
potential claims, and examined received claims. Although further development of reserves held
relating to the conflict are possible as court decisions materialise, reasonable provision for all claims
identified to date have been made. Exposures from conflict in the Middle East are not expected to be
material for the Syndicate, although further volatility and potential for broader region disruption could
have an impact. As with the rest of the industry, the Syndicate has assessed the impacts of both
economic and social inflation on the reserve adequacy of its liabilities. This has been conducted at a
product and coverage level to ascertain where any reserve strengthening was required. The Syndicate's
exposure to the California Wildfires is limited and falls within expectations. The California Wildfires
are not expected to be material for the Syndicate.
•
The execution of a LPT with Enstar during 2022 has provided additional protection in terms of the
reserves for all 2019 and prior years of claims. This agreement provides protection against significant
deterioration of prior accident year reserves up to $450m above the group reserves held at the time of
the transaction. The Syndicate can recover its share of losses so long as the Group reserve deterioration
does not exceed $450m. Should surpluses develop on 2019 and prior accident years then these
surpluses are also ceded under the LPT.
•
Market Risk: A degree of volatility has remained in the economic environment over the past year.
Market Risk will be very closely monitored over the coming 12 months, it is not expected to create a
major risk to the achievement of the Syndicate's plan.
•
Spread Risk: The price of a bond adjusts over time to reflect the spread required on similar new issues.
This movement up or down in spread therefore contributes to overall market risk and the Syndicate
calls this ‘spread risk’. The Syndicate includes within spread risk the risk that a security falls in value as
a result of being downgraded by a rating agency as this will cause the spread to increase. The risk of
actual default on interest or redemption as a special case of spread risk is included. Spread risk is
managed by maintaining the overall credit quality of the investment portfolio and by limiting exposure
to any single counterparty, sector, industry or geography.
•
Liquidity Risk: The Syndicate ensures that it retains sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities as they fall
due. This is primarily achieved through cash holdings and asset selection. The Syndicate considers and
regularly reports against liquidity stress events and its risk appetite is to meet the liquidity
requirements of these events.
•
Operational Risk: The Aspen group has been through a transformative program of change in recent
years, including the outsourcing of a number of processes and continues to work through a number of
improvement projects. Changes have brought numerous improvements across the operations of the
organization as a whole and will continue to do so as the change programme is completed. The
significant level of change and transformation activity across the Aspen Group is driving an elevated
level of Operational Risk related to process execution and administration. Financial reporting has
shown continuous improvement in the design and implementation of enhanced financial controls. This
progress enables functions such as outwa
rds reinsurance to better manage, mitigate, and control
operational risks. The Sompo Acquisition, which is discussed further in the Managing Agent's report, is
expected to elevate several Operational Risks in the near term. These risks are being actively
monitored and mitigated across the business, with minimal impacts observed so far.
•
A further area of operational risk which has been a challenge across the industry in recent years has
been the retention of staff and timely recruitment. The competitive employment market remains
challenging, leading to increased voluntary turnover, extended recruiting times, and higher salaries to
source and retain the right people, particularly for specialized positions. Achievement of the plan is
dependent on retaining key employees across underwriting and support functions. Loss of high-profile
individuals or underwriting teams has the potential to impact the Syndicate’s market standing and
reputation.
Risk Management Approach
The Syndicate maintains a Risk Universe which defines the different types of risk that it faces and how they are
monitored and measured. This framework has been applied and refined continuously and is approved each
year by the Board. The Syndicate operates an integrated enterprise-wide risk management strategy designed to
deliver shareholder value in a sustainable and efficient manner while providing a high level of policyholder
protection. The Syndicate's Risk and Capital Oversight Committee provides enhanced oversight of it's risk
management process. The execution of the integrated risk management strategy is based on:
Syndicate 4711
Report and accounts
31 December 2025
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