September 2009/4

Willis Group's determination to reduce its debt burden encouraged Moody's to revise its outlook on the insurance broker from negative to stable last week.

(Re)insurer credit default swap (CDS) spreads have continued to narrow through September, reflecting renewed confidence in the sector...

Swiss Re has launched a three-year $250mn Mexican wind and earthquake cat bond, as first predicted by The Insurance Insider's sister publication, Trading Risk.

The on-off Lloyd's start-up TSM Agencies looks closer to reaching fruition after The Insurance Insider revealed that it has harnessed £10mn of underwriting capital from the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA).

The twin impact of the financial markets turmoil and the recession are clear to see in first half figures for the US property and casualty industry, with both the top and bottom line heavily hit.

Short-tail specialist Cathedral Underwriting has become the latest Lloyd's (re)insurer to rein in its 2010 expansion plans because market conditions are not as buoyant as initially expected.

Lloyd's (re)insurer Kiln is to enter the space market after appointing Laurent Esquirol, former senior space underwriter at Scor, it emerged last week.

Lloyd's intends to establish a pilot scheme for claims handling in 2010 that will focus on segmentation, Lloyd's CEO Richard Ward told the inaugural meeting of the London Market Claims Council last week.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the Bermuda Monetary Authority have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing both parties to work together to share information and co-ordinate regulatory activities.

Nick Jones, the former Heritage Syndicate 1200 lead underwriter, is set to be reunited with Jim Hays, The Insurance Insider has learned.

Rodd Todd - the senior vice president and property underwriter for Ironshore Insurance - has received Lloyd's approval to start writing an international direct and facultative (D&F) book for the group's Pembroke Lloyd's Syndicate.

The global aviation insurance market is facing a challenging outlook as the historically significant airline renewal milestone of 1 October approaches this week.