Reinsurance
July reinsurance rate increases likely to be muted
Price increases in the July reinsurance renewal period are likely to be restricted to loss-affected sectors unless there is a further significant insured loss for the industry, according to Fitch.
Munich Re returns to first-quarter profit
Munich Re achieved a consolidated profit of €782m in the first quarter of 2012, compared with a loss of €948m in the same period a year ago.
Mapfre reports rise of 11.5% in Q1 revenues
Mapfre reported revenues of €6,835m in the first quarter of 2011, citing "sustained growth of the international business" for the 11.5% rise.
'Significant' loss will harden rates outside cat exposed regions in July renewals
Price increases in the July reinsurance renewal period could be restricted to loss-affected sectors unless there is a further significant insured loss for the industry, Fitch Ratings has said.
Top 10 news stories
The top 10 most popular articles published on insuranceinsight.com over the past seven days.
Swiss Re secures nat-cat buffer of $400m via bond market
Swiss Re has obtained an extra $400m in natural-catastrophe protection via a catastrophe bond through newly formed issuer Mythen Ltd.
Swiss Re issues $400m flexible cat bonds
Swiss Re has established a $400m cat bond vehicle that will enable it to issue multiple bonds over an extended period to cover European and US wind storms.
Reinsurance key to mutual survival, says Willis Re president
Reinsurance can be crucial to ensure mutual insurers survive difficult periods, according to Willis Re president Paddy Jago.
Iran sanctions may force India and Greece to find alternative oil suppliers
The repercussions from US and EU sanctions on Iranian crude oil are being felt far beyond the Islamic Republic, according to a report by Exclusive Analysis.
'Benign catastrophe experience' helps Swiss Re to $1.1bn profit
Swiss Re reported first-quarter net income of $1.1bn for 2012, compared with a $665m loss in the prior year period.
Swiss Re nearly halves Q1 COR to 85%
Swiss Re has reported "strong underwriting, good investment performance and lower than-expected major natural catastrophe claims" for a "very strong first-quarter" net income of $1.1bn compared to a loss of $665m for Q1 2011.
Lancashire profits soar despite $34m Costa Concordia claims costs
Lancashire Holdings has reported Q1 gross written premiums up 36% to $234m (2011: $172m), and said that pre-tax profit was up more than fivefold to $46.5m (2011: $8.4m), despite Costa Concordia claims totalling $34.1m.
Adverse April conditions wreak havoc across the globe
Severe weather conditions across central and southern sections of the US last month have caused upwards of $1bn (£620m) in insured losses, according to Aon Benfield's Global Catastrophe Recap report.
Diversification key to favourable ratings for mutuals
The unique characteristics of mutual insurers mean that some are being encouraged towards diversification by regulators and rating agencies, according to a report by Willis Re.
Fitch affirms Coface's 'AA-' IFS rating
Credit insurer Coface's major group insurance entities have had their 'AA-' IFS rating and 'A+' IDR ratings affirmed by Fitch.
Argo recruits space risks specialist from AGCS
Argo International has appointed Antoine Bavandi as space risks underwriter for Argo Assurances, the group's Paris-based underwriting platform for speciality products including aviation and space.
Miller hires North Asia reinsurance specialist
Miller has enhanced its North Asia reinsurance broking capabilities by appointing Gao Zu Biao who will be based in its Hong Kong office.
Canopius makes play for Omega in bid to grow PE-backed Lloyd’s insurer
Canopius chairman Michael Watson has acted on ambitions to grow his private equity-backed Lloyd's insurer, with a £164m takeover of struggling Omega in a deal that sees a slice of the business sold to US insurer Tower Group.
AAOIFI plans reform of takaful standards
Khaled Al Fakih, the new secretary-general of the Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions, outlined plans for a sweeping review of its guidelines in an interview with Reuters.
Novae posts 6% jump in GWP
Novae has reported a gross written premium of £231.1m in its Q1 results representing a 5.7% increase on last year (2010: £219.7m).
First quarter of 2012 sees record for cat bonds
There was a record issuance in the catastrophe bond market in the first quarter of 2012, with eight new non-life issues providing more than $1.3bn of risk capital, according to the latest Insurance-Linked Securities Market Update from Willis Capital…
Willis Re appoints Welsch as executive director
Willis Re has named Andrea Welsch as executive director effective from 28 May.
Indian insurer will provide liability cover for tankers carrying Iranian crude
State-owned Indian insurer General Insurance Corp of India will step forward to provide third-party liability cover of up to $50m for ships bringing Iranian crude oil from Iran, according to reports.
IRDA asked to relax branch opening rules in rural areas
India's government has asked the country's insurance regulator to be more lenient when applying branch opening norms in rural areas in the hope that the presence of more insurance firms will increase insurance penetration.