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Arch Capital net property cat premiums fall 27% in H1 2026
Arch Re reported net property catastrophe premiums of $699 million in H1 2026, down from $961 million in H1 2025, as it increased cessions to traditional reinsurance and third-party capital amid lower property cat rates.
Arch Capital reported a 27% decline in net property catastrophe reinsurance premiums over the first half of 2026, according to Artemis.
The Bermuda-headquartered re/insurer said property catastrophe net premiums dropped from $961 million in H1 2025 to $699 million in H1 2026. The company also cut the share of its underwriting book tied to net property cat from 22% in H1 2025 to 17.4% in H1 2026, Artemis reported.
In the second quarter, Arch Re’s net property cat premiums were $392 million, down 19% from $484 million in Q2 2025. The changes also showed up in Arch Capital’s 1-in-250 year probable maximum loss metric, which fell from 8.2% of shareholders equity or $1.892 billion at April 1 to 8.0% of equity or $1.828 billion as of July 1, 2026.
Arch CEO Nick Papadopoulos said premiums written were down 10% year over year in the quarter as clients retained more risk and competition lowered rates, particularly in property. Artemis added that Arch increased its cession to traditional reinsurance and third-party capital, which affected its net-to-gross ratio, while the company’s chief financial officer cited net premiums written down 10.4% year over year due to lower rates and higher retrocession purchases in specialty and property catastrophe lines.