January 2001/1

InsWeb and Quotesmith - Venture Capital Bargain Basement In our March 1999 issue we published “How To Influence People and Sell Insurance - Awful Disclosure: The Annals of Misleading Disclosure.” Based on the lack of feedback from subscribers, we've co

The recent Improvement in share prices has seen a return to buying by Market Insiders Confidence has returned to the directors of the insurance sectors’ quoted companies. Boosted by signs of a strong rating recovery in most business classes, insiders h

Bevis Marks starts his 2001 marine diary and finds that despite optimism over hardening rates there may still be tough times ahead for the marine market

Laptop asks whether Names are still able to write a spread book at Lloyd’s and (again) calls for improved methods of business classification The opportunity for Bespoke Names to minimise their risk through a properly spread book has shrunk to worrying

Dear Sir, The two candidates for the single external vacancy on the Council are both writing multi-million pound lines for 2001; and are, or have been, well entrenched within the Lloyd's self-regulatory establishment. Lady Delves Broughton (Lloyd's 197

ACE/Cigna $218mn wrangle The glamorous game of mergers and acquisitions is not without its risks, as the recent dispute between ERC Frankona and BAT (British American Tobacco) over its 1998 purchase of Eagle Star Re demonstrates. Buyers often find that

Further consolidation expected as the fortunes of the quoted Lloyd’s insurers’ improve With a total market capitalisation of around £2bn, it is absurd to talk about the dozen quoted Lloyd's stocks as a “sector” (by way of comparison SVB, the largest qu

Paul Kelly, the former merchant banker, has won comfortably the only contested seat in the most controversial Lloyd's Council election for many years. Kelly defeated veteran Names campaigner Lady Rona Delves Broughton after the powerful support of the Ass

Snide hears rumours that Trenwick International's new boss Pierre Croizat is getting his house in order. A major staff re-shuffle is taking place and the latest cards to fall from the pack are the personal accident and marine underwriting teams...