Experience.

Charley Barr began his career as a commercial casualty underwriter, obtained his CPCU and Associate in Risk Management and began a 40 year in-house legal career.

He became General Counsel of several marquee re/insurers including General Reinsurance, General Accident and XL Capital as well as life re/insurers and derivative dealers.

He specializes in financial condition and holding company management along with counseling of underwriting and claims departments. He had early involvement in offshore reinsurance, captive re/insurers, tax planning of Bermuda re/insurers and engaging and disengaging with managing general underwriters and program managers.

He was General Counsel and Board Secretary to five publicly traded re/insurers. He has substantial experience with regulated investments, M&A of re/insurers and brokers, drafting of policies and PPMs for variable life and annuity insurers, and medical stop-loss re/insurers and assumed and ceded reinsurance departments. He is experienced with offshore re/insurers and ILS structures involving collateralized reinsurers, investment funds and catastrophe bonds.

His experience includes 20 years at insurers, 20 years at reinsurers and 4 years at reinsurance brokers.

Recent Engagements, Projects & Expertise

ILS Transactions

-        Cat Bonds, etc.

-        Collateralized re/insurance, including rent-a-captives

-        Protected cells; segregated accounts; segregated portfolios

-        Derivatives and “transformer” transactions (cell as ISDA counterparty or insurer; reinsurers bear the risk) 

Offshore re/insurers

-        Ownership, structure and protocols avoiding US taxation as a US trade or business

-        Coordinate the “Bermuda Advantage” (cede offshore; avoid tax on investment income) 

Treaty and Fac Reinsurance Agreements and wordings 

Stop-Loss and Managed Care Re/Insurance Programs, including use of offshore re/insurers 

Re/insurance Broker

-        Licensing and operational issues – domestic and non-US

-        Co-Broking and revenue sharing agreements

-        Finder agreements (insurers & MGAs) 

Surplus Lines – qualifications, transactions, taxation & compliance 

Litigation Management – claims against policyholders, insurers or reinsurers 

Dispute Management – active re/insurance arbitrator and umpire 

Investment Banking and Re/Insurance – US and international (UK, Ireland, Europe, Bermuda)

-        ILS, cat bonds, collateralized re/insurance, rent-a-captives

-        Financial advisory and consulting

-        Capital raising/structuring; rating agency interaction

-        Engagement Letter and indemnity negotiations 

Financial Condition & Holding Company

-        US insurance regulation, structuring and affiliate transactions

-        Holding company structure, transactions & dividend and surplus management 

Banking – regulated capital management transactions

            Bank Credit Risk Transfer (CRT) (US banking regulations)

            Bank Significant Risk Transfer (SRT) (European banking regulations) – Funded & Unfunded

            Government Sponsored Entity deals (Freddie, Fannie) 

Insurer and Holding Company Insolvencies

-        Florida insurers & others 

Life Re/Insurance – including Variable Universal Life and Deferred Variable Annuities

-        Policy and PPM drafting