Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) Q3 2020 Earnings Conference Call - Final Transcript

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Third Quarter 2020 Arch Capital Group Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions]

Before the Company gets started with its update, management wants to first remind everyone that certain statements in today's press release and discussed on this call may constitute forward-looking statements under the federal securities laws. These statements are based upon management's current assessments and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. For more information on the risks and other factors that may affect future performance, investors should review periodic reports that are filed by the Company with the SEC from time-to-time.

Additionally, certain statements contained in the call that are not based on historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends the forward-looking statements in the call to be subject to the Safe Harbor created thereby.

Management also will make reference to some non-GAAP measures of financial performance. The reconciliation to GAAP and definition of operating income can be found in the company's current report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC yesterday, which contains the Company's earnings press release and is available on the Company's website.

I would now like to introduce your host for today's conference, Mr. Marc Grandisson and Mr. Francois Morin. Sirs, you may begin.

Good morning, Liz, and welcome to our third quarter earnings call on Halloween Eve. You're in for a treat. In our results, you can see tangible evidence of the advantages of the Arch model. By protecting our capital during the soft market years, we are well positioned as each of our segments leans into improving market conditions. Our underwriters are making the most of the hardening property and casualty market, while our mortgage insurance segment is benefiting from record mortgage origination activity this quarter.

This year, for the first time in nearly a decade, we've been able to grow significantly and deploy more capital in our P&C businesses that provide acceptable expected returns. And due to our strong financial position, we have accomplished this while maintaining a strong presence in MI, which continues to deliver meaningful returns.

Our ability to continually rebalance capital amongst our diverse businesses enhances our total underwriting returns. It also should decrease earnings volatility over time. Since our inception, we have believed in cycle management, and this strategy brings an added margin of safety to our collective underwriting activity.

Allow me to elaborate on our third quarter results by touching on three key themes; one, growth; two, margin improvement; and three, capital allocation. First, let's talk about growth. In this quarter, net written premiums in our P&C units grew 25% in total, 17% in insurance and 38% in reinsurance over the same period a year ago. This growth was driven by rate improvements, but also reflects our ability to increase our participation where clients needed additional capacity. In the insurance segment, we