Italy
Second quake strikes north west Italy
At least eight people are reported to have died after the second significant earthquake in nine days struck northern Italy on Tuesday afternoon.
Top 10 news stories
The top 10 stories from www.insuranceinsight.com last week.
Taiwan insurance industry exposure to PIIGS revealed
Taiwan's insurance firms launched total investments of NT$13.9bn (£295m) in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain in the first four months of the year.
Uniqa reports profits up 20% for Q1 2012
The Uniqa Group has reported profit up 20.2% in the quarter one of 2012 to €54.4m (Q1 2011: €45.2m).
Greek exit could drive further insurer downgrades
Future ratings action on Italian and Spanish insurers is more likely to be driven by the macro-economic environment and sovereign rating than the idiosyncratic credit fundamentals of a particular insurer, Fitch said today.
Italian broker Golinucci launches PI aggregator site
Italian broker Golinucci Assicurazioni has launched an online comparison site for professional indemnity insurance for the Italian market.
Eqecat puts €100m price on Italy quake
Catastrophe risk modelling firm Equecat has estimated insured losses of around €100m for the northern Italy earthquake on 20 May, but warned of uncertainty.
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.
Italy quake: Low level of insurance claims expected
The insurance industry has avoided significant losses from the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit northern Italy on Sunday morning due to low take-up of personal property cover in the area.
Allianz posts 57.9% increase in net income for Q1
Allianz recorded strong performance in the first three months of 2012, with quarterly revenues, operating profit and net income all exceeding first-quarter 2011 levels.
Generali records 6.1% GWP growth
Italy-based insurer Generali's gross written premiums grew 6.1% to €19.8bn in the first quarter, with business outside Italy accounting for 75.2% of the total.
Top 10 news stories
The top 10 most popular articles published on insuranceinsight.com over the past seven days.
Q&A: Vienna Insurance Group CEO Gunter Geyer
While the economic turmoil of the Eurozone crisis and heavy catastrophe losses eroded the bottom line of many European insurers in 2011, Vienna Insurance Group enjoyed the most profitable year in the group’s history, and avoided having its A+ credit…
Terrorism and political violence poll result
Risk downgrades were applied last week to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Generali UK launches policy administration system
Assicurazioni Generali's UK branch has gone live with a new non-life policy administration system from Agencyport Software.
Generali board confirms Galateri as chairman
The board of Assicurazioni Generali confirmed Gabriele Galateri di Genola as chairman at its shareholders meeting on Saturday.
Mediobanca execs resign from Generali board
Two board members of Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali have resigned from their posts, ahead of a new law which limits cross-board membership of rival financial services institutions.
Natural disaster: Filling the $254bn insurance gap
The problem of underinsurance has been seen with a number of natural catastrophes recently. Lucia Bevere explains why relying on governments as a last resort is a risky strategy, and what insurers can do to tackle this area.
Price-comparison model questioned as Admiral casts off Italian Chiarezza
Admiral's sale of its Italian aggregator Chiarezza on Monday demonstrates a failure adequately to invest in overseas ventures, and further withdrawal from European aggregators is a possibility for the insurer, according to one analyst.
Mayer leaves Aviva as part of management restructure
Igal Mayer has left Aviva as part of a mangement restructure to 'simplify' and 'focus' the business, after little more than a year in his role.
Price-comparison model questioned as Admiral casts off Italian Chiarezza
Admiral's sale of its Italian aggregator Chiarezza on Monday demonstrates a failure adequately to invest in overseas ventures, and further withdrawal from European aggregators is a possibility for the insurer, according to one analyst.
Editor's comment: Shaking up the market
Two of this week's market stories - emanating from opposite ends of the insurance supply chain, and arising from both home and abroad - carry the potential for significant shakeup in the months to come.
Admiral sells Chiarezza to BlackFin Assurance
Admiral has sold its Italian price comparison venture to BlackFin Assurance Courtage.
QSTP signs deal with Italian FASI for preventative healthcare
Qatar Science and Technology Park has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian insurer Fondo di Assistenza Sanitaria Integrativa.