March 2008/1

XL Capital added to fourth quarter losses arising from its relationship with troubled bond insurer Security Capital Assurance (SCA) in a Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) filing after close of markets Friday (29 February).

Robert Hiscox, a former deputy chairman of Lloyd's and one of the most strident voices in EC3, has called the reduction of only 2 percent in the Society's capacity for 2008 "disappointing".

Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has warned insurers that the party is over and tougher times lie ahead regardless of what the weather does this year.

Shares in American International Group (AIG) closed down 6.56 percent on Friday after the US insurance giant announced the biggest quarterly loss in its history driven by a $11.12bn pre-tax writedown in its financial products division, AIGFP.

Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) has set up a Global Discontinued Business division to handle its vast legacy business, The Insurance Insider has learnt.

Losses from the global credit market crisis are set to top $600bn, with banks and brokers accounting for over half that figure, according to UBS analyst Geraud Charpin.

The dramatic lowering of SCA’s rating by Standard & Poor's (S&P) last week from AAA to A- was part of a series of actions by the ratings agency on the troubled bond insurance sector, which has been beset by sub-prime related losses.

Standard & Poor's (S&P) has put a positive outlook on UK insurer Novae's Lloyd's Syndicate 2007 in the expectation that its legacy issues will see further resolution in 2008, through the run-off or sale of the affected business.

Shares in Australian (re)insurer QBE Group slumped after the company missed analyst profit estimates for 2007.

Swiss Re has devised a new business model, with the aim of being "the first place companies turn to for solutions", according to the firm's CEO Jacques Aigrain.

(Re)insurance broker Willis Group Holdings has extended the contract of its chairman and CEO, Joe Plumeri, until 2011 as well as making a number of changes to its senior management.

Swiss reinsurer Glacier Re continued to grow in 2007 with an increase in premiums and the launch of its first securitisation.

Prosecutors in the trial of former General Re and American International Group (AIG) executives found guilty in a sham finite reinsurance contract have vowed to continue investigations up the corporate ladder.

Lloyd's insurer Beazley has warned that the squeeze on commercial property insurers will become "extreme" as market discipline slips and rates continue to fall.

As broadly healthy earnings continue to be set against the threat of the softening market, AM Best has affirmed its stable outlook on the reinsurance sector, with a minority of upgrades and downgrades expected to balance out...

UK general insurer Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA) bounced back to a profit of £638mn for 2007 despite taking a hit from last summer's UK floods.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is reviewing claims handling in the UK run-off market but denies this reflects concerns about standards among some legacy insurers.

The Association of Run-off Companies (ARC) is canvassing members over the proposed development of a capital adequacy model to help firms in run-off deal with Solvency II requirements.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s claims stemming from 9/11 will be restricted to two buildings a judge has ruled.

Rod Fox has teamed up with his former EW Blanch colleague Ted Blanch to launch a "private boutique" reinsurance broker provisionally called Alpha Re.

A further symptom of the impact of the sub-prime crisis has emerged, with the hardening of directors’ and officers’ (D&O) rates for financial institutions, according to new research.

The appointment of Peter Zaffino as CEO and Britt Newhouse as chairman at Guy Carpenter marks a statement of intent by Brian Duperreault as he seeks to gather his senior lieutenants around him in New York...

Property damage from the earthquake that hit the UK on 27 February is likely to cause insured losses of between £15-30mn, according to initial estimates by Risk Management Solutions (RMS).

Omega Insurance Holdings Ltd Lloyd's Syndicate 958 has withstood the impact of hurricanes Katrina Wilma and Rita to post a profit for 2005, maintaining its pedigree of a pure underwriting profit in every year it has traded since its launch in 1980.