AIR Client Support

The Universal Cession Electronic Data Exchange, or UNICEDE^�, is the de facto industry standard for distributing exposure data between companies ceding and assuming natural hazard risk. UNICEDE files are routinely included in reinsurance submission packages because virtually all reinsurers use this data in CATRADER^� to estimate a ceding company's potential catastrophe losses. UNICEDE files are also used by a variety of non-AIR software applications.

Developed in 1993 in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, the UNICEDE data format was originally designed for the exchange of aggregate sums-insured data between US primary insurance companies and their global reinsurers. Since then, in response to market feedback, AIR has continued to enhance the UNICEDE family of data transfer formats and has developed services to facilitate their use. These include:

UNICEDE^�/2 (for worldwide aggregate treaty exposures)
UNICEDE^�/px (for detailed primary/direct business exposures)
UNICEDE^�/fx (for detailed facultative business exposures)
www.unicede.com (a free website dedicated to supporting the standards)
UNICEDECheck (a web-based service for checking the formatting of UNICEDE^� files)

There are a number of reasons for the successful adoption of UNICEDE:

The data standard is easy to understand
The exposure data is relatively easy to assemble
The geographic area codes are widely understood, globally accepted and therefore easy to implement
The data file can be created using virtually any tool, from a simple spreadsheet application to a complex database management system
The data files are compact and easy to transmit electronically
Free, reliable website (www.unicede.com) is devoted to helping all players, including insurers, intermediaries, reinsurers, and modelers, to produce, check, and successfully use the UNICEDE data standard

UNICEDE/2, introduced in 1995, enables the exchange of more comprehensive aggregate exposure data by accepting several different types of exposure information, such as sums insured, premiums and number of risks, in many major markets, such as North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

UNICEDE/px (detailed data for primary business) and UNICEDE/fx (detailed data for facultative business) are used to exchange detailed exposure data between participating entities. The data can be used any application, including CLASIC/1� or CLASIC/2�. These formats capture policy-specific information, such as limits and deductibles, by coverage and peril. They also capture site-specific information such as construction type and occupancy, as well as information on a structure's individual risk characteristics, when such information is available. The format is logically organized and flexible, accommodating whatever level of detail your data represents.