The Effects of Host Country factors on the Internationalization of the U.S. reinsurance Industry

Reinsurance premium receipts from overseas countries to firms domiciled in the United States increased 207% during the years 1987 to 1999. It is important to understand the characteristics of countries that exhibit a rapid increase in imports of U.S. reinsurance services. This study found that U.S. reinsurance exports take place to countries with large markets and a higher per capita income and insurance prices, wherein there exists bilateral trade, and where local firms operate internationally. Contrary to expectations, the cultural distance between the U.S. and the host country was not found to have significant influence on U.S. reinsurance operations.