GREENSBORO, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI) announced that it has obtained nearly $452 million of indemnity reinsurance on a pool representing approximately $31 billion of mortgages from Bellemeade Re 2020-3 Ltd., a special purpose reinsurer. The coverage was obtained by issuing approximately $418 million in bonds and $34 million in direct reinsurance. This transaction covers a portfolio of MI policies linked to 112,274 loans insured by Arch MI and affiliates primarily from June through August of 2020.
This Mortgage Insurance-Linked Note (MILN) transaction is Arch’s third of 2020. Arch was the first mortgage insurer to complete a mortgage credit risk transfer (CRT) in the COVID-19 era and, combined, the three executions have netted over $1.5 billion of indemnity reinsurance in 2020. The most senior M-1A class of notes received an A2 rating by Moody’s Investors Service and a BBB (high) from DBRS Morningstar.
Bellemeade Re 2020-3 Ltd. is funding its reinsurance obligations through the issuance of five classes of amortizing notes with 10-year legal final maturities.
The notes consist of the following five classes:
- $83,412,000 class M-1A notes with a coupon equal to one-month LIBOR plus 200 basis points.
- $78,407,000 class M-1B notes with a coupon equal to one-month LIBOR plus 285 basis points.
- $134,696,000 class M-1C notes with a coupon equal to one-month LIBOR plus 370 basis points.
- $104,265,000 class M-2 notes with a coupon equal to one-month LIBOR plus 485 basis points.
- $17,378,000 class B-1 notes with a coupon equal to one-month LIBOR plus 635 basis points.
Additionally, a total of $33,658,000 was placed with a panel of reinsurers.
“Given the circumstances of 2020, completing our third Bellemeade transaction of the year was no small feat. I’m pleased that we were able to restart the MILN market in June and am encouraged by the recent offerings by other mortgage insurers,” said Jim Bennison, EVP, Alternative Markets for Arch MI. “Each subsequent Bellemeade deal of 2020 has had a lower attachment point than the previous, signaling that investors are increasingly comfortable taking on mortgage credit risk as they get more clarity on COVID-19’s effect on the housing market.”
About Arch MI
Arch MI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch Capital Group Ltd., is a leading provider of private insurance covering mortgage credit risk in the U.S. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, Arch MI’s mission is to protect lenders against credit risk, while extending the possibility of responsible home ownership to qualified borrowers. Arch MI’s flagship mortgage insurer, Arch Mortgage Insurance Company, is licensed to write mortgage insurance in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit archmi.com.
About Arch Capital Group Ltd.
Arch Capital Group Ltd., a Bermuda-based company with approximately $15.2 billion in capital at September 30, 2020, provides insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance on a worldwide basis through its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward−looking statements. This release or any other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of Arch Capital Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries may include forward−looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in or incorporated by reference in this release are forward−looking statements.
Forward−looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward−looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” or “continue” or their negative or variations or similar terminology. Forward−looking statements involve our current assessment of risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. A non-exclusive list of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward−looking statements includes the following: adverse general economic and market conditions; increased competition; pricing and policy term trends; fluctuations in the actions of rating agencies and the Company’s ability to maintain and improve its ratings; investment performance; the loss of key personnel; the adequacy of the Company’s loss reserves, severity and/or frequency of losses, greater than expected loss ratios and adverse development on claim and/or claim expense liabilities; greater frequency or severity of unpredictable natural and man-made catastrophic events, including pandemics such as COVID-19; the impact of acts of terrorism and acts of war; changes in regulations and/or tax laws in the United States or elsewhere; the Company’s ability to successfully integrate, establish and maintain operating procedures as well as integrate the businesses the Company has acquired or may acquire into the existing operations; changes in accounting principles or policies; material differences between actual and expected assessments for guaranty funds and mandatory pooling arrangements; availability and cost to the Company of reinsurance to manage the Company’s gross and net exposures; the failure of others to meet their obligations to the Company; changes in the method for determining the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and the potential replacement of LIBOR and other factors identified in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The foregoing review of important factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with other cautionary statements that are included herein or elsewhere. All subsequent written and oral forward−looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward−looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Arch Capital Services Inc.
Greg Hare, 336-333-0416
[email protected]