November 2007/1

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

Bermudian (re)insurer RenaissanceRe Holdings reported a third-quarter profit of $144mn, a decrease of 44.6 percent from the prior year period, driven by lower underwriting income, UK flood losses and a $36mn charge on investments hit by the sub-prime...

Bermudian reinsurer Endurance Specialty Holdings has reported a small rise in income against a background of falling written premiums in the third quarter last week.

Low catastrophe losses drove Bermudian (re)insurer Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd to a record quarter, it reported on 1 November.

Bermudian-headquartered (re)insurer, AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd, reported a 19 percent increase in operating income for the third quarter of 2007, capping eight straight quarters of "record profitability", according to its president and CEO, John Charman.

Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter is developing five different trading indices with the first European index looking to go live as early as six months time.

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.

London-based law firm Kendall Freeman has been looking for a partner for some time and so seasoned watchers were not surprised by its proposed tie-up with the US firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP (EAPD) that was announced late last month.

Cullum Capital Ventures (CCV), part of the Towergate group, recruited two teams from troubled property services group Erinaceous last month.