Toll of the world reinsurance market

The decrease in financial products and the weak technical results on the world market in 2001 had a negative impact on a few international reinsurers in Standard & Poor's ratings.

Munich Re and Swiss Re., which were ranked the first two in 2000 by Standard & Poor in terms of total balance, fell back to the 10th and 14th positions. While the two groups recorded profits of respectively 29.8 million USD and 384.7 million USD in 2000, their loss was estimated at 1.6 billion USD and 1.7 billion USD in 2001.

However, according to a survey published by Standard & Poor on June 5, 2002, "Global Reinsurance Highlights 2002," both reinsurers maintain their position of leaders in terms of net issued premiums (16.6 billion for Munich Re, against 15.4 billion for Swiss Re).