May 2016/4

Share price data on The Insurance Insider's universe of P&C (re)insurers

Most of the companies in our universe experienced positive reactions from investors last week, with The Insider 30 finishing the week 0.5 percent higher.

A vote for the UK to leave the European Union (EU) could trigger a wave of M&A as insurers look to acquire or divest EU business units, according to a report commissioned by law firm Kennedys.

The UK government has announced plans for a new bill that will ensure appropriate insurance is available for driverless cars.

Trade body Insurance Europe has responded to a consultation being carried out by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (Eiopa) on the way infrastructure corporates are identified under Solvency II.

An insurance exchange is on track to launch in Shanghai after 91 companies agreed to contribute $343mn of capital required to establish the venture.

Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General Matt Hancock MP has warned that the UK risks losing the opportunity to secure a stronger regulatory outcome in the insurance industry should it vote to leave the European Union (EU).

The Insurance Insider's listed Lloyd's composite posted an increase in gross written premiums (GWP) in the first quarter of the year, battling the headwinds posed by softening rates.

Capital management returned to the fore in the first quarter of 2016, as carriers returned more capital to shareholders than a year ago through increased share repurchases and dividends.

Monetising American International Group (AIG)'s legacy portfolio has the potential to free up significantly more capital than the $9bn targeted as part of the insurer's $25bn two-year capital management plan, according to analysts at Credit Suisse.

Investment bank Credit Suisse has scaled back the size of its innovative Operational Re bond, which is set to close at CHF200mn, sister publication Trading Risk reported last week.

Florida insurers Security First and United P&C both launched first-time cat bond issuances last week, sister publication Trading Risk reported.

Capita Insurance Services is set to make several members of its business development team redundant following an internal review, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

Jonathan Zisaruk, vice president of M&A at Enstar, has resigned from the company, The Insurance Insider has learned.

The Hanover's Lloyd's arm Chaucer has made a brace of accident and health (A&H) underwriting hires from Markel International, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

ABI cyber-attack database; World Bank pandemic facility; Marketform hires Long; IberoAmerican gathering at Lloyd's; Fed to unveil group capital approaches; Baldwin & Lyons exodus prompts review; PPL appoints first MD; Shulman named Arch Europe CEO; AmTrust purchases US title insurance specialist; Probitas syndicate expands financial institutions team; Swiss Re Corporate Solutions appoints North America CEO; Skuld to acquire SMA/Gerling Norway; RT Specialty hires Sparling; StarStone to begin underwri

Berkshire Hathaway reinsurance chief Ajit Jain has hinted at a potential shift in strategy at reinsurer Gen Re as it looks to navigate challenging market conditions at the same time as growing under its newly anointed CEO Kara Raiguel.

Lloyd's has appointed niche consultancy One6 to undertake a review of the structure of the Corporation, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

The beleaguered aviation war market could soon be hit with another total loss after the downing of EgyptAir flight MS804 last week.

Bernie de Haldevang, former head of Finpro International at Aspen, is set to join Lloyd's (re)insurer Sompo Canopius as head of specialty, The Insurance Insider understands.

Swiss Re has launched a start-up accelerator in Bangalore aimed at supporting InsurTech start-ups with the potential to disrupt the (re)insurance market.

UK broker Towergate is understood to be close to hiring former Windsor managing director Neil Pearce to head up its London market operations, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

Marine market veteran Chris Clark has indicated that he will retire from Willis Re next year, The Insurance Insider can reveal.

On a recent trip to New York I finally got around to reading the Malcolm Gladwell book Outliers.