December 2011/3

Omega's formal rejection of Haverford's revised 74p per share partial bid for the company came after a three week struggle that has plunged the London-quoted (re)insurer's future back into uncertainty.

Willis last week became the latest of the big three global insurance brokers to embrace a technological management information platform to enhance its global placing operations and revenues with the launch of Willplace.

US broker Brown & Brown has ended an acquisitive year by agreeing a major deal to buy programme manager and managing general agent (MGA) Arrowhead General Insurance Agency for $395mn from its private equity owners.

Beale to Canopius; I Fenwick...; New sparks at Chaucer; Berkley hire; Friedhelm non-event; Vipond to FSA; THB hires from Aon; Chubb hires; Swinton board guillotined; Torus surety

The tragic sinking of the Kolskaya oil rig near Sakhalin Island is set to cost the London reinsurance market only a relatively modest $100mn.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has increased its loss notification for February's New Zealand earthquake from A$1.9bn to A$2.9bn as its vast reinsurance programme renews with 100 percent rate increases, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

It is only a fool who believes he can avoid major market losses or overall loss trends. We all know that the law of large numbers means that pricing becomes less of an art and more of a science as greater amounts of data come into play.

As underwriters and brokers embark on a frenzied last few days of negotiation for the 1 January renewal season, firm order terms for US property cat programmes are generally falling in line with the rate increases of 5-10 percent seen at mid-year.