July 2009/2

Following the strong recovery in the investment portfolio of its parent, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group has regained some of the catastrophe appetite it trimmed in the first quarter of the year, but not at current prices.

American International Group (AIG) returned to the black as it booked its first quarterly profit since Q3 2007, largely driven by a significant drop in net realised losses.

Aon's UK arm is lobbying the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to clarify its stance over the transacting of overseas business, amid concerns that a two-tier regulatory system may be developing.

UK insurer RSA saw its first half net profit decline 24 percent to £223mn, but the figure was nevertheless in line with analysts' expectations under the current economic conditions.

Hannover Re unveiled an ostensibly strong set of half-year results, with net profits up 66.1 percent to EUR419mn.

Former American International Group (AIG) CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg will pay $15mn to settle past accounting issues relating to the company, reports suggest.

Global insurer Zurich Financial Services Group (ZFS) has completed its search to replace its highly regarded chief executive James Schiro.

Barnabas Hurst-Bannister, chairman of Travelers Syndicate Management and deputy chairman of the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA), has been named as the new chairman of the London Market Reform Group (MRG), succeeding Peter Harmer...

Soft market conditions in the US property casualty insurance market show little sign of abating, according to the latest data from Texas-based insurance exchange MarketScout.

Marsh's single-minded focus on cost-cutting has again borne fruit in its quarterly earnings, with its operating margin leaping from 10.6 percent to 18.2 percent in the second quarter.

Hardy Underwriting posted an upbeat half-year statement that included significant top-line growth, as it offered a pragmatic but optimistic assessment of future pricing prospects.

Despite a strong showing by its core property casualty business that included a better-than-expected combined ratio of 89.4 percent, Swiss Re fell back into the red for the second quarter, as worse-than-expected mark-to-market losses and writedowns return