Catastrophe bond

Also known as cat bonds, these are used as a way for insurance agents to transfer risks to investors. They are often attractive to investors because the risks (like that of an earthquake) are uncorrelated with the business cycle – and, hence, provide natural diversification. Cat bond is typically structured so that if a major natural catastrophe hits, the principal initially paid by the investors is forgiven and used by the sponsor (the insurer) to pay its claims to policyholders.