GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, May 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLRE) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.  Greenlight Re reported net income of $8.4 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared to net income of $28.7 million for the same period in 2016.  Fully diluted net income per share for the first quarter of 2017 was $0.22, compared to $0.77 for the same period in 2016.

Fully diluted adjusted book value per share was $23.57 as of March 31, 2017, a 3.0% increase from $22.88 per share as of March 31, 2016.

“We were pleased with our January 1 renewals. Our underwriting portfolio grew during the quarter, as we continue to identify attractive opportunities and retain relationships with partners who are growing their businesses,” said Leonard Goldberg, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Greenlight Re. “The reinsurance market remains very competitive and we remain diligent in our underwriting and conservative in our growth expectations.”

Financial and operating highlights for Greenlight Re for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017 include:

• Gross written premiums of $197.2 million, an increase from $166.8 million in the first quarter of 2016; net earned premiums were $151.9 million, an increase from $138.1 million reported in the prior-year period.
• An underwriting loss of $0.2 million, compared to underwriting income of $3.7 million in the first quarter of 2016.
• A composite ratio for the three months ended March 31, 2017 of 97.4% compared to 93.8% for the prior-year period.  The combined ratio for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 100.1% compared to 97.3% for the prior-year period.
• Net investment income of $11.6 million, representing a gain of 0.9%, compared to net investment income of $28.4 million during the comparable period in 2016 when Greenlight Re reported a 2.5% gain.

“The investment environment remains challenging for our value investing strategy,” stated David Einhorn, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We continue to keep a conservative posture given the rising equity markets despite potential economic and political risks.”

Conference Call Details

Greenlight Re will hold a live conference call to discuss its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017 on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.  The conference call title is Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. First Quarter 2017 Earnings Call.

To participate in the Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. First Quarter 2017 Earnings Call, please dial in to the conference call at:

Telephone participants may avoid any delays by pre-registering for the call using the following link to receive a special dial-in number and PIN.

The conference call can also be accessed via webcast at:

A telephone replay of the call will be available from 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on May 3, 2017 until 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on May 10, 2017.  The replay of the call may be accessed by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (U.S. toll free) or 1-412-317-0088 (international), access code 10105313. An audio file of the call will also be available on the Company’s website, www.greenlightre.ky.

Regulation G

Fully diluted adjusted book value per share is considered a non-GAAP measure and represents basic adjusted book value per share combined with the impact from dilution of share based compensation including in-the-money stock options and RSUs as of any period end.  Book value is adjusted by subtracting the amount of the non-controlling interest in joint venture from total shareholders’ equity to calculate adjusted book value.  We believe that long term growth in fully diluted adjusted book value per share is the most relevant measure of our financial performance because it provides management and investors a yardstick by which to monitor the shareholder value generated.  In addition, fully diluted adjusted book value per share may be of benefit to our investors, shareholders and other interested parties to form a basis of comparison with other companies within the property and casualty reinsurance industry.

Net underwriting income (loss) is considered a non-GAAP financial measure because it excludes items used in the calculation of net income before taxes under U.S. GAAP.  The measure includes underwriting expenses which are directly related to underwriting activities as well as an allocation of other general and administrative expenses. Net underwriting income (loss) is calculated as net premiums earned, less net loss and loss adjustment expenses incurred, less, acquisition costs and less underwriting expenses. The measure excludes, on a recurring basis: (1) net investment income; (2) any foreign exchange gains or losses; (3) corporate general and administrative expenses; (4) other income (expense) not related to underwriting, and (5) income taxes and income attributable to non-controlling interest. We exclude net investment income and foreign exchange gains or losses as we believe these are influenced by market conditions and other factors not related to underwriting decisions. We exclude corporate general and administrative expenses because these expenses are generally fixed and not incremental to or directly related to our underwriting operations. We believe all of these amounts are largely independent of our underwriting process and including them distorts the analysis of trends in our underwriting operations. Net underwriting income should not be viewed as a substitute for U.S. GAAP net income.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements in the U.S. Federal securities laws. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made on behalf of the Company. These risks and uncertainties include the impact of general economic conditions and conditions affecting the insurance and reinsurance industry, the adequacy of our reserves, our ability to assess underwriting risk, trends in rates for property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, competition, investment market fluctuations, trends in insured and paid losses, catastrophes, regulatory and legal uncertainties and other factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd.

Greenlight Re (www.greenlightre.ky) is a NASDAQ listed company with specialist property and casualty reinsurance companies based in the Cayman Islands and Ireland.  Greenlight Re provides a variety of custom-tailored reinsurance solutions to the insurance, risk retention group, captive and financial marketplaces.  Established in 2004, Greenlight Re selectively offers customized reinsurance solutions in markets where capacity and alternatives are limited.  With a focus on deriving superior returns from both sides of the balance sheet, Greenlight Re’s assets are managed according to a value-oriented equity-focused strategy that complements the Company’s business goal of long-term growth in book value per share.