The London Market Excess of Loss Spiral
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When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW School of Law Volume 1 of 1 The London Market Excess of Loss Spiral by Caroline Hélène Christiane Bell Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2014 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW School of Law Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy THE LONDON MARKET EXCESS OF LOSS SPIRAL Caroline Hélène Christiane Bell This thesis explores the London Market Excess of Loss Spiral (“LMX Spiral”), a phenomenon based upon excess of loss reinsurance contracts that developed within the London reinsurance market of the 1980s. The unwinding of the LMX Spiral was a key factor in the crisis the Lloyd’s insurance market had to face in the early 1990s. However, whilst the crisis resulted in a wave of litigation in the English courts, there is no legal appraisal of the additional element of risk brought by the LMX Spiral itself. The case law instead focuses on the duties of the underwriters and various agents that fuelled its development. This situation is unsatisfactory for two reasons. Firstly, reinsurance spirals are a potential side-effect of XL reinsurance markets and therefore other spirals may develop in the future. Secondly, this thesis shows that once a reinsurance spiral reaches a certain point, it becomes unsustainable, generating instability within the relevant reinsurance market. This thesis provides a detailed legal appraisal of reinsurance spirals and a new analysis of excess of loss reinsurance contracts. The first part sets out the relevant legal principles and describes the LMX Spiral and its impact; listing, for the first time, the “Spiral Effects” identified through reports and actuarial models. The second part reviews the case law and assesses the legal nature of the excess of loss “Spiral Contracts” at the core of any reinsurance spiral, concluding that the Spiral Effects can distort the Spiral Contracts to the point where they become simple contracts of indemnity. The third part explores the nature of excess of loss reinsurance in light of the review of the Spiral Contracts, submitting that excess of loss reinsurance contracts cover both the liability of the reinsured and the relevant insured peril. i Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ i Contents ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Cases.................................................................................................... ix Table of Statutes ...............................................................................................xiii DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP .......................................................................... xv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 16 PART I: THE LMX SPIRAL .................................................................................... 17 1 Thesis on the LMX Spiral: Overview ............................................................. 17 1.1 Thesis on the LMX Spiral: Methodology ................................................. 17 1.1.1 Establishing the Facts and the Law ................................................. 17 1.1.2 The Analysis and Hypothesis .......................................................... 19 1.1.3 Overview of the Thesis ................................................................... 20 1.2 The LMX Spiral: Legal Definition ........................................................... 21 2 Insurance and Reinsurance ......................................................................... 22 2.1 Insurance as a Risk Sharing Tool ........................................................... 22 2.1.1 Definition and Purpose of Insurance ............................................... 22 2.1.2 Managing the Risk .......................................................................... 23 2.1.3 Distinguishing Features of Contracts of Insurance .......................... 25 2.1.4 Insurable Interest ........................................................................... 28 2.2 Reinsurance as a Spreading Mechanism ................................................ 30 2.2.1 Definition and Purpose of Reinsurance ........................................... 30 2.2.2 Types of Reinsurance Agreements .................................................. 32 2.2.3 The Use and Development of XL Reinsurance ................................. 35 2.2.4 Specific Features of XL Reinsurance ................................................ 37 2.3 The Legal Nature of Reinsurance........................................................... 46 2.3.1 Reinsurance as Further Insurance ................................................... 46 2.3.2 Insurable Interest in Reinsurance .................................................... 49 2.4 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................. 53 iii 3 Factual Overview of the LMX Spiral .............................................................. 55 3.1 The Lloyd’s Insurance Market ................................................................ 55 3.1.1 Origins of Lloyd’s ........................................................................... 55 3.1.2 Lloyd’s Members and their Agents .................................................. 57 3.1.3 Lloyd’s on the Eve of the LMX Spiral ................................................ 59 3.2 Key Features of the LMX Spiral .............................................................. 62 3.2.1 The Nature of the LMX Spiral: Intertwining Reinsurances ................. 62 3.2.2 London: the Hub of the LMX Spiral .................................................. 64 3.2.3 The 1980s: an Era of Rapid Expansion ............................................ 68 3.2.4 LMX Market Participants ................................................................. 70 3.3 The Demise of the LMX Spiral ................................................................ 72 3.3.1 A Series of Unprecedented Catastrophes ......................................... 72 3.3.2 The Collapse of the LMX Spiral ........................................................ 78 3.4 Reconstruction and Renewal ................................................................. 80 3.4.1 The Lloyd’s Crisis ........................................................................... 80 3.4.2 The Risk of Insolvency .................................................................... 83 3.4.3 Equitas ........................................................................................... 85 3.4.4 The LMX Spiral in Lockdown ........................................................... 88 3.5 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................. 90 4 Analysis of the LMX Spiral and its Effects ..................................................... 91 4.1 The Paucity of Reports on the LMX Spiral .............................................. 91 4.2 The Walker Report ................................................................................ 92 4.2.1 The Walker Report: Parameters ....................................................... 92 4.2.2 The Walker Report: Key Findings ..................................................... 93 4.2.3 The LMX Spiral according to the Walker Report ............................... 95 4.3 The LMX Working Party Report .............................................................. 98 4.3.1 The LMX Working Party ................................................................... 98 4.3.2 The LMX Working Party Report: Key Findings .................................. 99 4.3.3 The Actuarial Model ...................................................................... 102 iv 4.4 Professor Andrew Bain ........................................................................ 104 4.4.1 Some Key Features of Reinsurance ............................................... 105 4.4.2 Professor Bain’s Actuarial Models ................................................. 106 4.4.3 Features of Reinsurance Spirals .................................................... 109 4.5 Spiral Effects....................................................................................... 111 4.5.1 The Spiral Effects ......................................................................... 111 4.5.2 Simply a Market Phenomenon? ..................................................... 115 4.6 Concluding Remarks ........................................................................... 117 PART II: LEGAL APPRAISAL OF