Definition of "Securitized bond transactions (securitizing catastrophe risk/Securitizing insurance risk)"
Method of accessing capital by the insurance industry in order to hedge against a future catastrophic occurrence. The mechanism works as follows: Primary insurance company AJAX pays a premium to purchase a CATASTROPHE REINSURANCE contract from REINSURANCE company BJAX. Reinsurance company BJAX then sells its bonds in an amount equal to the catastrophe reinsurance contract issued to insurance company AJAX. The proceeds from the bonds sold by BJAX are then placed in a trust to securitize the reinsurance contract. Interest is earned on the proceeds placed in the trust; the proceeds are usually invested in United States Treasury issues. If AJAX does not have any reinsurance claims, the purchasers of the bonds receive the return of the amount they have invested (safely on deposit in the trust) plus interest earned. If AJAX does have a reinsurance claim, the claim is paid out of the trust with the payment coming from the initial amount invested in the bonds plus interest earned. The investors in the bonds incur a bond default. The rating of these bonds uses the same criteria as used for all types of bonds, whether corporate or government, that is the probability of default. Just like any other type of bond, whether corporate or government, the price of the bond and thus the yield increases or decreases subject to market conditions.
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