December 2012/3

As Bermudians go to the polls today (17 December) in the general election, the island's (re)insurance community is adamant it will be business as usual, whatever the outcome.

Au revoir Paris; Joachim Eur252mn; AIG sell-down; RSA negative; Berkshire up; Beazley $90mn; Sandy could cost (re)insurers $30bn; Eckert joins Gallagher; Integro makes Rule acquisition; Brown & Brown gets R&B; Special week for WR Berkley;  Talbot in XL hire; Endurance promotes; Generali restructure; Aquiline acquires; ICAT moves...

Q-Re LLC, the ambitious Qatari reinsurance firm that is rolling out a European platform after a series of audacious hires from Lloyd's (re)insurer Novae, has entered into a major new IT contract with the London market back office provider Xchanging.

Reported Sandy losses have topped $10.4bn after Zurich Insurance Group and HCC Insurance unveiled preliminary estimates for the storm's impact.

We in the (re)insurance sector are generally practical and difficult to frighten, and are rarely prone to bouts of mass hysteria.

Shortly after withdrawing a significant amount of limit from the market in its recent reinsurance restructuring, American International Group (AIG) has returned to premium-starved carriers to purchase a quota share treaty for its underperforming US casualty portfolio.