• Highest Group net income in Hannover Re’s history
• Very good result in property and casualty reinsurance
• Major loss expenditure below the expected level
• Further improvement in the profitability of life and health reinsurance delivers pleasing contribution to Group net income
• Good investment income despite challenging conditions
• Further strengthening of capital base
• Return on equity unchanged year-on-year at 14.7%

We are highly satisfied with the development of our business in the 2015 financial year. Once again, we succeeded in beating the previous year’s record profit: we booked the highest-ever Group net income in company history – at EUR 1,150.7 million (previous year: EUR 985.6 million) – and surpassed the one billion euro threshold for the first time. All business groups played a part in this result, which is all the more gratifying in view of the fact that market conditions for reinsurers remain challenging and the protracted low level of interest rates is also limiting our scope to generate returns on the investment side. While Group net income was assisted by major loss expenditure below the planned budget and a positive special effect in life and health reinsurance, the strength of the result is also borne out by the sustained very good confidence level of our loss reserves.

Please find below a brief summary of the development of our two business groups – Property & Casualty and Life & Health reinsurance – and our investments. More detailed information is to be found here.