General Re
General Re (Gen Re) is a global reinsurer providing Property & Casualty and Life & Health reinsurance solutions to primary insurance companies. The wholly-owned Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary operates 36 offices across 22 countries with $20 billion in capital and $14.8 billion in net premiums written.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1921
- HeadquartersStamford, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What General Re does
General Re (Gen Re) is a global reinsurance provider that underwrites Property & Casualty and Life & Health risks on behalf of primary insurance companies. The company operates through two core segments: Property & Casualty Reinsurance (covering property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, and emerging exposures) and Life & Health Reinsurance (covering individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, individual disability, and long-term care). Distribution is direct-to-insurer via relationship-based sales through 36 offices in 22 countries, supported by 2,150 associates and underwriting teams organized by region and product.
Gen Re's technology and product stack is anchored by proprietary underwriting manuals, electronic placement platforms for facultative and treaty business (Gen Re Connect, FacWorld), and digital tools for claims handling including the Depression Claims Wizard. The firm layers advisory and education services on top of these platforms — medical underwriting, analytics, industry market research surveys (Group Term Life Market Survey, Next Gen Underwriting Survey), a Business School, Behavioral Economics Academy, and Claims Academy — and supports insurer clients with consulting and asset management services through New England Asset Management (NEAM).
Gen Re traces its German roots to 1849 (Cologne Re, the world's oldest reinsurer) and its U.S. operations to 1921. It has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 1998, with Kara Raiguel serving as President and CEO and Charlie Shamieh as Chairman. As of the most recent disclosure, the company carries $20 billion in capital and $14.8 billion in net premiums written, employs approximately 2,150 associates, and operates the main international risk carrier through General Reinsurance AG (Cologne). Pricing is quote-based and bespoke for each ceding arrangement, with multi-year contract terms.
General Re firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- General Re
- Legal name
- General Reinsurance Corporation
- Website
- https://genre.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1921
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- General Re (Gen Re) is a global reinsurer providing Property & Casualty and Life & Health reinsurance solutions to primary insurance companies. The wholly-owned Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary operates 36 offices across 22 countries with $20 billion in capital and $14.8 billion in net premiums written.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
General Re industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Reinsurance
- NAICS
- Reinsurance Carriers (524130)
- SIC
- Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Accident & Health Insurance (6321), Life Insurance (6311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reinsurance Solutions for Group Benefits (Group Life, Group Disability, Supplemental Health) (FSAOAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Liability Reinsurance (FSAOABAD), Morbidity / Health Reinsurance (Medical & Disability) (FSAOAAAC), Professional Liability (E&O) Reinsurance (FSAOADAH), Long-Term Care (LTC) Reinsurance (FSAOAAAE)
Keywords
Where General Re is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stamford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
General Re business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Property & Casualty Reinsurance: Provides reinsurance coverage for property, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, and other P&C risks. Revenue is generated through premium payments for assumed reinsurance risks, both on a treaty and facultative basis.
- Life & Health Reinsurance: Provides reinsurance for individual life, group life, disability, critical illness, Medicare supplement, and long-term care products. Revenue comes from reinsurance premiums and risk assumption fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Reinsurance Arrangements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
General Re product offering
Product offeringCore offering
General Re (Gen Re) is a global reinsurance provider that assumes portions of insurance risk from primary insurance companies. It operates two core segments: Property & Casualty Reinsurance (covering property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines and emerging exposures on both treaty and facultative bases) and Life & Health Reinsurance (covering individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, individual disability, and critical illness). The company supports these reinsurance arrangements with specialized underwriting manuals, claims handling, medical services, analytics, market research, and training academies.
Product overview
Gen Re operates as a global reinsurance provider organized around two core business segments: Property & Casualty Reinsurance (covering property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, claims, consulting, and emerging exposures) and Life & Health Reinsurance (covering individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, and disability with products, underwriting, claims, and analytics). The company supports its reinsurance operations with digital platforms including SOURCE-Life, SOURCE-DI, and SOURCE-CI underwriting manuals, FacWorld for international business placement, and Gen Re Connect for facultative programs. Training and education offerings include the Business School with programs in behavioral economics, claims management, medical underwriting, and leadership. Specialized services encompass medical services, data analytics, market research surveys, and the PHi publication covering international liability topics. New England Asset Management provides investment services for insurance clients. The company is a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary with 2,150 associates across 36 offices in 22 countries, $20 billion in capital, and $14.8 billion in net premiums written.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Property & Casualty Reinsurance Comprehensive reinsurance solutions for primary insurers covering property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines, and emerging exposures, structured as treaty (portfolio) and facultative (individual risk) arrangements and supported by expert underwriting and claims teams.
- Life & Health Reinsurance Reinsurance products and services for primary insurers covering individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, and individual disability, including products, underwriting, client solutions, claims handling, and analytics.
- Facultative Reinsurance Placement (Gen Re Connect) Customized web application enabling clients to submit and manage facultative reinsurance programs.
- FacWorld International Reinsurance Platform International client platform enabling Life/Health clients to place reinsurance business electronically across borders.
- New England Asset Management (NEAM) Investment management services tailored for the global insurance industry, including ESG implementation in client investment portfolios.
- IdeaLife Insurance Co. Wholly-owned life insurance underwriting platform for placing reinsurance business internationally.
- Gen Re Consulting Services Advisory services for Property & Casualty insurers covering risk assessment and business strategy.
- Gen Re Market Research and Surveys Industry research and survey programs providing market intelligence, including the Group Term Life Market Survey and Next Gen Underwriting Survey.
- Gen Re Business School Comprehensive education and training programs for insurance professionals, including Certified Underwriting Specialist, Global Client Reinsurance Course, medical underwriting program, and management & leadership courses.
- Gen Re Behavioral Economics Academy Training program for Life & Health professionals focused on behavioral economics applications in insurance.
- Gen Re Claims Academy Specialized training program for claims professionals in the Life & Health segment.
- P&C PRIME: Primary Insurance Management Exercise Primary Insurance Management Exercise training program for P&C insurance professionals.
- Depression Claims Wizard Digital tool designed to assist claims assessors in understanding and managing depression-related claims assessments.
- PHi (Haftpflicht international) Publication Specialized liability publication covering product liability, environmental liability, D&O, and professional liability developments, published in German.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 85 MTCO2e emissions saved annually through cloud migration (90% reduction vs on-premise)
Companies that use General Re
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
General Re technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
General Re partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Tokio Marine HoldingscoreBerkshire Hathaway's National Indemnity Company is acquiring a 2.5% stake in Tokio Marine Holdings and assuming a portion of its net non-life premiums through a ten-year Whole Account Quota Share reinsurance arrangement commencing April 1, 2026. This is a Berkshire Hathaway-level partnership involving Gen Re's parent company.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
General Re competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lloyd's of London: Specialty insurance and reinsurance marketplace competing with Gen Re across marine, aviation, casualty, and specialty lines through its syndicate structure.
- Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group: Berkshire Hathaway's other reinsurance operations (including National Indemnity Company) compete with and complement Gen Re within the parent's portfolio. The Tokio Marine quota share was structured through this sibling entity.
Direct peers
- TransRe: Specialty and P&C reinsurer with comparable facultative and treaty capabilities, directly competing with Gen Re across professional liability, casualty, and specialty lines.
- Munich Re: The world's largest reinsurer, offering both Life & Health and Property & Casualty reinsurance globally. Direct competitor to Gen Re across treaty, facultative, and specialty lines with similar client base of primary insurers.
- Swiss Re: Global reinsurer with parallel L&H and P&C reinsurance franchises and similar Century-old heritage. Competes head-to-head with Gen Re for large cedent relationships across North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Hannover Re: One of the world's largest reinsurance groups, headquartered in Germany like Gen Re's Cologne entity. Competes directly in P&C and L&H treaty and facultative reinsurance with overlapping European cedent base.
- SCOR: French global reinsurer with L&H and P&C segments. Directly comparable to Gen Re in scale, geographic spread, and product mix, competing for the same primary insurer cedents.
- RGA (Reinsurance Group of America): Pure-play global life and health reinsurer competing with Gen Re's L&H segment on individual life, group life, disability, and long-term care reinsurance.
- Everest Re: Bermuda-based global P&C reinsurer with comparable treaty and facultative offerings. Competes with Gen Re for U.S. and international P&C reinsurance business across similar specialty lines.
- PartnerRe: Multi-line global reinsurer offering P&C and specialty reinsurance, directly competing with Gen Re for treaty and facultative placements across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
General Re social profiles
Digital presenceGeneral Re financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
General Re leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
General Re subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
General Re funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
General Re M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about General Re
What does General Re do?
General Re (Gen Re) is a global reinsurance provider that assumes portions of insurance risk from primary insurance companies. It operates two core segments: Property & Casualty Reinsurance (covering property, engineering, marine, casualty, auto/motor, specialty lines and emerging exposures on both treaty and facultative bases) and Life & Health Reinsurance (covering individual life, group life, AD&D, Medicare supplement, individual disability, and critical illness). The company supports these reinsurance arrangements with specialized underwriting manuals, claims handling, medical services, analytics, market research, and training academies.
Is General Re a public or private company?
General Re is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was General Re founded?
General Re was founded in 1921. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is General Re based?
General Re is headquartered in Stamford, United States, in the North America region.
How does General Re make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Property & Casualty Reinsurance is the primary driver. The others are life & Health Reinsurance.
Who are General Re's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lloyd's of London and Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group. Direct peers are TransRe, Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re, SCOR, RGA (Reinsurance Group of America), Everest Re and PartnerRe.
Does General Re have an API?
No public API is recorded for General Re.
What industry is General Re in?
General Re's product category is Reinsurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAOAAAH, Reinsurance Solutions for Group Benefits (Group Life, Group Disability, Supplemental Health), with a secondary code of FSAOABAD, General Liability Reinsurance. Its NAICS code is 524130 and its SIC code is 6331.