April 2013/4

US specialty insurer RLI reported that rates were "moving up modestly" as it announced strong top line growth in the first quarter of 2013.

Platinum Underwriters CEO Michael Price said he expects to see significant softening at the mid-year US cat renewals as the Bermudian unveiled first quarter profits that trumped Wall Street consensus forecasts last week.

The aviation market will likely absorb the $50mn hull loss from an accident involving a Boeing 737-800 belonging to Lion Air without incident, according to Willis.

Lloyd's direct and facultative property players are expected to avoid losses from the devastating fertiliser plant explosion in the town of West, Texas as the loss is understood to be covered by the US domestic market.

A landslide at mining conglomerate Rio Tinto's Bingham Canyon mine in Utah could cost mining underwriters between $700mn and $1bn, sister publication Inside FAC has said.

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford has completed a $500mn refinancing exercise that will leave the global broker with an acquisitions war chest of more than $300mn.

Florida-headquartered Brown & Brown unveiled the Q1 reporting season last week with a healthy first quarter that included a 22 percent year-on-year increase in net income and $25mn in contingents or profit sharing arrangements.

Revenues at BB&T's broking operation CRC soared by 34 percent to $365mn in the first quarter as the $570mn acquisition of Crump fed through to the top line.

Lloyd's reinsurer Cathedral is likely to attract a valuation that is closer to £200mn than £250mn, according to multiple banking sources.

The Insurance Insider offers an exclusive glimpse of the Confidential Information Memorandum produced for Project Hudson...

Companies are struggling to identify and manage the major risks to their organisations, according to a new survey by global broker Aon.

The next phase of the nascent hardening of the US P&C markets will be a popular conversation topic this week as insurers meet face-to-face with the largest market of corporate insurance purchasers at the RIMS convention in Los Angeles.