Throwback Thursday: Axa’s Asia adventure & GA attack

9 February 1995: Axa moves into Asia

Axa catapulted itself into Asia with a $1.1bn (then worth £560m) deal to takeover Australia’s second largest life company, National Mutual.

At a stroke, the deal took Axa’s share of income from virtually nothing to 12%, which Post stated showed the French company’s “determination to be a player across the whole globe.”

General Accident case man cleared

An Old Bailey jury cleared a man of attempting to hire a “hit man” to murder or maim General Accident bosses.

John Grainger, who was disputing a claim with the insurer, was arrested after meeting an undercover police officer posing as a hitman.

The police claimed Grainger was trying to force General Accident to pay his £1m claim for loss of earnings after a car accident.

Grainger said he did not intend to injure anyone and was cleared of soliciting to murder, incitement to commit grievous bodily harm and incitement to blackmail.