March 2014/3

Aviation market sources moved swiftly on Friday (14 March) to rubbish a $500mn liability loss estimate for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from a Credit Suisse Asset Management fund.

Exclusive analysis by The Insurance Insider shows directors of London's listed (re)insurers are taking advantage of the relatively high share prices by selling shares in their companies.

This month, we are launching our revamped data pages for the The Insurance Insider's universe of P&C (re)insurers

Weekly share price movements for The Insider 30 and the biggest individual movers

Newline Group has parted company by mutual agreement with Phil Foley, the active underwriter of its Lloyd's Syndicate 1218, The Insurance Insider revealed last week.

The US Congress last week approved a bill to stall premium rate hikes for policyholders living in flood-exposed areas, a move that the Congressional Budget Office expected to push the indebted National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) a further $2.1bn into the red.

Japanese electronics giant Sony has failed to convince a Supreme Court judge that Zurich Financial is liable for costs relating to its massive 2011 data breach.

The chairman of Enstar's US business Karl Wall has left to launch his own company, Aylesbury Insurance Acquisitions, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

The European Parliament last week (12 March) voted in favour of tough data protection reforms that could have wide-reaching consequences for the insurance industry.

The European Parliament has approved a key part of the European Union's Solvency II capital regime for (re)insurers, keeping the new rules on track to come into force by the much revised deadline of January 2016.

London-listed Catco Investment Management has today (17 March) launched a new reinsurance fund, Aquilo, which will write collateralised reinsurance perils and industry loss warranties.

State Farm is set to place $300mn of cat bond cover through its new Merna Re V deal, for which it will pay investors a coupon that is 20 percent lower than the rate for the same risk a year ago.

American Financial Group (AFG) subsidiary Great American is the second US insurer to turn to the cat bond market for the first time in 2014, following American Strategic's Gator Re issuance this month.

A panel of state reinsurance buyers at the Sifma ILS conference said that coverage concerns, not just price, draw them to alternative reinsurance solutions.

PartnerRe is looking to bring capital market investors onto its panel of crop retrocessionaires as they seek access to the crop market, sister publication Trading Risk has revealed.

Net probable maximum loss (PML) estimates for major catastrophe events came down significantly at 1 January 2014 compared to the year before, analysis by The Insurance Insider's Data Room has shown.

The rate of top-line growth has continued to steadily lose momentum for P&C (re)insurers in recent years Normal 0 false false

2013 was a good year for most P&C (re)insurers as reserve releases and low cat losses kept combined ratios low, The Insurance Insider's Data Room discovers

Market trends in marine hull insurance show an increase in frequency losses, according to Dr Sven Gerhard, global product leader of hull and marine liabilities at Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) Normal 0 false

Novae has been confronted by higher-than-expected claims from financial institution policyholders as a result of the 2008 crisis, the listed Lloyd's carrier's 2013 annual results show.

London-listed Novae plc could be getting closer to relocating overseas as the stock of UK deferred tax assets that entitles it to tax relief in recognition of past overpayment approaches exhaustion.

Industry veteran Stephen Way has welcomed the backing of Canadian investment group Westaim Corp for his Houston International Insurance Group (HIIG), saying it provides a stable platform for future growth.

Grahame Chilton's comeback reinsurance broking start-up Capsicum Re has demonstrated its appetite for M&A by holding ultimately fruitless takeover talks with Lockton Re, The Insurance Insider understands.

National Interstate's share price was trading down 10 percent today (17 March) after its largest shareholder, American Financial Group (AFG), gave up its controversial bid to acquire the 48 percent of shares in the US insurer that it doesn't already own.

Privately held US carrier Western World Insurance Company has been placed up for sale in a process managed by Goldman Sachs, The Insurance Insider reported last week.

Equity Syndicate Management Limited hopes to have seen the last of its reserve strengthening and is forecasting a "very small" profit for the calendar year, its chief financial officer Katie Wade told The Insurance Insider.

QBE Europe international medical malpractice underwriter Avraam Avraam has resigned from the organisation, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

Insurers face potential political risk and trade credit claims after the European Union and US today (17 March) announced travel bans and asset freezes against senior Russian and Ukrainian officials in response to Moscow's encroachment on Crimea.

Swiss Re, the world's second-biggest reinsurer, was last week forced to deny a blog report that Italy's Agnelli family, the biggest shareholder in carmaker Fiat, was planning to buy a 20 percent stake in the reinsurer via a tender offer worth up to SwF7.4bn ($8.3bn).

Allianz has agreed to pay EUR440mn ($611mn) to acquire a portfolio of non-life renewal rights from Italian insurer Unipol.

Advent loads cargo hire; Hannover Re predicts loss; Acromas accelerates; Acromas accelerates; Mapfre targets growth; Hearn to chair LIIBA; Quake launch; Emerging threat; AIG elects; Generali turnaround; Syndicate 6107 strong; Weather claims; AIG downgraded; Argo appoints; Barbican hires; Ironshore leaders; Zurich jobs; Hannover Re boosted; Esure profits; Quake loss 'minimal';  Add-on rules

Lloyd's insurer Atrium is the lead on the Malaysia Airlines aviation war policy that would face a $100mn hit if terrorism was conclusively proved to be the cause of the plane's loss, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

Successful travel writers often lament the fact that their work can spoil the places they most enjoy visiting.

Services company Charles Taylor is looking to become the fourth turnkey managing agent at Lloyd's next year, and will look to shepherd protection and indemnity (P&I) mutual the Standard Club into the market on the same timetable, The Insurance Insider can reveal.