June 2004/2

Asbestos settlements continue apace – this time with the news that mega mergees St. Paul Travelers had agreed a $90mn sum to settle common law asbestos-related suits.

Bermuda-based (re)insurer XL Capital focussed on its forward strategy of improving credit ratings, leveraging its global position, and expanding product lines at its annual investor meeting held in New York last week.

A new property treaty reinsurance underwriting team has been formed at Lloyd’s insurer Wellington Underwriting, headed by former Beazley catastrophe, risk & aggregate excess of loss underwriter Will Curran.

The outlook for the 2002 year of account for Syndicates 587, 1084 and 1096 has improved significantly, according to the latest forecasts from Chaucer Holdings.

Moody’s announced last week that it had downgraded giant reinsurer Swiss Re’s insurer financial strength and senior debt ratings from Aa1 to Aa2 and its subordinated debt rating to A1 over concerns of the sector’s earnings prospects and Swiss Re’s ability

KKR-backed Bermudian Alea received a strong endorsement from AM Best and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) last week as the rating agencies affirmed their A- stable outlook financial strength ratings on the (re)insurer.

The British outsourcing company Xchanging is on the way to becoming a “global phenomenon” following its €40mn deal with Deutsche Bank, claims company founder David Andrews.

Bermudian (re)insurer XL will be praying for good weather this summer after revealing its subsidiary XL Trading Partners has tied up a derivative deal with Corney and Barrow Wine Bars in London to pay out if there’s a shortage of hot days.

Lloyd’s listed insurer Amlin received a boost last Thursday (17 May) as Moody’s upgraded its financial strength rating on Syndicate 2001 from A2 to A1.

Environmental insurers could be set to benefit from the EU’s new environmental liability directive, according to Valerie Fogleman, partner and head of Environment Group at lawyers Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

Following his targeting of uber broker Marsh for its use of PSAs (see Insider Week passim), New York attorney-general Eliot Spitzer has now set his sights on another Marsh & McLennan (MMC) subsidiary, namely Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Post 9/11 Bermudian start-ups Endurance and Montpelier Re both announced share repurchase plans last week amid signs that the fast growing sector may be slowing, leaving surplus capital to be carved up among investors wishing to cash in stakes at the top