January 2017/5

The insurance-linked securities (ILS) market should expand its assets under management (AuM) at a similar pace in 2017 to last year, but increased use of leverage could provide more capacity even if growth slows, according to Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA).

Detail on RenaissanceRe's new $140mn Fibonacci Re vehicle that emerged recently suggests a structure that is a hybrid cat bond/sidecar facility, sister publication Trading Risk reported last week.

A broker at AJ Gallagher (AJG) is suing rival Alliant for more than $1mn after he was left "embarrassed" by language used in one of its broker agreements.

AIG and an executive in its public management liability division, which insures against allegations of sexual harassment being brought against a company, have been forced to face the very risk they underwrite.

US specialty carrier ProSight is accusing one of its programme managers of stealing what could be more than $3.5mn after failing to hand over premiums it had taken on the insurer's behalf.

Lemonade is a closely watched company. As one of the first and most prominent InsurTech start-ups, its performance has been subject to a high level of scrutiny as the industry tries to determine if its world is about to be turned upside down.

P&C InsurTech start-up Lemonade has published a series of blog posts as a way of reporting its performance since launching in September.

A tie-up between Generali and Intesa Sanpaolo may be plagued by potential antitrust and regulatory issues, but a takeover is financially achievable and makes strategic sense for the Italian lender, according to analysts.

Aspen is likely to come under pressure from analysts on its earnings call next week (8 February) as they look for further detail on the underwriting performance of the company's insurance division following yesterday's profits warning.

The aviation insurance market is starting to firm, according to JLT, with rates hardening, line sizes reducing and underwriters taking a more disciplined view of risk.

The head of Ireland's insurance industry association said that if Lloyd's chose Dublin as the location of its EU subsidiary it would be "transformational" for the domestic industry.

The Central Bank of Ireland's insurance regulator has said she is in active discussions with most of the larger UK-based insurers about establishing subsidiaries in Ireland to retain EU access after Brexit.