Articles by Francesca Nyman
Swiss Re chief announces early retirement
Swiss Re’s chief executive officer Stefan Lippe is to step down in 2012, bringing his tenure as the head of the reinsurer to a premature end.
Fitch keeps ING Verzekeringen on negative watch
Fitch Ratings is keeping ING Verzekeringen NV and its subsidiaries on rating watch negative.
ASR operating entities 'A-' rating affirmed
Fitch has affirmed the ‘A-’ insurer financial strength rating and ‘BBB+’ long-term issuer default rating of Dutch insurers ASR Levensverzekering NV and ASR Schadeverzekering NV
Allianz expands offshore energy
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty has appointed Pete Connors as offshore energy global product leader with effect from January 3, 2012.
Global reinsurance capital declined by 4% in the first nine months
Global reinsurer capital declined 4% from $470bn at 31 December 2010, to $450bn at 30 September 2011, according to an Aon Benfield report.
Skuld sees 13% premium growth at Q3
Norwegian maritime insurer Skuld continued to grow in the third quarter, with a 13% increase in premium income year on year.
Motor reform threatens Chinese non-life market
Commercial motor pricing reform and a worsening underwriting deficit of compulsory third liability are threats to the stable outlook of the Chinese non-life market, according to a recent report.
Talanx licenses Towers Watson software for global risk management
Talanx has purchased Towers Watson's financial modelling and reserving software to harmonise its regulatory capital reporting.
QBE appoints property underwriter for Dubai
QBE has appointed Vladan Radakovic as a property underwriter in QBE’s Dubai office.
Investing in people will create value for insurers, says Marsh
Insurers can create value for their firm in the economic downturn by investing in talented personnel, according to Marsh UK’s CEO Martin South.
Ace predicts a ‘challenging’ 2012
2012 will be one of the most challenging years the insurance industry has faced, according to Ace president Richard Pryce.
Eiopa president calls for 'paradigm shift' in consumer protection
Eiopa president Gabriel Bernardino called for a “paradigm shift” to restore confidence in Europe’s financial services sector at the regulator’s first consumer strategy day.
Mitsui Sumitomo expands Dublin office with new hires
Mitsui Sumitomo at Lloyd’s has continued the expansion of its recently launched Dublin office with the appointments of Brian Moran and Gavin Mullen as senior underwriters.
Hungarian watchdog confirms a 2.7% fall in GWP in 3Q2011
The Hungarian Financial Supervision Authority has confirmed a 2.7% fall in gross written premiums for the Hungarian market in the third quarter.
Torus acquires Starr’s Continental Europe renewal rights
Specialty insurer Torus's syndicate 2243 has acquired the renewal rights to the European business of CV Starr's syndicate 1919.
Munich Re receives funding from German ministry for climate change initiative
Munich Re has teamed up with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility and specialist microinsurance broker Micro Ensure to develop insurance solutions developing countries vulnerable to climate change.
XL and Aon launch e-accounting system
The insurance segment of XL Group has launched an e-accounting system with broker Aon.
Slingsby returns to RSA as director of Global speciality lines
Former RSA executive Steve Slingsby is returning to the insurer as programme director for global speciality lines, after a two-year stint at rival QBE.
Challenges lie ahead for China's insurance market
The Chinese insurance market’s share of world insurance premiums has grown from 1% to 4% in the space of a decade, but with rapid growth come new challenges, according to an Aon Benfield report.
Allianz targets profit with overhaul of property business
Allianz Deutschland AG is restructuring its German property insurance segment, with the aim of returning the business to growth and profit long term.
Social media: The Nordic challenge
Voters in the recent Danish election set records with their tweeting but as Francesca Nyman reports insurers in this region are yet to take real advantage of this increasingly popular medium.
Hyperion promotes APAC head to CEO of Dual International
International reinsurer Hyperion has promoted its head of Asia Pacific, Damien Coates, to chief executive officer of Dual International.
Towers Watson increases Fifth Quadrant shareholding to 51%
Professional services company, Towers Watson, has increased its shareholding in Fifth Quadrant, the independent South African actuarial consultancy, to 51%.
Emerging markets look set to grow in 2012
Despite growth slowing in 2011 emerging markets will remain “reliable growth engines” in the global insurance markets in 2012, according to reinsurer Swiss Re.