October 2006/3

This month, The Insurance Insider has two reasons to celebrate. It is not only our 100th issue – a feat in itself – but also ten years since the publication was born.

Fresh from Alba sale, Whittington plans new Lloyd’s syndicate The trio of senior Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd executives who have resigned from the reinsurer in the past few months are planning a start-up reinsurer that is likely to have a Lloyd’s plat

London’s role as an epicentre for international (re)insurance business has been threatened by a number of jurisdictions over the years – not least the seemingly inexorable rise of Bermuda and, closer to home, the emergence of Dublin.

A number of (re)insurers are growing significant reserve redundancies, potentially using them to support margins and returns as the market softens, according to research by analysts at Morgan Stanley.

The Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) decision to look more closely at brokers’ commission disclosure has been broadly welcomed by the London market.

The French investment bank IXIS is raising funds to float a new $1bn company on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to invest in the burgeoning insurance-linked securities sector.

Provisional liquidator Grant Thornton last month announced creditor approval for its proposed UIC Insurance Company Limited scheme of arrangement that looks set to boast the rare distinction of paying out more than 100p in the £1.