Willis Re and Thomson Reuters Launch Online Catastrophe Price Index

Index Offers Innovative Analysis to Traditional Reinsurance and
Insurance Linked Securities Markets

London – Willis Re, the reinsurance arm of global broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), and Thomson Reuters today announced the launch of the Willis Re Catastrophe Price Index™ on the Thomson Reuters Insurance Linked Securities portal. The index measures pricing levels in the U.S. property catastrophe reinsurance market and will provide valuable insight to participants from across the reinsurance and Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) marketplaces.

While existing indices track headline pricing by measuring “rate on line” in isolation, the Willis Re Cat Price Index also tracks the underlying loss cost level, as measured by “loss on line.” This analysis provides insurance companies, equity analysts and investors with critical information to evaluate changes in the property catastrophe reinsurance market.

“We are delighted with the Willis and Thomson Reuters partnership,” said Yves Provencher, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Willis Re Analytics. “The Willis Re Catastrophe Price Index™ tracks the key metrics of reinsurance pricing using the latest in online catastrophe data dashboard technology. This innovative approach gives additional insight into the convergence of insurance and capital markets. We believe this analytical tool will prove to be very useful to market observers and participants.”

Andrew Hausman, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Fixed Income at Thomson Reuters, added: “Catastrophe bond supply is expected to pick up as costly disasters such as Hurricane Ike and heavy losses on investments combine to constrain capacity in the traditional reinsurance market. In this environment, the demand for more sophisticated pricing analysis will increase, and the Willis Re Catastrophe Price Index™ is designed to meet that demand. We are excited to offer this innovative analytical tool to our reinsurance and ILS community members.”

The Thomson Reuters Insurance Linked Securities portal is aimed at equipping participants at the convergence of Insurance and Capital Markets with the tools to gather in-depth information and collaborate with industry peers. The ILS portal uses Web 2.0 technologies and features professional interaction and networking capabilities. Intuitive networking tools enable members to create a personal profile and link up with clients, counterparties, contacts and colleagues involved in the transfer of insurance risk to alternative pools of capital. Members can also tap into the community to ask questions, provide comments, post reports or up-load research, creating a unique interactive resource for other professionals. The ILS portal can be found at http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/ils.

One of the world’s leading reinsurance brokers, Willis Re is known for its world-class, applied Analytics capabilities, which it combines with its Capital Markets and Reinsurance expertise in a seamless, integrated offering that helps clients increase the value of their businesses. Willis Re serves the risk management and risk transfer needs of a diverse, global client base that includes all of the world’s top insurance carriers. The broker’s global team of reinsurance experts offers services and advice that help clients make better reinsurance decisions, access worldwide capital markets and negotiate optimum terms.