What Gen Re does

Gen Re is a global property/casualty and life/health reinsurer operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 1998. The company traces its origin to Cologne Re, founded in 1846, making it the world's oldest reinsurer, and has provided U.S.-based reinsurance services since 1921. Gen Re serves primary insurance companies on both a treaty and facultative basis through two core lines: Life & Health reinsurance (individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, individual disability, critical illness, long-term care) and Property & Casualty reinsurance (property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, and emerging exposures such as PFAS and climate risk). It supports these core offerings with proprietary underwriting technology platforms including SOURCE-Life, SOURCE-DI, and SOURCE-CI underwriting manuals, the Compass Underwriting Engine, Gen Re Connect for facultative placements, FacWorld for international Life/Health clients, and a SharePoint-based B2B collaboration environment, as well as training programs such as the Behavioral Economics Academy, Claims Academy, and Business School.

The company operates through approximately 2,150 associates across 22 countries and 36 offices, with U.S. headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and European headquarters in Cologne, Germany. Gen Re monetizes through reinsurance premiums collected from ceding insurers, generating $14.8 billion in net premiums written against a $20.0 billion capital base. Distribution is entirely direct B2B — no brokers or intermediaries are used — with dedicated underwriters organized by line (National/Multinational Treaty, Regional/Specialty, Property, Casualty, Auto/Motor, Specialty) and by geography. Ancillary revenue includes investment management services through subsidiary New England Asset Management (NEAM), direct life insurance products via IdeaLife Insurance Co., and UK specialty insurance/reinsurance via Faraday. The customer base consists exclusively of primary insurance carriers, with customer identities not publicly disclosed. Knowledge-based marketing through the Gen Re Knowledge Center, industry publications, events, webinars, and training programs serves as the primary commercial engagement mechanism, reinforcing the company's positioning around long-term underwriting discipline backed by Berkshire Hathaway's capital strength.

Name

Gen Re

Legal name

General Re Corporation

Website

https://genre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Gen Re is a global property/casualty and life/health reinsurer and wholly-owned Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, providing treaty and facultative reinsurance to primary insurers across 22 countries via proprietary underwriting platforms and direct enterprise relationships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reinsurance

NAICS

Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411)

SIC

Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

Reinsurance Solutions for Group Benefits (Group Life, Group Disability, Supplemental Health) (FSAOAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAA), Morbidity / Health Reinsurance (Medical & Disability) (FSAOAAAC), Long-Term Care (LTC) Reinsurance (FSAOAAAE)

Keywords

• Reinsurance services
• Property casualty reinsurance
• Life health reinsurance
• Underwriting platforms
• Risk transfer solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Reinsurance Premiums: Gen Re generates revenue through reinsurance premiums written on both a treaty and facultative basis for Life & Health and Property & Casualty insurance lines. Premiums are earned through risk transfer arrangements where primary insurers cede risk in exchange for premium payments.
2. Net Premiums Written: The company reported $14.8 billion in net premiums written, representing the total reinsurance premiums collected from ceding insurers across all lines of business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gen Re provides treaty and facultative reinsurance solutions to primary insurance companies across Property & Casualty and Life & Health lines, including property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, individual disability, and critical illness. The company delivers these services backed by proprietary underwriting platforms, digital placement portals (Gen Re Connect, FacWorld, Loss Memo), and analytics tools (Critical Illness Data Insights).

Product overview

Gen Re operates as a global reinsurance company providing two core product lines — Life & Health Reinsurance and Property & Casualty Reinsurance — under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella. The Life & Health division covers individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, and individual disability, supported by SOURCE-Life, SOURCE-DI, and SOURCE-CI digital underwriting manuals, the FacWorld placement platform, Critical Illness Data Insights analytics, and training through the Behavioral Economics Academy, Claims Academy, and Business School. The P&C division offers property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, and claims services, plus the Gen Re Connect facultative platform and Loss Memo claims tool. Gen Re also publishes PHi (Haftpflicht international), a German-language liability publication, and operates New England Asset Management (NEAM) for insurance industry investment management. The company had $20.0 billion in capital and $14.8 billion in net premiums written as of the reported period, with 2,150 associates across 22 countries and 36 offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New England Asset Management (NEAM): Comprehensive investment management services tailored for the global insurance industry, supporting ESG implementation in investment portfolios
• SOURCE-Life
• SOURCE-DI
• SOURCE-CI
• PHi
• IdeaLife Insurance Co.

Products and services

• Property & Casualty Reinsurance Full range of reinsurance products for property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, and specialty lines, supported by claims services, mutual company expertise, and emerging exposure coverage.
• Life & Health Reinsurance Comprehensive reinsurance solutions covering individual life, group life and AD&D, Medicare supplement, and individual disability products, supported by underwriting, claims, analytics, and client solutions services.
• SOURCE-Life Underwriting Manual Life underwriting manual and reference tool used by clients to make life reinsurance underwriting decisions.
• SOURCE-DI Underwriting Manual Individual Disability Income underwriting manual, including the Financial Guide reference manual, used for disability reinsurance underwriting.
• SOURCE-CI Underwriting Manual Critical Illness underwriting manual used for CI reinsurance underwriting decisions.
• Gen Re Connect Customized web application for clients to place Facultative Programs reinsurance business electronically.
• FacWorld Platform for Life/Health International clients to place reinsurance business.
• Loss Memo (Report a Claim) Online loss memo tool enabling clients to report claims to Gen Re.
• Critical Illness Data Insights Analytics platform empowering participants with knowledge of Critical Illness experience across the Asian market.
• New England Asset Management (NEAM) Investment management services tailored for the global insurance industry, supporting ESG implementation within client investment portfolios.
• IdeaLife Insurance Co. Life insurance product brand offered under the Gen Re portfolio.
• PHi (Haftpflicht international) Specialized German-language publication covering international liability issues including product liability, environmental liability, D&O, and professional liability, available by subscription.
• Behavioral Economics Academy Training program for life and health underwriting professionals covering behavioral economics principles applied to insurance underwriting and claims decisions.
• Claims Academy Training program for life and health claims professionals.
• Business School Comprehensive education and training programs including medical underwriting, reinsurance fundamentals, management and leadership courses, and certification programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% of US insurers now use automation in group medical underwriting with capability for automatic coverage approval
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Munich Re: World's largest reinsurer and Gen Re's closest competitor; offers treaty and facultative reinsurance across life, health, and P&C lines globally. Both are German-domiciled with deep P&C and L&H franchises, making Munich Re the primary benchmark for Gen Re's performance.
• Swiss Re: Second-largest global reinsurer with comparable L&H and P&C product breadth; competes head-to-head in treaty and facultative placements and shares similar client base of primary insurers across all major geographies.
• Hannover Re: Major German-domiciled reinsurer with strong P&C and L&H treaty capabilities, frequently partnering with primary insurers in ceded reinsurance structures that overlap directly with Gen Re's offerings.
• RGA (Reinsurance Group of America): Pure-play life and health reinsurer; the closest specialist comparison to Gen Re's L&H division, with similar underwriting manual culture and individual life/group reinsurance expertise.
• SCOR SE: French global reinsurer offering both L&H and P&C treaty and facultative products; competes with Gen Re in European and international markets, particularly in life reinsurance and specialty P&C lines.
• Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group: Sister company under Berkshire Hathaway, also writing global P&C and life reinsurance. Shares parent capital base and underwriting philosophy; competes and collaborates within the Berkshire ecosystem.
• Everest Re: Bermuda-domiciled reinsurer focused on P&C treaty and facultative reinsurance; comparable to Gen Re's P&C division in product mix and target client base of US primary insurers.
• RenaissanceRe: Bermuda specialty reinsurer with strength in property catastrophe and specialty lines; competes with Gen Re in P&C facultative placements and large-risk treaty arrangements.

Broad incumbents

• Lloyd's of London: Specialty insurance and reinsurance market offering broad product coverage through syndicates; competes with Gen Re in specialty P&C lines, marine, and aviation but operates through a unique subscription-market structure.
• AIG (American International Group): Large global insurer with reinsurance and direct insurance operations across L&H and P&C; Charlie Shamieh previously held senior roles at AIG, illustrating industry cross-pollination with Gen Re's leadership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gen_Re
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gen-re

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gen Re