Scor has been looking at the business for some months but was still not sure whether there was any deal to be done, according to one person familiar with the situation. Any deal would be complicated and was likely to involve both buying assets and writing a reinsurance contract over older liabilities, which made it difficult to assess the profitability and capital costs of a deal.
Denis Kessler, chief executive of Scor, declined to confirm the talks as the group reported 2010 results on Tuesday, although he did say its strategic plan was to take on “biometric risks” as it grows its life industry exposure, which accounted for 40 per cent of operating profits last year.
スコールが火曜日に2010年の業績を報告した際、Denis Kessler最高経営責任者はそのような協議がなされたことを否定した。だが、生命保険関連のエクスポージャーが増加して昨年の営業利益の40パーセントを占めており、「バイオメトリックリスク」を引き受けるという戦略プランが示されたことは確かだ。
This is in contrast to the mainly investment-related risks that are attached to most US annuity products, which are savings products that usually provide some sort of return guarantee. Scor sold its US fixed annuity business last month to release capital for other life industry products.
Transamerica Re, which writes about $2bn in net premiums annually, has a significant annuity reinsurance business alongside its other mortality and capital release policy operations.
“We don’t know if Transamerica Re satisfies [our] acquisition criteria,” Mr Kessler told reporters.
トランスアメリカは、年間約20億ドルの純保険料を引き受けており、他のモータリティーおよび資本管理方針に基づく事業と並行して、重要な年金再保険事業を行っている。
「トランスアメリカが（私たちの）買収基準に適合しているかどうかはわからない」とKessler氏はレポーターに対して語った。
