. The largest reinsurance
recoverables from any one carrier was approximately 7.3% of total shareholders’ equity available to IGI at December 31,
2019.
The
following table shows our top 5 reinsurers as of December 31, 2019, their credit rating as of December 31, 2019, and the reinsurance
recoverable from such reinsurers as of both December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (dollars in millions):
Reinsurer
|
|
|
|
|
Reinsurance Recoverable at December 31,
2018
|
|
|
Reinsurance Recoverable at December 31,
2019
|
|
Hannover Ruckversicherungs – AG
|
|
|
A+
|
|
|
$
|
22.7
|
|
|
$
|
22.9
|
|
Argo Re – Bermuda
|
|
|
A
|
|
|
|
16.0
|
|
|
|
15.7
|
|
General Ins Co of India – India
|
|
|
A-
|
|
|
|
14.7
|
|
|
|
15.1
|
|
AIG Europe Ltd – UK
|
|
|
A
|
|
|
|
13.1
|
|
|
|
13.0
|
|
Ironshore Europe Ltd – Ireland
|
|
|
A
|
|
|
|
7.8
|
|
|
|
7.0
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
74.3
|
|
|
$
|
73.7
|
|
Reserves
To
recognize liabilities for unpaid losses,2 both known or unknown, insurers establish reserves, which is a balance sheet
account entry representing estimates of future amounts needed to pay claims and related expenses with respect to insured events
which have occurred. Estimates and assumptions relating to reserves for net claims and claim adjustment expenses are based on
complex and subjective judgments, often including the interplay of specific uncertainties with related accounting and actuarial
measurements. Such estimates are susceptible to change. For example:
|
●
|
At
the time of loss information available regarding the circumstances and the extent of
a loss may not be fully known.
|
|
●
|
It
may not be clear whether the circumstances of a loss are covered.
|
|
●
|
If
a legal decision is required to resolve coverage this may take many years.
|
|
●
|
The
actions the insured takes to remediate the loss may affect the eventual loss amount (favorably
or unfavorably).
|
|
●
|
The
availability of replacement parts, skilled labor, access to the loss site and the speed
at which repairs can be undertaken many not be known for some time and may be subject
to change.
|
|
●
|
It
may be many years before the occurrence of a loss becomes known.
|
|
●
|
Where
claims take a long time to settle new information, changes in circumstances, legal decisions,
rates of exchange and economic conditions (particularly claims inflation) may affect
the value and validity of claims made.
|
When
a claim is reported, a member of the claims team will establish a “case reserve”. The case reserve will represent
an estimate of the expected settlement amount and will be based on information about the specific claim at that time. The estimate
represents an informed judgment based on general industry reserving practices, the experience and knowledge of the claims handler
and practices of the claims team. If insufficient information is available, the claims handler may be unable to establish an estimate
and will seek further information that will allow an informed estimate to be established. Claims reserves are also established
to provide for:
|
●
|
losses
incurred but not reported to the insurer (“pure IBNR”);
|
|
●
|
potential
changes in the adequacy of case reserves (“Incurred But Not Enough Reported”
or “IBNER”); and
|
|
2
|
For this purpose, the term “loss” refers to
a claim and the direct costs associated with claims settlement. Except where specific reference to the costs associated with claims
settlement is made, the term “claim” and “loss” are used interchangeably.
|
|
●
|
the
estimated expenses of settling claims, both:
|
|
●
|
Allocated
Loss Adjustment Expenses: claims specific costs (such as legal, loss adjuster fees);
and
|
|
●
|
Unallocated
Loss Adjustment Expenses: other general expenses (such as the costs of maintaining the
claims handling function)
|
The
timing of our results depends in large part on the extent to which the development and settlement of claims and reinsurance recoveries
are consistent with the assumptions used to establish reserves. If expectations for and/or the actual cost of settlement increase
or the timing of reporting and/or settlement changes, then we face the risk that the reserves in our financial statements may
be inadequate and need to be increased. In this event an increase in reserves would cause a reduction in our profitability and
could result in operating losses and a reduction of capital.
The
Reserving Committee
The
reserving committee is responsible to the board of directors for the governance of the reserving process and for the recommendation
of the quantum of claims reserves to be booked. The committee includes members of senior management who represent the underwriting,
claims, outward reinsurance and finance departments. The committee meets quarterly and agrees the carried reserve for each product
line. Key inputs to the committee include but are not limited to the quarterly actuarial reserve review, presented by the Group
Chief Actuary, and discussions with the heads of claims, reinsurance and underwriting. The committee also considers findings of
external actuarial reviews.
External
(independent) Actuarial Review
Independent
reviews of IGI’s reserves have been undertaken by a third party actuarial consultancy since 2009. At present these reviews
are undertaken every six months.
We undertake statutory
submissions to the Bermuda Monetary Authority. An actuarial opinion is required to support the annual return. This opinion and
the actuarial review of reserves supporting this opinion is undertaken by an independent, ‘big four’ actuarial consultant.
While our management considers the results of such review and opinion, the reserves recorded by the Company represent management’s
best estimate.
Actuarial
Review
In
preparation for the recommendations to the reserving committee, our actuarial team undertakes a review of the reserves each quarter
using a range of widely accepted actuarial methodologies and additional approaches as appropriate. The reserving process utilizes
proprietary and commercially available actuarial models. Our experience is augmented by comparison to industry loss development
patterns and other information.
Reserves
are not an exact calculation of liability, but rather are estimates of the expected cost of settling claims. This process relies
on the assumption that past experience, adjusted for the effects of current developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate
basis for projecting future claims development. The estimates are based on actuarial and statistical projections of facts and
circumstances known at the time of the review, estimates of trends in claim frequency, severity and other variable factors, including
new bases of liability and general economic conditions. These variables can be affected by many factors, including internal and
external events, such as changes in claims handling procedures, economic inflation, foreign currency movements, legal trends,
legislative decisions and changes and the recognition of new sources of claims.
Potentially,
claims may emerge, particularly claims arising from changes in the legal and regulatory environment, the type or magnitude of
which we are unable to predict.
Reserves
for inward reinsurance may be subject to greater uncertainty than for insurance primarily because, as a reinsurer, we rely on
(i) the original underwriting decisions made by ceding companies and (ii) information and data provided by the ceding companies.
As a result, we are subject to the risk that our ceding companies may not have adequately evaluated the risks reinsured by us
and the premiums ceded may not adequately compensate us for the risks we assume. In addition, reinsurance reserves may be less
reliable than insurance reserves because of the greater scope of losses underlying reinsurance claims, limitations on information
provided and the generally longer lapse of time from the occurrence of the event to the reporting of the loss to the reinsurer
and its settlement.
The
estimation of adequate reserves is more difficult and thus more uncertain for claims arising from “long-tail” policies,
under which claims may not be paid until substantially beyond the end of the policy term. The estimation of such liabilities is
subject to many complex variables, including the current legal environment, specific settlements that may be used as precedents
to settle future claims, assumptions regarding trends with respect to claim frequency and severity, issues of coverage and the
ability to locate defendants. Additional uncertainty also arises from the relative lack of development history which also limits
the scope of experience on which estimates are based. This is partially mitigated by the use and monitoring against market benchmarks.
While
every effort is made to ensure we are reserved appropriately, changes in trends and other factors underlying our reserve estimates
could result in our reserves being inadequate. Because setting reserves is inherently uncertain, we cannot provide assurance that
our current reserves will prove adequate considering subsequent events. If our loss reserves are determined to be inadequate,
we will be required to increase our reserves at the time with a corresponding reduction in our net income for that year. Such
adjustments could have a material adverse effect on our results and our financial condition.
Actuarial
Methodologies
The
main methodologies used to project claims to ultimate include resolution but are not limited to:
Chain
Ladder Method: Using a development triangle3 of cumulative claims amounts, a set of incremental development factors
are calculated. The development factor is equal to the ratio of the cumulative claims at each development period to that at the
previous development period. These development factors are then applied to the most recent data point in the triangle to project
the current claims to ultimate resolution.
In
selecting appropriate development factors, a number of important considerations are made which require actuarial judgement. These
include, but are not limited to, the following general principles:
|
●
|
Periods
of larger claims volume and more mature development provide more credibility and should
be given a larger weighting.
|
|
●
|
Typical
claims development would generally expect to show a smooth and monotonically decreasing
incremental pattern from period to period.
|
|
●
|
Trends
of the individual factors within each development, origin period and calendar year within
the triangle are evaluated.
|
|
●
|
The
relevance of historical experience from older accident years used in projecting the future
development of more recent accident years must be considered given changes in the mix
of business, claims settlement processes, reinsurance protections and claims inflation
within a class of business over time.
|
|
●
|
Whether
claims development is expected to continue beyond the period over which we have historic
data available must be considered.
|
Where
the credibility of the experience is considered insufficient to enable the selection of development factors thought to be representative
of future claims development, a relevant market benchmark pattern may be considered, where available. Such patterns could be drawn
from published industry information (e.g. LMA Lloyd’s triangles, ABI or broker industry sector studies) and/or the actuary’s
own wider market experience. They would then be adjusted as far as is practicably possible and proportionate to the materiality
of the business to capture known and expected differences in the development characteristics between the benchmark and class of
business modelled.
Initial
Expected Loss Ratio (“IELR”) Method: This method estimates ultimate claims for each line of business and origin
period to be equal to an IELR multiplied by the expected ultimate premium. The unpaid (IBNR) claims is the difference between
these estimates and the current paid (or case reported) claims.
|
3
|
Development triangle means values (in this case, cumulative
paid or case reported claims) organized by year of origin (typically the applicable accident year) and development period (typically
the number of quarters since the commencement of the original period).
|
The
IELRs are derived for each line of business as part of the business planning process. Where relevant and credible data is available,
a “bridging” process is used to inform the selection of the IELRs and itself divides each IELR into the following
components:
|
●
|
Small
Losses (individual losses below a specified threshold);
|
|
●
|
Large
Risk Losses (risk losses greater than a specified threshold);
|
|
●
|
Modelled
Catastrophe Losses (losses arising from perils in countries modelled by our natural catastrophe
modelling software, currently RMS); and
|
The
modelling process first considers the IELRs gross of outward reinsurance and then derives the anticipated outward reinsurance
recoveries resulting from the gross assumptions. The reinsurance program is modelled within a capital modelling package (currently
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain’s Tyche).
The
aim of the bridging process is to restate trended and developed experience for each past year as if it was the experience in the
underwriting year. Then the accident year loss ratios are derived by unwinding the underwriting year results by half a year. This
restatement involves:
|
●
|
For
premiums: Estimating the premium that would be charged for the same group of risks (to
the extent that sufficient information and time allows this will consider real rate changes,
changes in the mix of business, line sizes, attachment points and limits).
|
|
●
|
For
claims: Modifying past claims amounts for claims inflation, changes in coverage, line
size and limits (to the extent that sufficient information and time allows this will
consider claims inflation, changes in the mix of business, line sizes, attachment points
and limits).
|
With
the exception of Modelled Losses, an IELR is selected using a credibility-weighted average of the as-if’d, trended and developed
loss ratios. The IELR for Modelled Losses are taken as being equal to a judgmental average of the loss ratio derived from the
Average Annual Loss (“AAL”), from IGI’s Natural Catastrophe model, and the as-if’d, trended and developed
loss ratios for Modelled business experienced historically.
Bornhuetter-Ferguson
(“BF”) method: This method is a blend of the Chain Ladder and IELR methods. Estimates can be made based on both
paid claims and case reported claims.
|
●
|
For
paid claims: The BF paid estimate is equal to the paid claims plus the IELR Method ultimate
claims multiplied by the expected percentage estimated to be unpaid (derived from the
paid claims Chain Ladder Method).
|
|
●
|
For
case reported claims: The BF case reported estimate is equal to the case reported claims
plus the IELR Method ultimate claims multiplied by the expected percentage estimated
to be unreported (derived from the case reported claims Chain Ladder Method).
|
Other
Methodologies: Additional exposure-based methodologies may be used where enough information is available and the materiality
of the business, claims or the potential exposures involved are not adequately captured in a development triangle. Examples include:
|
●
|
large
exposures to known natural catastrophes (such as hurricanes, earthquakes and flood);
|
|
●
|
large
exposures to specific risk losses; and
|
|
●
|
long-tailed
low frequency, high severity classes.
|
Reserve
for Unallocated Loss Adjustment Expenses (“ULAE”)
ULAE
amounts are expenses arising from administering claims that are not directly attributable to individual claims. These include
claims department salaries, an apportionment of the utilities, computer depreciation, office buildings depreciation, IT software
expenses and investment expenses (Solvency II only) and the outward reinsurance department salaries. IGI expresses ULAE as a percentage
of the gross unpaid reserves (case estimates and IBNR). IGI estimates ULAE reserves using methods that include but are not limited
to:
|
●
|
Claims
staffing Method: This methodology assumes that the ULAE expenditures track in proportion
with the number of claims processed, by way of:
|
|
●
|
New
claims reported during each calendar year.
|
|
●
|
Claims
remaining open at the end of each calendar year.
|
|
●
|
Claims
closed during each calendar year.
|
|
●
|
Paid-to-Paid
ratio: This method assumes that the historic ratio of ULAE to claims paid is consistent
and that future ULAE is proportional to the unpaid claims.
|
|
●
|
The
Kittle Ratio: This method is similar to the Paid-to-Paid method, but assumes that
future ULAE is proportional to the value of claims reported and claims settled.
|
Ceded
Reinsurance and Net IBNR
The
outward reinsurance department determines outward reinsurance recoveries arising on case reported claims each month end by the
application of the outwards program.
Reserves
for outward reinsurance recoveries on estimated IBNR claims are determined by the application of reinsurance recovery (“RI”)
ratios to the estimated gross IBNRs. This process is undertaken by line of business and by year. The derivation of the RI ratio
considers each type of reinsurance (Facultative, Proportional Treaty and Excess of Loss Treaty) separately. Broadly speaking,
estimates of the RI ratio develops over time, commencing at the business plan assumption (for each reinsurance type) and ending-up
as the ratios experienced. Between these times, an approximate subdivision of IBNR is made between pure IBNR and IBNER. The RI
ratio applicable to pure IBNR being the business plan assumption and to the IBNER being a judgmental selection based on the ratio
currently experienced.
Reserving
Results & Development
As
paid and incurred claims experience develop, our reserves are adjusted depending on how the actual development compares to that
expected. This forms part of the regular reserving process, with the adequacy of reserves reviewed on a quarterly basis. If the
claims experience is positive relative to expectations, the excess reserve is released in the year under review. Conversely, reserve
deficiencies result in a negative charge to the current year profits.
The
following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning of year and end of year reserves for the financial years 2017 to 2019
and demonstrates the reserve surplus and deficiencies recognized over this year.
IGI Booked Reserves
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
Net outstanding claims at beginning of year
|
|
$
|
192.1
|
|
|
$
|
196.6
|
|
|
$
|
196.8
|
|
Net provision for claims and claims expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claims occurring during the current year
|
|
|
110.3
|
|
|
|
94.3
|
|
|
|
124.4
|
|
Provided during the year related to prior accident years
|
|
|
(23.4
|
)
|
|
|
(9.0
|
)
|
|
|
(6.3
|
)
|
Total
|
|
$
|
279.0
|
|
|
$
|
281.2
|
|
|
$
|
314.9
|
|
Net payments for claims:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current year
|
|
|
19.3
|
|
|
|
19.6
|
|
|
|
15.5
|
|
Prior years
|
|
|
63.1
|
|
|
|
65.5
|
|
|
|
62.6
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
82.4
|
|
|
$
|
85.1
|
|
|
$
|
78.1
|
|
Gross Case Reserves, IBNR and ULAE
|
|
|
383.2
|
|
|
|
384.4
|
|
|
|
413.0
|
|
Ceded Case Reserves, IBNR & ULAE
|
|
|
(186.6
|
)
|
|
|
(187.6
|
)
|
|
|
(176.2
|
)
|
Provided during the year related to prior Net outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
196.6
|
|
|
$
|
196.8
|
|
|
$
|
236.8
|
|
The
following table sets out our claims reserving provisions including ULAE as of December 31, 2018 and as of December 31, 2019:
Change
in Case Reserves, IBNR and ULAE
($) in millions
|
|
As of December 31,
2018
|
|
|
As of December 31,
2019
|
|
|
Difference
|
|
Gross Reported Case reserve
|
|
$
|
285.8
|
|
|
$
|
292.7
|
|
|
$
|
6.9
|
|
Reinsurance Reported Case Reserve
|
|
|
170.1
|
|
|
|
163.2
|
|
|
|
(6.9
|
)
|
Net Reported Case Reserve
|
|
|
115.7
|
|
|
|
129.5
|
|
|
|
13.8
|
|
Net IBNR Reserves & ULAE
|
|
|
81.2
|
|
|
|
107.3
|
|
|
|
26.1
|
|
Net outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
196.8
|
|
|
$
|
236.8
|
|
|
$
|
40.0
|
|
During
the year ended December 31, 2017, net ultimate losses for the accident year 2016 and prior years decreased by $23.4 million. This
decrease reflected an increase of incurred claims of $19.1 million and a reduction in IBNR of $42.5 million. With the exception
of the inward reinsurance, political violence and general aviation lines of business, this positive result was due to favorable
experience across each of IGI’s lines of business. The decrease in ultimate claims was mainly driven by IGI’s energy
lines of business which experienced improvements across major claims and relatively low claims frequency. Estimates of ultimate
claims for the inward reinsurance line of business increased by $3.9 million, driven mainly by a high frequency of small claims.
Ultimate claims in the political violence line of business increased by $0.6 million mainly related to the 2016 accident year,
driven by two large claims. Because of the increased frequency of losses and problems associated with accessing the sites affected
to estimate loss severity, IGI refocused its underwriting on territories which could generate a more stable level of risk-adjusted
profitability. Estimates of ultimate claims for the general aviation line of business increased by $0.9 million mainly due to
the higher frequency of claims.
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, net ultimate losses for accident year 2017 and prior years decreased by $9.0 million. This decrease
reflected an increase of incurred claims of $33.4 million and a reduction in IBNR of $42.4 million. With the exception of the
property, casualty and inward reinsurance lines of business, this positive result was due to favorable experience across each
of IGI’s lines of business. Estimates of ultimate claims for the property line of business increased by $0.7 million mainly
due to a $4 million increase related to the 2017 catastrophes (Hurricane Maria and two Mexican earthquakes). Estimates of ultimate
claims for IGI’s casualty line of business increased by $1.1 million, mainly related to one claim from the 2014 accident
year and a combination of one large claim and other smaller claims from the 2017 accident year. Ultimate claims in the inward
reinsurance line of business increased by $1.8 million, mainly related to the 2017 accident year where a number of relatively
large claims were reported later than expected.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, net ultimate losses for accident year 2018 and prior years decreased by $6.3 million. This decrease
reflected an increase of incurred claims of $37.1 million and a reduction in IBNR of $43.4 million. The decrease was driven by
favorable movement mainly in the energy, marine ports & terminals and financial institutions lines of businesses. During this
period, IGI experienced an increase in case estimates (i.e. adverse movement) in the property, casualty and political violence
lines of business. Ultimate claims for property increased by $4.1 million, mainly driven by two late reported bordereaux claims,
increase in the net amount incurred for Hurricane Michael in the amount of $0.8 million and one large claim from the 2018 accident
year. Estimates for ultimate claims increased for IGI’s casualty line of business in the amount of $1.5 million, mainly
driven by the deterioration across three large claims in the 2018 accident year. Ultimate claims for political violence increased
by $1.7 million mainly related to one large claim from the 2018 accident year.
Reserve
releases/strengthening
Best
Estimate: IGI’s actuarial recommended reserve is a “best estimate” of the outstanding (unpaid) claims liabilities
(the Actuarial Best Estimate). This is intended to represent the mathematical expected value of the distribution of reasonably
foreseeable outcomes of the unpaid liabilities. The best estimate does not knowingly contain any prudence or bias in either direction.
While the estimates are likely to change as future experience emerges, any changes would only arise as a result of experience
being better or worse than current expectations, or from changes in our view of the market. These changes will not be as a result
of gradual release of implicit or explicit margins as our results contain no margins.
Booked
Reserves: The reserving committee is responsible to the board of directors for the governance of the reserving process and
for the recommendation of the quantum of claims reserves to be booked. Key inputs to the committee include but are not limited
to the quarterly Actuarial Reserve Review, presented by the Group Chief Actuary, discussions with the heads of claims, reinsurance
and underwriting and findings of external actuarial reviews. The book reserves may differ from the actuarial best estimate.
Time
value of money: As of the date of this annual report, the reserves (determined under IFRS 4) make no explicit allowance for
the time value of money (i.e. reserves are not discounted)
Reserve
Strengthening/Reserving Release: Reserve strengthening is the term used when the reserves established previously are no longer
considered sufficient and are increased. The reserve strengthening will give rise to a charge against profits during that reporting
year, reducing the profit for that year, possibly giving rise to an overall loss. Reserve release has the opposite effect.
The
table below indicates that during each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, IGI has recorded reserving releases
(item (C).
Increases
in Reserves/Decreases in Reserves: The size of reserves is determined by many factors. Key drivers that cause increases in
the volume of reserves held include:
|
●
|
An
increase in the volume of business written;
|
|
●
|
A
change in the mix of business written toward business that takes a longer period to settle;
|
|
●
|
Incidence
of large risk or natural catastrophes; and
|
As
of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, IGI had $72.0 million, $81.2 million and $107.3 million of incurred but not reported (IBNR)
loss reserves including ULAE, respectively, net of reinsurance.
Change in IGI Booked Net IBNR & ULAE
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
2019
|
|
Carrying Balance of IBNR Reserves in Balance Sheet Beginning Balance (A)
|
|
$
|
70.6
|
|
|
$
|
72.0
|
|
|
$
|
81.2
|
|
Subsequent Movement in Following Financial year:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IBNR Reserves Moved to Incurred Reserves (B)
|
|
|
(19.1
|
)
|
|
|
(33.4
|
)
|
|
|
(37.1
|
)
|
IBNR Reserves Strengthening/Release pertaining to
prior years (C)
|
|
|
(23.4
|
)
|
|
|
(9.0
|
)
|
|
|
(6.3
|
)
|
IBNR Reserves Added For New Accident Year (D)
|
|
|
43.9
|
|
|
|
51.6
|
|
|
|
69.5
|
|
Net Charge to P/L (B+C+D)= (F)
|
|
$
|
1.4
|
|
|
$
|
9.2
|
|
|
$
|
26.1
|
|
Carrying Balance of IBNR Reserves in Balance Sheet Ending Balance (A+F)
|
|
$
|
72.0
|
|
|
$
|
81.2
|
|
|
$
|
107.3
|
|
Ultimate
Claims Development
The
table below shows the development of IGI’s net ultimate losses and loss adjustment expenses by accident year.
($) in millions
|
|
Initial
|
|
|
1+
|
|
|
2+
|
|
|
3+
|
|
|
4+
|
|
|
5+
|
|
|
6+
|
|
|
7+
|
|
|
8+
|
|
|
9+
|
|
|
10+
|
|
|
Net Premiums Earned
|
|
2009
|
|
$
|
63.3
|
|
|
$
|
52.1
|
|
|
$
|
46.9
|
|
|
$
|
48.9
|
|
|
$
|
48.7
|
|
|
$
|
48.3
|
|
|
$
|
48.3
|
|
|
$
|
48.2
|
|
|
$
|
48.7
|
|
|
$
|
49.4
|
|
|
$
|
49.4
|
|
|
$
|
97.3
|
|
2010
|
|
|
71.4
|
|
|
|
63.5
|
|
|
|
62.0
|
|
|
|
58.9
|
|
|
|
58.2
|
|
|
|
60.1
|
|
|
|
58.6
|
|
|
|
58.7
|
|
|
|
58.5
|
|
|
|
58.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
97.7
|
|
2011
|
|
|
76.2
|
|
|
|
60.6
|
|
|
|
59.6
|
|
|
|
60.7
|
|
|
|
62.3
|
|
|
|
59.8
|
|
|
|
60.3
|
|
|
|
58.1
|
|
|
|
57.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
119.3
|
|
2012
|
|
|
100.1
|
|
|
|
88.1
|
|
|
|
78.1
|
|
|
|
81.5
|
|
|
|
77.3
|
|
|
|
77.8
|
|
|
|
76.8
|
|
|
|
71.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
148.4
|
|
2013
|
|
|
123.6
|
|
|
|
121.7
|
|
|
|
120.6
|
|
|
|
117.1
|
|
|
|
109.5
|
|
|
|
107.7
|
|
|
|
107.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
180.6
|
|
2014
|
|
|
115.9
|
|
|
|
90.1
|
|
|
|
79.2
|
|
|
|
73.3
|
|
|
|
70.1
|
|
|
|
66.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
189.5
|
|
2015
|
|
|
92.9
|
|
|
|
87.0
|
|
|
|
79.8
|
|
|
|
75.3
|
|
|
|
73.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
155.8
|
|
2016
|
|
|
98.8
|
|
|
|
94.1
|
|
|
|
90.1
|
|
|
|
85.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
157.9
|
|
2017
|
|
|
110.3
|
|
|
|
117.2
|
|
|
|
116.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
146.7
|
|
2018
|
|
|
94.3
|
|
|
|
105.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
183.3
|
|
2019
|
|
|
124.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
215.5
|
|
For
additional information about our reserves and reserves development, see Note 7 to IGI’s consolidated financial statements
included elsewhere in this annual report.
Effects
of Inflation
Inflation
may have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations by its effect on interest rates and on the cost of settling
claims. The potential exists after a catastrophe or other large property loss, such as the hurricanes in 2017, for the development
of inflationary pressures in a local economy as the demand for services, such as construction, typically surges. The cost of settling
claims may also be increased by global commodity price inflation. We take both these factors into account when setting reserves
for any events where we think they may be material.
Our
calculation of reserves for net claims and claim adjustment expenses in respect of casualty business includes assumptions about
future payments for settlement of claims and claims-handling expenses, such as medical treatments and litigation costs. To the
extent inflation causes these costs to increase above reserves established for these claims, we will be required to increase our
loss reserves with a corresponding reduction in earnings. The actual effects of inflation on our results cannot be accurately
known until claims are ultimately settled.
In addition to general
price inflation, we are exposed to a persisting long-term upwards trend in the cost of judicial awards for damages. We take this
into account in our pricing and reserving of casualty business. We also take into account the projected impact of inflation on
the likely actions of central banks in the setting of short-term interest rates and consequent effects on the yields and prices
of fixed interest securities. If inflation, interest rates and bond yields increase, this would result in a decrease in the market
value of certain of our fixed interest investments. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating
to Our Business and Operations—Our results of operations, liabilities and investment portfolio may be materially affected
by conditions impacting the level of interest rates in the global capital markets and major economies, such as central bank policies
on interest rates and the rate of inflation.”
Critical
Accounting Policies
Our
consolidated financial statements contain certain amounts that are inherently subjective in nature and require management to make
assumptions and best estimates to determine the reported values. We believe that the following critical accounting policies affect
the more significant estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. A statement of all the significant
accounting policies we use to prepare our financial statements is included in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
If factors such as those described under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” cause actual events
to differ from the assumptions used in applying the accounting policies and calculating financial results, there could be a material
adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition and liquidity.
Investments
in associates
Our
investment in our associates is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. An associate is an entity in which we have
significant influence, and which is neither a subsidiary nor a joint venture.
The
considerations made in determining significant influence or joint control are similar to those necessary to determine control
over subsidiaries. Our investment in our associates is accounted for using the equity method.
Under
the equity method, the investment in the associate is carried in the consolidated statement of financial position at cost plus
post-acquisition changes in our share of net assets of the associate. Goodwill relating to an associate is included in the carrying
amount of the investment and is neither amortized nor individually tested for impairment.
The
consolidated statement of income reflects the share of the results of operations of the associate. Where there has been a change
recognized directly in the equity of the associate, we recognize our share of any changes and disclose this, when applicable,
in the consolidated statement of changes in equity. Profits or losses resulting from transactions between us and the associate
are eliminated to the extent of the interest in the associate.
The
share of profit of the associate is shown on the face of the consolidated statement of income. This is profit attributable to
equity holders of the associate and, therefore, is profit after tax and non-controlling interests in the subsidiaries of the associates.
The
financial statements of the associate are prepared for the same reporting period as us. Where necessary, adjustments are made
to bring its accounting policies in line with ours.
After
application of the equity method, we determine whether it is necessary to recognize an additional impairment loss on our investments
in associates. We determine at each reporting date, whether there is any objective evidence that the investment in the associate
is impaired. If this is the case, we calculate the amount of impairment as the difference between the recoverable amount of the
associate and its carrying value and recognizes the amount in the ‘share of profit of an associate’ in the consolidated
statement of income.
Upon
loss of significant influence over the associate, we measure and recognize any remaining investment at its fair value. Any difference
between the carrying amount of the associate upon loss of significant influence and the fair value of the remaining investment
and proceeds from disposal is recognized in the statement of income.
Investment
properties
Investment
properties are measured initially at cost, including transaction costs. The carrying amount includes the cost of replacing part
of an existing investment property at the time that cost is incurred if the recognition criteria are met; and excludes the costs
of day to day servicing of an investment property. Subsequent to initial recognition, investment properties are stated at fair
value, which reflects market conditions at the reporting date. Gains or losses arising from changes in the fair values of investment
properties are included in the consolidated statement of income in the period in which they arise. The fair value of the investment
properties is determined by management and in doing so management considers the valuation performed by third parties who are specialists
in valuing these types of investment properties.
Investment
properties are derecognized when either they have been disposed of or when the investment property is permanently withdrawn from
use and no future economic benefit is expected from its disposal.
The
difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset is recognized in the statement of income in
the period of derecognition. The amount of consideration to be included in the gain or loss arising from the derecognition of
investment property is determined in accordance with the requirements for determining the transaction price in IFRS 15.
Transfers
are made to or from investment property only when there is a change in use. For a transfer from investment property to owner occupied
property, the deemed cost for subsequent accounting is the fair value at the date of change in use. If owner occupied property
becomes an investment property, we account for such property in accordance with the policy stated under property, plant and equipment
up to the date of change in use.
Financial
assets
(a)
Initial recognition and measurement
Financial
assets are classified, at initial recognition, as subsequently measured at amortized cost, fair value through other comprehensive
income (OCI), and fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL).
The
classification of financial assets at initial recognition depends on the financial asset’s contractual cash flow characteristics
and our business model for managing them.
Financial
instruments are initially recognized on the trade date measured at their fair value. Except for financial assets and financial
liabilities recorded at FVTPL, transaction costs are added to this amount.
IGI
classifies all of its financial assets based on the business model for managing the assets and the asset’s contractual terms.
The categories include (1) amortized cost, (2) FVOCI and (3) FVTPL.
(i)
Bonds and debt instruments measured at amortized cost
Bonds
and debt instruments are held at amortized cost if both of the following conditions are met: (1) the instruments are held within
a business model with the objective of holding the instrument to collect the contractual cash flows, and (2) the contractual terms
of the debt instrument give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest (SPPI) on
the principal amount outstanding. The details of these conditions are outlined below.
Business
model assessment
We
determine our business model at the level that best reflects how we manage groups of financial assets to achieve our business
objective.
We
hold financial assets to generate returns and provide a capital base to provide for settlement of claims as they arise. We consider
the timing, amount and volatility of cash flow requirements to support insurance liability portfolios in determining the business
model for the assets as well as the potential to maximize return for shareholders and future business development.
Our
business model is not assessed on an instrument-by-instrument basis, but at a higher level of aggregated portfolios that is based
on observable factors such as (1) how the performance of the business model and the financial assets held within that business
model are evaluated and reported to our key management personnel, (2) the risks that affect the performance of the business model
(and the financial assets held within that business model) and, in particular, the way those risks are managed, (3) how managers
of the business are compensated (for example, whether the compensation is based on the fair value of the assets managed or on
the contractual cash flows collected), and (4) the expected frequency, value and timing of asset sales are also important aspects
of our assessment.
The
business model assessment is based on reasonably expected scenarios without taking ‘worst case’ or ‘stress case’
scenarios into account. If cash flows after initial recognition are realized in a way that is different from our original expectations,
we do not change the classification of the remaining financial assets held in that business model but incorporate such information
when assessing newly originated or newly purchased financial assets going forward.
The
SPPI test
As
a second step of its classification process we assess the contractual terms to identify whether they meet the SPPI test.
‘Principal’
for the purpose of this test is defined as the fair value of the financial asset at initial recognition and may change over the
life of the financial asset (for example, if there are repayments of principal or amortization of the premium/discount).
The
most significant elements of interest within a debt arrangement are typically the consideration for the time value of money and
credit risk. To make the SPPI assessment, we apply judgement and consider relevant factors such as the currency in which the financial
asset is denominated, and the period for which the interest rate is set.
(ii)
Bonds and debt instruments measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI)
We
apply the new category under IFRS 9 for debt instruments measured at FVOCI when both of the following conditions are met: (1)
the instrument is held within a business model, the objective of which is both collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial
assets, and (2) the contractual terms of the financial asset meet the SPPI test.
These
instruments largely comprise debt instruments that had previously been classified as available-for-sale under IAS 39. Bonds and
debt instruments in this category are those that are intended to be held to collect contractual cash flows and which may be sold
in response to needs for liquidity or in response to changes in market conditions.
(iii)
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss FVTPL (Quoted funds, alternative investments and quoted equities)
Financial
assets in this category are those assets which have been either designated by management upon initial recognition or are mandatorily
required to be measured at fair value under IFRS 9. Management designates an instrument as FVTPL that otherwise meet the requirements
to be measured at amortized cost or at FVOCI only if it eliminates, or significantly reduces, an accounting mismatch that would
otherwise arise. Financial assets with contractual cash flows not representing solely payment of principal and interest are mandatorily
required to be measured at FVTPL.
Financial
assets at FVTPL are subsequently measured at fair value. Changes in fair value are recognized in the consolidated statement of
income. Interest income is recognized using the effective interest method.
Dividend
income from equity investments measured at FVTPL is recognized in the consolidated statement of income when the right to the payment
has been established.
(iv)
Financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (quoted and unquoted equities)
Financial
assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income include equities investments. Equity investments classified as
financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income are those which are not classified as financial assets
measured at fair value through profit or loss.
(v)
Reclassification of financial assets and liabilities
We
do not reclassify our financial assets subsequent to their initial recognition, apart from the exceptional circumstances in which
we terminate a business line or change our business model for managing financial assets. A change in our business model will occur
only when Group management determines a change as a result of external or internal changes which are significant to our operations.
Reclassifications shall all be recorded prospectively from the reclassification date.
(b)
Subsequent measurement
For
purposes of subsequent measurement, financial assets in the scope of IFRS 9 are classified in four categories: (1) financial assets
at amortized cost (bonds, debt instruments), (2) financial assets at fair value through OCI with recycling of cumulative gains
and losses (bonds and debt instruments), (3) financial assets designated at fair value through OCI with no recycling of cumulative
gains and losses upon derecognition (equity instruments) and (4) financial assets at fair value through profit or loss.
(i)
Financial assets at amortized cost (bonds, debt instruments)
We
measure financial assets at amortized cost if both of the following conditions are met: (1) the financial asset is held within
a business model with the objective to hold financial assets in order to collect contractual cash flows, and (2) the contractual
terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on
the principal amount outstanding.
Financial
assets at amortized cost are subsequently measured using the effective interest (EIR) method and are subject to impairment. Gains
and losses are recognized in the statement of income when the asset is derecognized, modified or impaired.
Our
debt instruments at amortized cost includes investments in unquoted debt instruments.
(ii)
Financial assets at fair value through OCI (debt instruments)
We
measure debt instruments at fair value through OCI if both of the following conditions are met: (1) the financial asset is held
within a business model with the objective of both holding to collect contractual cash flows and selling, and (2) the contractual
terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on
the principal amount outstanding.
For
debt instruments at fair value through OCI, interest income, foreign exchange revaluation and impairment losses or reversals are
recognized in the statement of income and computed in the same manner as for financial assets measured at amortized cost. The
remaining fair value changes are recognized in OCI. Upon derecognition, the cumulative fair value change recognized in OCI is
recycled to the statement of income.
Our
debt instruments at fair value through OCI includes investments in quoted debt instruments.
(iii)
Financial assets designated at fair value through OCI (equity instruments)
Upon
initial recognition, we can elect to classify irrevocably our equity investments as equity instruments designated at fair value
through OCI when they meet the definition of equity under IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and are not held for trading.
The classification is determined on an instrument-by-instrument basis.
Gains
and losses on these financial assets are never recycled to the statement of income. Dividends are recognized as investment income
in the statement of income when the right of payment has been established, except when our benefits from such proceeds as a recovery
of part of the cost of the financial asset, in which case, such gains are recorded in OCI. Equity instruments designated at fair
value through OCI are not subject to impairment assessment.
We
elected to classify irrevocably our unquoted equity investments and some quoted equity investments under this category.
(iv)
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss
Financial
assets at fair value through profit or loss include financial assets held for trading, financial assets designated upon initial
recognition at fair value through profit or loss, or financial assets mandatorily required to be measured at fair value. Financial
assets are classified as held for trading if they are acquired for the purpose of selling or repurchasing in the near term. Derivatives,
including separated embedded derivatives, are also classified as held for trading unless they are designated as effective hedging
instruments. Financial assets with cash flows that are not solely payments of principal and interest are classified and measured
at fair value through profit or loss, irrespective of the business model. Notwithstanding the criteria for debt instruments to
be classified at amortized cost or at fair value through OCI, as described above, debt instruments may be designated at fair value
through profit or loss on initial recognition if doing so eliminates, or significantly reduces, an accounting mismatch.
Financial
assets at fair value through profit or loss are carried in the statement of financial position at fair value with net changes
in fair value recognized in the statement of income.
This
category includes quoted funds, alternative investments and quoted equity investments which we had not irrevocably elected to
classify at fair value through OCI.
Dividends
on quoted equity investments are also recognized as investment income in the statement of income when the right of payment has
been established.
(c)
Derecognition
A
financial asset (or, where applicable, a part of a financial asset or part of a group of similar financial assets) is primarily
derecognized (i.e., removed from our consolidated statement of financial position) when (1) the rights to receive cash flows from
the asset have expired, or (2) we have transferred our rights to receive cash flows from the asset or have assumed an obligation
to pay the received cash flows in full without material delay to a third party under a ‘pass-through’ arrangement;
and either (a) we have transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset, or (b) we have neither transferred nor
retained substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset, but have transferred control of the asset.
(d)
Impairment of financial assets in scope of IFRS 9
We
recognize an allowance for expected credit losses (ECLs) for debt instruments not held at fair value through profit or loss. ECLs
are based on the difference between the contractual cash flows due in accordance with the contract and all the cash flows that
we expect to receive, discounted at an approximation of the original effective interest rate. The expected cash flows will include
cash flows from the sale of collateral held or other credit enhancements that are integral to the contractual terms, if any.
ECLs
are recognized in two stages. For credit exposures for which there has not been a significant increase in credit risk since initial
recognition, ECLs are provided for credit losses that result from default events that are possible within the next 12-months (a
12-month ECL). For those credit exposures for which there has been a significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition,
a loss allowance is required for credit losses expected over the remaining life of the exposure, irrespective of the timing of
the default (a lifetime ECL).
For
debt instruments at fair value through OCI, we apply the low credit risk simplification. At every reporting date, we evaluate
whether the debt instrument is considered to have low credit risk using all reasonable and supportable information that is available
without undue cost or effort. In making that evaluation, we reassess the credit rating of the debt instrument. In addition, we
consider that there has been a significant increase in credit risk when contractual payments are more than 30 days past due.
We
recognize an allowance for expected credit losses (ECLs) for debt instruments not held at fair value through profit or loss. ECLs
are based on the difference between the contractual cash flows due in accordance with the contract and all the cash flows that
we expect to receive, discounted at an approximation of the original effective interest rate. The expected cash flows will include
cash flows from the sale of collateral held or other credit enhancements that are integral to the contractual terms, if any.
ECLs
are recognized in two stages. For credit exposures for which there has not been a significant increase in credit risk since initial
recognition, ECLs are provided for credit losses that result from default events that are possible within the next 12-months (a
12-month ECL). For those credit exposures for which there has been a significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition,
a loss allowance is required for credit losses expected over the remaining life of the exposure, irrespective of the timing of
the default (a lifetime ECL).
For
debt instruments at fair value through OCI, we apply the low credit risk simplification. At every reporting date, we evaluate
whether the debt instrument is considered to have low credit risk using all reasonable and supportable information that is available
without undue cost or effort. In making that evaluation, we reassess the credit rating of the debt instrument. In addition, we
consider that there has been a significant increase in credit risk when contractual payments are more than 30 days past due.
Our
debt instruments at fair value through OCI comprise solely of quoted bonds that are graded in the top investment category by accredited
rating agencies and, therefore, are considered to be low credit risk investments. It is our policy to measure ECLs on such instruments
on a 12-month basis. However, when there has been a significant increase in credit risk since origination, the allowance will
be based on the lifetime ECL. We use the ratings from accredited rating agencies to monitor the changes in the credit ratings,
determine whether the debt instrument has significantly increased in credit risk and to estimate ECLs.
The
ECLs for debt instruments measured at FVOCI do not reduce the carrying amount of these financial assets in the statement of financial
position, which remains at fair value. Instead, an amount equal to the allowance that would arise if the assets were measured
at amortized cost is recognized in OCI with a corresponding charge to the statement of income. The accumulated gain recognized
in OCI is recycled to the statement of income upon derecognition of the assets.
We
consider a financial asset in default when contractual payments are 30 days past due. However, in certain cases, we may also consider
a financial asset to be in default when internal or external information indicates that we are unlikely to receive the outstanding
contractual amounts in full before taking into account any credit enhancements held by us.
A
financial asset is written off when there is no reasonable expectation of recovering the contractual cash flows.
Financial
assets are written off either partially or in their entirety only when we have stopped pursuing the recovery. If the amount to
be written off is greater than the accumulated loss allowance, the difference is first treated as an addition to the allowance
that is then applied against the gross carrying amount. Any subsequent recoveries are credited to credit loss expense. There were
no write-offs over the periods reported in these consolidated financial statements.
For
cash flow purposes we classify the cash flow for the acquisition and disposal of financial assets as operating cash flows, as
the purchases of these investments are funded from the net cash flows associated with the origination of insurance and investment
contracts and payment of benefits and claims incurred for such insurance contracts, which are respectively treated under operating
activities.
Insurance
receivables
Insurance
receivables are recognized when due and are measured on initial recognition at the fair value of the consideration received or
receivable. IGI uses a provision matrix to calculate ECLs for insurance receivables. The provision rates are based on days past
due for groupings of various policy holder’s segments that have similar default loss patterns.
Gross
written premiums
Gross
written premiums comprise the total premiums receivable for the whole period of cover provided by contracts entered into during
the accounting period. They are recognized on the date on which the policy commences. Premiums include any adjustments arising
in the accounting period for premiums receivable in respect of business written in prior accounting periods. Rebates that form
part of the premium rate, such as no-claim rebates, are deducted from the gross premium; others are recognized as an expense.
Premiums also include estimates for pipeline premiums, representing amounts due on business written but not yet notified. We generally
estimate the pipeline premiums based on management’s judgment and prior experience.
Unearned
premiums are those proportions of premiums written in a year that relate to periods of risk after the reporting date. Unearned
premiums are calculated on a pro rata basis. The proportion attributable to subsequent periods is deferred as a provision for
unearned premiums.
Reinsurance
premiums
Reinsurance
premiums comprise the total premiums payable for the reinsurance cover provided by retrocession contracts entered into during
the period and are recognized on the date on which the policy incepts.
Premiums
include any adjustments arising in the accounting period in respect of reinsurance contracts incepting in prior accounting periods.
Unearned
reinsurance premiums are those proportions of premiums written in a period that relate to periods of risk after the reporting
date. Unearned reinsurance premiums are deferred over the term of the underlying direct insurance policies for risk-attaching
contracts and over the term of the reinsurance contract for losses occurring contracts.
Reinsurance
We
cede insurance risk in the normal course of business for all of our businesses. Reinsurance assets represent balances due from
reinsurance companies. Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the outstanding claims provision
or settled claims associated with the reinsurer’s policies and are in accordance with the related reinsurance contract.
Reinsurance
assets are reviewed for impairment at each reporting date, or more frequently, when an indication of impairment arises during
the reporting period. Impairment occurs when there is objective evidence as a result of an event that occurred after initial recognition
of the reinsurance asset that we may not receive all outstanding amounts due under the terms of the contract and the event has
a reliably measurable impact on the amounts that we will receive from the reinsurer. The impairment loss is recorded in the consolidated
statement of income.
Gains
or losses on buying reinsurance are recognized in the consolidated statement of income immediately at the date of purchase and
are not amortized.
Ceded
reinsurance arrangements do not relieve us from our obligations to policyholders.
We
also assume reinsurance risk in the normal course of business for non-life insurance contracts where applicable. Premiums and
claims on assumed reinsurance are recognized as revenue or expenses in the same manner as they would be if the reinsurance were
considered direct business, taking into account the product classification of the reinsured business. Reinsurance liabilities
represent balances due to reinsurance companies. Amounts payable are estimated in a manner consistent with the related reinsurance
contract.
Premiums
and claims are presented on a gross basis for both ceded and assumed reinsurance.
Reinsurance
assets or liabilities are derecognized when the contractual rights are extinguished or expire or when the contract is transferred
to another party.
Reinsurance
contracts that do not transfer significant insurance risk are accounted for directly through the statement of financial position.
These are deposit assets or financial liabilities that are recognized based on the consideration paid or received less any explicit
identified premiums or fees to be retained by the reinsured.
Fair
values
Fair
value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market
participants at the measurement date. The fair value measurement is based on the presumption that the transaction to sell the
asset or transfer the liability takes place either (1) in the principal market for the asset or liability, or (2) in the absence
of a principal market, in the most advantageous market for the asset or liability.
The
principal or the most advantageous market must be accessible to us.
The
fair value of an asset or a liability is measured using the assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset
or liability, assuming that market participants act in their economic best interest.
A
fair value measurement of a non-financial asset takes into account a market participant’s ability to generate economic benefits
by using the asset in its highest and best use or by selling it to another market participant that would use the asset in its
highest and best use.
We
use valuation techniques that are appropriate in the circumstances and for which sufficient data are available to measure fair
value, maximizing the use of relevant observable inputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs.
All
assets and liabilities for which fair value is measured or disclosed in the consolidated financial statements are categorized
within the fair value hierarchy, described as follows, based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement
as a whole:
Level
1 — Quoted (unadjusted) market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
Level
2 — Valuation techniques for which the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement is directly
or indirectly observable
Level
3 — Valuation techniques for which the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement is unobservable
For
assets and liabilities that are recognized in the financial statements on a recurring basis, IGI determines whether transfers
have occurred between Levels in the hierarchy by re-assessing categorization (based on the lowest level input that is significant
to the fair value measurement as a whole) at the end of each reporting period.
Our
management determines the policies and procedures for both recurring fair value measurement, such as unquoted available for sale
financial assets.
At
each reporting date, the management analyses the movements in the values of assets and liabilities which are required to be re-measured
or re-assessed as per our accounting policies. For this analysis, the management verifies the major inputs applied in the latest
valuation by agreeing the information in the valuation computation to contracts and other relevant documents.
For
the purpose of fair value disclosures, we have determined classes of assets and liabilities on the basis of the nature, characteristics
and risks of the asset or liability and the level of the fair value hierarchy as explained above.
Significant
accounting judgements, estimates and assumptions
The
preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect
the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities, and the accompanying disclosures, and the disclosure of contingent
liabilities. Uncertainty about these assumptions and estimates could result in outcomes that require a material adjustment to
the carrying amount of assets or liabilities affected in future periods.
Judgements
In
the process of applying our accounting policies, management has made the following judgements, apart from those involving estimations,
which have the most significant effect in the amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements.
Classification
of investments
Financial
assets are classified, at initial recognition, as subsequently measured at amortized cost, fair value through other comprehensive
income (OCI), and fair value through profit or loss.
The
classification of financial assets at initial recognition depends on the financial asset’s contractual cash flow characteristics
and our business model for managing them.
Financial
instruments are initially recognized on the trade date measured at their fair value. Except for financial assets and financial
liabilities recorded at FVTPL, transaction costs are added to this amount.
We
classify all our financial assets based on the business model for managing the assets and the asset’s contractual terms.
The categories include (1) amortized cost, (2) FVOCI and (3) FVTPL.
Estimates
and assumptions
The
key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date, that have a significant
risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial period, are
described below. We based our assumptions and estimates on parameters available when the consolidated financial statements were
prepared. Existing circumstances and assumptions about future developments, however, may change due to market changes or circumstances
arising that are beyond our control. Such changes are reflected in the assumptions when they occur.
Valuation
of insurance contract liabilities
Considerable
judgement by management is required in the estimation of amounts due to contract holders arising from claims made under insurance
contracts. Such estimates are necessarily based on assumptions about several factors involving varying, and possibly significant,
degrees of judgement and uncertainty and actual results may differ from management’s estimates resulting in future changes
in estimated liabilities.
In
particular, estimates have to be made both for the expected ultimate cost of claims reported at the consolidated statement of
financial position date and for the expected ultimate cost of claims incurred but not yet reported (IBNR) at the consolidated
statement of financial position date. The primary technique adopted by management in estimating the cost of notified and IBNR
claims, is that of using past claim settlement trends to predict future claims settlement trends. Claims requiring court or arbitration
decisions are estimated individually. Independent loss adjustors normally estimate property claims. Management reviews its provisions
for claims incurred, and claims incurred but not reported, on a quarterly basis.
Similar
judgements, estimates and assumptions are employed in the assessment of adequacy of provisions for unearned premiums. Judgement
is also required in determining whether the pattern of insurance service provided by a contract requires amortization of unearned
premiums on a basis other than time apportionment.
Total
carrying amount of insurance contract liabilities as at period ended December 31, 2019 was $413,052,855 (2018: $384,379,841).
As at December 31, 2019, gross incurred but not reported claims (IBNR) amounted to $120,330,776 (2018: $98,609,584) out of the
total insurance contract liabilities.
Expected
credit loss for insurance receivables
We
use a provision matrix to calculate ECLs for insurance receivables. The provision rates are based on days past due for groupings
of various policy holder’s segments that have similar loss patterns.
The
provision matrix is initially based on our historical observed default rates. We will calibrate the matrix to adjust the historical
credit loss experience with forward-looking information. For instance, if forecast economic conditions (i.e., gross domestic product)
are expected to deteriorate over the next period which can lead to an increased number of defaults in the sector, the historical
default rates are adjusted. At every reporting date, the historical observed default rates are updated and changes in the forward-looking
estimates are analyzed.
The
amount of ECLs is sensitive to changes in circumstances and of forecast economic conditions. Our historical credit loss experience
and forecast of economic conditions may also not be representative of policy holder’s actual default in the future.
In
our ECL models, we rely on a range of forward-looking information as economic inputs, such as (1) real GDP growth by region and
(2) projected GDP growth by region.
In
determining impairment of financial assets, judgement is required in the estimation of the amount and timing of future cash flows
as well as an assessment of whether the credit risk on the financial asset has increased significantly since initial recognition
and incorporation of forward-looking information in the measurement of ECL.
We
consider insurance receivables in default when contractual payments are 360 days past due, and in doing so management considers
but does not depend only on the age of the relevant accounts receivable. The adequacy of our past estimates as well as the high
turnover ratio of receivables are also considered as main factors in evaluating the collectability of insurance receivables, especially
in regions where we have experienced historical trends of slow collection such as the Middle East and Africa. Even in such regions,
however, we typically ultimately recovered the due premiums in full.
We
have in place credit appraisal policies for written business. We monitor and follow up on receivables for insurance transactions
on an ongoing basis. Wherever, as a result of this formal chasing process, management determines that the settlement of a receivable
is not probable, a notice of cancellation (NOC) will be issued within 30 – 60 days from the premium past due date. If the
premium due is not paid within the NOC period, the insurance policy will be cancelled ab initio.
We
do not pay claims on policies where the policyholder is past due on premium payments, except for cases where the policyholder’s
broker confirms that the due premium is in the process of being collected.
Ultimate
premiums
In
addition to reported premium income, we also include an estimate for pipeline premiums representing amount due on business written
but not yet reported. This is based on management’s judgement of market conditions and historical data using premium development
patterns evident from active underwriting periods to predict ultimate premiums trends at the close of the fiscal period.
Item
6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees
A. Directors and Senior Management
The
following table sets forth our current directors and executive officers:
Directors and Executive Officers
|
|
Age
|
|
Position/Title
|
Wasef Salim Jabsheh
|
|
77
|
|
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
|
Walid Wasef Jabsheh
|
|
44
|
|
President and Director
|
David Anthony
|
|
65
|
|
Director
|
Michael T. Gray
|
|
60
|
|
Director
|
David King
|
|
74
|
|
Director
|
Wanda Mwaura
|
|
47
|
|
Director
|
Andrew J. Poole
|
|
39
|
|
Director
|
Hatem Wasef Jabsheh
|
|
40
|
|
Chief Operating Officer
|
Pervez Rizvi
|
|
58
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
Andreas Loucaides
|
|
67
|
|
Chief Executive Officer, IGI UK
|
The
business address for each of the Company’s directors and executive officers is 74 Abdel Hamid Sharaf Street, P.O. Box 941428,
Amman 11194, Jordan, except for Andrew J. Poole and Michael T. Gray whose business address is 3601 N Interstate 10 Service Rd
W Metairie, LA.
Biographical
information concerning our directors and executive officers listed above is set forth below.
Wasef
Jabsheh serves as our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, positions he has held since the consummation
of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Wasef Jabsheh founded IGI in 2001 and served as the Chief Executive Officer and
Vice Chairman of IGI since 2011 until the Closing. Wasef Jabsheh has specialized in marine and energy insurance for more than
50 years in various prominent roles with the Kuwait Insurance Co and with ADNIC (the Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company) from
the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. In 1989, Mr. Jabsheh established Middle East Insurance Brokers and two years later founded International
Marine & General Insurance Co. He also served as a member of the board of directors of HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. from
1994 until 1997.
Walid
Jabsheh serves as our President and as a Director, positions he has held since the consummation of the Business Combination
on March 17, 2020. Walid Jabsheh joined IGI at the time of its founding in 2002 and, prior to his current role at the Company,
served as the President of IGI where he played a pivotal role in the growth and development of IGI. Walid Jabsheh began his career
at Manulife Reinsurance in Toronto, Canada and later joined LDG Reinsurance Corporation, a subsidiary of Houston Casualty Co,
in 1998 where he served as Senior Underwriter managing a $30 million book of treaty and facultative business.
David
Anthony has served as a Director since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Mr. Anthony served
as a non-executive director on the board of IGI from July 2018 through March 2020. Since June 2018, Mr. Anthony has been an independent
insurance consultant working through his company, DA Research & Analysis (DARAA) Ltd. From March 1994 to June 2018, Mr. Anthony
was a Director and Senior Analyst with S&P Global Ratings (formerly Standard & Poor’s), where he was an active lead
rating analyst and a Chair of its Insurance Rating Committee. Before joining S&P Global Ratings, Mr. Anthony was Senior Relationship
Manager and Vice President, European Insurance Banking Group, at Citi Bank N.A. London from June 1987 to April 1992, and Senior
Analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, New York from April 1992 to March 1994. Mr. Anthony has more than 30 years of experience
in the insurance and reinsurance industry, which has included senior, insurance-related positions at ratings agencies and with
international banks. Throughout his career he has worked extensively in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States.
Michael
T. Gray has served as a Director since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Mr. Gray has over
30 years of leadership experience in the insurance industry. He served as the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Tiberius from its inception until the closing of the Business Combination. He is the principal executive and President of The
Gray Insurance Company, a middle-market property and casualty insurance company with an A.M. Best credit rating of ‘A-’.
Mr. Gray became President of The Gray Insurance Company in 1996. In addition to his role at The Gray Insurance Company, Mr. Gray
has served as Chairman of the board of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association since 2008 (director since 1995), director
of the American Insurance Association since 2011, director of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America since 2010,
director of the Tulane University Family Business Center Advisory Council since 2008 and, from 1999 to 2003, served on the board
of directors of Argo Group International Holdings (NASDAQ: AGII), a global property and casualty, specialty insurance, and reinsurance
products provider. Mr. Gray was the Chairman of the board of Family Security, a personal lines/homeowners insurance company, in
which The Gray Insurance Company held an ownership interest from 2013 to 2015. This culminated in the sale of the company, which
Mr. Gray led, to United Insurance Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: UIHC). The parent of The Gray Insurance Company, Gray & Company,
has acquired or developed several businesses under Mr. Gray’s guidance, including title insurance, oil production and exploration
facilities, technology development and real estate. Mr. Gray holds a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Tulane
University.
David
King has served as a Director since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Mr. King served as
a non-executive director on the board of IGI Group from November 2012 through 2020. He also serves as non-executive chairman of
International General Insurance Company (UK) Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary, where he is also a member of the audit committee.
He also serves as non-executive chairman of Forex Capital Markets Limited, where he has been a non-executive director since August
2014 and is a member of its audit committee and nomination and remuneration committee. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. King was executive
director of Middle East business development at China Construction Bank International. Prior to that, he was the director of finance
and administration of the London Metal Exchange between 1987 and 1989, chief executive officer of The London Metal Exchange from
1989 to 2001, managing director and acting chief executive of the Dubai Financial Services Authority from 2003 to 2005 and managing
director of global banking in the MENA division of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited from 2005 to 2008. David King is a fellow in
the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University.
Wanda
Mwaura has served as a Director since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Ms. Mwaura has more
than 23 years of financial services, (re)insurance, and accounting and advisory experience. She began her career in the insurance
industry at Ernst & Young Ltd. in 1996, specializing in financial services and reinsurance. Ms. Mwaura was at Ernst &
Young Ltd. from 1996 through 2013, including serving as a partner from 2005 to 2013. She later served as the Head of External
Reporting and Accounting Policy at PartnerRe, a leading global reinsurer, from October 2013 to February 2017, and as External
Reporting Director and Chief Accounting Officer at PartnerRe from February 2017 to July 2019 and, since August 2019, has been
the owner of Consult.bm, a non-executive director and consulting services provider. Ms. Mwaura held various leadership roles at
affiliates of PartnerRe, including a principal representative of Partner Reinsurance Company Ltd. and Partner Reinsurance Life
Company of Bermuda Ltd. (from February 2017 to July 2019), a director and principal executive of PRE Life Bermuda Re Ltd. (from
Jul 2018 to July 2019), a director of PartnerRe Investment Holding Company Ltd. and PartnerRe ILS Fund Ltd. (each from February
2017 to July 2019) and a director of PartnerRe ILS Fund Ltd. (from February 2017 to June 2019). She also served as a principal
representative of Raccoon River Re Ltd. (from January 2019 to July 2019), a director of Aurigen Capital Limited (from August 2017
to April 2018) and Aurigen Services Ltd. (from August 2017 to October 2017), and a director and principal representative of Aurigen
Reinsurance Limited (from August 2017 to December 2018). Ms. Mwaura is a graduate of Dalhousie University and is a certified public
accountant in the U.S. and a Chartered Professional Accountant in Canada.
Andrew
J. Poole has served as a Director since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020. Mr. Poole was
most recently an investment consultant at The Gray Insurance Company and the Chief Investment Officer of Tiberius until the closing
of the Business Combination between Tiberius and IGI. He has over 15 years of diversified investment experience centered on the
generation of risk adjusted returns as a manager of capital at various hedge funds with a focus, in part, on public insurance
companies. Mr. Poole’s most recent role prior to joining Tiberius and The Gray Insurance Company was as a Partner and Portfolio
Manager at Scoria Capital Partners, LP, a long/short equity hedge fund, where he managed a portion of the firm’s capital
including insurance sector investments from 2013 to 2015. Prior to Scoria, Mr. Poole held various positions at Diamondback Capital
Management from 2005 to 2012 (including Portfolio Manager from 2011 onwards) and SAC Capital from 2004 to 2005, both multi-strategy
multi-manager cross capital structure long/short hedge funds. Mr. Poole started his career at Swiss Re (SIX: SREN) working in
facultative property placements in 2003. Mr. Poole holds a B.A. from The George Washington University.
Hatem
Jabsheh has served as our Chief Operating Officer since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020.
Mr. Jabsheh has been IGI’s Group Chief Operating Officer since 2017, and IGI’s Chief Investment Officer since 2010.
Mr. Jabsheh began his career in 2001 with Spear, Leads, and Kellogg, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs. He worked in several pits
at the CBOE (Chicago Board Options Exchange) and CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) as a primary market maker. He then moved to
Amman, Jordan in 2004 to set up Indemaj Financial, an asset management and brokerage company, which he successfully sold in 2009.
In 2006, Mr. Jabsheh set up Indemaj Technology, an open-source web development company, which was also later sold in 2012. His
18-year professional career spans executive roles in the asset management sector and reinsurance, all underscored by an aim to
promote innovation and transformation. He is actively involved in the tech community, promoting disruption within the reinsurance
industry. Mr. Jabsheh currently serves on the boards of the Swiss Jordanian Business Club and the United Cable Industries Company.
Hatem Jabsheh is a graduate of Marquette University with a dual major in International Business and Finance and a minor in History.
Pervez
Rizvi has served as our Chief Financial Officer since the consummation of the Business Combination on March 17, 2020.
Mr. Rizvi has served as the Group Chief Financial Officer of IGI since 2015. He has over 34 years of experience out of which 31
years are in the insurance and banking sectors. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounts and Management followed by a CA
(India) and a CPA (USA). Mr. Rizvi is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr. Rizvi began his insurance
career with the Life Insurance Corporation of India in 1989 and later joined Oman National Insurance Company in Oman. He worked
with HSBC Bank in the UAE and Malaysia and Zurich Financial Services in DIFC, Dubai in a number of senior management roles. His
last assignment prior to joining IGI was with an Islamic insurance company in Abu Dhabi as Chief Financial Officer.
Andreas
Loucaides has served as the Chief Executive Officer of IGI UK since 2015. He began his career in the insurance industry
in 1971, joining syndicate 702 at Lloyd’s which was sold to Markel in 2000. He later founded a startup insurance company,
PRI Group Plc (an FSA licensed A- rated AIM listed company with a market cap of £120 million) in 2002 as Chief Executive
Officer. Following the profitable sale of PRI Group plc to Brit Holdings, Mr. Loucaides joined Catlin UK in 2004 as the Chief
Executive Officer. In 2008, he joined Jubilee Group at Lloyd’s as the CEO, overseeing the sale to Ryan Specialty Group in
2011. In 2012, Mr. Loucaides joined Lloyd’s Syndicate 2526, assisting with its sale to AmTrust and supporting AmTrust in
its purchase of Sagicor at Lloyd’s.
Classification
of Directors
Our
board of directors is comprised of seven directors. Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that our board of directors is divided
into three groups designated as Class I, Class II and Class III with as nearly equal a number of directors in each group as possible.
The Class I Directors are initially elected for a one-year term of office, the Class II Directors are initially elected for a
two year term of office and the Class III Directors are initially elected for a three-year term of office. At each annual general
meeting, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual general meeting shall be elected for a three-year
term. A director will hold office until the annual general meeting for the year in which his or her term expires, subject to his
or her office being vacated in accordance with our Amended and Restated Bye-laws.
Prior
to the consummation of the Business Combination, Wasef Jabsheh, Walid Jabsheh and Michael Gray were elected as Class III Directors
with terms expiring at our 2023 annual general meeting, Wanda Mwaura and Andrew Poole were elected as Class II Directors with
terms expiring at our 2022 annual general meeting, and David Anthony and David King were elected as Class I Directors with terms
expiring at our 2021 annual general meeting.
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that, if an eligible shareholder intends to nominate a person for election as a director,
(a) at an annual general meeting, such notice must be given not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days before the anniversary
of the last annual general meeting or, in the event the annual general meeting is called for a date that is not 30 days before
or after such anniversary, the notice must be given not later than ten days following the earlier of the date on which notice
of the annual general meeting was posted to shareholders or the date on which public disclosure of the date of the annual general
meeting was made and (b) at a special general meeting, such notice must be given not later than 10 days following the earlier
of the date on which notice of the special general meeting was posted to shareholders or the date on which public disclosure of
the date of the special general meeting was made. An eligible shareholder is a shareholder holding in the aggregate at least 5%
of our issued and outstanding share capital who has held such amount for at least three years following the date of adoption of
the Amended and Restated Bye-Laws.
The
directors are elected with a plurality of the votes cast by the shareholders and there is no cumulative voting for elections of
directors, subject to the following:
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●
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for
so long as Wasef Jabsheh, his family and/or their affiliates own at least 10% of our
issued and outstanding common shares and provided that Wasef Jabsheh remains a shareholder,
Wasef Jabsheh is entitled to appoint and classify two directors to the board;
|
|
●
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for
so long as Wasef Jabsheh, his family and/or their affiliates own at least 5% of our issued
and outstanding common shares and provided that Wasef Jabsheh remains a shareholder,
Wasef Jabsheh is entitled to appoint and classify one director to the board; and
|
|
●
|
the
remaining directors are elected by the shareholders.
|
Currently,
Mr. Jabsheh’s appointed directors – Wasef Jabsheh and Walid Jabsheh – are serving as Class III Directors with
their terms expiring at our 2023 annual general meeting.
Family
Relationships
Wasef
Jabsheh, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, is the father of Walid Jabsheh, our President, and Hatem Jabsheh, our Chief
Operating Officer. He is also the father of Hani Jabsheh, who was a non-executive director of IGI until shortly after the consummation
of the Business Combination, and the uncle of Mohammad Abu Ghazaleh, one of our shareholders who was the Chairman of the board
of directors of IGI until shortly after the consummation of the Business Combination.
B. Compensation
The
Company was incorporated on October 28, 2019 and did not pay any compensation to its directors and executive officers during 2019.
The aggregate cash compensation, consisting of salaries, bonuses, incremental accrual value of phantom shares and, in some cases,
insurance payments, paid by IGI to its executive officers collectively during 2019 was approximately $4.6 million. In addition,
the aggregate cash compensation paid by IGI to its non-employee directors during 2019 was approximately $0.785 million. IGI’s
executive director (Wasef Jabsheh) did not receive any additional compensation for serving on the board of directors. IGI’s
directors and executive officers did not receive any equity compensation during 2019 (other than, in some cases, incremental accrual
value of phantom shares).
Executive
Officer Compensation
Subsequent
to the consummation of the Business Combination, our policies with respect to the compensation of our executive officers will
be administered by our board of directors in consultation with our compensation committee. The compensation policies followed
by us are intended to provide for compensation that is sufficient to attract, motivate and retain executives of outstanding potential
and to establish an appropriate relationship between executive compensation and the creation of shareholder value. To meet these
goals, the compensation committee is charged with recommending executive compensation packages to our board of directors.
We
expect that equity-based compensation will be an important foundation of the executive compensation package as we believe it is
important to maintain a strong link between executive incentives and the creation of shareholder value. We believe that equity-based
compensation can be an important component of the total executive compensation package for maximizing shareholder value while,
at the same time, attracting, motivating and retaining high-quality executives.
We
intend to be competitive with other similarly situated companies in the insurance industry. The compensation decisions regarding
our executives are based on our need to attract individuals with the skills necessary for us to achieve our business plan, to
reward those individuals fairly over time, and to retain those individuals who continue to perform at or above our expectations.
As
of the date of this annual report, we have not adopted any formal or informal policies or guidelines for allocating compensation
between long-term and currently paid out compensation, between cash and non-cash compensation, or among different forms of compensation.
In
addition to the guidance provided by our compensation committee, we may utilize the services of third parties from time to time
in connection with the hiring and compensation awarded to executive employees. This could include subscriptions to executive compensation
surveys and other databases.
Director
Compensation
We
have established a compensation program for our directors who are not executive officers of the Company, which consists of an
annual retainer, meeting fees for attending board and committee meetings, and a fee for serving as chairman of a committee. We
will also reimburse our directors for reasonable documented expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties
as directors, including travel expenses in connection with their attendance at board and committee meetings. Our directors who
are also executive officers of the Company will not receive additional compensation for serving as directors.
Executive
Compensation Components
Base
Salary. We seek to maintain base salary amounts at or near the industry norms, while avoiding paying amounts in excess of
what we believe is necessary to motivate executives to meet corporate goals. Base salaries are generally reviewed annually, subject
to the terms of employment agreements, and the compensation committee and board will seek to adjust base salary amounts to realign
such salaries with industry norms after taking into account individual responsibilities, performance and experience.
Annual
Bonuses. We utilize cash incentive bonuses for executives to focus them on achieving key operational and financial objectives
within a yearly time horizon. Near the beginning of each year, our board of directors, upon the recommendation of the compensation
committee and subject to applicable employment agreements, will determine performance parameters for appropriate executives. At
the end of each year, the board and compensation committee will determine the level of achievement for each corporate goal.
Equity
Awards. We have established an equity incentive plan to incentivize our employees, consultants, advisors and other persons
who perform services for us. A description of the 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan and the awards that may be made under this
plan is set forth in the section entitled “—Description of the 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan.” We
intend to make equity awards as a significant portion of executive compensation.
Severance
Benefit. Other than as provided in applicable employment agreements, we currently have no severance benefits plan. We may
consider the adoption of a severance plan for executive officers and other employees in the future.
Employment
Agreements
In
accordance with the Business Combination Agreement, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we entered
into employment agreements with our Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer. In preparing these employment
agreements, the Company utilized certain benchmarking data prepared by a third party. The employment agreements have a fixed term
of three years, with annual renewals thereafter, subject to termination after a specified notice period. Each executive is entitled
to an annual salary, to be reviewed each year, an annual target bonus opportunity (calculated as a percentage of salary), and
an annual long term incentive opportunity (calculated as a percentage of salary), with cash amounts being paid in US dollars.
The annual long term incentive opportunities are 150%, 125% and 100% of the executive’s base salary, respectively. Due to
his expatriate status working in the United Kingdom, the President is entitled to a tax-gross up with respect to his base salary
and bonus, and a housing allowance of up to £120,000 annually. The Chief Executive Officer is entitled to the use of private
aircraft in connection with his travel outside of Jordan. The employment agreements contain severance provisions whereby, if the
executive is terminated other than for cause or resigns for good reason, then the executive will be paid a lump sum payment calculated
based on his salary and bonus. If the executive is terminated for cause, the agreements provide that the executive would receive
no amounts other than amounts accrued at the date of termination and any vested benefits under company benefit plans. The executives’
employment would automatically terminate upon a change of control and, in this event, the executive would receive a severance
benefit equal to three times the officer’s highest salary, bonus and equity award over the prior three years, and in connection
with such a change of control and termination of employment, all unvested equity awards would become fully vested. The agreements
also contain limitations on outside activities, include confidentiality obligations, and include covenants restricting the solicitation
of employees and customers and a non-compete for 12 months following termination of employment. The employment agreements are
governed by English law.
Description
of the 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan
In
connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we adopted the 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “2020
Plan”). The 2020 Plan provides for grants of stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted shares, other share-based
awards and other cash-based awards. Directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its affiliates, as well as others
performing consulting or advisory services for the Company and its affiliates, are eligible for grants under the 2020 Plan. The
purpose of the 2020 Plan is to provide incentives that will attract, retain and motivate high performing officers, directors,
employees and consultants by providing them with appropriate incentives and rewards either through a proprietary interest in our
long-term success or compensation based on their performance in fulfilling their personal responsibilities. Set forth below is
a summary of the material terms of the 2020 Plan.
Administration.
The 2020 Plan is administered by any committee of our board of directors duly authorized by our board of directors to administer
the plan (and, if no committee is so authorized, by our board of directors). For purposes of this discussion, the body that administers
the 2020 Plan is referred to as the “Administrator.” Among the Administrator’s powers is to determine the form,
amount and other terms and conditions of awards; clarify, construe or resolve any ambiguity in any provision of the 2020 Plan
or any award agreement; amend the terms of outstanding awards; and adopt such rules, forms, instruments and guidelines for administering
the 2020 Plan as it deems necessary or proper. The Administrator has authority to administer and interpret the 2020 Plan, to grant
discretionary awards under the 2020 Plan, to determine the persons to whom awards will be granted, to determine the types of awards
to be granted, to determine the terms and conditions of each award, to determine the number of common shares to be covered by
each award, to make all other determinations in connection with the 2020 Plan and the awards thereunder as the Administrator deems
necessary or desirable and to designate authority under the 2020 Plan to our employees, directors, officers and/or professional
advisors. To the extent we seek to obtain the benefit of exemptions available under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, the applicable
compensation may be approved by “non-employee directors”.
Available
Shares. The aggregate number of our common shares that may be issued or used for reference purposes under the 2020 Plan or
with respect to which awards may be granted may not exceed 4,844,730 common shares (10% of the shares issued and outstanding upon
the consummation of the Business Combination). The shares available for issuance under the 2020 Plan may be, in whole or in part,
either our authorized and unissued common shares or common shares held in or acquired for our treasury. The number of shares available
for issuance under the 2020 Plan may be subject to adjustment in the event of a reorganization, share split, merger, amalgamation
or similar change in the corporate structure. In the event of any of these occurrences, we may make any adjustments it considers
appropriate to, among other things, the number and kind of shares, options or other securities available for issuance under the
plan or covered by grants previously made under the 2020 Plan. In general, if awards under the 2020 Plan are for any reason cancelled,
or expire or terminate unexercised, the shares covered by such awards may again be available for the grant of awards under the
2020 Plan. In addition, no non-employee director may receive awards under the 2020 Plan in any fiscal year for service as a director
having an aggregate maximum value exceeding $500,000.
Eligibility
for Participation. Directors, officers, and employees of, and consultants to, the Company or any of its affiliates,
are eligible to receive awards under the 2020 Plan.
Award
Agreements. Awards granted under the 2020 Plan will be evidenced by award agreements, which need not be identical, that
provide additional terms, conditions, restrictions and/or limitations covering the grant of the award, including, without limitation,
additional terms providing for the acceleration of exercisability or vesting of awards in the event of a change of control or
conditions regarding the participant’s employment, as determined by the Administrator.
Stock
Options. The Administrator may grant nonqualified stock options to eligible individuals and incentive stock options only to
eligible employees. The Administrator will determine the number of our common shares subject to each option, the term of each
option, which may not exceed 10 years, or five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a 10 percent shareholder,
the exercise price, the vesting schedule, if any, and the other material terms of each option. No incentive stock option or nonqualified
stock option may have an exercise price less than the fair market value of a common share of the Company at the time of grant
or, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a 10 percent shareholder, 110% of such share’s fair market value.
Options will be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Administrator
at grant, and the exercisability of such options may be accelerated by the Administrator.
Share
Appreciation Rights. The Administrator may grant share appreciation rights (“SARs”) either with a stock option,
which may be exercised only at such times and to the extent the related stock option is exercisable (a “Tandem SAR”),
or independent of a stock option (a “Non-Tandem SAR”). An SAR is a right to receive a payment in our common shares
or cash, as determined by the Administrator, equal in value to the excess of the fair market value of one common share of the
Company on the date of exercise over the exercise price per share established in connection with the grant of the SAR. The term
of each SAR may not exceed 10 years. The exercise price per share covered by a SAR will be the exercise price per share of the
related stock option in the case of a Tandem SAR and will be the fair market value of our common shares on the date of grant in
the case of a Non-Tandem SAR. The Administrator may also grant limited SARs, either as Tandem SARs or Non-Tandem SARs, which may
become exercisable only upon the occurrence of a change in control, as defined in the 2020 Plan, or such other event as the Administrator
may designate at the time of grant or thereafter.
Restricted
Shares. The Administrator may award common shares that are subject to specified restrictions. Except as otherwise provided
by the Administrator upon the award of restricted shares, the recipient generally has the rights of a shareholder with respect
to the shares, including the right to vote the restricted shares and, conditioned upon the expiration of the applicable restricted
period, the right to receive dividends and transfer such shares, subject to the conditions and restrictions generally applicable
to restricted shares or specifically set forth in the recipient’s restricted shares agreement. Unless the Administrator
determines otherwise at the time of award, the payment of dividends, if any, will be deferred until the expiration of the applicable
restriction period.
Recipients
of restricted shares will be required to enter into a restricted shares agreement with us that states the restrictions to which
the shares are subject, which may include satisfaction of pre-established performance goals, and the criteria or date or dates
on which such restrictions will lapse.
If
the grant of restricted shares or the lapse of the relevant restrictions is based on the attainment of performance goals, the
Administrator will establish for each recipient the applicable performance goals, formulae or standards and the applicable vesting
percentages with reference to the attainment of such goals or satisfaction of such formulae or standards while the outcome of
the performance goals is substantially uncertain. Such performance goals may incorporate provisions for disregarding, or adjusting
for, changes in accounting methods, corporate transactions, including, without limitation, dispositions and acquisitions, and
other similar events or circumstances. The performance goals for performance-based restricted shares generally may be based on
one or more criteria determined from time to time by the Administrator.
Other
Share-Based Awards. The Administrator may, subject to limitations under applicable law, make a grant of such other share-based
awards, including, without limitation, PSUs, dividend equivalent units, share equivalent units, RSUs and deferred share units
under the 2020 Plan that are payable in cash or denominated or payable in or valued by our common shares or factors that influence
the value of such shares. The Administrator may determine the terms and conditions of any such other awards, which may include
the achievement of certain minimum performance goals and/or a minimum vesting period. The performance goals for performance-based
other share-based awards generally may be based on one or more criteria determined from time to time by the Administrator.
Other
Cash-Based Awards. The Administrator may grant awards payable in cash. Cash-based awards will be in such form, and dependent
on such conditions, as the Administrator will determine, including, without limitation, being subject to the satisfaction of vesting
conditions or awarded purely as a bonus and not subject to restrictions or conditions. If a cash-based award is subject to vesting
conditions, the Administrator may accelerate the vesting of such award in its discretion.
Performance
Awards. The Administrator may grant a performance award to a participant payable upon the attainment of specific performance
goals. If the performance award is payable in cash, it may be paid upon the attainment of the relevant performance goals either
in cash or in restricted shares, based on the then current fair market value of such shares, as determined by the Administrator.
Based on service, performance and/or other factors or criteria, the Administrator may, at or after grant, accelerate the vesting
of all or any part of any performance award.
Performance
Goals. Awards that are granted, vest or are paid based on attainment of specified performance goals may be subject to any
one or more criteria determined from time to time by the Administrator in its sole discretion taking into account the requirements
of applicable law and customary market compensation practices. These performance goals may be based on the attainment of a certain
target level of, or a specified increase or decrease in, one or more measures selected by the Administrator. Performance goals
may also be based on an individual participant’s performance goals, as determined by the Administrator. In addition, all
performance goals may be based upon the attainment of specified levels of the Company’s performance, or the performance
of a subsidiary, division or other operational unit, under one or more of the measures described above relative to the performance
of other corporations. The Administrator may designate additional business criteria on which the performance goals may be based
or adjust, modify or amend those criteria.
Change
in Control. In connection with a change in control, as defined in the 2020 Plan, the Administrator may accelerate vesting
of outstanding awards under the 2020 Plan. In addition, such awards may be, in the discretion of the Administrator: (1) assumed
and continued or substituted in accordance with applicable law; (2) purchased by the Company for an amount equal to the excess
of the price of a common share of the Company paid in a change in control over the exercise price of the awards; or (3) cancelled
if the price of a common share of the Company paid in a change in control is less than the exercise price of the award. The Administrator
may also provide for accelerated vesting or lapse of restrictions of an award at any time.
Shareholder
Rights. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, and with respect to an award of restricted shares,
a participant has no rights as a shareholder with respect to our common shares covered by any award until the participant is registered
as the holder of such shares in our register of members.
Amendment
and Termination. Notwithstanding any other provision of the 2020 Plan, our board of directors may at any time amend any or
all of the provisions of the 2020 Plan, or suspend or terminate it entirely, retroactively or otherwise, subject to shareholder
approval in certain instances if required by applicable law; provided, however, that, unless otherwise required by law or specifically
provided in the 2020 Plan, the rights of a participant with respect to awards granted prior to such amendment, suspension or termination
may not be adversely affected without the consent of such participant.
Transferability.
Awards granted under the 2020 Plan generally are nontransferable, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution,
except that the Administrator may provide for the transferability of nonqualified stock options at the time of grant or thereafter
to certain family members.
Recoupment
of Awards. The 2020 Plan provides that awards granted under the 2020 Plan are subject to any recoupment policy that we may
have in place or any obligation that we may have regarding the clawback of “incentive-based compensation” under the
Exchange Act or under any applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC.
Effective
Date; Term. The 2020 Plan was adopted by our board of directors in connection with the consummation of the Business
Combination and became effective on March 17, 2020. No award will be granted under the 2020 Plan on or after the 10-year anniversary
of the 2020 Plan. Any award outstanding under the 2020 Plan at the time of termination will remain in effect until such award
is exercised or has expired in accordance with its terms.
C. Board Practices
Independence
of Directors
As
a foreign private issuer, the Company is not required to have a majority of independent directors. However, four out of seven
members of our board of directors – David Anthony, Michael Gray, David King and Wanda Mwaura – are “independent”
directors under Nasdaq rules. We also view Andrew Poole as an independent director, but recognize that under the Nasdaq rules
Mr. Poole does not qualify as independent because he was an executive officer of Tiberius who received compensation for such services.
Board
Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
In
connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, Wasef Jabsheh was appointed as our Chairman of the board of directors
and Chief Executive Officer. We believe that having Mr. Jabsheh act as both Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
is most appropriate for us at this time because it provides us with consistent and efficient leadership, both with respect to
our operations and the leadership of the board. In particular, having Mr. Jabsheh act in both of these roles increases the timeliness
and effectiveness of our board’s deliberations, increases the board’s visibility into the Company’s day-to-day
operations, and ensures the consistent implementation of our strategies.
We
believe that the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, together with the significant responsibilities of the
board’s independent directors, provides an appropriate balance between leadership and independent oversight.
Committees
of the Board of Directors
In
connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we have established a separately standing audit committee, compensation
committee and nominating/governance committee.
Audit
Committee
In connection with
the consummation of the Business Combination, our board of directors formed an audit committee consisting of David Anthony, David
King and Wanda Mwaura. Wanda Mwaura is the chair of the audit committee. The audit committee must be composed exclusively of “independent
directors,” as defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC. In addition, we will be required to certify to Nasdaq that
the audit committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting,
requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s
financial sophistication. Each of the members of our audit committee is independent under SEC and Nasdaq rules and is “financially
literate,” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Wanda Mwaura serves as the audit committee financial expert
(within the meaning of SEC regulations).
The
Company has adopted an audit committee charter which sets forth the requirements for audit committee members and the responsibilities
of the audit committee.
The
audit committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the auditors, review of the results
and scope of the audit and other accounting related services and review of our accounting practices and systems of internal accounting
and disclosure controls. The audit committee pre-approves auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for
the Company by the independent auditor. Audit committee pre-approval of audit and non-audit services is not required if the engagement
for the services is entered into pursuant to pre-approval policies and procedures established by the audit committee. The audit
committee will, at least annually, review the independence and quality control procedures of the auditors and the experience and
qualifications of the auditor’s senior personnel that are providing audit services to the Company. The audit committee’s
duties include meeting with management and the auditors in connection with the annual audit, overseeing the internal auditor or
internal audit function, reviewing with management the risk assessment and risk management policies and the earnings press releases
and guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies.
The
audit committee may delegate to the chair of the audit committee, any of the members of the audit committee, or any subcommittee,
the responsibility and authority for any particular matter within its powers and authority. However, subcommittees do not have
the authority to engage independent legal counsel, accounting experts or other advisors unless expressly granted such authority
by the audit committee. The audit committee meets at least twice per year and reviews and evaluates its own performance each year.
Nominating/Governance
Committee
As
a foreign private issuer, the Company is not required to have a nominating/governance committee or a nominating/governance committee
composed entirely of independent directors. However, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, our board
of directors formed a nominating/governance committee with a majority of independent directors. The members of the nominating/governance
committee are Walid Jabsheh, Michael Gray and David King. David King is the chair of the nominating/governance committee. The
nominating/governance committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of
directors.
Compensation
Committee
As
a foreign private issuer, the Company is not required to have a compensation committee or a compensation committee consisting
only of independent directors. However, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, our board of directors
formed a compensation committee consisting of Walid Jabsheh, David Anthony and Andrew Poole. David Anthony is the chair
of the compensation committee.
The
Company has adopted a compensation committee charter which sets forth the requirements for compensation committee members and
the responsibilities of the compensation committee.
The
purpose of the compensation committee is to review, evaluate and approve compensation paid to our officers and directors and to
administer our incentive compensation plans, including authority to make and modify awards under such plans. Each year, the compensation
committee will review and make recommendations to the board of directors with respect to incentive-compensation plans and equity-based
plans. The compensation committee will review director compensation and make recommendations to the board of directors regarding
the form and amount of director compensation. The compensation committee meets at least twice per year and annually reviews the
compensation committee charter.
Corporate
Governance Practices
We
are a “foreign private issuer” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws. As a result, we are permitted to follow
certain corporate governance rules that conform to Bermuda requirements in lieu of certain Nasdaq corporate governance rules.
We will certify to Nasdaq that our corporate governance practices are in compliance with, and are not prohibited by, the laws
of Bermuda. The corporate governance practices that we follow in lieu of Nasdaq’s corporate governance rules are as follows:
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●
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In
lieu of the requirement to comply with Rule 5605(e)(1), which requires the director nomination
process to be determined by a majority of the independent directors or a nominations
committee comprised solely of independent directors, our nominating/governance committee
(which is responsible for director nominations) consists of a majority of independent
directors but does not consist solely of independent directors.
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|
●
|
In
lieu of the requirement to comply with Rule 5605(d)(2), which requires a compensation
committee comprised of at least two members, each of whom must be an independent director
as defined under Rule 5605(a)(2), our compensation committee does not consist solely
of independent directors.
|
|
●
|
In
lieu of the requirement to comply with Rule 5605(b)(2), which requires regularly scheduled
meetings at which only independent directors are present (“executive sessions”),
we do not intend to have regularly scheduled executive sessions.
|
Although
not required by the rules and regulations of Nasdaq, the Company has adopted corporate governance guidelines which will govern
certain aspects of its corporate governance and board and committee practices.
Codes
of Conduct
The
Company has adopted a Corporate Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all of its directors, officers and employees.
The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics covers, among other things, conflicts of interest, company books and records, use of company
property, payments of gifts, corporate opportunities, compliance, extension of credit to officers and directors, confidentiality
and employee relations.
The
Company has also adopted a Financial Code of Ethics applicable to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief
Accounting Officer, Controller and certain other officers. The Financial Code of Ethics provides that each officer must act ethically
with honesty and integrity (including ethical handling of conflicts of interest), provide full and accurate disclosure in SEC
filings and public communications, comply with applicable laws and regulations, act in good faith, responsibly, with due care,
competence and diligence, promote honest and ethical behavior by others, respect the confidentiality of information acquired in
the course of employment, responsibly use and maintain all assets and resources employed or entrusted to the officer, and promptly
report violations of the code to the chairman of the audit committee.
Approval
of Certain Transactions
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the board of directors may approve the following transactions only if each Jabsheh
Director votes in favor of such transactions:
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●
|
sell
or dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries
on a consolidated basis;
|
|
●
|
enter
into any transaction in which one or more third parties acquire or acquires 25% or more
of the Company’s common shares;
|
|
●
|
enter
into any merger, consolidation, or amalgamation with an aggregate value equal to or greater
than $75 million (exclusive of inter-company transactions);
|
|
●
|
alter
the size of the board of directors;
|
|
●
|
incur
debt in an amount of $50 million (or other equivalent currency) or more; and
|
|
●
|
issue
common shares (or securities convertible into common shares) in an amount equal to or
greater than 10% of the then issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
|
D. Employees
As
of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we had 231, 228 and 214 employees, respectively. The following table shows the number of
employees, including management staff, by geography and function as of December 31, 2019.
|
|
Underwriting
|
|
|
Underwriting
Support
|
|
|
Claims and
reinsurance
|
|
|
Finance,
administration
and
investments
|
|
|
IT
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Amman
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
19
|
|
|
|
28
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
28
|
|
|
|
158
|
|
London
|
|
|
28
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
52
|
|
Dubai
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
Casablanca
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
Labuan
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
Total
|
|
|
50
|
|
|
|
60
|
|
|
|
24
|
|
|
|
41
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
42
|
|
|
|
231
|
|
We
consider our relationship with our employees to be good and have not experienced interruptions to operations due to labor disagreements.
E.
Share Ownership
Ownership
of the Company’s shares by its executive officers and directors upon consummation of the Business Combination is set forth
in Item 7.A of this annual report.
Item
7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions
A.
Major Shareholders
The following table
sets forth information regarding beneficial ownership of the Company’s common shares based on 48,447,306 common shares issued
and outstanding as of April 27, 2020 with respect to beneficial ownership of our shares by:
|
●
|
each
person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding
common shares;
|
|
●
|
each
of our executive officers and directors; and
|
|
●
|
all
our executive officers and directors as a group.
|
In
accordance with SEC rules, individuals and entities below are shown as having beneficial ownership over common shares they own
or have the right to acquire within 60 days, as well as common shares for which they have the right to vote or dispose of such
common shares. Also in accordance with SEC rules, for purposes of calculating percentages of beneficial ownership, common shares
which a person has the right to acquire within 60 days are included both in that person’s beneficial ownership as well as
in the total number of common shares issued and outstanding used to calculate that person’s percentage ownership but not
for purposes of calculating the percentage for other persons.
Except as indicated
by the footnotes below, we believe that the persons named below have sole voting and dispositive power with respect to all common
shares that they beneficially own. The common shares owned by the persons named below have the same voting rights as the common
shares owned by other holders. We believe that, as of April 27, 2020, approximately 35% of our common shares are owned by 30 record
holders in the United States of America.
Unless
otherwise indicated, the business address of each beneficial owner listed in the tables below is c/o International General Insurance
Holdings Ltd., 74 Abdel Hamid Sharaf Street, P.O. Box 941428, Amman 11194, Jordan.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Number of
Common Shares Beneficially Owned
|
|
|
Percentage of Outstanding Common Shares(1)
|
|
Directors and Executive Officers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wasef Salim Jabsheh(2)
|
|
|
17,462,974
|
|
|
|
33.3
|
%
|
Walid Wasef Jabsheh(3)
|
|
|
265,616
|
|
|
|
0.5
|
%
|
Hatem Wasef Jabsheh(4)
|
|
|
237,916
|
|
|
|
0.5
|
%
|
Pervez Rizvi
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Andreas Loucaides
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Michael T. Gray(5)
|
|
|
2,462,312
|
|
|
|
5.1
|
%
|
Andrew J. Poole(6)
|
|
|
587,017
|
|
|
|
1.2
|
%
|
David Anthony
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
David King
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Wanda Mwaura
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
All directors and executive officers post-Business Combination as a group (ten individuals)
|
|
|
21,015,835
|
|
|
|
40.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Five Percent or Greater Shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oman International Development & Investment Company SAOG(7)
|
|
|
6,944,538
|
|
|
|
14.3
|
%
|
Argo Re Limited(8)
|
|
|
5,064,632
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
%
|
Church Mutual Insurance Company(9)
|
|
|
3,300,000
|
|
|
|
6.8
|
%
|
|
(1)
|
Based
on 48,447,306 common shares of the Company issued and outstanding as of April 27, 2020, which reflects the following issuances
completed at the closing of the Business Combination: (i) the issuance of 29,759,999 common shares to former IGI shareholders
in exchange for their shares in IGI, and (ii) the issuance of 18,687,307 common shares to former Tiberius stockholders, including
(1) 9,339,924 common shares issued in exchange for public shares of Tiberius common stock that remained outstanding and not redeemed
immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, (2) 4,132,500 common shares issued in exchange for Tiberius founder
shares, including 3,012,500 shares subject to vesting at prices ranging from $11.50 to $15.25 per share, (3) 2,900,000 common
shares issued in exchange for shares of Tiberius common stock that were issued to certain investors in a private placement pursuant
to forward purchase agreements, and (4) 2,314,883 common shares in exchange for shares of Tiberius common stock that were issued
to certain investors in a private placement.
|
|
(2)
|
Mr.
Jabsheh’s 13,462,974 shares beneficially owned include 600,000 contingent unvested
common shares that vest at $11.50 per share, 400,000 contingent unvested common shares
that vest at $12.75 per share and 131,148 contingent unvested common shares that vest
at $15.25 per share. Mr. Jabsheh has the right to vote and receive dividends with respect
to these contingent unvested common shares. Mr. Jabsheh’s 4,000,000 warrants entitle
him to purchase 4,000,000 common shares at a price of $11.50 per share. Wasef Jabsheh’s
ownership does not include 776,728 common shares beneficially owned by his adult children,
as Mr. Jabsheh does not have the right to vote or dispose of such common shares and thus
does not have beneficial ownership of such common shares. 387,780 common shares beneficially
owned are held in escrow and subject to forfeiture until the Business Combination purchase
price is finalized following the closing of the Business Combination. Mr. Jabsheh is
the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
|
|
(3)
|
Walid
Wasef Jabsheh’s ownership includes 82,477 common shares owned by his wife Zeina
Salem Al Lozi, for which common shares he disclaims beneficial ownership. Mr. Jabsheh’s
ownership does not include 511,112 common shares beneficially owned by his brothers or
17,462,974 common shares beneficially owned by his father, as Mr. Jabsheh does not have
the right to vote or dispose of such common shares and thus does not have beneficial
ownership of such common shares. 8,351 common shares beneficially owned are held in escrow
and subject to forfeiture until the Business Combination purchase price is finalized
following the closing of the Business Combination. Mr. Jabsheh is currently the President
of the Company and is the son of Wasef Jabsheh.
|
|
(4)
|
Hatem
Wasef Jabsheh’s ownership includes 25,885 common shares owned by his wife Sarah
Ann Bystrzycki, for which common shares he disclaims beneficial ownership. Mr. Jabsheh’s
ownership does not include 538,812 common shares beneficially owned by his brothers or
17,462,974 shares beneficially owned by his father, as Mr. Jabsheh does not have the
right to vote or dispose of such common shares and thus does not have beneficial ownership
of such common shares. 7,481 common shares beneficially owned are held in escrow and
subject to forfeiture until the Business Combination purchase price is finalized following
the closing of the Business Combination. Mr. Jabsheh is currently the Chief Operating
Officer of the Company and is the son of Wasef Jabsheh.
|
|
(5)
|
Michael
T. Gray’s beneficial ownership of 2,462,312 common shares includes (1) 1,157,000
common shares owned by the Gray Insurance Company, including 256,997 contingent unvested
common shares that vest at $11.50, of which Michael T. Gray is President, (2) 1,054,392
contingent unvested common shares owned by Mr. Gray, including 263,499 common shares
that vest at $11.50 per share, 122,032 common shares that vest at $12.75 per share, 417,396
common shares that vest at $14.00 per share and 251,465 common shares that vest at $15.25
per share, with respect to which Mr. Gray has the right to vote and receive dividends
and (3) 105,741 unvested common shares owned by his wife Linda Gray, for which shares
he disclaims beneficial ownership, including 20,293 common shares that vest at $11.50
per share, 13,184 common shares that vest at $12.75 per share, 45,096 common shares that
vest at $14.00 per share and 27,168 common shares that vest at $15.25 per share. Mr.
Gray’s ownership does not include 100,000 common shares owned by his adult son
Joe Skuba. The business address of each of The Gray Insurance Company and Michael T.
Gray is 3601 N Interstate 10 Service Rd W Metairie, LA 70002. Mr. Gray was previously
the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tiberius prior to the consummation of the
Business Combination and is currently a director of the Company.
|
|
(6)
|
The
587,017 common shares beneficially owned by Mr. Poole include 270,644 contingent unvested
common shares, including 185,196 common shares that vest at $11.50 per share, 13,184
common shares that vest at $12.75 per share, 45,096 common shares that vest at $14.00
per share and 27,168 common shares that vest at $15.25 per share. Mr. Poole has the right
to vote and receive dividends with respect to these contingent unvested common shares.
Mr. Poole’s ownership also includes 230,000 common shares owned by his son Torin
Perry Poole, including 78,807 contingent unvested common shares that vest at $11.50,
for which common shares he disclaims beneficial ownership. The business address of Andrew
Poole is 3601 N Interstate 10 Service Rd W Metairie, LA 70002. Mr. Poole was previously
the Chief Investment Officer of Tiberius prior to the consummation of the Business Combination
and is currently a director of the Company.
|
|
(7)
|
218,373
common shares beneficially owned are held in escrow and subject to forfeiture until the
Business Combination purchase price is finalized following the closing of the Business
Combination. The business address of Ominvest is Madinat Al Erfaan, Muscat Hills, Block
No 9993, Building No. 95, Seventh Floor, Sultanate of Oman.
|
|
(8)
|
Includes
39,200 contingent unvested common shares that vest at $12.75 per share and 500,000 warrants
that entitle Argo to purchase 500,000 common shares at a price of $11.50 per share. 142,304
common shares beneficially owned are held in escrow and subject to forfeiture until the
Business Combination purchase price is finalized following the closing of the Business
Combination. Argo Re Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Argo Group International Holdings,
Ltd. The business address of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. is 110 Pitts Bay
Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda. The business address of Argo Re Ltd. is 90 Pitts Bay Road,
Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda.
|
|
(9)
|
The
business address of Church Mutual Insurance Company is 3000 Schuster Lane, Merrill, WI
54452.
|
We
are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of the Company.
B. Related
Party Transactions
Tiberius
Related Person Transactions prior to the Business Combination
Founder
Shares and Warrants
In
December 2015, the Sponsor purchased 4,312,500 shares of Tiberius common stock (the “founder shares”) for an aggregate
purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.006 per share. In December 2017, the Sponsor transferred 15,000 founder shares
to each of the four independent director nominees of Tiberius. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the
expectation that such founder shares would represent 20.0% of the outstanding shares upon the completion of the initial public
offering of Tiberius (the “IPO”). The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 562,500 founder shares to the extent that the
over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters. As a result of the underwriters’ over-allotment exercise
in full in March 2018, none of the founder shares were subject to forfeiture.
The
Sponsor also purchased 4,500,000 Tiberius warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($4,500,000 in the aggregate) in a private
placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of the IPO. Each private placement warrant entitled the holder to purchase
one share of Tiberius common stock at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the Tiberius common stock issuable
upon exercise of the private placement warrants) could not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or
sold by it until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination.
For
information regarding the transfer and/or forfeiture of certain Sponsor’s shares and warrants in connection with the Business
Combination, see the section entitled “—Transactions Related to the Business Combination—Sponsor Share Letter.”
Loans
and Promissory Notes
In
March 2018, the Sponsor extended a loan to Tiberius in the amount of $1,725,000, inclusive of $225,000 as a result of the exercise
of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, which was non-interest bearing and which would become due upon the completion
of a business combination. In August 2019, Tiberius issued an unsecured promissory note in the amount of up to $1,000,000 to the
Sponsor. The note had no interest and was repayable in full upon the earlier of consummation of the initial business combination
of Tiberius and its winding up. As of December 31, 2019, Tiberius borrowed $500,000 under such note for working capital purposes.
The Sponsor’s loans to Tiberius in were repaid at the closing of the Business Combination.
Prior
to the closing of the IPO, the Sponsor loaned and advanced a total of $319,540 used for a portion of the expenses of the IPO.
These amounts were non-interest bearing, unsecured and were repaid out of working capital during the quarter ended June 30, 2018.
Executive
Compensation
Tiberius
agreed to pay its Chief Investment Officer $12,500 per month until the earlier of the liquidation of Tiberius or the consummation
of its initial business combination. Tiberius paid a total of $150,000 and $112,500 during the years ended December 31, 2019 and
2018, respectively. In addition, an amount of $6,250 was included in Accounts payable and accrued expenses as of December 31,
2019 and 2018, respectively.
Administrative
Services Agreement
In
March 2018, Tiberius entered into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which it agreed to pay the Sponsor, an affiliate
of its Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial
support. Upon the completion of the Business Combination, Tiberius ceased paying these monthly fees. Tiberius paid a total of
$90,000 pursuant to this agreement during the year ended December 31, 2018. Tiberius did not pay any amounts pursuant to this
agreement during the year ended December 31, 2019. As a result, an amount of $125,000 and $5,000 was included in Due to Sponsor
as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, as reflected in the Tiberius financial statements for the respective periods.
Board
Observation Rights
Pursuant
to the forward purchase contracts Tiberius entered into with the forward purchase investors, Tiberius granted each of the forward
purchase investors the right to each appoint a single observer to its board of directors. Such observers did not have voting rights.
Each of the forward purchase investors appointed a board observer. Michael Millhouse, a director of Tiberius, was designated by
Church Mutual Insurance Company and served on the board of director of Tiberius until the closing of the Business Combination.
Warrant
Purchase Agreement
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, Tiberius entered into a Warrant Purchase Agreement
(the “Warrant Purchase Agreement”) with Church Mutual Insurance Company (“Church”), pursuant to which
Tiberius agreed to purchase from Church and Church agreed to sell to Tiberius, simultaneously with and subject to the Closing
(but after giving effect to the Forward Purchase Contract that was entered into between Tiberius and Church on November 9, 2017
(the “Church Forward Purchase Contract”)), 3,000,000 of the Tiberius warrants owned by Church, with 1,500,000 of such
warrants owned by Church at the execution of the contract and 1,500,000 of such warrants issued to Church at the Closing pursuant
to the Church Forward Purchase Contract (and including in each case any successor warrants of the Company issued upon the consummation
of the Merger), at $0.75 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,250,000. At the Closing, Tiberius repurchased 3,000,000
Tiberius warrants from Church in accordance with the Church Warrant Purchase Agreement and such repurchased Tiberius warrants
were cancelled.
Reimbursement
of Expenses
Tiberius
was required to reimburse the Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for any out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with activities on Tiberius’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and
performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. The audit committee of Tiberius was required to review on a quarterly
basis all payments that were made to Tiberius’s sponsor, officers, directors or Tiberius’s or their affiliates and
to determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that would be reimbursed. There was no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement
of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on Tiberius’s behalf.
Registration
Rights Agreements
In
March 2018, Tiberius entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Founders Registration Rights Agreement”) with
respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants. The Founders Registration Rights Agreement was amended in connection
with the Business Combination. For additional information, see the section entitled “Item 11. Additional Information—Material
Agreements—Founders Registration Rights Agreement.”
Backstop
Subscription Agreements
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, Tiberius entered into subscription agreements (each,
a “Backstop Subscription Agreement”) with Tiberius’s directors and officers Michael Gray and Andrew Poole and
their related company The Gray Insurance Company (collectively, the “Backstop Investors”), pursuant to which Tiberius
agreed to issue and sell to the Backstop Investors up to an aggregate of $20,000,000 of shares of Tiberius common stock at $10.20
per share immediately prior to, and subject to, the Closing, which would become the Company’s common shares in the Business
Combination, if and solely to the extent that the minimum cash condition set forth in the Business Combination Agreement (the
“Minimum Cash Condition”) would otherwise not be met without their purchase (and prior to giving effect to any payment
in our common shares in lieu of cash under an amendment to the underwriting agreement between Tiberius and Cantor Fitzgerald &
Co.). The Minimum Cash Condition was met without the purchase of additional shares by the Backstop Investors and therefore no
shares were issued at the Closing pursuant to the Backstop Subscription Agreements.
IGI
Related Person Transactions prior to the Business Combination
IGI
rented a boat for business promotion from a company owned by Wasef Jabsheh, our CEO and major shareholder, in 2019, 2018 and 2017.
The total expense related to this rental which was charged to general and administrative expenses was $381,909, $211,058 and $211,739
in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. In addition, IGI has paid aircraft management fees amounting
to $84,000 in 2019, $84,000 in 2018 and $168,221 in 2017 to Arab Wings Co., a company owned by a major shareholder of IGI and
its subsidiaries. As at December 31, 2019, there was an amount of $196,214 payable to Arab Wings Co. against a receivable of $111,227
as at December 31, 2018. In 2019, IGI entered into a share buyback agreement with a large shareholder, in which 2.35 million shares
were purchased for $5 million. In 2018, IGI entered into a share buyback agreement with a large shareholder, whereby 7 million
shares were purchased for $15 million.
Transactions
Related to the Business Combination
Sponsor
Share Letter
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, the Sponsor, Tiberius, IGI, Wasef Jabsheh and Argo
entered into the Sponsor Share Letter, to which the Company became a party by executing and delivering a joinder thereto, pursuant
to which the Sponsor agreed (a) to transfer to Wasef Jabsheh at the Closing (i) 4,000,000 of its Tiberius private warrants (which
became our private warrants at the Closing) and (ii) 1,000,000 of its Tiberius founder shares (represented by our common shares
issued in exchange therefor in the Merger) (the “Jabsheh Earnout Shares”), with such Jabsheh Earnout Shares being
subject to certain vesting and share acquisition provisions as set forth therein, (b) to transfer to Argo at the Closing (i) 500,000
of its Tiberius private warrants (which became our private warrants at the Closing) and (ii) 39,200 of its Tiberius founder
shares (represented by our common shares issued in exchange therefor in the Merger) (the “Argo Earnout Shares”), with
such Argo Earnout Shares being subject to certain vesting and share acquisition provisions as set forth therein, (c) effective
upon the consummation of the Business Combination to subject 1,973,300 of its remaining Tiberius founder shares (represented by
our common shares issued in exchange therefor in the Merger) (the “Sponsor Earnout Shares” and, together with the
Jabsheh Earnout Shares and the Argo Earnout Shares, the “Earnout Shares”) to potential vesting and share acquisition
obligations as set forth therein, (d) to waive its right to convert any loans outstanding to Tiberius into Tiberius warrants and/or
warrants of the Company so long as such loans are repaid at Closing, and (e) to not, without the prior written consent of IGI,
seek or agree to a waiver or amendment of or terminate the provisions of the Tiberius Insider Letter regarding the Sponsor’s
agreements therein not to redeem any of its Tiberius securities in connection with the Closing, not to transfer any of its Tiberius
securities prior to the Closing and to vote in favor of the Business Combination at the special meeting of Tiberius stockholders
that was held on March 13, 2020.
In
addition, on March 16, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to transfer to Wasef Jabsheh at the Closing an additional 131,148 of its Earnout
Shares (represented by our common shares issued in exchange therefor in the Merger) that are subject to potential vesting and
share acquisition obligations (the “Share Transfer Letter”).
The
Earnout Shares cannot be transferred by any of Wasef Jabsheh, Argo or the Sponsor unless and until they vest in accordance with
the requirements of the Sponsor Share Letter. Any Earnout Shares that fail to vest on or prior to the eight year anniversary of
the Closing (the period from the Closing until such date, the “Earnout Period”) will be transferred to the Company
for cancellation. Unless and until any Earnout Shares are transferred to the Company for cancellation, each of Wasef Jabsheh,
Argo and the Sponsor will own all rights to such Earnout Shares, subject to the transfer restrictions. The Earnout Shares will
vest and no longer be subject to acquisition by the Company for cancellation as follows:
Holder
|
|
Number of Earnout Shares
|
|
|
Company Share Price Threshold*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wasef Jabsheh
|
|
|
600,000
|
|
|
$
|
11.50
|
|
|
|
|
400,000
|
|
|
$
|
12.75
|
|
|
|
|
131,148
|
|
|
$
|
15.25
|
|
Argo
|
|
|
39,200
|
|
|
$
|
12.75
|
|
Sponsor
|
|
|
800,000
|
|
|
$
|
11.50
|
|
|
|
|
160,800
|
|
|
$
|
12.75
|
|
|
|
|
550,000
|
|
|
$
|
14.00
|
|
|
|
|
331,352
|
|
|
$
|
15.25
|
|
|
*
|
Based
on the closing price of our common shares on the principal exchange on which such securities
are then listed or quoted for 20 trading days over a 30 trading day period at any time
during the Earnout Period (in each case subject to equitable adjustment for share splits,
share dividends, reorganizations, combinations, recapitalizations and similar transactions)
|
Additionally,
all Earnout Shares will automatically vest and no longer be subject to acquisition by the Company for cancellation if after the
Closing (1) the Company engages in a “going private” transaction pursuant to Rule 13e-3 under the Exchange Act or
otherwise ceases to be subject to reporting obligations under Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, (2) the Company’s
common shares cease to be listed on a national securities exchange or (3) the Company is subject to a change of control.
The
Tiberius private warrants and the Earnout Shares transferred by the Sponsor to Wasef Jabsheh and Argo under the Sponsor Share
Letter and the Share Transfer Letter were transferred to them as “permitted transferees” and each of Wasef Jabsheh
and Argo agreed to be bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in the Warrant Agreement and the Insider Letter with respect
to such securities.
In
addition, on February 12, 2020, Tiberius, the Sponsor, the Company and IGI entered into a letter agreement (the “Letter
Agreement”) in which (1) the Sponsor agreed to forfeit 180,000 shares of Tiberius common stock at Closing and (2) Tiberius
agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to repurchase 3,000,000 warrants from a warrant holder at Closing for an aggregate purchase
price of $4,275,000.
Pursuant
to the Sponsor Shares Letter, the Share Transfer Letter and the Letter Agreement, at the Closing:
|
●
|
the
Sponsor transferred to Wasef Jabsheh at (i) 4,000,000 of its Tiberius private warrants
(which became our private warrants at the Closing) and (ii) 1,131,148 of its Tiberius
founder shares (represented by our common shares issued in exchange therefor in the Merger);
|
|
●
|
the
Sponsor transferred to Argo (i) 500,000 of its Tiberius private warrants (which became
our private warrants at the Closing) and (ii) 39,200 of its Tiberius founder shares (represented
by our common shares issued in exchange therefor in the Merger);
|
|
●
|
the
Sponsor forfeited 180,000 shares of Tiberius common stock; and
|
|
●
|
Tiberius
repurchased 3,000,000 warrants from a warrant holder for an aggregate purchase price
of $4,275,000.
|
On
April 6, 2020, the Sponsor distributed all of its 2,902,152 common shares, including 1,842,152 common shares subject to vesting,
to its members. The members of the Sponsor, who include, among others, Michael Gray and Andrew Poole, are subject to the transfer
restrictions and vesting set forth in the Sponsor Share Letter and the Insider Letter with respect to such common shares.
Registration
Rights Agreement with Former IGI Shareholders
At
the Closing, the Company, the Purchaser Representative and the Sellers entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration
Rights Agreement”) that became effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Under the Registration Rights
Agreement, the Sellers hold registration rights that obligate the Company to register for resale under the Securities Act all
or any portion of the Exchange Shares (including Escrow Shares and any additional Exchange Shares issued after the Closing for
the Transaction Consideration adjustments) and any Tiberius securities transferred to such Seller under the Sponsor Share Letter
(collectively, the “Registrable Securities”). Under the Registration Rights Agreement, Sellers holding at least 25%
of the Registrable Securities as of the Closing (after giving effect thereto) are entitled to make a written demand for registration
under the Securities Act of all or part of their Registrable Securities. Subject to certain exceptions, if at any time after the
Closing, the Company proposes to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to its securities, under
the Registration Rights Agreement, it will be required to give notice to the Sellers as to the proposed filing and offer the Sellers
holding Registrable Securities an opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as requested by the
Sellers in writing. In addition, under the Registration Rights Agreement, subject to certain exceptions, Sellers holding at least
25% of the Registrable Securities as of the Closing (after giving effect thereto) are entitled to request in writing that the
Company register the resale of any or all of such Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or F-3 and any similar short-form registration
that may be available at such time. The Company has also agreed to file within 30 days after the Closing a resale registration
statement on Form F-1, F-3, S-1 or S-3 covering all Registrable Securities and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause
such registration statement to be declared effective as soon as possible thereafter. If a registration statement includes any
Registrable Securities that are subject to transfer restrictions under the Lock-Up Agreements, the Escrow Agreement or the Sponsor
Share Letter (including pursuant to the provisions of the Insider Letter incorporated therein), such Registrable Securities may
be registered, but they may not be sold or transferred while subject to such transfer restrictions. The Company filed such registration
statement with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
Under
the Registration Rights Agreement, we agreed to indemnify the Sellers and certain persons or entities related to the Sellers such
as their officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives against any losses or damages resulting from any untrue statement
or omission of a material fact in any registration statement or prospectus pursuant to which they sell Registrable Securities,
unless such liability arose from their misstatement or omission, and the Sellers including Registrable Securities in any registration
statement or prospectus agreed to indemnify the Company and certain persons or entities related to the Company such as its officers
and directors and underwriters against all losses caused by their material misstatements or omissions in those documents.
Amended
& Restated Bye-laws
Nomination
of Directors. Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that our directors will be elected by the shareholders at an annual
general meeting or at any special general meeting called for that purpose, subject to the following:
|
●
|
Wasef
Jabsheh is entitled to appoint and classify two directors (such Wasef Jabsheh-appointed
directors, “Jabsheh Directors”) for so long as (1) Wasef Jabsheh, members
of Wasef Jabsheh’s immediate family and/or natural lineal descendants of Wasef
Jabsheh or a trust or other similar entity established for the exclusive benefit of Jabsheh
and his immediate family and natural lineal descendants (the “Jabsheh Family”)
and/or their affiliates own at least 10% of our issued and outstanding common shares
and (2) Wasef Jabsheh is a shareholder of the Company; and
|
|
●
|
Wasef
Jabsheh will be entitled to appoint and classify one Jabsheh Director for so long as
(1) Wasef Jabsheh, the Jabsheh Family and/or their affiliates own at least 5% (but less
than 10%) of our issued and outstanding common shares and (2) Wasef Jabsheh is a shareholder
of the Company.
|
Removal
of Directors. Our shareholders entitled to vote for the election of directors may, at any special general meeting
convened and held in accordance with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, remove a director only with cause, provided that the
notice of any such meeting convened for the purpose of removing a director must contain a statement of the intention so to do
and be served on such director not less than 14 days before the meeting and at such meeting the director will be entitled to
be heard on the motion for such director’s removal; provided further that a Jabsheh Director may only be removed by
Wasef Jabsheh by notice in writing to the Jabsheh Director and the secretary, so long as Wasef Jabsheh is entitled to appoint
such director in accordance with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws.
Approval
of Certain Transactions. Our board of directors may approve the following transactions only if each Jabsheh Director then
in office votes in favor of such transactions:
|
●
|
sell
or dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries
on a consolidated basis;
|
|
●
|
enter
into any transaction in which one or more third parties acquire or acquires 25% or more
of the Company’s common shares;
|
|
●
|
enter
into any merger, consolidation, or amalgamation with an aggregate value equal to or greater
than $75 million (exclusive of inter-company transactions);
|
|
●
|
alter
the size of the board of directors;
|
|
●
|
incur
debt in an amount of $50 million (or other equivalent currency) or more; and
|
|
●
|
issue
common shares (or securities convertible into common shares) in an amount equal to or
greater than 10% of the then issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
|
Share
Exchange Agreements
In
connection with the Business Combination Agreement, shareholders of IGI holding 100% of the issued and outstanding capital shares
of IGI entered into Share Exchange Agreements. Under the Share Exchange Agreements, each Seller thereto agreed to sell to the
Company its shares of IGI in exchange for its portion of the Transaction Consideration under the Business Combination Agreement
(less such Seller’s portion of the Escrow Shares), the consummation of such purchase and sale of shares to occur simultaneously
with the Closing.
Each
Seller made certain limited representations and warranties to IGI, Tiberius and the Company in its Share Exchange Agreement, and
acknowledged and consented to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement and approved IGI’s execution, delivery and
performance of the Business Combination Agreement and ancillary documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
thereby. Each Seller, on behalf of itself and its affiliates, also provided a general release of IGI and its subsidiaries, effective
as of the Closing, other than its rights under the Share Exchange Agreement and ancillary documents and certain claims related
to employment or service as a director or officer. Each Seller agreed (1) to certain confidentiality obligations, (2) not to publicize
the Share Exchange Agreement or ancillary documents, (3) to terminate any outstanding shareholders, voting or registration rights
agreements, (4) not to transfer any IGI capital shares prior to the Closing unless the transferee executes and delivers a Share
Exchange Agreement and any applicable ancillary documents, except that Wasef Jabsheh was only permitted to transfer to his family
members or affiliates, (5) not to solicit, or enter into, any alternative competing transactions, (6) not to engage in insider
trading and (7) to use its commercially reasonable efforts to consummate the closing under the Share Exchange Agreement and to
provide further assurances. The representations, warranties and covenants of each Seller did not survive the closing of the Share
Exchange Agreement, except for those covenants to be performed after such closing, which will survive until performed in accordance
with their terms. Each Seller also appointed the Seller Representative to serve as its representative under the Business Combination
Agreement, its Share Exchange Agreement and ancillary documents to which such Seller is a party.
The
Share Exchange Agreement signed by Ominvest also gave such Seller certain consent rights over amendments to the Business Combination
Agreement. The Share Exchange Agreement signed by Argo also (1) gave such Seller certain consent rights over amendments or waivers
to the Business Combination Agreement, the Sponsor Share Letter and the Registration Rights Agreement, (2) limited the Seller
release to matters related to its status as an equity holder of IGI and carved out fraud claims, and (3) included certain representations
and warranties by Tiberius, IGI, the Company and the Seller Representative.
The
transactions contemplated by the Share Exchange Agreements were consummated on March 17, 2020, concurrently with the closing of
the Business Combination.
Non-Competition
Agreement
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, Wasef Jabsheh, Tiberius, IGI and the Purchaser Representative
entered into a Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreement (the “Non-Competition Agreement”), to which the Company
became a party by executing and delivering a joinder thereto, in favor of Tiberius, the Company, IGI and their respective successors,
affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, the “Covered Parties”) relating to the Covered Parties’ business
after the Closing. The Non-Competition Agreement became effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Under the
Non-Competition Agreement, for a period of three (3) years after the Closing (the “Restricted Period”), Wasef Jabsheh
and his controlled affiliates will not, without the Company’s prior written consent, anywhere in Asia, Africa, the Middle
East, Central America, South America, Continental Europe or in any other markets in which the Covered Parties are engaged, or
are actively contemplating to become engaged, in the Business, as of the date of the Closing or during the Restricted Period,
directly or indirectly engage in the business (or own, manage, finance or control, or become engaged or serve as an officer, director,
employee, member, partner, agent, consultant, advisor or representative of, an entity that engages in the business) of commercial
property and casualty insurance and reinsurance (collectively, the “Business”). However, Wasef Jabsheh and his controlled
affiliates may own passive investments of no more than 3% of the total outstanding equity interests of a competitor that is publicly
traded, so long as Wasef Jabsheh and his controlled affiliates and their respective equity holders, directors, officers, managers
and employees who were involved with the business of any of the Covered Parties are not involved in the management or control
of such competitor. Under the Non-Competition Agreement, during the Restricted Period, Wasef Jabsheh and his controlled affiliates
also will not, without the Company’s prior written consent, (i) solicit or hire the Covered Parties’ employees, consultants
or independent contractors as of the Closing, during the Restricted Period or at any time within the six (6) month period prior
to such solicitation, or (ii) solicit or induce the Covered Parties’ customers as of the Closing, during the Restricted
Period or at any time within the 6 month period prior to such solicitation. Wasef Jabsheh also agreed to certain confidentiality
obligations with respect to the information of the Covered Parties.
Lock-Up
Agreements
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, the Purchaser Representative and each of Wasef Jabsheh,
Argo and Ominvest (each, a “Holder”) entered into Lock-Up Agreements (each, a “Lock-Up Agreement”), to
which the Company became a party by executing and delivering joinders thereto, with respect to their Exchange Shares (including
Escrow Shares and any additional Exchange Shares issued after the closing of the Business Combination as a result of post-closing
adjustments to the Transaction Consideration) (collectively, the “Restricted Securities”). Such Lock-Up Agreements
became effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination.
In
the Lock-Up Agreement signed by Wasef Jabsheh, Mr. Jabsheh agreed that he will not, during the period from the Closing and ending
on the earlier of (x) one year after the date of the Closing, (y) the date on which the closing sale price of our common shares
equals or exceeds $12.00 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing at least 150 days after
the Closing, and (z) the date after the Closing on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other
similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party (a “Subsequent Transaction”), sell, transfer, assign, pledge,
hypothecate or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, the Restricted Securities, or publicly disclose the intention to
do any of the foregoing.
In
the Lock-Up Agreements signed by Argo and Ominvest, only two-thirds of their Exchange Shares (including Escrow Shares) are Restricted
Securities and one-third of their Exchange Shares are not subject to restrictions under the Lock-Up Agreement (which unrestricted
shares will not include their Escrow Shares). With respect to their Restricted Securities, they each agreed that they will not,
during the period from the Closing and ending (i) with respect to 50% of their Restricted Securities (excluding any Escrow Shares),
on the earlier of (x) six months after the date of the Closing and (y) the date after the Closing on which the Company consummates
a Subsequent Transaction and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of their Restricted Securities (including all Escrow Shares),
the earliest of (x) one year after the date of the Closing, (y) the date on which the closing sale price of our common shares
equals or exceeds $12.00 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing at least 150 days after
the Closing, and (z) the date after the Closing on which the Company consummates a Subsequent Transaction.
Each
Holder agreed in its Lock-Up Agreement that the Escrow Shares will continue to be subject to such transfer restrictions until
they are released from the escrow account. However, each Holder will be allowed to transfer any of its Restricted Securities (other
than the Escrow Shares while they are held in the escrow account) (1) by gift, (2) by will or intestate succession, (3) to any
immediate family member, any trust for immediate family members, any entity or trust for bona fide estate or tax planning purposes,
if Holder is a trust, to the trustor or beneficiary of such trust or the estate of a beneficiary of such trust, if Holder is an
entity, as a distribution to limited partners, shareholders, members or owners of or holders of similar equity interests in Holder
upon the liquidation and dissolution of Holder, or to any affiliate of Holder, (4) pursuant to a court order or settlement agreement
relating to the dissolution of a marriage or civil union, or (5) with respect to Argo and Ominvest only (but not with respect
to Wasef Jabsheh) in a transfer of all of the Restricted Securities owned by such Holder (other than Escrow Shares) pursuant to
private block transfers in one or a series of related transactions, provided in each such case that the transferee thereof agrees
to be bound by the restrictions set forth in the applicable Lock-Up Agreement.
Our
Related Party Transaction Policy and Practices
Related
Party Transaction Policy
In
connection with the Business Combination, our board of directors adopted a written related party transactions policy that became
effective as of the Closing. For purposes of the policy, interested transactions include transactions, arrangements or relationships
generally involving amounts greater than $120,000 in the aggregate in which the Company is a participant and a related party has
a direct or indirect interest. Related parties are deemed to include directors, director nominees, executive officers, beneficial
owners of more than five percent of our voting securities, or an immediate family member of the preceding group.
Employment
Agreements
In
accordance with the Business Combination Agreement, upon the consummation of the Business Combination, we entered into employment
agreements with our Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer. The employment agreements have a fixed term
of three years, with annual renewals thereafter, subject to termination after a specified notice period. Each executive is entitled
to an annual salary, to be reviewed each year, an annual target bonus opportunity (calculated as a percentage of salary), and
an annual long term incentive opportunity (calculated as a percentage of salary), with cash amounts being paid in US dollars.
For further details on our employment agreements, see the section entitled “Executive Compensation—Employment Agreements.”
Indemnification
Agreements
In
connection with the Business Combination, we entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive
officers. The indemnification agreements provide, to the fullest extent permitted under law, indemnification against all expenses,
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement relating to, arising out of or resulting from indemnitee’s status as a director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership or joint venture, trust
or other enterprise which such person is or was serving at the Company’s request. In addition, the indemnification agreements
provide that the Company will advance, to the extent not prohibited by law, the expenses incurred by the indemnitee in connection
with any proceeding, and such advancement will be made within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of a statement requesting
such advances from time to time, whether prior to or after final disposition of any proceeding.
C.
Interests of Experts and Counsel
Not
Applicable.
ITEM
8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
A.
Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information
For
consolidated financial statements and other financial information, see Item 18 of this annual report.
For
a discussion of legal proceedings involving the Company, see Note 24 to the IGI audited consolidated financial statements included
in this annual report and the section entitled “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Litigation,”
which is incorporated by reference herein.
Our
board of directors will evaluate whether or not to pay dividends and, if so, whether to pay dividends on a quarterly, semi-annual
or annual basis, depending on our results, market conditions, contractual obligations, legal restrictions and other factors deemed
relevant by the board of directors.
B.
Significant Changes
A
discussion of significant changes since the date of the annual financial statements is provided under “Item 4. Information
on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company—Business Combination” and “Item 5. Operating
and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments—Closing of the Business Combination ” of this
annual report and is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM
9. THE OFFER AND LISTING
A.
Offer and Listing Details
Our common shares
and warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols IGIC and IGICW, respectively. Holders of our common shares and warrants should
obtain current market quotations for their securities. There can be no assurance that our common shares and/or warrants will remain
listed on Nasdaq. If we fail to comply with the Nasdaq listing requirements, our common shares and/or warrants could be delisted
from Nasdaq. A delisting of our common shares will likely affect the liquidity of our common shares and could inhibit or restrict
our ability to raise additional financing. See the section entitled “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks
Relating to Ownership of Our Securities—Nasdaq may delist our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to
engage in transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.”
B.
Plan of Distribution
Not
applicable.
C.
Markets
See
Item 9.A above.
D.
Selling Shareholders
Not
applicable.
E.
Dilution
Not
applicable.
F.
Expenses of the Issue
Not
applicable.
ITEM
10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A.
Share Capital
Not
applicable.
B.
Memorandum and Articles of Association
The
following description includes a summary of specified provisions of our memorandum of association and our Amended and Restated
Bye-laws that became effective upon completion of the Business Combination. This description is qualified by reference to our
memorandum of association and our Amended and Restated Bye-laws which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to this annual
report.
General
International
General Insurance Holdings Ltd. is an exempted company incorporated under the laws of Bermuda and registered with the Registrar
of Companies in Bermuda under registration number 55038. The Company was incorporated on October 28, 2019 under the name International
General Insurance Holdings Ltd. Its registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM11, Bermuda.
Prior to the Business Combination, the Company owned no material assets and did not operate any business.
The
objects of our business are unrestricted, and the Company has the capacity of a natural person. We can therefore undertake activities
without restriction on our capacity.
Other
than in connection with the Business Combination, since our incorporation, there have been no material changes to our share capital,
mergers, amalgamations or consolidations of the Company or any of our significant subsidiaries, no acquisitions or dispositions
of material assets other than in the ordinary course of business, no material changes in the mode of conducting our business,
no material changes in the types of products produced or services rendered and no name changes. There have been no bankruptcy,
receivership or similar proceedings with respect to the Company or its significant subsidiaries. There have been no public takeover
offers by third parties for our shares nor any public takeover offers by us for the shares of another company which have occurred
during the last or current financial years.
Preemptive
Rights
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws do not provide shareholders with pro rata preemptive rights to subscribe for any newly issued common
shares. Additionally, the Companies Act does not provide shareholders with a statutory preemptive right.
Repurchase
of Shares
Our
board of directors may exercise all of the powers to purchase for cancellation or acquire our shares as treasury shares in accordance
with the Companies Act. On a reacquisition of shares, such shares may be cancelled (in which event, our issued but not our authorized
capital will be diminished accordingly) or held as treasury shares. Such purchases may only be effected out of the capital paid
up on the purchased shares or out of the funds otherwise available for dividend or distribution or out of the proceeds of a fresh
issue of shares made for the purpose.
Alteration
of Share Capital
We
may, if authorized by a resolution of our shareholders, increase, divide, consolidate, subdivide, change the currency denomination
of, diminish or otherwise alter or reduce the share capital in any manner permitted by the Companies Act.
Variation
of Rights
If
at any time we have more than one class of shares, the rights attaching to any class, unless otherwise provided for by the terms
of issue of the relevant class, may be varied with the sanction of a resolution passed by a majority of the votes cast at a general
meeting of the relevant class of shareholders at which a quorum consisting of at least two persons holding or representing one-third
of the issued shares of the relevant class is present. Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws specify that the creation or issue of
shares ranking equally with existing shares will not, unless expressly provided by the terms of issue of existing shares, vary
the rights attached to existing shares. In addition, the creation or issue of preference shares ranking prior to common shares
will not be deemed to vary the rights attached to common shares or, subject to the terms of any other series of preference shares,
to vary the rights attached to any other series of preference shares.
Transfer
of Shares
Our
board of directors may in its absolute discretion and without assigning any reason refuse to register the transfer of a share
which is not fully paid. Our board of directors may also refuse to recognize an instrument of transfer of a share unless it is
accompanied by the relevant share certificate and such other evidence of the transferor’s right to make the transfer as
our board of directors shall reasonably require. The board shall refuse to register a transfer unless all applicable consents,
authorizations and permissions of any governmental body or agency in Bermuda have been obtained, may decline to register any transfer
of shares if it appears to the directors, in their reasonable discretion, that any non-de minimis adverse tax, regulatory or legal
consequence to the Company, any subsidiary of the Company or the Company’s affiliates would result from such transfer; or
may decline to register any transfer of shares if the transferee shall not have been approved by applicable governmental authorities
outside of Bermuda if such approval is required in respect of such transfer. Subject to these restrictions, a holder of common
shares may transfer the title to all or any of its common shares by completing a form of transfer in the form set out in our Amended
and Restated Bye-laws (or as near thereto as circumstances admit) or in such other common form as the board may accept. The instrument
of transfer must be signed by the transferor and transferee, although in the case of a fully paid share our board of directors
may accept the instrument signed only by the transferor.
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, our shares may be transferred without a written instrument if transferred
by an appointed agent and in any form or manner which is in accordance with the rules or regulations of an appointed stock exchange
(which includes the Nasdaq Capital Market) on which the shares are listed or admitted to trading.
General
Meetings
An
annual general meeting will be held each year in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act and our Amended and Restated
Bye-laws at such time and place as our board of directors appoints. Our board of directors or the chairman may also, whenever
in its judgment it is necessary, convene general meetings other than annual general meetings which are called special general
meetings. Bermuda law and the Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that a special general meeting must be called upon the request
of shareholders holding not less than one-tenth of the paid-up capital of the Company carrying the right to vote at general meetings.
Any annual general meeting and special general meeting must be called by not less than fourteen (14) days’ prior notice
in writing. A notice of meeting must include the place, day and time of the meeting and, in the case of an annual general meeting,
that the election of directors will take place thereat and any other business to be conducted at the meeting, and, in the case
of a special general meeting, the general nature of the business to be considered at the meeting. This notice requirement is subject
to the ability to hold such meetings on shorter notice if such notice is agreed: (i) in the case of an annual general meeting
by all of the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at such meeting; or (ii) in the case of a special general meeting by a
majority in number of the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at the meeting holding not less than 95% in nominal value of
the shares entitled to vote at such meeting. A shareholder may appoint a proxy to attend and vote at the general meeting by providing
notice in writing to us at our registered office or at such other place or in such manner as specified in the notice of the general
meeting.
The
chairman, if present, and if not, the chief executive officer, if present, and if not, the president, if present, and if not,
any person appointed by our board of directors will act as chairman of the meeting. In their absence and if no one is appointed
by our board of directors as chairman of such meeting, a chairman of the meeting will be appointed or elected by those present
at the meeting and entitled to vote.
Board
and Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that (a) the board of directors or the chairman of the Company may convene a special general
meeting whenever in their judgment such meeting is necessary and (b) the board of directors must convene a special general meeting
at the request of shareholders holding not less than one-tenth of the paid-up share capital of the Company with the right to vote
at general meetings.
Shareholder
Meeting Quorum
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that at any general meeting of shareholders, two or more persons present at the start of
the meeting, representing in person or by proxy in excess of 50% of the total voting rights of all issued and outstanding shares
of the Company entitled to vote at such general meeting, shall be the quorum for the transaction of business provided, however,
that if at any time there is only one shareholder, one shareholder present in person or by proxy shall form a quorum for the transaction
of business at any general meeting held during such time.
Voting
Rights
Subject
to any restrictions for the time being lawfully attached to any class of shares, every shareholder who is present in person or
by proxy at a general meeting shall be entitled to one vote on a show of hands and be entitled to one vote for every share of
which he is a holder on a vote taken by poll, and any question proposed for the consideration of the shareholders at any general
meeting shall be decided by the affirmative votes of a majority of the votes cast in accordance with the Amended and Restated
Bye-laws, and in the case of an equality of votes, the resolution will fail.
Shareholder
Action by Written Consent
The
Companies Act provides that, unless otherwise provided in a company’s bye-laws, shareholders may take any action by resolution
in writing provided that notice of such resolution is circulated, along with a copy of the resolution, to all shareholders who
would be entitled to attend a meeting and vote on the resolution. Such resolution in writing must be signed by the shareholders
of the company who, at the date of the notice, represent such majority of votes as would be required if the resolution had been
voted on at a meeting of the shareholders. The Companies Act provides that the following actions may not be taken by resolution
in writing: (1) the removal of the company’s auditors and (2) the removal of a director before the expiration of his or
her term of office. Under the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, anything which may be done by resolution at a general meeting of
shareholders, or by resolution at a meeting of any class of the shareholders (other than the actions referred to in the preceding
sentence) may without a meeting and without any previous notice being required, be done by unanimous written resolution signed
by or on behalf of all shareholders entitled to attend and vote at such a meeting.
Access
to Books and Records and Dissemination of Information
Members
of the general public have a right to inspect the public documents of a company available at the office of the Registrar of Companies
in Bermuda. These documents include the company’s memorandum of association, including its objects and powers, and certain
alterations to the memorandum of association. The shareholders have the additional right to inspect the bye-laws of the company,
minutes of general meetings and the company’s audited financial statements, which must be presented to the annual general
meeting. The register of members of a company is also open to inspection by shareholders and by members of the general public
without charge. The register of members is required to be open for inspection for not less than two hours in any business day
(subject to the ability of a company to close the register of members for not more than thirty days in a year). A company is required
to maintain its share register in Bermuda but may, subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, establish a branch register
outside of Bermuda. A company is required to keep at its registered office a register of directors and officers that is open for
inspection for not less than two hours in any business day by members of the public without charge. A company is also required
to file with the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda a list of its directors to be maintained on a register, which register will
be available for public inspection subject to such conditions as the Registrar may impose and on payment of such fee as may be
prescribed. Bermuda law does not, however, provide a general right for shareholders to inspect or obtain copies of any other corporate
records.
Classified
Board
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that our board of directors shall consist of such number of directors as the board may from
time to time determine in accordance therewith. Upon and since the consummation of the Business Combination, our board of directors
consists of 7 directors. Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the directors are divided into three classes designated
Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class of directors consisting, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number
of directors constituting the entire board. The Class I directors are initially elected for a one-year term of office, the Class
II directors are initially elected for a two year term of office and the Class III directors are initially elected for a three-year
term of office. At each annual general meeting, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual general
meeting will be elected for a three-year term. If the number of directors is changed, any increase or decrease will be apportioned
among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, and any director of any
class elected to fill a vacancy will hold office for a term that will coincide with the remaining term of the other directors
of that class, but in no case will a decrease in the number of directors shorten the term of any director then in office. A director
appointed by Mr. Jabsheh will be classified by Mr. Jabsheh in accordance with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, provided that
no such classification will change the classification of any other director then serving. Currently, Mr. Jabsheh’s appointed
directors – Wasef Jabsheh and Walid Jabsheh – are serving as Class III Directors with their terms expiring at our
2023 annual general meeting.
Appointment
and Election of Directors
Our
directors are, subject to Wasef Jabsheh’s rights to appoint directors, elected by the shareholders at an annual general
meeting or at any special general meeting called for that purpose, subject to the following:
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Wasef
Jabsheh is entitled to appoint and classify two directors (such Wasef Jabsheh-appointed
directors, “Jabsheh Directors”) for so long as (1) Wasef Jabsheh, the Jabsheh
Family and/or their affiliates own at least 10% of our issued and outstanding common
shares and (2) Wasef Jabsheh is a shareholder of the Company; and
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Wasef
Jabsheh is entitled to appoint and classify one Jabsheh Director for so long as (1) Wasef
Jabsheh, the Jabsheh Family and/or their affiliates own at least 5% (but less than 10%)
of our issued and outstanding common shares and (2) Wasef Jabsheh is a shareholder of
the Company.
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An
eligible shareholder wishing to propose for election as a director someone who is not an existing director or is not proposed
by our board must give notice of the intention to propose the person for election. Where a director is to be elected at an annual
general meeting, that notice must be given not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days before the anniversary of the last annual
general meeting prior to the giving of the notice or, in the event the annual general meeting is called for a date that is not
30 days before or after such anniversary the notice must be given not later than 10 days following the earlier of the date on
which notice of the annual general meeting was posted to shareholders or the date on which public disclosure of the date of the
annual general meeting was made. Where a director is to be elected at a special general meeting, that notice must be given not
later than 10 days following the earlier of the date on which notice of the special general meeting was posted to shareholders
or the date on which public disclosure of the date of the special general meeting was made. An eligible shareholder is a shareholder
holding at least 5% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Company who has held such amount for at least three years
following the date of adoption of the Amended and Restated Bye-laws.
Removal
of Directors
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that shareholders entitled to vote for the election of directors may, at any special general
meeting convened and held in accordance with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, remove a director only with cause, by the affirmative
vote of shareholders holding at least a majority of the total voting rights of all shareholders having the right to vote at such
meeting, provided that the notice of any such meeting convened for the purpose of removing a director must contain a statement
of the intention so to do and be served on such director not less than 14 days before the meeting and at such meeting the director
will be entitled to be heard on the motion for such director’s removal; provided further that a Jabsheh Director may only
be removed by Wasef Jabsheh by notice in writing to the Jabsheh Director and the secretary, so long as Wasef Jabsheh is entitled
to appoint such director in accordance with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws. For purposes of this provision, “cause”
means a conviction for a criminal offence involving fraud or dishonesty or civil liability in respect of any action involving
fraud or dishonesty.
Proceedings
of Board of Directors
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that our business is to be managed and conducted by our board of directors. Bermuda law
permits individual and corporate directors and there is no requirement in the Amended and Restated Bye-laws or Bermuda law that
directors hold any of our shares. There is also no requirement in the Amended and Restated Bye-laws or Bermuda law that our directors
must retire at a certain age.
The
remuneration of our directors is determined by the board of directors from time to time at a duly authorized meeting. Our directors
may also be paid all travel, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with our business or their duties
as directors.
Provided
a director discloses a direct or indirect interest in any contract or arrangement or proposed contract or arrangement with us
as required by Bermuda law, such director is entitled to vote in respect of any such contract or arrangement in which he or she
is interested and/or be counted in the quorum for the meeting at which such contract or arrangement is to be voted on.
A
director (including the spouse or children of the director or any company of which such director, spouse or children own or control
more than 20% of the capital or loan debt) cannot borrow from us (except loans made to directors who are bona fide employees or
former employees, pursuant to an employee share scheme) unless shareholders holding 90% of the total voting rights have consented
to the loan.
Approval
of Certain Transactions
Our
board of directors may approve the following transactions only if each Jabsheh Director then in office votes in favor of such
transactions:
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sell
or dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries
on a consolidated basis;
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enter
into any transaction in which one or more third parties acquire or acquires 25% or more
of the Company’s common shares;
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enter
into any merger, consolidation, or amalgamation with an aggregate value equal to or greater
than $75 million (exclusive of inter-company transactions);
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alter
the size of the board of directors;
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incur
debt in an amount of $50 million (or other equivalent currency) or more; and
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issue
common shares (or securities convertible into common shares) in an amount equal to or
greater than 10% of the then issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
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Amalgamations,
Mergers and Business Combinations
The
amalgamation or merger of a Bermuda company with another company or corporation (other than certain affiliated companies) requires
the amalgamation or merger agreement to be approved by the company’s board of directors and by its shareholders. Unless
the company’s bye-laws provide otherwise, the approval of 75% of the shareholders voting at such meeting is required to
approve the amalgamation or merger agreement, and the quorum for such meeting must be two persons holding or representing more
than one-third of the issued shares of the company. The Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that an amalgamation, consolidation
or a merger (other than with a wholly owned subsidiary or as described below) that has been approved by the board must only be
approved by a majority of the votes cast at a general meeting of the shareholders at which the quorum shall be two or more persons
present in person and representing in person or by proxy in excess of 50% of all issued and outstanding common voting shares.
Any other amalgamation or merger or other business combination (as defined in the Amended and Restated Bye-laws) not approved
by our board must be approved by the holders of not less than 66 2/3% of all votes attaching to all shares then in issue entitling
the holder to attend and vote on the resolution.
Dissenter’s
Rights
Under
Bermuda law, in the event of an amalgamation or merger of a Bermuda company with another company or corporation, including a public
Bermuda company, a shareholder of the Bermuda company who did not vote in favor of the amalgamation or merger and is not satisfied
that fair value has been offered for such shareholder’s shares may, within one month of notice of the shareholders meeting,
apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda to appraise the fair value of those shares. These approval rights did not apply to the Business
Combination because the Company was not a party to any amalgamation or merger contemplated by the Business Combination.
Approval
of Business Combinations with Interested Shareholders
Bermuda
law does not prohibit companies from engaging in certain business combinations with an interested shareholder. However, the Amended
and Restated Bye-laws contain provisions regarding business combinations (including mergers, amalgamations or consolidations)
with interested shareholders. These provide that, in addition to any other approval that may be required by applicable law, if
the business combination is with an interested shareholder, approval is required from (1) a majority of the board of directors,
including each Jabsheh Director in the event such amalgamation, consolidation or merger has an aggregate value equal to or greater
than $75 million (exclusive of inter-company transactions), and (2) an affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of all the issued
and outstanding voting shares of the Company that are not owned by the interested shareholder (subject to certain exceptions).
An interested shareholder means any person (other than Wasef Jabsheh, the Company and any entity directly or indirectly wholly-owned
or majority-owned by the Company) that (i) is the owner of 15% or more of the issued and outstanding voting shares of the Company,
(ii) is an affiliate or associate of the Company and was the owner of 15% or more of the issued and outstanding voting shares
of the Company at any time within the three-year period immediately prior to the date on which it is sought to be determined whether
such person is an interested shareholder or (iii) is an affiliate or associate of any person listed in (i) or (ii) above.
Limitations
on Director Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section
98 of the Companies Act provides generally that a Bermuda company may indemnify its directors, officers and auditors against any
liability which by virtue of any rule of law would otherwise be imposed on them in respect of any negligence, default, breach
of duty or breach of trust, except in cases where such liability arises from fraud or dishonesty of which such director, officer
or auditor may be guilty in relation to the company. Section 98 further provides that a Bermuda company may indemnify its directors,
officers and auditors against any liability incurred by them in defending any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, in which
judgment is awarded in their favor or in which they are acquitted or granted relief by the Supreme Court of Bermuda pursuant to
section 281 of the Companies Act.
The
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the directors, resident representative, secretary and other officers acting in relation
to any of the affairs of the Company or any subsidiary thereof and the liquidator or trustees (if any) acting in relation to any
of the affairs of the Company or any subsidiary thereof and every one of them shall be indemnified and secured harmless out of
the assets of the Company from and against all actions, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they or any of them
shall or may incur or sustain by or by reason of any act done, concurred in or omitted in or about the execution of their duty,
or supposed duty, or in their respective offices or trusts, and no indemnified party shall be answerable to the acts, receipts,
neglects or defaults of the others of them or for joining in any receipts for the sake of conformity, or for any bankers or other
persons with whom any moneys or effects belonging to the Company shall or may be lodged or deposited for safe custody, or for
insufficiency or deficiency of any security upon which any moneys of or belonging to the Company shall be placed out on or invested,
or for any other loss, misfortune or damage which may happen in the execution of their respective offices or trusts, or in relation
thereto, provided that this indemnity shall not extend to any matter in respect of any fraud or dishonesty in relation to the
Company which may attach to any of the indemnified parties. We may also enter into an indemnification agreement with any director
or officer of the Company.
In
addition, the Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the Company may (i) purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of
any director or officer against any liability incurred by such person under the Companies Act in his or her capacity as a director
or officer of the Company or indemnifying such director or officer in respect of any loss arising or liability attaching to him
or her by virtue of any rule of law in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which the director
or officer may be guilty in relation to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (ii) advance moneys to a director or officer
for the costs, charges and expenses incurred by the director or officer in defending any civil or criminal proceedings against
him or her, on condition that the director or officer shall repay the advance if any allegation of fraud or dishonesty in relation
to the Company is proved against him or her.
Class
Actions and Derivative Suits
Class
actions and derivative actions are generally not available to shareholders under Bermuda law. The Bermuda courts, however, would
ordinarily be expected to permit a shareholder to commence an action in the name of a company to remedy a wrong to the company
where the act complained of is alleged to be beyond the corporate power of the company or illegal, or would result in the violation
of the company’s memorandum of association or bye-laws. Furthermore, consideration would be given by a Bermuda court to
acts that are alleged to constitute a fraud against the minority shareholders or, for instance, where an act requires the approval
of a greater percentage of the company’s shareholders than that which actually approved it.
When
the affairs of a company are being conducted in a manner which is oppressive or prejudicial to the interests of some part of the
shareholders, one or more shareholders may apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda, which may make such order as it sees fit, including
an order regulating the conduct of the company’s affairs in the future or ordering the purchase of the shares of any shareholders
by other shareholders or by the company.
The
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that each of our shareholders waives any claim or right of action such shareholder might
have, whether individually or by or in the right of the Company, against any director or officer of the Company on account of
any action taken by such director or officer, or the failure of such director or officer to take any action in the performance
of his duties with or for the Company or any subsidiary thereof, except in respect of any fraud or dishonesty of such director
or officer.
Exclusive
Forum
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that the Supreme Court of Bermuda will be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the exclusive
forum for any dispute that arises concerning the Companies Act or out of or in connection with the Amended and Restated Bye-laws,
including any question regarding the existence and scope of any bye-law and/or whether there has been any breach of the Companies
Act or the bye-laws by an officer or director (whether or not such a claim is brought in the name of a shareholder or in the name
of the Company).
To
the fullest extent permitted by law, the forum selection bye-law discussed above will apply to derivative actions or proceedings
brought on behalf of the Company and arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, although our shareholders cannot waive
compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. There is uncertainty as to whether a court
would enforce such provision in connection with any such derivative action or proceeding arising under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, and it is possible that a court could find the forum selection bye-law to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such
a case.
Amendment
of Memorandum of Association and Bye-laws
Bermuda
law provides that the memorandum of association of a company may be amended by a resolution passed at a general meeting of shareholders.
Our Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that no bye-law shall be rescinded, altered or amended, and no new bye-law shall be
made, unless it shall have been approved by a resolution of our board of directors and by a resolution of our shareholders. In
the case of certain bye-laws, such as the bye-laws relating to the term, election and removal of directors, classes and powers
of directors, approval of business combinations and amendment of bye-law provisions, the required resolutions must include the
affirmative vote of at least 66% of our directors then in office and of at least 66% percent of the votes attaching to all shares
issued and outstanding.
Under
Bermuda law, the holders of an aggregate of not less than 20% in par value of the company’s issued share capital or any
class thereof have the right to apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda for an annulment of any amendment of the memorandum of association
adopted by shareholders at any general meeting, other than an amendment which alters or reduces a company’s share capital
as provided in the Companies Act. Where such an application is made, the amendment becomes effective only to the extent that it
is confirmed by the Bermuda court. An application for an annulment of an amendment of the memorandum of association must be made
within 21 days after the date on which the resolution altering the company’s memorandum of association is passed and may
be made on behalf of persons entitled to make the application by one or more of their number as they may appoint in writing for
the purpose. No application may be made by shareholders voting in favor of the amendment.
Capitalization
of Profits and Reserves
Pursuant
to the Amended and Restated Bye-laws, our board of directors may (i) capitalize any part of the amount of our share premium or
other reserve accounts or any amount credited to our profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution by applying
such sum in paying up unissued shares to be allotted as fully paid bonus shares pro-rata (except in connection with the conversion
of shares) to the shareholders; or (ii) capitalize any sum standing to the credit of a reserve account or sums otherwise available
for dividend or distribution by paying up in full, partly paid or nil paid shares of those shareholders who would have been entitled
to such sums if they were distributed by way of dividend or distribution.
Untraced
Shareholders
Our
Amended and Restated Bye-laws provide that our board of directors may forfeit any dividend or other monies payable in respect
of any shares which remain unclaimed for six years from the date when such monies became due for payment (or such other period
of time as may be required pursuant to the listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market or such other stock exchange or quotation
system applicable to our shares, provided that such other period of time is not less than six years). In addition, we are entitled
to cease sending dividend warrants and checks by post or otherwise to a shareholder if such instruments have been returned undelivered
to, or left uncashed by, such shareholder on at least two consecutive occasions or, following one such occasion, reasonable enquires
have failed to establish the shareholder’s new address. This entitlement ceases if the shareholder claims a dividend or
cashes a dividend check or a warrant.
Certain
Provisions of Bermuda Law
Exchange
Control
We
have been designated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a non-resident for Bermuda exchange control purposes. This designation
allows us to engage in transactions in currencies other than the Bermuda dollar, and there are no restrictions on our ability
to transfer funds (other than funds denominated in Bermuda dollars) in and out of Bermuda or to pay dividends to United States
residents who are holders of our common shares. The Bermuda Monetary Authority has given its consent for the issue and free transferability
of all of our common shares to and between non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes, provided our shares remain
listed on an appointed stock exchange, which includes Nasdaq Capital Market. Approvals or permissions given by the Bermuda Monetary
Authority do not constitute a guarantee by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as to our performance or our creditworthiness. Accordingly,
in giving such consent or permissions, the Bermuda Monetary Authority shall not be liable for the financial soundness, performance
or default of our business or for the correctness of any opinions or statements expressed in this annual report. Certain issues
and transfers of common shares involving persons deemed resident in Bermuda for exchange control purposes require the specific
consent of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Share
Certificates
In
accordance with Bermuda law, share certificates are only issued in the names of companies, partnerships or individuals. In the
case of a shareholder acting in a special capacity (for example as a trustee), certificates may, at the request of the shareholder,
record the capacity in which the shareholder is acting. Notwithstanding such recording of any special capacity, we are not bound
to investigate or see to the execution of any such trust.
Membership
Under
the Companies Act, only those persons who agree to become members of a Bermuda company and whose names are entered on the register
of members of such company are deemed members. A Bermuda company is not bound to see to the execution of any trust, whether express,
implied or constructive, to which any of its shares are subject and whether or not the company had notice of such trust. Accordingly,
persons holding shares through a trustee, nominee or depository will not be recognized as members of a Bermuda company under Bermuda
law and may only have the benefit of rights attaching to the shares or remedies conferred by law on members through or with the
assistance of the trustee, nominee or depository.
C.
Material Contracts
Business
Combination Agreement
On
October 10, 2019, IGI entered into the Business Combination Agreement with Tiberius, the Sponsor (solely in its capacity as the
Purchaser Representative), Wasef Jabsheh (solely in his capacity as the representative of the Sellers) and, pursuant to a joinder
thereto, the Company and Merger Sub.
In
connection with the Business Combination Agreement, all shareholders of IGI entered into Share Exchange Agreements with IGI, Tiberius
and the Seller Representative, pursuant to which the Company became a party thereafter upon execution of a joinder thereto.
Pursuant
to the Business Combination Agreement, among other matters, on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing”) (1) Merger Sub merged
with and into Tiberius, with Tiberius surviving the merger and each of the former security holders of Tiberius receiving securities
of the Company (the “Merger”) and (2) all of the outstanding share capital of IGI (the “Purchased Shares”)
was exchanged by the Sellers for a combination of common shares of the Company and aggregate cash consideration of $80.0 million
(the “Share Exchange” and, together with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination
Agreement, the “Business Combination”).
As
a result of and upon consummation of the Business Combination, each of Tiberius and IGI became a subsidiary of the Company and
the Company became a new public company owned by the prior stockholders of Tiberius and the prior shareholders of IGI. Upon consummation
of the Business Combination pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, our common shares and warrants to purchase
common shares became listed on the Nasdaq under the symbols IGIC and IGICW, respectively.
The
total consideration paid by the Company to the Sellers (the “Transaction Consideration”) was be equal to (i) the sum
of (the “Adjusted Book Value”) (A) the total consolidated book equity value of IGI and its subsidiaries as of the
most recent month end of IGI prior to the Closing (the “Book Value”), plus (B) the amount of IGI’s out-of-pocket
transaction expenses which reduced the Book Value from what it would have been if such expenses had not been incurred, multiplied
by (ii) 1.22, and multiplied by (iii) a fraction equal to (A) the total number of Purchased Shares divided by (B) the total number
of issued and outstanding IGI shares as of the Closing.
$80,000,000
of the Transaction Consideration was paid in cash (the “Cash Consideration”), with each Purchased Share acquired for
cash paid based on a value equal to two times Adjusted Book Value per share. The Purchased Shares paid with the Cash Consideration
were allocated among the Sellers based on an agreed upon formula, with Wasef Jabsheh receiving $65,000,000 of the Cash Consideration,
Wasef Jabsheh’s family members receiving no Cash Consideration and the remaining Sellers receiving the remaining $15,000,000
pro rata based on the Purchased Shares owned by each such remaining Seller.
The
remaining Transaction Consideration was paid by the Company to the Sellers by delivery of newly issued common shares of the Company
(the “Exchange Shares”) equal in value to the Transaction Consideration less the Cash Consideration (the “Equity
Consideration”), with each Exchange Share valued at the price per share at which each Tiberius share of common stock was
redeemed or converted pursuant to the redemption by Tiberius of its public stockholders in connection with Tiberius’ initial
business combination, as required by its amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Tiberius’ initial public
offering prospectus. The Exchange Shares were allocated among the Sellers pro rata based on the total number of Purchased Shares
held by them after deducting the number of Purchased Shares paid for with the Cash Consideration.
Escrow
Agreement
Pursuant
to the Business Combination Agreement, 935,813 Exchange Shares otherwise issuable to the Sellers at the Closing (the “Escrow
Shares”) were set aside in escrow and delivered to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent (the
“Escrow Agent”), to be held on behalf of the Sellers, with such Escrow Shares, and any dividends, distributions or
other earnings thereon, to be used as the sole source of remedy available to the Company for any post-closing Transaction Consideration
negative adjustments. The Escrow Shares were allocated among the Sellers pro rata based on the number of Exchange Shares received
by each Seller, and while held in escrow, each Seller has voting and dividend rights with respect to the Escrow Shares based on
such allocation.
The
Transaction Consideration received by the Sellers at the Closing was based on an estimate of the most current month-end Adjusted
Book Value at the Closing and subject to a post-Closing true-up. If the true-up results in a decrease in the Transaction Consideration,
such true-up will be paid to the Company by delivery of the Escrow Shares (which will be effectively cancelled by the Company)
and other escrow property based on a price per share (the “Redemption Price”) equal to price per share at which each
share of Tiberius common stock was redeemed pursuant to the redemption by Tiberius of shares held by its public stockholders in
connection with the Business Combination. If the true-up results in an increase in the Transaction Consideration, such true-up
will be paid by the Company by delivery of additional Exchange Shares based on a price per share equal to the Redemption Price
(and without a cap on the number of additional Exchange Shares to be issued). Upon the final determination of the true-up, any
remaining Escrow Shares or other escrow property will be delivered to the Sellers.
Registration
Rights Agreement with Former IGI Shareholders
At
the Closing, the Company, the Purchaser Representative and the Sellers entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration
Rights Agreement”) that became effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Under the Registration Rights
Agreement, the Sellers hold registration rights that obligate the Company to register for resale under the Securities Act all
or any portion of the Exchange Shares (including Escrow Shares and any additional Exchange Shares issued after the Closing for
the Transaction Consideration adjustments) and any Tiberius securities transferred to such Seller under the Sponsor Share Letter
(collectively, the “Registrable Securities”). Under the Registration Rights Agreement, Sellers holding at least 25%
of the Registrable Securities as of the Closing (after giving effect thereto) are entitled to make a written demand for registration
under the Securities Act of all or part of their Registrable Securities. Subject to certain exceptions, if at any time after the
Closing, the Company proposes to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to its securities, under
the Registration Rights Agreement, it will be required to give notice to the Sellers as to the proposed filing and offer the Sellers
holding Registrable Securities an opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as requested by the
Sellers in writing. In addition, under the Registration Rights Agreement, subject to certain exceptions, Sellers holding at least
25% of the Registrable Securities as of the Closing (after giving effect thereto) are entitled to request in writing that the
Company register the resale of any or all of such Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or F-3 and any similar short-form registration
that may be available at such time. The Company has also agreed to file within 30 days after the Closing a resale registration
statement on Form F-1, F-3, S-1 or S-3 covering all Registrable Securities and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause
such registration statement to be declared effective as soon as possible thereafter. If a registration statement includes any
Registrable Securities that are subject to transfer restrictions under the Lock-Up Agreements, the Escrow Agreement or the Sponsor
Share Letter (including pursuant to the provisions of the Insider Letter incorporated therein), such Registrable Securities may
be registered, but they may not be sold or transferred while subject to such transfer restrictions. The Company filed such registration
statement with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
Under
the Registration Rights Agreement, the Sellers are required to immediately discontinue disposition of their Registrable Securities
under our resale registration statement upon receipt of a notice from the Company of certain events specified in the Registration
Rights Agreement, including, among others, a notice that the financial statements contained in the registration statement become
stale, that the registration statement or prospectus included therein contains a material misstatement or omission due to a bona
fide business purpose or if transacting in our securities by “insiders” is suspended pursuant to a written insider
trading compliance program because of the existence of material non-public information.
Under
the Registration Rights Agreement, we agreed to indemnify the Sellers and certain persons or entities related to the Sellers such
as their officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives against any losses or damages resulting from any untrue statement
or omission of a material fact in any registration statement or prospectus pursuant to which they sell Registrable Securities,
unless such liability arose from their misstatement or omission, and the Sellers including Registrable Securities in any registration
statement or prospectus agreed to indemnify the Company and certain persons or entities related to the Company such as its officers
and directors and underwriters against all losses caused by their material misstatements or omissions in those documents.
Founders
Registration Rights Agreement
Tiberius,
the Sponsor and the other Holders named therein are party to a registration rights agreement, dated as of March 15, 2018. At the
closing of the Business Combination, the Company, Tiberius and the holders of a majority of the “Registrable Securities”
thereunder entered into an amendment to such agreement whereby the Company assumed Tiberius’s obligations under the agreement
(collectively, the “Founders Registration Rights Agreement”). Pursuant to the Founders Registration Rights Agreement,
the Company agreed to file within 30 days after the Closing a resale registration statement on Form F-1, F-3, S-1 or S-3 covering
all “Registrable Securities” thereunder and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration
statement to be declared effective as soon as possible thereafter. The Company filed such registration statement with the SEC
on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
We
may delay the filing or the effectiveness of, or suspend the use of such registration statement for not more than 30 days if such
filing, the effectiveness or continued use of the registration statement, as the case may be (i) would, in the good faith judgment
of the Chief Executive Officer or principal financial officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company,
require the Company to disclose material non-public information that has not been, and is otherwise not required to be, disclosed
to the public, and the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public, or (ii) would require
the inclusion in such registration statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the
Company’s control. If the Company exercises these rights, the holders of Registrable Securities agreed to, immediately upon
their receipt of a notice from us, to suspend the use of the prospectus relating any sale of their Registrable Securities. The
holders of Registrable Securities are also required to discontinue any sale of their Registrable Securities upon receipt of written
notice from the Company that our resale registration statement or prospectus relating to such registration statement contains
a material misstatement or omission.
Subscription
Agreements with PIPE Investors
Simultaneously
with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement on October 10, 2019, Tiberius entered into subscription agreements (each,
a “PIPE Subscription Agreement”) with certain investors (the “PIPE Investors”), pursuant to which Tiberius
agreed to issue and sell to the PIPE Investors an aggregate of $23,611,809 of Tiberius common stock at a price of $10.20 per share
immediately prior to, and subject to, the Closing, which became the Company’s common shares in the Business Combination.
At the Closing, Tiberius issued 2,314,883 shares of Tiberius common stock to the PIPE Investors, which were exchanged for 2,314,883
common shares of the Company in the Merger. The PIPE Investors were given registration rights in the PIPE Subscription Agreements
pursuant to which the Company, as the successor to Tiberius, is required to file a resale registration statement for the shares
issued to the PIPE Investors within 30 days after the Closing and use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the registration
statement declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof. The Company filed such registration statement with
the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
Under
the PIPE Subscription Agreements, the Company may delay filing or suspend the use of any such registration statement if it determines
that an amendment to the registration statement is required in order for the registration statement to not contain a material
misstatement or omission, or if such filing or use could materially affect a bona fide business or financing transaction of the
Company or would require premature disclosure of information that could materially adversely affect the Company (each such circumstance,
a “Suspension Event”). Upon receipt of any written notice from the Company of any Suspension Event, the PIPE Investors
are required to immediately discontinue offers and sales of our securities under the registration statement and to maintain the
confidentiality of any information included in such written notice delivered by the Company unless otherwise required by applicable
law.
Forward
Purchase Commitments
In
connection with its initial public offering in 2018, Tiberius obtained forward purchase commitments from four investors who committed
to purchase Tiberius securities for $25 million in connection with Tiberius’s initial business combination. Prior to the
Closing, The Gray Insurance Company, an affiliate of the Sponsor, assumed the rights and obligations of one of these four investors
under his forward purchase contract and his PIPE Subscription Agreement. At the Closing, Tiberius issued 2,900,000 share of Tiberius
common stock to the four investors that were exchanged for 2,900,000 common shares of the Company in the Merger. Following the
consummation of the Business Combination, pursuant to the Founders Registration Rights Agreement, as amended at the Closing, the
Company is required to file and maintain an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the resale of the
securities issued to the four investors pursuant to the forward purchase contracts. The Company filed such registration statement
with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
Pursuant
to the forward purchase commitments the forward purchase investors agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise
dispose of all or any part of the Founder Shares (as defined in the forward purchase contracts) that they acquired under the forward
purchase contracts until the earlier to occur of (the “Lock-up”): (a) one year after the completion Tiberius’s
initial business combination or (b) the date following the completion of Tiberius’s initial business combination on which
Tiberius completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders
having the right to exchange their shares of Tiberius common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, if the last sale price of the Tiberius common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits,
stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing
at least 150 days after the business combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the Lock-up. Following the consummation
of the Business Combination, the transfer restrictions set forth in the forward purchase contracts apply with respect to our common
shares issued to the forward purchase investors in exchange for their Founder Shares.
Warrant
Agreement
The
Company agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the Closing, we would use our best
efforts to file a registration statement with the SEC covering the common shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company
also agreed to use its best efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus
relating to such common shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. The warrants expire on March 17, 2025. The Company filed
such registration statement with the SEC on April 14, 2020, and it was declared effective on April 27, 2020.
If
a registration statement covering the common shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within 90 days after
the Closing, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we
shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis.
Pursuant
to the Warrant Agreement that was assumed by the Company in connection with the Business Combination, the private warrants owned
by the Sponsor and its permitted transferees (including Wasef Jabsheh and Argo that received an aggregate of 4,500,000 private
warrants at the Closing) may not be transferred, assigned or sold until thirty (30) days after the consummation of the Business
Combination. These transfer restrictions expired on April 16, 2020.
Transfer
Restrictions under Tiberius Insider Letter
Pursuant
to the letter agreement, dated as of March 15, 2018 (the “Tiberius Insider Letter”), among Tiberius, the Sponsor and
certain directors and officers of Tiberius (collectively, the “Insiders”), the Sponsor and each Insider agreed that
they will not transfer any founder shares (or shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares) until the earlier of (A)
one year after the completion of Tiberius’s initial business combination or (B) subsequent to Tiberius’s initial business
combination, (x) if the last sale price of the Tiberius common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock
splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period
commencing at least 150 days after Tiberius’s initial business combination or (y) the date on which Tiberius completes a
liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders
having the right to exchange their shares of Tiberius common stock for cash, securities or other property. Following the closing
of the Business Combination, the lock-up restrictions set forth in the Tiberius Insider Letter apply with respect to our common
shares issued to the Sponsor (Lagniappe) and subsequently distributed to the Sponsor’s members, and to Insiders (four former
directors of Tiberius) and their permitted transferees (Wasef Jabsheh and Argo) in exchange for their founder shares.
Other
Material Contracts
Other
material contracts of the Company are described elsewhere in this annual report or in the information incorporated by reference
herein.
D.
Exchange Controls and Other Limitations Affecting Security Holders
We
have been designated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a non-resident for Bermuda exchange control purposes. This designation
allows us to engage in transactions in currencies other than the Bermuda dollar, and there are no restrictions on our ability
to transfer funds (other than funds denominated in Bermuda dollars) in and out of Bermuda or to pay dividends to United States
residents who are holders of our common shares. The Bermuda Monetary Authority has given its consent for the issue and free transferability
of all of our common shares to and between non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes, provided our shares remain
listed on an appointed stock exchange, which includes Nasdaq Capital Market. Approvals or permissions given by the Bermuda Monetary
Authority do not constitute a guarantee by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as to our performance or our creditworthiness. Accordingly,
in giving such consent or permissions, the Bermuda Monetary Authority shall not be liable for the financial soundness, performance
or default of our business or for the correctness of any opinions or statements expressed in this annual report. Certain issues
and transfers of common shares involving persons deemed resident in Bermuda for exchange control purposes require the specific
consent of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
E.
Taxation
Material
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The
following section is a summary of the material United States federal income tax considerations to U.S. holders (as defined below)
of our common shares and warrants (which we refer to as our “securities”) that own or dispose of our common shares.
This discussion addresses only those security holders that hold their securities as a capital asset within the meaning of Section
1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and does not address all the United States federal
income tax consequences that may be relevant to particular holders in light of their individual circumstances (such as a shareholder
owning directly, indirectly or constructively 5% or more of our common shares) or to holders that are subject to special rules,
such as:
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real
estate investment trusts or regulated investment companies;
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persons
who hold or receive our common shares as compensation;
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individual
retirement and other tax-deferred accounts;
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persons
whose functional currency (as defined in Section 985 of the Code) is not the U.S. dollar;
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financial
institutions;
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partnerships
or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
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tax-exempt
organizations;
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dealers
in securities or currencies;
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traders
in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting;
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persons
holding our common shares as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion
transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment;
and
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Non-U.S.
holders (as defined below).
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For
purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our securities that is:
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a
citizen or resident of the United States;
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a
corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any political
subdivision thereof;
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an
estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source;
or
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any
trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration
of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial
decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S.
person.
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The
term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our securities other than a U.S. holder or an entity (or arrangement)
treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If
an entity (or arrangement) treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our securities the tax treatment
of a partner in the partnership will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations
made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships holding our securities and the partners in such partnerships should consult
their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.
This
discussion is based upon the Code, applicable U.S. treasury regulations thereunder, published rulings and court decisions, all
as currently in effect as of the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretation, possibly with
retroactive effect. Tax considerations under state, local and non-U.S. laws, or federal laws other than those pertaining to the
income tax, are not addressed.
Except
for the discussion under “Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”)” this discussion assumes that the
Company is not, and will not, in the foreseeable future, be a “passive foreign investment company” for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
THE
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDERS OF OUR SECURITIES DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS
OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION,
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDING OUR COMMON SHARES AND WARRANTS TO ANY PARTICULAR SHAREHOLDER WILL DEPEND ON THE
SHAREHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE,
LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF
ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON SHARES AND WARRANTS.
U.S.
Tax Treatment of the Company
Under
Section 7874 of the Code, a corporation created or organized outside the United States that acquires, directly or indirectly,
substantially all of the assets held, directly or indirectly, by a U.S. corporation, may in certain circumstances be treated as
a U.S. corporation, rather than treated as a foreign corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or may be subject to certain
other adverse tax consequences. The Company does not expect these rules to apply to the it, notwithstanding its acquisition of
Tiberius through the Merger, and the Company expects to be respected, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a foreign corporation.
The rules under Section 7874 of the Code are complex, however, and their application to the Company is not entirely free from
doubt; whether they apply depends in part on the amount of the Company’s income that is “passive” for purposes
of the rules of Section 7874, which depends in turn on the amount of that income that is passive under the PFIC rules. Thus, the
Company’s expectation that the rules of Section 7874 will not apply to it is based on its expectation that each of the Insurance
Subs will, as of the date of consummation of the Merger, be a qualified insurance corporation, so that their insurance related
income and assets will not be treated as passive, for purposes of the PFIC rules. As explained below, however, the qualification
of the Insurance Subs is not entirely certain. Thus there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert successfully that the
rules of Section 7874 apply to the Company, including with the result that the Company is treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. If the Company were to be treated as a U.S. corporation for such purposes, which the Company does
not expect, the Company could be subject to substantial U.S. tax liability and its non-U.S. shareholders could be subject to U.S.
withholding tax on any dividends.
Holders
of our securities should consult their tax advisors regarding the status of the Company under section 7874 and the U.S. federal
income tax considerations to them of holding common shares or warrants in light of such status.
Taxation
of Dividends and Other Distributions on Our Common Shares
The
gross amount of distributions made by the Company to you with respect to the common shares (including the amount of any taxes
withheld therefrom) will generally be includable in your gross income as dividend income on the date of receipt by you, but only
to the extent that the distribution is paid out of the Company’s current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined
under U.S. federal income tax principles). To the extent that the amount of the distribution exceeds the Company’s current
and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), it will be treated first as a tax-free
return of your tax basis in your common shares, and to the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds your tax basis, the excess
will be taxed as capital gain. The Company does not intend to calculate its earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax
principles. Therefore, you should expect that a distribution will be treated as a dividend even if that distribution would otherwise
be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain under the rules described above.
With
respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, including individual U.S. holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower capital gains rate
applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that (1) the common shares are readily tradable on an established securities
market in the United States, (2) the Company is not a passive foreign investment company (as discussed below) for either the taxable
year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. You are
urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to our common
shares. With respect to corporate U.S. holders, the dividends will generally not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction
allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.
Taxation
of Dispositions of Common Shares and Warrants
You
will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common share or warrants equal to
the difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the common share or warrant and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars)
in the common share or warrant. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a non-corporate U.S. holder, including
an individual U.S. holder, who has held the common shares or warrants for more than one year, you may be eligible for reduced
tax rates on any such capital gains. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Passive
Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”)
A
non-U.S. corporation is considered a PFIC for any taxable year if either:
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at
least 75% of its gross income for such taxable year is passive income; or
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at
least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of
the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held
for the production of passive income (the “asset test”).
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For
purposes of the PFIC rules, a corporation is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets and earning its proportionate
share of the income of any other corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock (the
“Look-Through Rule”). Accordingly, for purposes of these rules, the Company will be treated as owning all the assets
of IGI and as earning all of its income, and IGI will, in turn, be treated as owning all the assets of, and earning all the income
of the two insurance companies through which it conducts its business (viz., IGI Bermuda, the Labuan Branch and IGI UK (together,
the “Insurance Subs”)). Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents
or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business), passive assets generally include assets held for the production
of such income, and gains from the disposition of passive assets are generally all included in passive income. Special rules apply,
however, in determining whether the income of an insurance company is passive income for purposes of these rules. Specifically,
income derived in the active conduct of an insurance business by a “qualified insurance corporation” is excluded from
the definition of passive income, even though that income would otherwise be considered passive. A non-U.S. insurance company
is a qualified insurance corporation if (i) the company would be taxed as an insurance company were it a U.S. corporation and
(ii) claims and claim adjustment expenses and certain reserves (limited for this purpose to amounts required by applicable law
and regulation) constitute more than 25% of the company’s gross assets for the relevant year, in each case as reported to
the relevant regulator (the “Reserve Test”).
Based
on the gross assets and claims and claim adjustment expenses of each of the Insurance Subs, in each case as reported to the relevant
regulator, and based on the manner in which each of the Insurance Subs conducts and will continue to conduct its business, the
Company expects that each of the Insurance Subs will for the current year be, and for foreseeable future years will continue to
be, a qualified insurance company for purposes of the PFIC rules. Accordingly, the Company expects that the income of each of
the Insurance Subs from its insurance business and the assets of each of the Insurance Subs held to produce income in that business
will qualify for the current year and for future years as active rather than passive for purposes of the PFIC rules. Taking into
account the income and assets of the Insurance Subs, which are treated as the income and assets of the Company for purposes of
the PFIC rules, and treating that income and assets as active, the Company expects that less than 75% of its total income and
that less than 50% of its total assets will be passive. Thus, the Company expects that it will not be treated as a PFIC for the
current year and does not expect to be so treated in foreseeable future years. Whether the Company is a PFIC is a factual determination
made annually, and the Company’s status could change depending upon, among other things, the manner in which the Company
and IGI conduct their business. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the Company is not currently or will not become a
PFIC in the current or any future taxable year.
If
the Company is a PFIC for any year during which you hold the Company’s common shares or warrants, it will continue to be
treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold common shares or warrants. However, if the Company ceases to
be a PFIC and you did not previously make a timely “mark-to-market” election as described below, you may avoid some
of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “purging election” (as described below) with respect to the
common shares or warrants.
If
the Company is a PFIC for any taxable year(s) during which you hold common shares or warrants, you will be subject to special
tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other
disposition (including a pledge) of the common shares or warrants, unless, with respect to your common shares, you make a “mark-to-market”
election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions
you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the common shares or warrants
will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:
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the
excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your holding period for the
common shares or warrants;
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the
amount allocated to your current taxable year, and any amount allocated to any of your
taxable year(s) prior to the first taxable year in which the Company was a PFIC, will
be treated as ordinary income, and
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the
amount allocated to each of your other taxable year(s) will be subject to the highest
tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments
of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.
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The
tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset
by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the common shares or warrants cannot
be treated as capital, even if you hold the common shares or warrants as capital assets.
A
U.S. holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election for such stock to
elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market election for the first taxable year which you hold
(or are deemed to hold) our common shares and for which the Company is determined to be a PFIC, you will include in your income
each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the common shares as of the close of such taxable
year over your adjusted basis in such common shares, which excess will be treated as ordinary income and not capital gain. You
are allowed an ordinary loss for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the common shares over their fair market value as
of the close of the taxable year. However, such ordinary loss is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains
on the common shares included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election,
as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the common shares, are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment
also applies to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the common shares, to the extent that the amount of such
loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such common shares. Your basis in the common shares
will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that apply
to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would apply to distributions by the Company, except that the lower applicable
capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above under “—Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions
on Our Common Shares” generally would not apply.
The
mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock”, which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis
quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other
market (as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including Nasdaq. If our common shares are regularly traded on Nasdaq
Capital Market and if you are a holder of common shares, the mark-to-market election would be available to you were the Company
to be or become a PFIC.
Alternatively,
a U.S. holder of stock in a PFIC may make a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to such PFIC to elect
out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. holder who makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC
will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings
and profits for the taxable year. However, the qualified electing fund election is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S.
holder with certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. The
Company does not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a qualified electing fund
election. If you hold common shares in any taxable year in which the Company is a PFIC, you will be required to file U.S. Internal
Revenue Service Form 8621 in each such year and provide certain annual information regarding such common shares, including regarding
distributions received on the common shares and any gain realized on the disposition of the common shares.
If
you do not make a timely “mark-to-market” election (as described above), and if the Company were a PFIC at any time
during the period you hold its common shares, then such common shares will continue to be treated as stock of a PFIC with respect
to you even if the Company ceases to be a PFIC in a future year, unless you make a “purging election” for the year
the Company ceases to be a PFIC. A “purging election” creates a deemed sale of such common shares at their fair market
value on the last day of the last year in which the Company is treated as a PFIC. The gain recognized by the purging election
will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above.
As a result of the purging election, you will have a new basis (equal to the fair market value of the common shares on the last
day of the last year in which the Company is treated as a PFIC) and holding period (which new holding period will begin the day
after such last day) in your common shares for tax purposes.
You
are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to your investment in our common shares and
the elections discussed above, in particular any U.S. holders of warrants should consult their advisors regarding whether any
such elections are available to warrants and the effect of making such election with respect to warrants.
Exercise
or Lapse of a Warrant
Except
as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, you generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss from
the acquisition of common shares upon exercise of a warrant for cash. Your tax basis in the common shares received upon exercise
of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of your basis in the warrant and the exercise price. Your holding
period for the common shares received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise (or
possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants and will not include the period during which you held the warrants. If a warrant
is allowed to lapse unexercised, you generally will recognize a capital loss equal to your tax basis in the warrant.
The
tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free,
either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, your basis in the common shares received would equal your basis in
the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a gain realization event, your holding period in the common shares
would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrant. If
the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the common shares would include the holding period
of the warrant.
It
is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized.
In such event, you could be deemed to have surrendered warrants equal to the number of common shares having a value equal to the
exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. You would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to
the difference between the fair market value of the common shares represented by the warrants deemed surrendered and your tax
basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, your tax basis in the common shares received would equal the sum of the
fair market value of the common shares represented by the warrants deemed surrendered and your tax basis in the warrants exercised.
Your holding period for the common shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise)
of the warrant.
Due
to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which,
if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law.
Accordingly, you should consult your tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Possible
Constructive Distributions
The
terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of common shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the
exercise price of the warrant in certain events. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable.
You would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases your
proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of common shares that would
be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of common shares which is taxable to the U.S.
holders of such shares as described under “—Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on Our Common Shares”
above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if you received
a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
Certain
non-corporate U.S. holders are required to report information to the IRS relating to an interest in “specified foreign financial
assets,” including shares and warrants issued by a non-U.S. corporation. These rules also impose penalties if a U.S. holder
is required to submit such information to the IRS and fails to do so.
Dividend
payments with respect to our common shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our common shares and warrants
may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however,
to a U.S. holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification or who otherwise
establishes an exemption from backup withholding. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application
of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.
Backup
withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income
tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing
the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and timely furnishing any required information.
Bermuda
Tax Considerations
Under
present Bermuda law, no Bermuda withholding tax on dividends or other distributions, or any Bermuda tax computed on profits or
income or on any capital asset, gain or appreciation will be payable by us or applicable to our operations, and there is no Bermuda
tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax applicable to our shares, debentures or other obligations held by non-residents
of Bermuda.
Tax
Assurance
We
have obtained an assurance from the Minister of Finance of Bermuda under the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966 that,
in the event that any legislation is enacted in Bermuda imposing any tax computed on profits or income, or computed on any capital
asset, gain or appreciation or any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax, such tax shall not, until March 31,2035,
be applicable to us or to any of our operations or to our shares, debentures or other obligations except insofar as such tax applies
to persons ordinarily resident in Bermuda or is payable by us in respect of real property owned or leased by us in Bermuda.
Taxation
of Shareholders
Shareholders
should seek advice from their tax advisor to determine the taxation to which they may be subject based on the shareholder’s
circumstances.
F.
Dividends and Paying Agents
Not
applicable.
G.
Statement by Experts
Not
applicable.
H.
Documents on Display
Documents
concerning the Company that are referred to in this annual report may be inspected at our principal executive offices at 74 Abdel
Hamid Sharaf Street, P.O. Box 941428, Amman 11194, Jordan or as otherwise set out in this annual report.
We
are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act that are applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly,
we are required to file or furnish reports and other information with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 20-F and
reports on Form 6-K. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports and other information that we
file with or furnish electronically with the SEC. You may read and copy any report or document we file, including the exhibits,
at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the public reference room.
We maintain a corporate website at www.iginsure.com that
contains reports and other information that we file with or furnish electronically with the SEC. Information contained on, or that
can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this annual report.
As a foreign private
issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy
statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal and selling shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing
profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange
Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic filers whose
securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
Members
of the general public have a right to inspect the public documents of a company available at the office of the Registrar of Companies
in Bermuda. These documents include the company’s memorandum of association, including its objects and powers, and certain
alterations to the memorandum of association. The shareholders have the additional right to inspect the bye-laws of the company,
minutes of general meetings and the company’s audited financial statements, which must be presented to the annual general
meeting. The register of members of a company is also open to inspection by shareholders and by members of the general public
without charge. The register of members is required to be open for inspection for not less than two hours in any business day
(subject to the ability of a company to close the register of members for not more than thirty days in a year). A company is required
to maintain its share register in Bermuda but may, subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, establish a branch register
outside of Bermuda. A company is required to keep at its registered office a register of directors and officers that is open for
inspection for not less than two hours in any business day by members of the public without charge. A company is also required
to file with the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda a list of its directors to be maintained on a register, which register will
be available for public inspection subject to such conditions as the Registrar may impose and on payment of such fee as may be
prescribed. Bermuda law does not, however, provide a general right for shareholders to inspect or obtain copies of any other corporate
records.
I.
Subsidiary Information
Not
applicable.
ITEM
11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKS
Insurance
risk
Insurance
risk includes the risks of inappropriate underwriting, ineffective management of underwriting, inadequate controls over exposure
management in relation to catastrophic events and insufficient reserves for losses including claims incurred but not reported.
To
manage this risk, our underwriting function is conducted in accordance with a number of technical analytical protocols which include
defined underwriting authorities, guidelines by class of business, rate monitoring and underwriting peer reviews. The risk is
further protected by reinsurance programs which respond to various arrays of loss probabilities.
We
have in place effective exposure management systems. Aggregate exposure is modelled and tested against different stress scenarios
to ensure adherence to our overall risk appetite and alignment with reinsurance programs and underwriting strategies.
The
appropriateness of the company’s reinsurance protections is tested against a series of stochastically modelled aggregate
loss scenarios to consider the probability of both vertical and horizontal exhaustion against the company’s ability to absorb
stress losses within its available capital on both a prospective and retrospective basis.
Loss
reserve estimates are inherently uncertain. Reserves for unpaid losses are the largest single component of our liabilities. Actual
losses that differ from the provisions, or revisions in the estimates, can have a material impact on future earnings and the statement
of financial position. We have an in-house experienced actuarial function reviewing and monitoring the reserving policy and its
implementation at quarterly intervals. They work closely with the underwriting and claims team to ensure an understanding of our
exposure and loss experience. In addition, we receive external independent analysis of our reserve requirements on an annual basis.
In
order to minimize financial exposure arising from large claims, in the normal course of business, we enter into contracts with
other parties for reinsurance purposes. Such reinsurance arrangements provide for greater diversification of business, allow management
to control exposure to potential losses arising from large risks, and provide additional capacity for growth. A significant portion
of the reinsurance is affected under treaty, facultative and excess-of-loss reinsurance contracts.
Sensitivities
The
analysis below shows the estimated impact on gross and net insurance contracts claims liabilities and on profit before tax, of
potential reserve deviations on ultimate claims development at gross and net level from that reported in the statement of financial
position as at December 31, 2019 and 2018.
In
selecting the volatility factors, we have illustrated the sensitivity of the net claims to a standard variation in the gross outstanding
claims. The choices of variation (7.5% and 5%) are illustrative but are consistent with what we would consider representative
of a reasonable potential for variation. The illustrated variations do not represent limits of the potential variation and actual
variation could significantly vary from the illustrated values.
Sensitivity
|
|
Gross Loss Sensitivity Factor
|
|
|
Impact of increase on gross outstanding claims
|
|
|
Impact of decrease on gross outstanding claims
|
|
|
Impact of increase on net outstanding claims
|
|
|
Impact of decrease on net outstanding claims
|
|
|
Impact of increase on profit before tax
|
|
|
Impact of decrease on profit before tax
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
7.5
|
%
|
|
$
|
30,978,898
|
|
|
$
|
(30,978,898
|
)
|
|
$
|
18.541,702
|
|
|
$
|
(18,539,427
|
)
|
|
$
|
(18.541,702
|
)
|
|
$
|
18,539,427
|
|
2019
|
|
|
5
|
%
|
|
|
20,652,599
|
|
|
|
(20,652,599
|
)
|
|
|
12,361,514
|
|
|
|
(12,359,238
|
)
|
|
|
(12,361,514
|
)
|
|
|
12,359,238
|
|
2018
|
|
|
7.5
|
%
|
|
|
28,828,488
|
|
|
|
(28,828,488
|
)
|
|
|
15,297,751
|
|
|
|
(15,295,476
|
)
|
|
|
(15,297,751
|
)
|
|
|
15,295,476
|
|
2018
|
|
|
5.0
|
%
|
|
|
19,218,992
|
|
|
|
(19,218,992
|
)
|
|
|
10,198,880
|
|
|
|
(10,196,605
|
)
|
|
|
(10,198,880
|
)
|
|
|
10,196,605
|
|
Financial
risk
Our
principal financial instruments are financial assets at fair value through OCI, financial assets at fair value through profit
or loss, financial assets at amortized cost, receivables arising from insurance, investments in associates, investment properties
and reinsurance contracts and cash and cash equivalents. We do not enter into derivative transactions.
The
main risks arising from our financial instruments are interest rate risk, foreign currency risk, credit risk, market price risk
and liquidity risk. Our board of directors reviews and agrees policies for managing each of these risks and they are summarized
below.
Interest
rate risk
Interest
rate risk arises from the possibility that changes in interest rates will affect future profitability or the fair values of financial
instruments. We are exposed to interest rate risk on certain of our investments and cash and cash equivalents. We limit interest
rate risk by monitoring changes in interest rates in the currencies in which our cash and interest bearing investments and borrowings
are denominated.
Details
of maturities of the major classes of our financial assets as of December 31, 2019 are as follows:
|
|
Less than
1 year
|
|
|
1 to 5
years
|
|
|
More than
5 years
|
|
|
Non-interest bearing items
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Effective interest rate on interest bearing assets
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
|
%
|
|
Financial assets at FVTP
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
21.8
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Financial assets at FVOCI
|
|
|
55.7
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.2
|
|
|
|
20.4
|
|
|
|
228.9
|
|
|
|
2.86
|
|
Financial assets at amortized cost
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
5.83
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents and term deposits
|
|
|
312.3
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
312.2
|
|
|
|
1.89
|
|
Total
|
|
|
370.9
|
|
|
|
148.7
|
|
|
|
4.2
|
|
|
|
42.2
|
|
|
|
565.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
following table demonstrates the sensitivity of our income statement to reasonably possible changes in interest rates, with all
other variables held constant.
The
sensitivity of our income statement is the effect of the assumed changes in interest rates on our profit for the year, based on
the floating rate financial assets and financial liabilities held at December 31.
Increase/decrease in basis points
|
|
Effect on profit
for the year
($)
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
–25 basis points
|
|
$
|
(889,848
|
)
|
–50 basis points
|
|
$
|
(1,779,697
|
)
|
Foreign
currency risk
Foreign
currency risk is the risk that the fair value of future cash flows of financial instruments will fluctuate because of changes
in foreign currency exchange rates.
We
are exposed to currency risk mainly on insurance written premiums and incurred claims that are denominated in a currency other
than our functional currency. The currencies in which these transactions are primarily denominated are Sterling (GBP) and Euro
(EUR). As a significant portion of our transactions are denominated in US dollars, this reduces currency risk. Intra-group transactions
are primarily denominated in US dollars.
Part
of our monetary assets and liabilities are denominated in a currency other than our functional currency and are subject to risks
associated with currency exchange fluctuation. We reduce some of this currency exposure by maintaining some of our bank balances
in foreign currencies in which some of our insurance payables are denominated.
The
following table demonstrates the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in the US dollars exchange rate, with all other variables
held constant, of IGI’s profit before tax (due to changes in the fair value of monetary assets and liabilities):
|
|
Changes in
currency rate to
US dollars
%
|
|
Effect on profit
before tax
$
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
+5
|
|
|
387,893
|
|
GBP
|
|
+5
|
|
|
4,294,764
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
+5
|
|
|
65,440
|
|
GBP
|
|
+5
|
|
|
1,857,406
|
|
The
effect of decreases in exchange rates are expected to be equal and opposite to the effects of the increases shown.
Credit
risk
Credit
risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to incur
a financial loss. We are exposed to credit risk primarily from unpaid insurance receivables and fixed income instruments. We have
in place credit appraisal policies and procedures for inward business, and receivables from insurance transactions are monitored
on an ongoing basis to restrict our exposure to doubtful debts.
We
have in place security standards applicable to all reinsurance purchases and monitors the financial status of all reinsurance
debtors at regular intervals.
Our
portfolio of fixed income investments is managed by our investments team in accordance with the investment policy established
by our board of directors which has various credit standards for investment in fixed income securities. Reinsurance and fixed
income investments are monitored for the occurrence of a downgrade or other changes that might cause them to fall below our security
standards. If this occurs, management takes appropriate action to mitigate any loss to us.
Our
bank balances are maintained with a range of international and local banks in accordance with limits set by our board of directors.
There are no significant concentrations of credit risk within the Company.
The
table below provides information regarding our credit risk exposure by classifying assets according to the credit rating of our
counterparties:
|
|
Investment grade
|
|
|
Non-investment grade (satisfactory)
|
|
|
In course of collection
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
FVOCI – debts securities
|
|
$
|
207.0
|
|
|
$
|
1.5
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
208.5
|
|
Financial Assets at amortized cost
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
Insurance receivables
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
65.8
|
|
|
|
47.1
|
|
|
|
113.0
|
|
Reinsurance share of outstanding claims
|
|
|
175.4
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
176.2
|
|
Deferred excess of loss premiums
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
15.2
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
15.2
|
|
Cash, bank balances and term deposits
|
|
|
248.1
|
|
|
|
64.2
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
312.2
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
630.5
|
|
|
$
|
149.4
|
|
|
$
|
48.1
|
|
|
$
|
828.1
|
|
Market
price risk
Market
price risk is the risk that the value of a financial instrument will fluctuate as a result of changes in market prices (other
than those arising from interest rate risk or currency risk), whether those changes are caused by factors specific to the individual
security, or its issuer, or factors affecting all securities traded in the market. Our equity price risk exposure relates to financial
assets whose values will fluctuate as a result of changes in market prices.
The
following table demonstrates the sensitivity of our profit for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the cumulative changes in
fair value to reasonably possible changes in equity prices, with all other variables held constant. The effect of decreases in
equity prices is expected to be equal and opposite to the effect of the increases shown:
|
|
Change in
equity price
|
|
|
Effect on profit for the year
|
|
|
Effect on equity
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
$ in thousands
|
|
Amman Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
$
|
58.4
|
|
|
$
|
58.0
|
|
Saudi Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
617.0
|
|
Qatar Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
23.8
|
|
|
|
23.8
|
|
Abu Dhabi Security Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
61.5
|
|
|
|
61.5
|
|
New York Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
123.5
|
|
|
|
161.3
|
|
Kuwait Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
London Stock Exchange
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
342.8
|
|
|
|
342.8
|
|
Other quoted
|
|
|
+5%
|
|
|
|
480.2
|
|
|
|
554.0
|
|
Liquidity
risk
Liquidity
risk is the risk that we will not be able to meet our commitments associated with insurance contracts and financial liabilities
as they fall due. We continually monitor our cash and investments to ensure that we meet our liquidity requirements. Our asset
allocation is designed to enable insurance liabilities to be met with current assets. All liabilities are non-interest-bearing
liabilities.
The
table below summarizes the maturity profile of IGI’s financial liabilities as of December 31, 2019 based on contractual
undiscounted payments (in US dollars):
|
|
Less than
one year
|
|
|
More than
one year
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
($) in millions
|
|
Gross outstanding claims
|
|
$
|
172.3
|
|
|
$
|
240.8
|
|
|
$
|
413.1
|
|
Gross unearned premiums
|
|
|
159.7
|
|
|
|
46.6
|
|
|
|
206.3
|
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
13.8
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
14.9
|
|
Insurance payable
|
|
|
53.5
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
53.5
|
|
Deferred tax
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
Unearned commissions
|
|
|
7.5
|
|
|
|
1.4
|
|
|
|
8.9
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
$
|
407.1
|
|
|
$
|
289.9
|
|
|
$
|
697.0
|
|
ITEM
12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES
Not
applicable.