October 2004/5

Motor insurer Highway has announced the appointment of Peter Gallagher as claims director.

Alea, the UK listed reinsurer, appointed XL Global Services’ actuary Tom Weidman to the position of group chief actuary.

Paddy Jago, Aon Re's veteran US casualty specialist, resigned this month after 15 years with the company.

Tokage was the latest typhoon to batter Japan last week with mudslides, flash flooding and high winds causing at least 83 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

A US Federal court struck out 20 class-action lawsuits which alleged that the Italian insurance giant Assicurazioni Generali withheld payments to holocaust victims.

Swiss insurance giant Zurich Financial Services revealed last week that it had promoted Dieter Wemmer to the role of chief executive officer of Europe General Insurance while adding him, together with ZFS’ head of global corporate business Geoff Riddell,

Embattled reinsurer Converium received a further boost from Standard & Poor’s last week when the rating agency upgraded its German and UK subsidiaries’ financial strength ratings by two notches to BBB+.

Yet another investigation: this time spotlight falls on Brightpoint transactions Fresh from fending off accusations of PSA-related bid-rigging and fraud, world’s largest insurer AIG released its third quarter 2004 results last week.

The Australian financial regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), has banned a series of executives from acting as senior managers or directors in the insurance industry for their part in the collapse of HIH in 2001.

Embattled broking giant Willis saw its two closest competitors, Aon and Willis, both abolish the controversial practice of charging insurers’ contingent commissions based on the volume of business they supply.

Euclidian, the Berkshire Hathaway backed insurance company, will merge with fellow Lloyd’s agency, Marlborough Underwriting.

Aon’s share price fell 8 percent in early trading today as investors were spooked by a New York Times article which suggested Eliot Spitzer has also uncovered business practices at the world’s second largest insurance broker.