January 2009/4

The drag of Transatlantic Holdings' relationship with majority shareholder American International Group (AIG) was evident in the downgrade of its core operating companies' financial strength ratings from AA- to A+ by Standard & Poor's last week.

Max Capital has revealed a negative return of approximately 20 percent on its alternative investment portfolio for 2008, prompting unrealised asset write-downs of around $233mn and a full-year loss and negative net operating return on average shareholders

Ironshore Inc continued its raid on American International Group (AIG) with the appointment of a trio of executives to man a newly created US property/casualty operation.

Bermudian-headquartered (re)insurer Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd has endured a struggle to renew the reinsurance programme for its financial institutions (FI) book written out of London reflecting concerns over the sector's loss exposures, The Insurance Insider can reveal. 

Investment bank Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay out $475mn and $75mn to settle two class action lawsuits filed against it in relation to its sub-prime related losses.

US run-off specialist Citadel Risk Management has acquired "substantially all"of broking group AJ Gallagher's reinsurance run-off portfolio in a move which the Citadel group described as an "opportunity to create a runoff sector for the reinsurance interm

Hannover Re has bought buy a book of US life reinsurance business from Scottish Re with estimated premium volume of $1.2bn in what it described as a "transformational step" for its global life unit.

Bermuda-based (re)insurer Arch Capital Group has received approval in principle from the Lloyd's Franchise Board and UK regulator the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to establish a new managing agent and syndicate at Lloyd’s.

Swiss Re led the slide in European insurance stocks on Friday (23 January) as its share price fell more than 20 percent amid concerns that it is set for a further round of heavy write-downs and may need to raise capital when it reports its fourth quarter

Bermudian-based PartnerRe recorded a 12 percent cancellation rate during its key 1 January renewals; a figure which it said was the lowest seen over the last five years and reflects "a reversal of the trend of increasing client retentions."

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has traded $30mn notional limit of its CHI hurricane cat futures in the first weeks of 2009, as reinsurance broker Carvill withdraws from the initiative which it founded in 2007.

Outgoing Hannover Re and E+S Rück CFO Elke König has been tipped for a role at giant reinsurer Swiss Re, according to sources.