Europe
RSA IFS and counterparty credit ratings upgraded to 'A+'
General insurer RSA's core operating entities have been upgraded to 'A+' in recognition of the group's strong capitalisation.
Neal becomes group CEO for QBE as O'Halloran retires
QBE Insurance Group has confirmed John Neal will succeed Frank O'Halloran as group chief executive officer when he retires.
Asian insurers warned to watch policy admin or repeat Europe's mistakes
Capgemini has warned insurers based in Asia Pacific that they should not rest on their laurels when it comes to policy administration or they will suffer the same issues European insurers are facing now.
Eurozone crisis biggest challenge for life insurers
Continued eurozone crisis will affect insurers in 2012, but it is difficult to quantify how severely, according to Fitch senior director Federico Faccio.
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
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.
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.
View from the Top: Affinity in Central and Eastern Europe
In the last few years, many customers in Central Eastern Europe have welcomed a one stop-shop approach, appreciating the benefits of insuring their products at the same time as purchasing them.
Countdown to ISE: Q&A with guest speaker Kurt Karl
Kurt Karl, managing director, chief economist and head of economic research and consulting at Swiss Reinsurance, will be presenting the session on 'Recent economic challenges and risk management' at Insurance Strategy Europe in Brussels on Wednesday 21…
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.
Assurant appoints European head of mobile business from Sony Ericsson
The European business unit of Assurant Solutions has appointed Nino Treusch as head of mobile business development for Europe.
Santalucía adopts SAS Risk Management for Solvency II
Spanish insurer Santalucía is to use SAS Risk Management for Insurance to help meet Solvency II, Pillar I requirements to manage risks and calculate metrics.
Zurich appoints Bouchard head of government and industry affairs
Zurich Financial Services Group has appointed Francis Bouchard as the group head of government and industry affairs, with effect from 1 April 2012.
DLA Piper recruits William Marcoux from Dewey & LeBoeuf
Law firm DLA Piper has hired former Dewey & LeBoeuf executive committee member William Marcoux as partner and head of its insurance sector transactions and regulation practice.
European Council introduces rule to limit short selling in crisis situations
The European Council has adopted a regulation designed to restrict short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps in situations where there is a threat to financial stability.
Indian shipping firms may look to China for insurance
Indian shipping companies may turn to China in their struggle to find replacement insurance coverage when EU sanctions on Iranian oil come into force.
Ferma advisor made Dexia director
The Belgian government has appointed a former president of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations as an independent director to state owned bank and insurer Dexia.
Perils expects €267m losses from Windstorm Andrea
Independent Zurich-based firm Perils has disclosed its initial loss estimate for windstorm Andrea as €267m.
Insurance Insight – top 10 stories
The top 10 stories from www.insuranceinsight.eu over the past seven days.
CNA apppoints John Taylor as chief underwriting officer
CNA Insurance has appointed John Taylor to the newly created role of chief underwriting officer, with immediate effect.
View from the Top: Maritime trade, empires and insurance in Holland and the UK
The 17th century saw the Dutch and the English competing for control over the seas and trade routes, which both countries rightly saw as fundamental to their economic and political standing.
Systemic risk poll result
Is it right not to label insurance companies as systemically risk institutions?