Articles by Francesca Nyman
Vienna Group posts 6% increase in pre-tax profits for Q1
Vienna Insurance group built on strong full year 2011 results with a 6% increase in pre-tax profits to €151.4m in the first quarter of 2012.
Euler Hermes and Mapfre enter credit joint venture
Allianz-owned credit insurer Euler Hermes and Spanish insurer Mapfre have agreed a 50/50 joint venture to develop their credit insurance business in Spain and four Latin American countries.
Faraday to use Agencyport platform
Faraday Group has selected Agencyport Software to provide a centralised platform to track and manage its delegated underwriting authority business.
Solvency II setbacks taking toll on insurer budgets
Rising numbers of insurers believe the industry will miss the January 2012 compliance deadline for Solvency II, according to a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of Deloitte.
HDI Gerling opens Singapore branch
HDI Gerling is opening a Singapore branch after obtaining a licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
China banishes red tape for qualified foreign investors
China will work to speed up approvals of qualified foreign institutional investors looking to buy into its domestic securities, as part of reforms to add depth to the country's capital markets, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.
Coface recruits former Euler Hermes credit underwriter
Coface UK & Ireland has appointed former Euler Hermes underwiter Dara Hanley as senior underwriter based in Dublin.
Ace promotes Homan to executive VP, casualty
Ace Group has appointed Mark Homan as executive vice president, casualty, for Ace's international insurance operations.
GCC insurance expected to outperform GDP in near term
The Qatar Financial Centre Authority launched its first Gulf Cooperation Council insurance barometer at the 29th Global Arab Insurance Federation Conference in Marrakech today.
Xchanging appoints new global sales director for insurance
Business services provider Xchanging has named Mike Reynolds as global sales director of insurance with immediate effect.
South Korea uncovers major health insurance scam
South Korea's financial regulators have uncovered the country's biggest insurance fraud, involving more than 1,300 people and three hospitals, the China Post reports.
Marsh forms public agency team for political and credit risks
Broker Marsh has formed a global public agency team comprised of senior specialists within its political risk and trade credit practice to assist clients in procuring public insurance coverage.
RSA reorganises speciality business
RSA has consolidated its global speciality business in a bid to link brokers and customers seeking global expertise and capacity.
Helvetia grows occupational benefits premium in 2011
Helvetia Switzerland increased premium income in its occupational benefits business by 18.7% to CHF2.48bn in 2011.
ALC increases Prima cover limits
Global medical insurer ALC Health has increased the annual limits of its Premier, Classic and Ibérica plans as part of a review of the Prima range of medical insurance plans.
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes northern Italy
An earthquake that struck the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy in the early hours of 20 May was the strongest in the country since the magnitude 6.3 L'Aquila quake in 2009.
McLoughlin returns to Sevitt as project director
Setanta Insurance's former Ireland general manager, Deirdre McLoughlin, has returned to Sevitt Group as project director.
Malaysian employers must insure foreign workers
Malaysia's government has promised to take a hard line on employers that flout rules on insuring foreign workers.
China is world's worst for flood risk
China has been ranked as the world's top flood risk zone in a report by Swiss Re, ahead of fellow emerging economies Brazil, Rusia and India, The Taipei Times reported.
Insurers urged to think differently to achieve European success
European insurers and brokers need to think differently about the EMEA region in today's low-growth economy if they are to unlock opportunities, according to Ace Europe chairman Andrew Kendrick.
Aviva posts COR of 96% in Q1
Aviva posted reduced operating profits for the first quarter of 2012, in a performance that executive deputy chairman John McFarlane described as "in line with targets".
Dalton appointed Cooper Gay head of risk
Lloyd's broker Cooper Gay has appointed Peter Dalton as head of risk management.
Fitch backs Lloyd's emerging markets expansion
The Lloyd's insurance market's planned expansion into emerging markets is a net positive, despite the additional risk carried by writing business outside established markets, Fitch said today.
AIG to divest shares in AIA in September
American International Group will sell its shares in Asian insurer AIA Group after a lock-up period expires in early September, Reuters has reported.