6.5 Goodwill

In accordance with IFRS 3 “Business Combinations” scheduled amortisation is not taken on goodwill. Goodwill was subject to an impairment test.

This item principally includes the goodwill from the acquisitions of E+S Rückversicherung AG as well as of the shares of Integra Insurance Solutions Limited and Glencar Underwriting Managers Inc. Goodwill equivalent to altogether EUR 28.8 million was added in the context of the acquisition of Argenta Holdings Limited.

For the purposes of the impairment test, the goodwill was allocated to the cash-generating units (CGUs) that represent the lowest level on which goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes. In the instances of goodwill recognised as at the balance sheet date, the CGUs are the respective business units/legal entities. The recoverable amount is established on the basis of the value in use, which is calculated using the discounted cash flow method. In this context, the detailed planning phase draws on the planning calculations of the CGUs/companies covering the next five years. These planning calculations represent the outcome of a detailed planning process in which all responsible members of management are involved and where allowance is made for the latest market developments affecting the relevant entity (in relation to the sector and the economy as a whole). The subsequent perpetuity phase is guided by the profit margins and revenue growth rates that management believes can be sustainably generated. The capitalisation rate is based on the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as well as growth rates that are considered realistic in light of the specific market environment. The risk-free basic interest rate is determined, where possible, using corresponding yield curve data from the respective national banks. If this data cannot be obtained or can only be obtained with a disproportionately high effort, reference is made to the yields of the respective 30-year government bonds. Both the yield curves and the government bonds reflect the current interest rate trend on financial markets. The selection of the market risk premium is guided by the current recommendations of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW). The beta factor is calculated for Hannover Rück SE on the basis of publicly accessible capital market data. The foreign exchange rates used for currency translation correspond to the situation on the balance sheet date.

The following capitalisation rates and growth rates were recognised for the individual cash-generating units:

Sensitivity analyses were performed in which the capitalisation rates as well as material and value-influencing items of the relevant planning calculations (such as premium volumes, investment income or loss ratios) were varied. In this context individual parameters were each varied within appropriate ranges that could be anticipated in view of the prevailing market circumstances and developments. It was established that in the event of changes in parameters within ranges that could reasonably occur, the values in use were in each case higher than the corresponding book values. We would also refer to our basic remarks in section 3.2 “Summary of major accounting policies”.