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Strategic debt

We define as strategic debt all borrowing with the character of outside financing that does not have a direct link with our operative business. It supplements our equity and is essentially designed to reduce the cost of capital and ensure that we have sufficient liquidity at all times.

Our strategic debt as at 31 December 2009 is made up as follows:
Strategic debt 31.12.2009 Prev. year
€m    
Subordinated bonds of Munich Reinsurance Company, Munich 4,693 4,902
Senior notes of Munich Re America Corporation, Princeton 276 302
Bank borrowing of Munich Reinsurance Company, Munich 174
Subordinated bonds of Bank Austria Creditanstalt Versicherung AG, Vienna 67 60
Subordinated bonds of HSB Group Inc., Delaware 30
Bank borrowing of Munich Re America Corporation, Princeton 180
Subordinated bonds of The Midland Company, Cincinnati 17
Other 62 79
Total 5,302 5,540

In 2009, we reduced our strategic debt by buying back and retiring outstanding bonds with a nominal value of around €268m. The bank borrowing of Munich Re America Corporation was transferred to Munich Reinsurance Company in January 2009.

As at 31 December 2009, our debt leverage was 19.2%, down 1.6 percentage points on the previous year.
  31.12.2009 Prev. year
€m    
Strategic debt 5,302 5,540
Group equity 22,278 21,107
Total 27,580 26,647
Debt leverage 19.2% 20.8%

The subordinated bonds are recognized in part as own funds by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). When this is considered in calculating the strategic debt, the latter is reduced to €1,838m and the debt leverage amounts to only 7.6%.