Category: Captives & ART · Reviewed by Jake Leat, Associate Director · Last reviewed 2026-06-05
Captive reinsurance is the reinsurance protection purchased by a captive insurance company from the commercial reinsurance market, providing excess-of-loss protection for the captive’s net underwriting exposure. It is an essential component of virtually every captive insurance programme, providing the capital relief and loss protection necessary for the captive to operate at modest capital levels relative to its gross exposure.
Category: Captives and alternative risk transfer Also known as: Captive reinsurance arrangement, Captive cession Related concepts: Captive insurance company, Single parent captive, Bermuda reinsurance market, Reinsurance
A captive insurance company typically retains a specified portion of each insured loss (the captive’s net retention) and reinsures the excess into the commercial reinsurance market. The reinsurance can be structured as quota share (proportional, with the reinsurer taking a defined percentage of every loss), excess-of-loss (non-proportional, with the reinsurer paying losses above a defined retention), aggregate excess (paying losses above a defined annual aggregate retention), or stop-loss (paying losses above a defined loss ratio).
Captive reinsurance arrangements are governed by the same legal framework as commercial reinsurance — common law of contract, supplemented by the Insurance Act 2015 (for non-consumer English law contracts), the Marine Insurance Act 1906 (as modified), and reinsurance-specific provisions. The captive’s domicile regulator applies solvency capital requirements that take credit for the reinsurance, typically subject to the reinsurer being rated by an approved rating agency or providing collateral. Solvency II / Solvency UK formulae include reinsurance credit calculation rules.
A typical UK FTSE 250 single parent captive in Guernsey would write the group’s UK employer’s liability and public liability programme with a £5m retention per claim, reinsuring the excess to £100m through a tower of reinsurers led by Lloyd’s syndicates and supported by Bermuda and continental European reinsurers. The captive’s net loss exposure per claim is limited to the £5m retention; the captive’s capital requirement is calibrated to the net exposure plus a safety margin. Reinsurance premiums typically represent 30-60% of the captive’s gross written premium, with the balance being the captive’s net premium against its own net exposure.
Excess-of-loss reinsurance protects against severity. Quota share reinsurance protects against frequency and provides capital relief. Aggregate reinsurance protects against accumulation of moderate losses. Stop-loss reinsurance protects against catastrophic deterioration. Most captives use a combination structured by line of business and exposure.
A UK retailer’s Guernsey single parent captive writing £25m of EL and PL premium with a £5m per-occurrence retention: the captive purchases an XL reinsurance programme of £95m xs £5m, layered as £15m xs £5m (first excess), £30m xs £20m (second excess), and £50m xs £50m (third excess) with separate reinsurer panels for each layer. Reinsurance premium of approximately £12m is paid by the captive to the reinsurance market, leaving the captive net of £13m to cover its own net retention exposure plus expenses and margin.
This entry is part of the Apex Insurance Wiki. Last reviewed by Matt Bartlett on 2026-06-05. Next review: 2026-12-05.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 724952. Registered in England and Wales, Companies House 07014570. This entry provides general information about UK insurance concepts and is not regulated advice. Consult your insurance broker on your specific position.
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