SCOR SE
French global reinsurance group providing property and casualty, life and health reinsurance, specialty insurance, and investment-management services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
SCOR SE is a French reinsurance group headquartered in Paris. The company provides reinsurance capacity and related risk-management services to insurers internationally, with its principal activities organized around property and casualty reinsurance, life and health reinsurance, specialty insurance, and investment management. Reinsurance allows primary insurers to transfer part of the risks they underwrite, helping them manage capital, claims volatility, catastrophe exposure, mortality and longevity risks, and the financial consequences of large or unusual losses. SCOR was created in Paris in 1970 with backing from the French government. Its original name was Société Commerciale de Réassurance, from which the acronym SCOR was derived. The company was established during a period when France sought to strengthen its own reinsurance capabilities and maintain a significant presence in an international market historically dominated by large global reinsurers. Over time, SCOR developed from a French institution into a broadly international group serving insurance markets across many jurisdictions. A major turning point came in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 1996, SCOR acquired the reinsurance business of Allstate, expanding its international platform. In 2002, after a period in which the company had come close to collapse, Denis Kessler became chairman and chief executive officer. Under Kessler's leadership, SCOR pursued a recovery and expansion strategy that included several acquisitions. These transactions included ReMark, Revios, Converium, Transamerica Re, and Generali US, strengthening the group's life, property and casualty, and international reinsurance capabilities. SCOR's business is generally presented through three principal operating areas. SCOR Global P&C covers property and casualty reinsurance, including risks associated with commercial and personal insurance portfolios. SCOR Global Life focuses on life reinsurance and related mortality, longevity, and health-related risks. SCOR Global Investments manages assets and supports the investment activities associated with the group. The company has also operated specialty-insurance activities through SCOR Business Solutions and SCOR Syndicate, extending its role beyond traditional treaty and facultative reinsurance. The group has used both conventional reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer structures. In 2019, SCOR purchased Coriolis Capital, an insurance-linked securities fund manager. The transaction, completed in September 2019, expanded SCOR's position in insurance-linked securities and increased the value of its ILS portfolio to more than $2 billion according to the cited reference material. Insurance-linked securities enable institutional investors to participate in insurance risks, particularly catastrophe-related exposures, through capital-market instruments and funds. SCOR has been publicly traded in Paris and has been included in French equity-market indices. In 2007, it became the first French listed company to use the SE suffix in its name, reflecting its legal form as a Societas Europaea, or European company. The company also delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in 2007 while retaining its Paris listing. Beyond its commercial activities, SCOR has supported research and the development of knowledge about risk. In 2011, it established the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science to support scientific research and work connected with risk-related knowledge. The foundation forms part of the group's broader effort to connect reinsurance practice with research into uncertainty, hazards, insurance, and risk measurement. SCOR is described in the reference material as one of the world's leading reinsurers and as the world's fourth-largest reinsurer. It has more than 3,000 employees and a presence in approximately 160 countries.
History
SCOR was founded in Paris in 1970 with the support of the French government. Its original name, Société Commerciale de Réassurance, supplied the acronym SCOR. The company was created to establish a substantial French presence in international reinsurance, a sector in which insurers transfer portions of their risks to specialist counterparties in exchange for premiums. During its early development, SCOR built an international reinsurance platform rather than remaining limited to the French market. The acquisition of Allstate's reinsurance business in 1996 marked an important expansion of its overseas activities. The transaction gave SCOR additional business and international reach at a time when global scale was becoming increasingly important in reinsurance. The company experienced a serious financial crisis before 2002 and was described in the reference material as having come close to collapse. Denis Kessler became chairman and chief executive in 2002 with a mandate to restore the company's performance and strengthen its position. His tenure was associated with a series of acquisitions, including ReMark, Revios, Converium, Transamerica Re, and Generali US. These purchases broadened SCOR's capabilities across life, property and casualty, and other reinsurance activities. SCOR's corporate structure developed around several major operating platforms. SCOR Global P&C handled property and casualty reinsurance, while SCOR Global Life focused on life reinsurance. SCOR Global Investments managed the group's investments and related asset-management activities. The group also included specialty-insurance operations such as SCOR Business Solutions and SCOR Syndicate. Together, these activities gave SCOR exposure to both traditional reinsurance and more specialized insurance markets. SCOR's public-market identity changed during the 2000s. Its shares traded in Paris and were included in French equity indices. In 2007, the company delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. That same year, it became the first French listed company to use the SE suffix in its name. The suffix identifies a Societas Europaea, a legal form intended for companies operating across European national boundaries. In 2011, SCOR created the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science. The foundation's purpose was to support scientific research and the advancement of knowledge concerning risk. This initiative reflected the technical and analytical nature of reinsurance, where underwriting decisions depend on the study of mortality, catastrophe exposure, climate and environmental hazards, financial volatility, and other forms of uncertainty. SCOR continued to expand into alternative forms of risk transfer. In May 2019, it purchased Coriolis Capital, an insurance-linked securities fund manager. The acquisition was completed in September 2019 and increased SCOR's insurance-linked securities portfolio to more than $2 billion according to the cited reference. Insurance-linked securities connect insurance risks with capital-market investors and can supplement the capacity available through conventional reinsurance. The reference material describes SCOR as one of the leading global reinsurers and as the world's fourth-largest reinsurer. It reports a presence in 160 countries and more than 3,000 employees. The group's modern identity is based on a combination of property and casualty reinsurance, life and health reinsurance, specialty insurance, and investment activities. SCOR primarily serves professional insurance and financial counterparties rather than retail consumers, and its role is to provide global risk capacity, diversification, technical expertise, and capital support. SCOR was established in France in 1970 and developed as a specialist reinsurance company. Its creation placed the business within the financial-services sector that supports insurers by assuming portions of their underwriting risks. Unlike a primary insurer, which generally contracts directly with policyholders, a reinsurer works mainly with insurance companies and other cedants. This gives reinsurance groups an important role in distributing risk across markets and balancing the effects of severe, infrequent, or difficult-to-predict events. Over time, SCOR's stated business scope came to encompass both property and casualty reinsurance and life and health reinsurance. These areas require different forms of underwriting and risk analysis. Property and casualty reinsurance concerns exposures such as damage to property, catastrophe losses, business interruption, and liability. Life and health reinsurance concerns demographic and medical risks, including mortality, longevity, and health-related claims. By operating across both broad segments, SCOR serves a range of insurance-sector needs rather than concentrating on a single class of risk. The group has an international operating model. Reinsurance is inherently global: insurers may seek capacity for portfolios exposed to multiple countries, while catastrophe and demographic risks can develop differently across regions. SCOR's international presence enables it to work with insurance clients in different markets, although the specific scope of its activities is shaped by local regulation, underwriting standards, contract terms, and market conditions. SCOR is headquartered in Paris and is publicly traded on Euronext Paris under the ticker SCR.PA. Its public-company status distinguishes the group from privately held specialist reinsurers and gives capital-market investors exposure to an international reinsurance business. The supplied reference material does not provide sufficiently detailed evidence for a full chronology of acquisitions, leadership changes, financial results, advertising campaigns, litigation, or other corporate events. Those topics are consequently left unpopulated rather than inferred.
- 2019
Coriolis Capital acquisition completed
[1]SCOR completes its acquisition of insurance-linked securities fund manager Coriolis Capital.
- 2011
SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science founded
[1]The company establishes a foundation supporting scientific research and risk-related knowledge.
- 2007
SCOR becomes an SE
[1]SCOR adopts the SE suffix, identifying the company as a Societas Europaea and becoming the first French listed company to use the designation.
- 2007
New York Stock Exchange delisting
[1]SCOR delists from the New York Stock Exchange while remaining listed in Paris.
- 2002
Denis Kessler takes leadership
[1]Denis Kessler becomes chairman and chief executive after a period of major financial difficulty.
- 1996
Allstate reinsurance business acquired
[1]SCOR acquires Allstate's reinsurance business, supporting the expansion of its international platform.
- 1970
SCOR is founded in Paris
[1]SCOR is established with backing from the French government under the name Société Commerciale de Réassurance.
- 1970
SCOR is established
[2]SCOR is founded in France and begins its development as a specialist reinsurance company.
Products and positioning
A globally diversified, professional reinsurance group positioned around financial strength, risk diversification, scientific risk knowledge, and solutions for both property-and-casualty and life-and-health insurers. An international specialist reinsurer serving insurance companies across property and casualty, life, and health risks.
Property and casualty reinsurance
SCOR Global P&C
SCOR Global P&C provides reinsurance for property and casualty risks. Its scope covers the risks held by primary insurers in areas such as property, commercial liability, personal lines, and other non-life portfolios. Reinsurance in this segment helps insurers manage accumulation, catastrophe exposure, claims volatility, and capital requirements. The business is a central part of SCOR's global reinsurance platform.
Life and health reinsurance
SCOR Global Life
SCOR Global Life provides life and health reinsurance solutions to insurance companies. The activity addresses risks associated with mortality, longevity, health-related claims, and life-insurance portfolios. By transferring selected risks to SCOR, primary insurers can obtain additional capacity and manage the financial variability of their portfolios. The life business is one of the group's principal operating lines.
Asset management
SCOR Global Investments
SCOR Global Investments manages assets connected with the group's reinsurance operations and investment activities. Its role supports the management of capital generated by premiums and reserves, subject to the liquidity, risk, and return requirements of a global reinsurer. The unit forms the investment-management component of SCOR's operating structure.
Specialty insurance
SCOR Business Solutions
SCOR Business Solutions is identified in the reference material as part of SCOR's specialty-insurance activities. It represents the group's participation in more specialized insurance and risk-transfer opportunities beyond its core property-and-casualty and life-reinsurance platforms.
Specialty insurance
SCOR Syndicate
SCOR Syndicate is identified as a specialty-insurance business within the SCOR group. The unit extends the group's participation in specialized underwriting structures and complements its conventional reinsurance activities.
Alternative risk transfer · 2019
Insurance-linked securities
SCOR participates in insurance-linked securities through its investment and alternative-risk-transfer activities. In 2019, the group acquired Coriolis Capital, an ILS fund manager. ILS structures allow insurance risks, particularly catastrophe-related exposures, to be distributed to capital-market investors and can supplement traditional reinsurance capacity.
Reinsurance
Property and casualty reinsurance
SCOR's property and casualty reinsurance activity provides risk-transfer capacity for non-life insurance portfolios. Depending on the contract, this area can address exposures associated with property damage, catastrophe events, liability, business interruption, and other general-insurance risks. Reinsurance enables primary insurers to share selected exposures and manage the effect of large or volatile losses.
Reinsurance
Life and health reinsurance
SCOR's life and health reinsurance activity supports insurers with risks linked to mortality, longevity, health, and related demographic or medical uncertainty. The business can help clients manage portfolio concentration, obtain additional capacity, and transfer selected insurance risks. Structures and coverage depend on the cedant's portfolio, jurisdiction, underwriting approach, and contractual terms.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science
Global
SCOR established a corporate foundation to support scientific research and the development of knowledge relating to risk, reflecting the analytical and research-intensive character of reinsurance. The foundation became part of SCOR's research and knowledge-development activities.
Outcome. The foundation became part of SCOR's research and knowledge-development activities.
Brand decisions
2019
Acquire Coriolis CapitalM&ABackground
SCOR sought to expand its insurance-linked securities and alternative-risk-transfer capabilities.
Action taken
SCOR purchased Coriolis Capital, an insurance-linked securities fund manager; the transaction was completed in September 2019.
Aftermath
The acquisition increased SCOR's insurance-linked securities portfolio to more than $2 billion according to the reference material.
Insurance-linked securities portfolio. More than $2 billion (2019, after completion of the Coriolis Capital acquisition)
2007
Adopt the Societas Europaea legal designationOtherBackground
SCOR operated across European and international insurance markets and changed its corporate designation.
Action taken
The company adopted the SE suffix in its name.
Aftermath
SCOR became the first French listed company to use the SE designation.
2007
Delist from the New York Stock ExchangeStrategyBackground
SCOR maintained a Paris listing while reviewing its public-market structure.
Action taken
The company delisted its shares from the New York Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
SCOR continued to be listed in Paris.
2002
Recovery and expansion under Denis KesslerStrategyBackground
SCOR had experienced severe financial difficulties and was described as having come close to collapse.
Action taken
Denis Kessler became chairman and chief executive and initiated a program focused on restoring financial performance, supported by subsequent acquisitions.
Aftermath
SCOR pursued a broader international position through acquisitions including ReMark, Revios, Converium, Transamerica Re, and Generali US.
1996
Acquire Allstate's reinsurance businessM&ABackground
SCOR was expanding its international reinsurance operations and sought additional scale and business reach.
Action taken
The company acquired the reinsurance business of Allstate.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened SCOR's international reinsurance platform.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
SCOR launches $200 million sidecar backed by Alecta[3]
Reported:
SCOR launched a $200 million catastrophe reinsurance sidecar backed by Alecta through a multi-year agreement, as part of SCOR's third-party capital strategy.
SCOR publishes interim financial report for the first half of 2020[4]
Reported:
SCOR announced the public release and filing with France's Autorité des marchés financiers of its interim financial report for the six months ended June 30, 2020.
SCOR closes Atlas Capital catastrophe bond[5]
Reported:
SCOR successfully sponsored the Atlas Capital Reinsurance 2020 DAC catastrophe bond, which closed on April 29, 2020, providing USD 200 million in multi-year risk transfer capacity to protect against storms in the U.S. and earthquakes in the U.S. and Canada.
Sources5 sources
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