Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
EU Regulator: ‘No Major Threat’ to Europe’s Insurers from Japan Crisis
Mar 17 2011 // European insurers face no major threat from the turmoil ensuing from last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the European Union’s insurance watchdog said on Thursday. “From a European viewpoint, the...
S&P: EU Ruling on Gender Discrimination Likely to Have a ‘Neutral’ Effect
Mar 9 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a bulletin analyzing last week’s European Court Of Justice ruling that prohibits gender-based discrimination in the calculation of insurance premiums and...
FERMA Calls for ‘Mandatory’ Protocol for Broker/Company Transactions
Mar 9 2011 // The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) has issued a response concerning the revised European Insurance Mediation Directive (IMD), which states that it “should incorporate binding standards of...
Best’s Special Report Analyzes EU’s Solvency II Impact on Ratings
Mar 8 2011 // A report from A.M. Best Co. provides a timely analysis of the fast approaching implementation of the European Commission’s long-awaited Solvency II insurance regulations, which are now scheduled to come into force as...
ING to Repay 70% of Dutch State Aid by May 2011
Mar 7 2011 // Dutch bancassurer ING outlined plans for the expected early repayment of state aid it received during the credit crunch, further evidence of the Dutch financial sector’s recovery from the crisis. ING said on Monday...
NAIC, EU Regulators Hold Meeting on International Insurance Regulation
Mar 7 2011 // As business becomes more globalized, the financial services industry, including insurance, has recognized the need to keep up with the changing times. Both U.S and European Union regulators have therefore embarked on...
Holocaust Survivors Want U.S. to Push European Insurers on Payments
Mar 2 2011 // Aging survivors of the Nazi Holocaust plan to protest outside a political fundraiser in Miami Beach featuring President Barack Obama this week to publicize their struggle to collect what they say is $20 billion in Jewish...
ABI Describes EU Court’s Ban on Gender Use as ‘Disappointing’
Mar 2 2011 // “The decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to ban the use of gender in insurance policies from December 2012 is disappointing news,” states a bulletin from the Association of British Insurers...
EU Court Rules Insurers Cannot Link Risks to Gender
Mar 1 2011 // Insurance companies cannot take gender into account when setting premiums and paying out benefits from annuities and retirement savings or accident cover, the European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday. The ruling...
Ritchie to Head New Argo Int’l. Paris Branch Office
Feb 28 2011 // The Bermuda-based Argo Group International Holdings announced that Bruno Ritchie has joined the company to lead Argo Assurances, Argo Group’s new Paris-based underwriting platform for large specialty risks. The new...
PartnerRe Makes Changes in Catastrophe Business Unit
Feb 25 2011 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. Has announced leadership changes in its Catastrophe business unit, effective April 1, 2011. Brian Secrett, currently Chief Underwriting Officer and Deputy Head, Catastrophe, has been appointed...
Ratings Recap: Aegon, Grafton (Europe), AGA, Inbursa, Malayan
Feb 24 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has said that its ratings and outlook on Netherlands-based insurance holding company AEGON N.V. (‘A-‘/Negative/A-2) and its core insurance operating subsidiaries...
European Insurers Dogged by Fresh Capital Fears
Feb 24 2011 // A bumper equity issue from Aegon and a disappointing dividend from Allianz stirred fresh fears about European insurers’ capital strength on Thursday, weighing on their shares. The capital-boosting measures by Allianz...
Aon Benfield Pushes for ‘Simplified Internal Model’ for Solvency II Approval
Feb 22 2011 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corporation, is calling for a “simplified Internal Model Approval Process (IMAP) for natural catastrophe risk that would encourage insurers...
Study Finds Auto Insurance and Services Add Profits for Car Makers, Dealers
Feb 16 2011 // Sales by car manufacturers and dealers of additional services to car buyers may mean the difference between profit and loss. A new study from the financial market research group Finaccord concluded that sales of...
S&P Reports Outlook for Int’l. Marine P&I Clubs is Stable
Feb 14 2011 // “The outlook for the international marine protection & indemnity (P&I) industry is looking stable, with all clubs in 2010 reporting a post-tax surplus for the first time since 1998,” said a bulletin...
Lockton Warns Europe Organizations are on ‘Borrowed Time’ for Data Breaches
Feb 10 2011 // A new white paper from international brokers Lockton – Exposed in Europe, Data Breaches and Their Impact in a Changing Legal and Regulatory Environment – warns European organizations that “prefer not to...
Aon Warns UK Businesses Face Threat from Environmental Legislation
Feb 8 2011 // UK businesses are “dangerously exposed to the possibility of heavy fines under the latest UK and EU legislation regarding environmental liability,” according to Aon. The bulletin added that in order to help...
S and P Lowers Aviva Insurance Ratings from ‘A+’ to ‘A-‘ After Ireland Downgrade
Feb 4 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Aviva Insurance Europe SE (Aviva SE) to ‘A-‘ from ‘A+’. In...
Cooper Gay Launches European Markets Integrated Trading Unit
Feb 2 2011 // London-based Cooper Gay, an independent global wholesale, reinsurance and specialist retail insurance broker, has launched Cooper Gay European Markets, which it describes as an “integrated trading unit to provide...
