July 2012/5

Middleweight (re)insurance broker JLT will not follow larger rivals in charging for its improving data capabilities and will instead use the extra insight it gains to serve clients better, the firm's management has said.

Brokers have expressed "concern" about being marginalised from a potentially major project to restructure the London market back office and the management of central services shared by companies doing business in the city.

Lloyd's affirmed in A team; Fund managers mull Libor suits; August closure for Canopius Omega deal; Montpelier Re in property cat expansion; Ince & Co expands in China; Arch reshuffle; PwC on global regulation convergence; Shortcomings in insurer bankruptcy rules; Lancashire in school holiday charity push

Argo is seeking to transfer some of its prior years' reserve risk to a legacy buyer so that capital is freed up to support current underwriting, according to well-placed sources.

In the same week that two authoritative reports from Aon Benfield and Willis forecast continued capital markets expansion into reinsurance, there were predictions that property cat rates would fall 5-10 percent in 2013 because.... you may have guessed it... of the increasing competition from hedge funds, cat bonds and other alternative investment vehicles.

Australian mega-cedant Suncorp is poised to add around A$300mn-A$400mn to its reinsurance claim for the second Christchurch earthquake, The Insurance Insider can reveal.