Reinsurance

The following tables summarize the effect of reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance on premiums written and earned.



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019									2018
(dollars in thousands)	Direct		Assumed		Ceded			Net Premiums		Direct		Assumed		Ceded			Net Premiums
Underwriting:
Written	$	1,127,388	$	578,097	$	(228,632	)	$	1,476,853	$	1,039,378	$	546,313	$	(251,557	)	$	1,334,134
Earned	1,131,556		287,375		(215,166		)	1,203,765		1,037,935		335,490		(222,523		)	1,150,902
Program services and other:
Written	517,701		31,856		(549,317		)	240		457,824		3,369		(460,525		)	668
Earned	514,952		16,395		(531,135		)	212		422,925		1,452		(424,258		)	119
Consolidated:
Written	1,645,089		609,953		(777,949		)	1,477,093		1,497,202		549,682		(712,082		)	1,334,802
Earned	$	1,646,508	$	303,770	$	(746,301	)	$	1,203,977	$	1,460,860	$	336,942	$	(646,781	)	$	1,151,021

Substantially all of the premium written and earned in the Company's program services business for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was ceded. The percentage of consolidated ceded earned premiums to gross earned premiums was 38% and 36%, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018. The percentage of consolidated assumed earned premiums to net earned premiums was 25% and 29%, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

Substantially all of the incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses in the Company's program services business, which totaled $365.0 million and $256.3 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, were ceded. Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses for the Company's underwriting operations were net of ceded incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses of $134.0 million and $171.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.