August 2017/5

Upping the offer by 5p a share when there's no counterbid on the table might look odd to outside observers, particularly given the earnings miss published by Novae earlier this month.

Mitsui Sumitomo's $1.6bn acquisition of Fairfax's First Capital has demonstrated that the Japanese carrier is willing to pay a substantial price for deals which could foster fruitful strategic partnerships, rather than immediately transforming its earnings profile.

AIG is a lead writer of the primary $125mn property insurance programme for Harris County, Texas, the flood-struck area that includes Houston, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

Early indications point to Hurricane Harvey being more a flood loss than a wind loss, and more of a primary insurance event than one to keep reinsurers awake at night.

I've just had a terrible idea

As the floodwaters continue to rise in Houston, insurers are beginning to assess what looks to be a complicated claims situation that makes predicting ultimate industry losses from Hurricane Harvey highly challenging.

Axis Capital has attempted to "bring certainty" to its effort to buy Lloyd's insurer Novae by raising its agreed offer by 2.1 percent.