September 2011/2

Flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee has increased pressure for reform of the US National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) just weeks before it expires

Hurricane Irene will hit primary insurers' pockets rather than being passed to reinsurers, analysts and ratings agencies predicted after the storm became the first to hit the US coast in three years

It is debateable whether the underperformance of certain (re)insurers' international books indicates that the geographically diversified property cat model has failed.

With the exception of the recently de-listed Brit Insurance, all Lloyd's insurers reporting half-year results fell into the red. This was largely a result of Q1 international catastrophes, dominated by New Zealand and Japan, which led to deteriorating losses in Q2.

2011 combined ratios will be over 100 percent in the reinsurance sector

The February earthquake in Christchurch cost reinsurers more than the larger quake that hit Japan in March, new figures compiled by Aon Benfield for The Insurance Insider Pre-Monte Carlo Executive briefing show.

The "big three" primary commercial insurers in Australasia retained less than $1.5bn of combined losses from the string of Antipodean disasters

The reinsurance industry remains strongly capitalised despite heavy catastrophe losses this year, but a question mark hangs over the sector's ability to reload after a market-turning disaster, according to the ratings agencies.

With the reinsurance market at a tipping point, there are also growing signs pointing to a price correction in the pivotal US primary market.

Aon Benfield continues to maintain a more bearish stance but a consensus is growing that the industry is at a tipping point. The Insurance Insider takes the pulse of the market on the eve of the annual Monte Carlo Reinsurance Rendez-Vous...

The London market has appointed Boston Consulting for a wide-ranging project to help shape its central processing.

Private equity-backed insurance broker Integro moved into the black and consolidated its position in the Lloyd's market in 2010 with a 33 percent increase in placed premium, The Insurance Insider can reveal