Issues

Specialty carrier Assurant has placed a $1.36bn property catastrophe reinsurance programme with a 5 percent year-on-year reduction in premiums to about $125.6mn.

Zaffino bonus; Posgate dies; Brokers probed; Willis Re CEO; Zurich hires; IRB Brasil IPO; DfID cat cover; Hurricanes forecast; Aegis' power outage push; Equine MGA.

Bernstein analysts have highlighted looming reserving issues in pockets of the European reinsurance sector, drawing attention to a “red flag” at Swiss Re.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has listed a number of concerns about the investment consulting market, as the regulator intensifies its focus on intermediaries.

Alibaba-backed Chinese InsurTech start-up Zhong An has struggled to maintain its profit margin despite substantial and sustained top line growth since 2014, according to IPO documents.

When Peter Zaffino joins AIG as chief operating officer next month, the carrier will gain a tough but ruthlessly efficient business leader, sources have said.

No one could accuse AmTrust CEO Barry Zyskind and his team of shying away from a challenge.

In inking a multi-hundred million dollar adverse development deal with Premia, AmTrust has sought to provide investors with further clarity over its financial position.

Underwriters - are you scared of big bad brokers threatening to cut off your dwindling supply of profitable business if you don't do what they want?

Axis' proposed £468mn ($603mn) acquisition of Novae is just the latest example of the ineluctable drive towards consolidation in the sector, as the smaller publicly traded carriers are picked off by their larger rivals.

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings cut its outlook on Axis Capital to negative even as it retained its A- grade on the (re)insurer as a counterparty and debt issuer, while AM Best held the carrier’s financial strength rating at A+ (superior) with a stable outlook following its $604mn deal to buy Novae for $604mn in cash.

Axis shares have fallen just under 3 percent in morning trading in New York as investors react to the carrier's acquisition of London-listed Novae, announced late yesterday evening.