March 2007/5

French insurance giant AXA SA has denied it is interested in making a play for its Italian rival Generali Assicurazioni SpA.

Stephen Catlin, the founding chief executive of insurance group Catlin Group plc, is the headline speaker at The Insurance Insider's Capital Management Executive Briefing event next month.

RK Harrison, the independent London market broker, has confirmed the arrival of five former energy brokers from rival Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc (JLT).

Lloyd's insurer Hardy Underwriting Group has revealed that it will stay in London, but that the possibility of moving to a low tax jurisdiction remains firmly in its sights.

Xchanging is planning to raise up to £150mn in a planned April initial public offering (IPO) which could see the firm valued at over £400mn, Insider Week can reveal.

QBE Limit and Markel are set for a November High Court showdown with broker Surety Guarantee Consultants Ltd (SGC) over allegations of fraud in connection with construction bonds it issued as a coverholder.

Lloyd's-based insurers joined their peers in Europe and across the Atlantic in giving additional capital back to their shareholders.

Bermudian Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Ltd is expected to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange this Thursday (29 March) as the (re)insurer goes ahead with its long-awaited $202mn IPO.