Brit plc News

Fairfax in Talks with OMERS to Help Finance $4.9B Allied World Takeover: Source

Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. is in talks with the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) to see if the pension fund will help finance his $4.9 billion takeover of Allied World Assurance Co., according to a person familiar …

Amlin Deal Puts M&A Spotlight on 4 Remaining Publicly Traded Lloyd’s Insurers

Amlin Plc’s $5.3 billion takeover by a Japanese competitor has put the remaining four publicly traded Lloyd’s of London insurers in the spotlight for a possible takeover. Beazley Plc, Hiscox Ltd., Lancashire Holdings Ltd. and Novae Group Plc all rallied …

Mitsui Sumitomo to Buy Amlin for $5.3B, Latest in Japanese Overseas Deals

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc. agreed to buy Lloyd’s of London insurer Amlin plc for about 3.47 billion pounds ($5.3 billion), joining an overseas deal spree by Japanese peers. Amlin shares surged. The Tokyo-based company’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. unit …

S&P: Reinsurance M&A Will Be Driven by Berkshire Hathaway Model

Reinsurance M&A activity should continue well into 2016 as competitive pressures continue unabated, Standard & Poor’s said in a new report. The ratings firm said that the Berkshire Hathaways of the world – investment holding companies seeking to enter the …

Brit Reports H1 After-Tax Profit of US$6.4M, Compared to $94.5m in 2014

London-based Brit plc, which completed its merger with Fairfax Financial Holdings in the first half of this year, reported operating profit before foreign exchange and transaction related expenses of $70.9 million, compared with $172.3 million in the first half of …

Lancashire’s CEO Maloney Dismisses Value of Merger with Larger Rival

Lancashire Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Alex Maloney dismissed suggestions the insurer would be better off combining with a larger competitor. “I don’t really buy the bigger is better thing,” Maloney said on a conference call with analysts Wednesday. “I …

XL CEO: ‘Reinsurance Sector Littered With Roadkill’, Playing High Stakes Game

XL Group plc Chief Executive Officer Mike McGavick said that while he shuns casinos unless he’s with his mother-in-law, he’s felt lately like he was sitting at a “high stakes table” as he made insurance deals. McGavick announced a plan …

EXOR Shuns Hedge Fund Strategy With $6.4 Billion Buyout Plan of PartnerRe

The Agnelli family’s EXOR SpA, known for investments in cars and soccer, is dismissing the prevailing reinsurance strategies as it seeks to push into the industry with a $6.4 billion takeover. EXOR is shunning the idea that it should take …

Fairfax Financial to Benefit From its Acquisition of Brit plc: Moody’s Report

The proposed acquisition of Brit plc by Fairfax Financial Holdings is “credit positive” for Fairfax, according to Moody’s, which noted that the deal will significantly boost Fairfax’s underwriting capacity at Lloyd’s in a recently published report. Also citing the benefits …

Brit Chief Says Excess Capital Will Spark More Mergers & Acquisitions

Brit plc Chief Executive Officer Mark Cloutier said an excess of insurance industry capital will force more executives to sell or merge their companies. Cloutier said Brit’s planned $1.88 billion sale to Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., which was …