Spain News

BHSI Opens London Office, Expands UK & Southern Europe Team

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. (BHSI), in coordination with its affiliate Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd. (BHIIL), announced it has opened a new office in London. In addition, key executive roles have been filled. Richard Nathan has been named head …

Mapfre Posts 32% Drop in Q4 Net Profit to $132 Million

Mapfre SA, Spain’s largest insurer, cut its annual dividend and posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly net profit as income from premiums fell. The shares fell [on Feb. 10] to the lowest since August 2012. The Madrid-based insurer proposed …

ACE Launches Casualty & Fire Cover for Fashion Firms in Spain & Portugal

ACE Group has launched ACE Moda TM, a packaged insurance product designed to cover the casualty and fire risks of companies in the fashion retail sector as it continues to develop its proposition for retail and luxury goods companies across …

Euler Hermes and MAPFRE Form ‘Solunion’; a New Credit Insurance Venture

Euler Hermes and MAPFRE jointly announced the launch of “Solunion”- the brand name of their new credit insurance joint venture in Spain and four Latin American countries. Each partner owns 50 percent of the company, which is set to launch …

U.S. ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ Europe’s Debt Woes Worry G20

Leading world economies pressed the United States on Sunday to act decisively to avert a rush of spending cuts and tax hikes, warning that the so-called fiscal cliff is the biggest short-term threat to global growth. Unless a fractious Congress …

Best’s Report on Spanish Non-Life Sector Finds Profits, Future Challenges

“The Spanish non-life insurance sector remained profitable in 2011, but growth remains challenging, as it continues to face one of the bleakest economic environments since the 1930s,” according to a new report from A.M. Best Co. Best explained that non-life …

Tornado Hits Fair in Spain; Flood Deaths Reach 10

A tornado swept through a fairground in a Spanish town, knocking down a Ferris wheel and injuring 35 people, while the death toll from flooding in the same southern region of the country rose to 10, authorities said Saturday. Friday’s …

Catalonia Shows Euro’s Weak Links: Commentary by James Saft

Just when Spain, and the euro zone, needed it least, along comes the Catalan secession drama to remind us exactly how many parties, peoples and factions have the potential to undermine the single currency’s salvation. Not that Catalonia is likely …

W. R. Berkley Names Jiménez to Top Spanish Post as Esteban Steps Down

W. R. Berkley Corporation announced that Alejandro Jiménez has been promoted to presidente ejectutivo of W. R. Berkley Insurance (Europe), Limited Sucursal en España , reporting directly to Stuart Wright, CEO of W. R. Berkley Insurance (Europe), Limited (WRBIEL). The …

Wildfires Threaten to Burn Precious Natural Parks in Spain

Fierce wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and were threatening some of Spain’s most precious natural parks, including one that is a UNESCO world heritage site, officials said Sunday. Fires on the Canary Islands of La Gomera and …