December 2004/2

Insurance specialists DLA and Piper Rudnick are to merge, creating the third largest legal services provider in the world, based on the number of lawyers, and the second largest based on revenue, according to the latest AmLaw Global 100 rankings.

Sirius International Insurance Corporation has formed a new underwriting unit specialising in aerospace reinsurance. The new unit will underwrite traditional treaty and facultative reinsurance for aviation accounts.

Putnam Investments, stable mate of Marsh under the wing of Marsh & McLennan Companies, and a recent subject of the regulators’ scrutiny, saw outflows from its assets under management (AUM) stabilise in October and November as it began to recover the confi

Jardine Lloyd Thompson plc announced last Tuesday that its various subsidiaries have received official authorisation from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) ahead of the watchdog’s rapidly approaching 14 January 2005 takeover of regulation for the UK

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has announced that it will continue to review and monitor the UK liability market to ensure it continues to function without the difficulties encountered in 2003.

Lloyd’s reinsurer of last resort Equitas has announced its interim results for the six-month period ending 30 September 2004.

Lloyd’s broker Cooper Gay has wasted little time in responding to the opportunities presented by Spitzer’s charge on the industry’s practices as it announced a new division to “formally recognise the continuing separation of global insurance placement int

Rosemont Re parent GoshawK Insurance Holdings has had its “A-” rating affirmed by AM Best with a stable outlook.

Heritage Underwriting Agency plc, one of the select band of insurers formed by a Lloyd’s members’ agency, will own 50 percent of its own capacity next year following a successful equity/debt fund raising.

In its annual review and outlook on insurance markets last week, Swiss Re painted a mostly positive picture of the prospects for the insurance industry for the coming year.

Specialist Lloyd’s insurer Hiscox has issued its third quarter 2004 forecasts for the 2001, 2002 and 2003 years of account for Syndicate 33.

Specialist Lloyd’s liability insurer, Illium syndicate 4040 is set to launch a dedicated underwriting operation in the North of England.