Reinsurance Focus

Munich Re sued retrocessionaire ANICO based on ANICO’s refusal to pay over $4 million allegedly due under excess loss policies issued to Munich Re to provide retrocessional cover on Munich Re’s reinsurance of Everest National’s workers compensation program. After discovery closed, ANICO counterclaimed for rescission, alleging that facts revealed in discovery demonstrated that Munich Re failed to abide by its duty of utmost good faith or uberrimae fidei by failing to disclose its own internal loss calculations that ANICO claimed would have been material to ANICO’s decision to issue the retrocessional policies. The parties cross-moved for summary judgment on ANICO’s counterclaim for rescission and Munich Re moved for summary judgment on aspects of its breach of contract and declaratory judgment claims.

The federal district court denied the parties’ cross-motion on ANICO’s rescission counterclaim, holding that there were issues of fact regarding whether ANICO reasonably would have considered Munich Re’s internal loss calculations material and, further, whether Munich Re should have known that ANICO would have deemed this information material. With respect to Munich Re’s breach of contract claim, the court rejected ANICO’s argument that Munich Re’s alleged failure to provide timely notice precluded recovery, finding that timely notice was not required under the parties’ agreements and, further, that ANICO could show no prejudice. The court granted Munich Re summary judgment with respect to its interpretation of the agreements’ retention provisions. As none of these decisions entirely disposed of the case, it remains pending in federal district court. Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. v. American National Insurance Co., Case No. 09-6435 (USDC D.N.J. Sept, 28, 2012).

This post written by Ben Seessel.

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