Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Sees No Change in MAPFRE USA Group Ratings
Jun 27 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a” of the members of MAPFRE USA Group are unchanged following the recent market...
Best Sees No Change in MAPFRE RE’s Ratings despite Spain’s Economic Woes
Jun 27 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has commented that the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” of MAPFRE RE, Compania de Reaseguros,...
Best Affirms Ratings of ACE European Group Limited
Jun 26 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit rating of “aa” of UK-based ACE European Group Limited (AEGL), both...
So. Korea to Halt Iran Oil Imports as EU Insurance Ban Bites
Jun 26 2012 // South Korea became the first major Asian consumer of Iranian crude to announce a halt to imports after the government said they would be suspended from July 1 due to a European Union ban on insuring tankers carrying...
Europe’s Tower of Babel Hampers Solution to Euro Crisis
Jun 26 2012 // As Europe considers a leap towards closer integration to try to save the euro single currency, it resembles the biblical Tower of Babel – unable to complete an ambitious project because the residents don’t...
Lloyd’s Details ‘Growing Impact of Climate Change’ as UN Meets
Jun 25 2012 // Lloyd’s has published a roundup of the environmental issues inherent in as the world grows warmer. The recently concluded Rio +20 Conference was an attempt – 20 years after the first conference – “to try to...
Euro Zone’s Big Four Agree on $163 Billion Growth Boost; Split on Euro Bonds
Jun 22 2012 // The leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Spain agreed on Friday on a €130 billion ($163 billion) package to try to revive economic growth in Europe but differed over whether and how to launch joint bonds to combat the...
Ratings Recap: Validus Re, African Re, Arab Orient, Bosna Re, SOGAZ
Jun 21 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a-” of Bermuda-based Validus Re...
G20 Backs Europe’s Plans for Euro Zone Overhaul to Fight Crisis
Jun 20 2012 // Europe won support from world leaders on Tuesday for an ambitious, but slow-moving, overhaul of the euro zone, even as pressure built in financial markets for quicker solutions to its debt crisis that threatens the world...
U.S., European Union Struggle to Overcome Regulatory Barriers
Jun 19 2012 // The United States and the European Union, stung by past failures to liberalize trade, are struggling over how to tackle regulatory barriers in areas ranging from financial services to chemicals that pose the biggest...
ANALYSIS: Big Greek Risk Morphs into More Economic Uncertainty
Jun 19 2012 // Greece’s election has averted the immediate threat of a euro break-up, but it does nothing to restore the magic ingredient missing in the European and global economies – confidence. Investors and corporate...
Willis Re Reports on Impact of ‘RMS v11’ European Windstorm Model Changes
Jun 18 2012 // A report from Willis Re notes that “UK insurers may see increases of up to 97 percent in their capital requirement for catastrophe exposures under Solvency II rules when making calculations under the new Risk...
Oil Market Shrugs at Imminent Iran Tanker Insurance Ban
Jun 18 2012 // In less than two weeks, Iran’s biggest oil buyers will lose access to the London-based insurance market that protects 95 percent of the world’s tanker shipments against oil spills or catastrophic...
Greek Pro-bailout Parties Look to Forge Coalition
Jun 18 2012 // Political parties supporting Greece’s international bailout begin forging a government on Monday after an election victory over radical leftists staved off the prospect of the debt-laden country leaving the euro and...
Economic Crisis Challenges Harmonization of U.S. Regulations, EU’s Solvency II
Jun 18 2012 // The EU’s Solvency II regulations get most of the headlines, but there are other regulatory bodies, which are trying to modernize and harmonize the regulations for global insurance companies. Their task has been made...
World Economies Prepare for Panic after Greek Elections
Jun 15 2012 // Authorities in the world’s major economies are preparing for a possible market storm or public panic after cliffhanger Greek elections this weekend, officials said on Thursday, should radical leftists win and cast...
Report: Japan to Pass Bill to Insure Iran Oil Imports
Jun 14 2012 // Japan’s lower house is set to pass a bill on Friday to provide government guarantees on insurance for Iranian crude cargoes, making it the first of Iran’s big Asian buyers to find a way to keep the oil flowing...
German Chancellor Merkel Rejects ‘Miracle Solutions;’ Spain’s Debt Costs Soar
Jun 14 2012 // Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuffed pressure on Thursday for Germany, Europe’s most powerful economy, to underwrite debt or guarantee bank deposits in the euro zone, as Spain’s soaring borrowing costs raised new...
Arch Re Europe Announces Leadership Team Reorganization
Jun 13 2012 // Arch Reinsurance Europe Underwriting Limited announced that Maamoun Rajeh will be appointed as the company’s President and CEO as of July 1, 2012. He will succeed Helmut Söhler, who will assume the position of Vice...
U.S. Exempts India, Other Countries, Not China, from Iran Sanctions
Jun 12 2012 // The United States extended exemptions from its tough, new sanctions on Iran’s oil trade to seven more economies on Monday, leaving China the last remaining major importer exposed to possible penalties at the end of...
