Reinsurance Ceded

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Reinsurance Ceded

4. Reinsurance Ceded

(a) Overview

Alleghany’s reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries reinsure portions of the risks they underwrite in order to reduce the effect of individual or aggregate exposure to losses, manage capacity, protect capital resources, reduce volatility in specific lines of business, improve risk-adjusted portfolio returns and enable them to increase gross premium writings and risk capacity without requiring additional capital. Alleghany’s reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries purchase reinsurance and retrocessional coverages from highly-rated third party reinsurers. If the assuming reinsurers are unable or unwilling to meet the obligations assumed under the applicable reinsurance agreements, Alleghany’s reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries would remain liable for such reinsurance portion not paid by these reinsurers. As such, funds, trust agreements and letters of credit are held to collateralize a portion of Alleghany’s reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries’ reinsurance recoverables, and Alleghany’s reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries reinsure portions of the risks they underwrite or assume with multiple reinsurance programs.

(b) Significant Reinsurance Contracts

As discussed in Note 5(d) to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of the 2014 10-K, RSUI reinsures its property lines of business through a program consisting of surplus share treaties, facultative placements, per risk and catastrophe excess of loss treaties. RSUI’s catastrophe reinsurance program (which covers catastrophe risks including, among others, windstorms and earthquakes) and property per risk reinsurance program run on an annual basis from May 1 to the following April 30 and portions expired on April 30, 2015.

RSUI’s catastrophe reinsurance program covers catastrophe risks including, among others, windstorms and earthquakes. As of May 1, 2015, the catastrophe reinsurance program consists of three layers with the first two layers placed on May 1, 2015 and the third layer placed on May 1, 2014. Portions of the catastrophe reinsurance program include multi-year terms, some of which were entered into in 2014. The catastrophe reinsurance program provides coverage for $600.0 million of losses in excess of a $200.0 million net retention after application of surplus share treaties and facultative reinsurance. The first layer provides coverage for $300.0 million of losses, subject to a 5.0 percent co-participation by RSUI, in excess of $200.0 million, the second layer provides coverage for $100.0 million of losses in excess of $500.0 million, with no co-participation by RSUI, and the third layer provides coverage for $200.0 million of losses in excess of $600.0 million, with no co-participation by RSUI. The first and second layers of coverage include expiration terms as follows: 34.0 percent of coverage limits will expire on April 30, 2016; 33.0 percent of coverage limits will expire on April 30, 2017; and 33.0 percent of coverage limits will expire on April 30, 2018. The third layer of coverage will expire on April 30, 2017.

In addition, RSUI’s property per risk reinsurance program runs on an annual basis from May 1 to the following April 30 and thus expired on April 30, 2015. On May 1, 2015, the property per risk program was renewed and will expire on April 30, 2016. For the 2015 to 2016 period, RSUI’s property per risk reinsurance program provides coverage for $90.0 million of losses, subject to a 10.0 percent co-participation by RSUI, in excess of a $10.0 million net retention per risk after application of surplus share treaties and facultative reinsurance.