Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Chartis CEO Says Europe Still Safe; Insurer Seeks ‘Value Over Volume’
Oct 3 2011 // AIG’s global property and casualty insurer Chartis continues to see opportunities in Europe despite the sovereign debt crisis, the chief executive of the unit said in an interview last Friday. Peter Hancock also said...
Record Numbers Attend FERMA Conference in Stockholm
Oct 3 2011 // the bi-annual conference of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) got under way at 9:00 sharp in Stockholm’s striking new conference center. President Peter den Dekker, who will step down at...
Climate Aid Progress May End Kyoto Rancor
Sep 30 2011 // U.N. climate talks resume in Panama next week, but expect more action in Cape Town 10 days later, where an informal panel will quietly agree the outlines of a climate fund which could surpass lending by the World...
Report: Allianz, AXA among Likely Bidders for HSBC Unit Sale
Sep 29 2011 // European insurers Allianz and AXA SA are among the potential bidders for HSBC Holdings Plc’s sale of its general insurance business, which could fetch more than $1 billion, sources familiar with the matter told...
Aon Appoints Waerseggers to Head European Power Business
Sep 28 2011 // Aon Risk Solutions, the risk management business of Aon Corp., announced the appointment of Denis Waerseggers to the newly created position of European Power leader, effective December first. He joins Aon from global...
Genworth Creates Reinsurance Treaty for Mortgage Insurance in Europe
Sep 27 2011 // Specialist insurer Genworth has announced the full placement of a new reinsurance treaty for mortgage insurance (MI) in Europe. The bulletin said the “deal is the first of its kind in Europe,” and that it...
Williams to Head Liberty International’s D&O, Financial Institutions Business
Sep 27 2011 // Liberty International Underwriters in Europe (LIU Europe), a member of Liberty Mutual Group, has appointed Guy Williams as Head of Directors & Officers and Financial Institutions (D&O/FI). He is an experienced...
Best Affirms XL Group, P&C Subs ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 22 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of ‘a’ of the property/casualty subsidiaries of the holding company, XL Group plc,...
Lloyd’s CFO Stresses Overall Strength after Record Loss
Sep 22 2011 // Lloyd’s of London reported the largest first half loss in its 323 year history yesterday, Sept. 21 – £697 million, or over $1 billion. However, Lloyd’s Chief Financial Officer, Luke Savage, was...
Politicians, Investors Worry Over Shrinking Middle Class, Role of Social Media
Sep 22 2011 // The rising gap between rich and poor in nearly every country, rich or poor, went largely ignored during the decades of globalization-fueled boom. But with large parts of the world in financial crisis, ending the time when...
Ratings Recap: NIPPONKOA (China), Leadway, B&B, Montpelier Re, Milli Re
Sep 21 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of ‘a-‘ to NIPPONKOA Insurance Company (China) Limited, both with stable outlooks. The ratings...
Malta, Slovenia Risk Management Associations Join FERMA
Sep 21 2011 // The risk management associations of Malta (MARM) and Slovenia (SI.RISK) have been accepted as the latest members of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA). Their adhesion brings to a total of 19...
Italy Downgrade, Greek Worry Dominate Europe’s Financial Markets
Sep 20 2011 // Standard & Poor’s downgrading of Italian debt hit the euro on Tuesday, although stock investors shrugged off the move to push European stocks higher. Markets remain on edge about Greece’s rickety finances...
Good News – Bad News from the Reinsurance Rendezvous
Sep 19 2011 // Generally speaking the reinsurance industry is in good shape, certainly better than it was in 2008 and 2009, when even mighty Swiss Re needed a bailout from Berkshire Hathaway. A combination of improved models and a...
Hamilton Joins UK’s Miller from Bowring Marsh
Sep 19 2011 // UK broker Miller announced that it has appointed Gavin Hamilton, previously at Bowring Marsh, to support the company’s continued drive for growth in its UK and European corporate client account base. He specializes...
Ratings: AmerInst, Emirates, Jamaica Int’l., Salama/BEST RE, Colonial, Trust Re
Sep 15 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of ‘a-‘ of Bermuda-based AmerInst Insurance Company, Ltd., both with stable outlooks. AmerInst...
AIR Updates European Wind, Earthquake Cat Models
Sep 15 2011 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released updates to its Extratropical Cyclone and Earthquake Models for Europe. AIR said it had “significantly expanded” both models to include additional...
Best Affirms Allianz SE, Most Subs ‘A+ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Sep 8 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Ltd. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of ‘aa’ of Germany’s Allianz Societas Europaea...
Best Affirms Ratings of Lloyd’s Syndicate 958 (Omega); Outlook Stable
Sep 7 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Ltd. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of ‘a+’ of Lloyd’s Syndicate 958, which is managed...
Official Says Germany Wants Armed Guards on Europe Ships
Aug 23 2011 // Germany plans to lobby other European Union countries to allow the deployment of private armed guards on their merchant ships in high-risk areas as a piracy crisis escalates, ministry officials said. But analysts said the...