Category: Other specialty · Reviewed by Simon Temme, Account Executive · Last reviewed 2026-06-05
Pool Reinsurance Company Limited is the formal corporate name of Pool Re, the UK mutual reinsurance scheme providing terrorism reinsurance to member insurers; the canonical full entry for the scheme’s structure, history, statutory basis and operations is at /wiki/pool-re/. This entry exists to disambiguate the formal name and to address readers searching for the company by its full name.
Category: Other specialty Also known as: Pool Re, Pool Reinsurance First codified: Reinsurance (Acts of Terrorism) Act 1993; Pool Reinsurance Company Limited established 1993 Related legislation: Reinsurance (Acts of Terrorism) Act 1993 [1]; Terrorism Act 2000 [2]; Companies Act 2006 [3]
Pool Reinsurance Company Limited is the formal corporate name of the company commonly known as Pool Re. The company is incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 as a private company limited by guarantee, with company registration number 02798901 at Companies House. Its registered office is in London and its members are UK commercial insurers writing UK commercial property terrorism cover [4][5].
The use of the formal name ‘Pool Reinsurance Company Limited’ is appropriate in formal legal documents, regulatory filings and Companies House records. In market practice, broker placements, underwriter quotations and policy schedules invariably use the abbreviated ‘Pool Re’ label. The two terms refer to the same entity [4][5].
The canonical encyclopedia entry for the scheme — covering its statutory basis, history, structure, current scope and operations — is at /wiki/pool-re/. This entry exists principally for readers searching for the company by its formal name and to ensure that the wiki cross-references both terminology forms [4][5].
The legal and regulatory basis for Pool Reinsurance Company Limited is the same as for Pool Re:
The Reinsurance (Acts of Terrorism) Act 1993 is the principal statutory basis, empowering HM Treasury to enter into reinsurance arrangements covering acts of terrorism [1].
The Companies Act 2006 governs the company’s corporate structure as a company limited by guarantee [3].
The Prudential Regulation Authority authorises Pool Re as an insurance undertaking, with the Financial Conduct Authority as conduct regulator. Solvency II prudential requirements apply with adaptations for the mutual nature and special characteristics of terrorism reinsurance [6].
The Terrorism Act 2000 (section 1) provides the legal definition of terrorism that informs the scheme’s coverage scope [2].
The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 and subsequent legislation have expanded the scheme’s scope at various points [7].
The market practice for Pool Re is described in detail at /wiki/pool-re/. In summary:
Pool Re members (essentially all UK commercial insurers writing UK commercial property terrorism cover) write terrorism cover to commercial property owners, with the terrorism exposure ceded to Pool Re under mandatory reinsurance arrangements [4][5].
Pool Re collects reinsurance premium from members, maintains reserves available to pay terrorism claims, and pays member insurers when qualifying events occur. The HM Treasury backstop sits behind Pool Re’s own resources [4][5].
The scheme has been progressively expanded since 1993 to address evolving terrorism threats including CBRN (2002), railway property (2018), cyber terrorism (2018) and Northern Ireland coverage (2018) [4][5].
This entry refers to the same scheme as /wiki/pool-re/. The variations of cover provided under the scheme are described in detail in that entry. The principal sub-classes are:
Pool Re main scheme: dominant terrorism reinsurance for UK commercial property.
CBRN extension: chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism cover.
Railway property extension: railway terrorism cover.
Cyber terrorism extension: cyber attacks meeting terrorism definitions.
Northern Ireland extension: cover for Northern Ireland.
Standalone non-Pool Re cover: private market terrorism cover for risks outside the Pool Re scheme.
A UK property investment company places terrorism cover for its commercial property portfolio as an extension to its property all risks programme. The cover is provided by a UK commercial insurer that is a member of Pool Reinsurance Company Limited, with the terrorism exposure ceded to Pool Re under the standard mandatory ceding arrangements. The terminology used in the policy schedule and supporting documentation is ‘Pool Re’ (the abbreviated form), but the formal counterparty for the reinsurance is Pool Reinsurance Company Limited (the formal corporate name). The substantive cover, claims handling and operational arrangements are described at the canonical entry /wiki/pool-re/.
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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