Write-back
Contractual mechanism by which certain risks initially excluded from a policy are partially or fully written back into cover through a specific clause or endorsement.
Write-back is the mechanism by which an exclusion clause is paired with an exception that restores coverage for a subset of risks initially excluded. Under the LMA cyber war clauses, write-back is the level of residual coverage that the insurer agrees to maintain despite the main exclusion. The write-back scale runs from 0 (total exclusion, LMA 5564) to 3 (widest coverage with bystanding write-back, LMA 5567A). For LMA 5565, write-back is capped by sub-limits to be specified in the contract. For LMA 5566 and 5567, the clause itself sets no specific cap, and the policy limit applies. For property policies (LMA 5400), write-back covers only physical damage caused by fire or explosion resulting from a non-malicious cyber incident. The extent of write-back is a key commercial parameter: too narrow, it strips the policy of value for the insured; too broad, it exposes the insurer to accumulation on cyber war claims. Negotiating write-back shapes the relationship between the insured, its broker and the Lloyd's market.
Hypothetical case: a multinational industrial company negotiates a cyber policy covering state-backed cyber operations under LMA 5567A. It benefits from the bystanding write-back for its plants located outside any impacted state. Had its broker accepted the Hamilton variant, this write-back would have been removed, significantly reducing the policy's value for a company with an international footprint.
write-back, write back, reinstatement of cover
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