April 2004/3

UK insurer Royal & Sun Alliance has continued its programme of selling its overseas units by revealing last week that it has agreed to sell its 81.8 percent stake in its Polish life subsidiary, T U na Zycie Royal PBK S.A. (Royal PBK), after purchasing the

Despite recent action to spoil the appetite of the US plaintiff bar to launch obesity class action suits against the food industry and its insurers (see IQ Winter issue), the increasing prevalence of expanding waistlines is too significant an issue for th

Lloyd's last week announced record profits of £1,892mn on the back of a benign loss environment and high premiums. The profits, recorded on a pro-forma annual accounting basis, represent a 127 percent increase on 2002's figure of £834mn.

French insurer AXA has said that its 2003 profit measured by US GAAP accounting standards was EUR3.67bn ($4.5bn), compared to a EUR2.59bn loss in 2002 using the same standards.

Strong performance from German reinsurer Hannover Re has been rewarded with an upgrade to a positive ratings outlook from Moody’s.

Ratings agency AM Best offered a post-IPO endorsement to Catlin by affirming the financial strength ‘A’ (Excellent) rating of the group’s Bermudian arm, and the ‘A’ (Excellent) syndicate rating of its Lloyd’s Syndicate 2003.

Cathedral managed Lloyd’s Syndicate 2010 had its ‘A-‘ (Excellent) rating affirmed by AM Best last Tuesday (7 April).

Following recent concerns over the renewal of Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) legislation that provides a federal backstop for terrorism exposures (see April issue of The Insurance Insider), key industry regulators and representative bodies came out t

Increasing global terror is hitting business confidence as a consequence of the rise in high-profile attacks, the rapidly deteriorating position in Iraq, and a proliferation of extremist terror groups, reveals broker Aon with today’s (13 April) launch of

Underwriting agency Dual International has announced the launch of a new operation, initially specialising in Directors & Officers (D&O) and Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance for SMEs, based in Sydney, Australia. Other areas the new business will focu

Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) chairman Jeffrey Greenberg has followed in his father’s footsteps by being appointed to a prestigious position on the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) executive board.

US insurer Chubb has raised doubts about its commitment to the London market with the news that it has sold its stake in Hiscox.