News
LV results "even better than planned"
Speaking to Postonline following LV's full year results which showed trading profits more than double to £72m, managing director John O'Roarke said that the insurer is £10m ahead of plan.
Direct Line welcomes new credit ratings
Direct Line Group finance director John Reizenstein, has welcomed UK Insurance’s A credit rating from Standard & Poor’s and A2 from Moody’s.
Tysers snaps up Ropner team to head up North American D&F operation
International Lloyd's broker Tysers has snapped up a three-strong management team from Ropner Insurance Services to head up the firm's direct and facultative property operation in the North American international specialty division.
Moody's gives UKI an A2 rating
Rating agency Moody's has assigned a first-time A2 insurance financial strength rating to UK Insurance, the main (UK) operating subsidiary of Direct Line Insurance Group, which underwrites around 90% of DLG's business.
Equity affinity signs up Provident
IAG's UK affinity business Equity Insurance Partnerships has signed up Halifax-based Provident Insurance to its motor panel.
Chartis relaunches K&R in Middle East
Property and casualty insurer Chartis is increasing its focus on kidnap and ransom as it relaunches the specialist product for the Middle East market.
Talent deficit could scupper financial services firms' growth plans
A serious talent shortage could derail the growth plans of financial services companies globally, according to PwC's latest CEO survey.
Top 10 news stories
Find out what the market has been reading about this week with the top 10 news stories from www.insuranceinsight.eu
Allianz UK's profits defy recession
Allianz UK has reported 2011 GWP up more than 10% to £1832.2m (2010: £1663.7m) with operating profit up more than 6% to £168.7m (2010: £158.5m).
Mapfre and CEA join forces to target French travel market
Mapfre Asistencia has signed a strategic agreement with French firm Compagnie Européenne d'Assurances for joint operations in the French travel insurance sector.
S&P warns on RBS sale of UK Insurance
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has assigned its 'A' long-term counterparty credit ratings and insurer financial strength ratings to Direct Line Group subsidiary UK Insurance, saying the outlook is stable but warning that the sell-off could change…
JLT Re nabs Lawrence from Aon Benfield
JLT Reinsurance Brokers has appointed Mark Lawrence from Aon Benfield as head of client and market development.
Japan's P&I club cuts cover for ships in Iran
Japan's P&I Club has confirmed it will only be able to provide a fraction of insurance coverage to tankers that transport Iranian oil under the new European Union sanctions.
LV doubles profits in 2011
LV has improved its combined operating ratio by 6.5% to 97.7% for its full year results for 2011 from 104.2% in 2010.
Home of Hampshire cricket rebranded as 'The Ageas Bowl'
The Rose Bowl, the home of Hampshire cricket, will now be known as 'The Ageas Bowl' following a six-year partnership deal.
Allianz admits to Accident Exchange settlement
Allianz has confirmed it has paid a "six figure" out of court settlement to credit hirer Accident Exchange for using the now defunct rate surveyor Autofocus.
Thai regulator raises foreign share cap to 49%
Thailand's insurance regulator, The Office of the Insurance Commission, has agreed to raise the foreign shareholding limit in the country's insurance companies from 25% to 49% in a bid to liberalise the market.
Hiscox says 92% fall in profit a 'good result'
Hiscox claimed that reporting a pre-tax profit down 92% to £17.3m (2010: £211.4m) was "a good result in the circumstances", as chairman Robert Hiscox announced he would complete one more year at the helm.
Councils put flood risk burden on insurers
Council leaders have attacked "unfair and unaffordable insurance premiums" for residents and local authorities close to water, claiming they face an £11bn liability.
Experian reports fall in insolvencies
Credit watcher Experian has said that the rate of insolvencies fell from 0.11% in December 2012 to 0.07% in January this year – the same rate as in January 2011.
Generali reports 5.5% fall in premiums
Italy-based insurer Generali reported a 5.5% reduction in premiums for the full year 2011, despite the solid performance of the non-life segment.
Chartis cuts underwriting losses
AIG’s insurance operation Chartis has chipped away it its underwriting losses cutting its combined ratio to 109% from 116.8% and turned in operating and pre-tax profits compared with losses in 2010.
Market outlook poll results
Is 2012 looking better than 2012?
Swiss Re reports $2.6bn profit despite nat cats hitting P&C combined ratio
Global reinsurer Swiss Re exceeded analyst expectations to report net income of $2.6bn for the full year 2011.