Pensions - Articles - Hannover Re assumes further UK longevity risks

 Hannover Re has concluded another block transaction for longevity risks in the United Kingdom. Pension obligations in the amount of GBP 3.2 billion assumed by the British insurer Legal & General are to be transferred mostly to Hannover Re. Under this transaction Hannover Re assumes only the biometric risk, not the investment risk.

 Hannover Re will generate total premium income of roughly GBP 2.2 billion from this longevity transaction, with gross premium of around GBP 100 million attributable to the 2013 financial year. The assumed portfolio will deliver an attractive return for Hannover Re.

 "Longevity risks are also interesting for our company because they are negatively correlated with mortality risks and hence promote better diversification of our portfolio", Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Wallin noted.

 Hannover Re has been active in the area of longevity risks since the mid-1990s. Longevity swaps hedge the risk that the life expectancy may prove to be higher than anticipated. In its block transactions for pension funds Hannover Re concentrates primarily on the blue-collar workers' segment.