November 2007/1

FTSE 100 companies are reporting risk above and beyond what the UK's regulatory regime requires, according to research undertaken by broking giant Marsh Ltd.

Lloyd's (re)insurance intermediary CRS is poised to finalise a number of deals in preparation for run-off.

Validus Holdings-owned Talbot Underwriting has become the latest Lloyd's insurer to launch an Asian venture through the Corporation's Singapore platform.

The board of Willis Group Holdings has approved a new $1bn stock buyback plan.

Investors reacted positively to Aon's news last week that it is to impose a fresh restructuring that will lead to the loss of 2,700 jobs, the equivalent of 6 percent of its global workforce.

Despite a general weakness in bancassurance business, Italian insurance giant Assicurazioni Generali has shown "solid" progress in its year on year nine month results.

Guy Carpenter has appointed Nick Frankland as its new head of Europe following the departure of the long-serving Geoff Bromley earlier this year.

The (re)insurance sector will watch developments in Bermuda with interest over the coming weeks after premier Ewart Brown called a general election for 18 December.

Although Berkshire Hathaway reported a 64 percent hike in third-quarter net income late Friday (2 November), underwriting profits from its (re)insurance operation nearly halved, falling from $917mn to $486mn.

The management of German giant Munich Re is confident that the firm will return record profits for 2007 after posting "excellent results" so far this year.

Goldman Sachs' entry to Lloyd's with a syndicate for the 2008 year – exclusively revealed by The Insurance Insider today (5 November) - occurs against the backdrop of the capital markets' increasing appetite to assume (re)insurance risk.

Marine, energy and P&I insurer Lingard Limited (Gard) has appointed former JLT Re partner Graham Everard as managing director of its Bermudian operations.