Articles by Jonathan Gould

Insurers May Face $3.5-$8 Billion New Zealand Quake Hit

The insurance industry faces damage claims of between $3.5 billion and $8 billion from Tuesday’s devastating earthquake around Christchurch, New Zealand, catastrophe modeling firm Air Worldwide said. “The quake caused extensive damage in the city center and was the second …

EU to Give Insurance Industry More Time to Prepare for Solvency II

European Union regulators look set to bow to insurance industry demands for more time to adjust to new solvency rules, with the head of the EU’s insurance watchdog acknowledging that some of the measures would have to be phased in …

Buffett Increases Stake in Munich Re to Nearly 8%

Famed U.S. investor Warren Buffett, already Munich Re’s biggest shareholder, has built up his stake in the world’s No. 1 reinsurer to nearly 8 percent, increasing his bet on the sector’s long-term prospects. Buffett, who owns the world’s third-biggest reinsurer …

Big EU Insurers Pass Stress Tests

Europe’s insurers are able to withstand even a major financial crisis, an EU watchdog said on Tuesday, boosting industry hopes for less onerous regulation. EU insurance watchdog CEIOPS, (the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors) unveiled the long-awaited …

Germany’s Munich Re and Allianz to Wind Down Business in Iran

Germany’s Munich Re and Allianz halted all remaining insurance business in Iran as their national representative body said it backed international moves toward tougher sanctions against Tehran. Against a backdrop of rising political tensions, the world’s biggest reinsurer, Munich Re, …

Allianz P/C Profit Down, Combined Ratio Up for Q2

Allianz disappointed investors on Friday as its property/ casualty insurance business missed expectations even as improving financial markets helped group net profit rise by a fifth in the second quarter. Net profit at Europe’s biggest insurer swelled to 1.9 billion …

Reinsurers Seem Ready to Flex Muscles, Raise Prices by Double-Digits

Reinsurers’ tough talk about raising prices on the risk cover they sell to insurers may have rung hollow before, but this time the promise is credible. Reinsurance companies such as global leader Munich Re have been flexing their muscles, predicting …

AEGON’s Bid for TARP Cash Doomed

A Dutch insurer’s experimental bid to tap the U.S. government for bailout cash looks doomed to failure, closing off an avenue for other insurers. Aegon NV said this week it was mulling buying a small U.S. bank to qualify for …

Dresdner Q3 Loss Hits Allianz Again

Allianz’s Dresdner Bank unit posted its biggest quarterly loss since the start of the financial crisis, the insurer said on Monday, pushing the group to a €2 billion ($2.58 billion) net loss. Allianz is selling Dresdner Bank, which had a …

Unlike Banks, German Insurers Unlikely to Need Government Cash

German insurers said on Wednesday they don’t intend to use Berlin’s 500 billion euro ($683 billion) rescue fund, while public-sector banking officials traded barbs over who might be first to ask for cash. Nikolaus von Bomhard, chief executive of the …