August 2005/2

George P Reeth, president of Willis North America has resigned with immediate effect, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

US insurer Hartford Financial Services Group Inc announced a 39 percent rise in quarterly profits due to a strong underwriting performance in its property-casualty operations.

The honeymoon period for new Aon chief executive Gregory Case continued last week after shares in the broking giant soared 17 percent following a strong second quarter.

Standard & Poor's (S&P) raised SCOR’s rating from “BBB+” to “A-“ last Monday (1 August), marking another step towards a position of profitability and stability for the France-based reinsurer.

Bermuda’s youngest (re)insurer Quanta reported an increase in year-on-year net income for the second quarter of 2005 from $1.8mn or $0.03 a share, to $8.5mn or $0.15 a share.

Bermudian post-9/11 start-up Axis Capital announced a strident set of second quarter results last Tuesday (2 August), as net income increased year-on-year from $140.9mn or $0.84 a share, to $172.8mn or $1.13 a share – primarily driven by its...

The legal team of former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg has published a “white paper” critiquing the company’s restatement of its 2004 results.

French aviation pool La Reunion Aerienne has confirmed it is the lead insurer of the Air France passenger jet that crash-landed in Toronto on 2 August in atrocious weather conditions.

An increase in casualty and asbestos reserves at a US unit has forced a 74 percent drop in second quarter profits at world’s largest reinsurer Munich Re.

Hamilton-headquartered Max Re reported a significant year-on-year increase in second quarter net profits from $12.6mn or $0.26 a share, to $22.3mn or $0.45 a share for the three months ended 30 June 2005.

Thirteen people were confirmed to be dead after a passenger plane was forced to crash-land in the Mediterranean off the coast of Sicily on Saturday (6 Aug).

US insurer Markel Corporation last week (1 August) reported net profits up for the second quarter and first half of the year, despite cutting back on premium volume.

Two more class action suits have been against troubled insurer RenaissanceRe.

British Aviation Insurance Company (BAIC) is to appeal against the High Court’s decision to prevent the company setting up a solvent scheme arrangement in a case seen as having far reaching implications for insurance run offs.

Lloyd’s has warned its franchisees to expect the Central Fund levy to double next year from a current 0.5 percent of capacity to 1 percent as the Society looks to bolster its financial strength.

The UK arm of Allianz Global has appointed Philipp Cremer to the director of underwriting role, replacing the recently promoted Doug Pennycuik.

The number of convicted industry professionals following New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer’s investigations into the US insurance industry grew to 15 last week following five more guilty pleas over fraudulent conduct.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway confirmed last week that Milan Vukelic, the former chief executive of General Re’s London market arm Faraday Group, was dismissed in July following regulatory investigations into finite reinsurance transactions...