Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vienna Insurance Q2 Profit Drops 8.6% on Low Interest Rates in Region
Aug 25 2015 // Vienna Insurance Group AG, eastern Europe’s biggest insurer, said profit in the second quarter declined 8.6 percent as low interest rates in the region pushed down returns on its investments. Net income in the three...
Reuters Special Report: U.S. Banks Book Trades Abroad to Bypass U.S. Regulation
Aug 24 2015 // This spring, traders and analysts working deep in the global swaps markets began picking up peculiar readings: Hundreds of billions of dollars of trades by U.S. banks had seemingly vanished. “We saw strange things in...
Shareholders in UK’s RSA Bracing for Lowball Bid from Suitor Zurich Insurance
Aug 24 2015 // Shareholders in British insurer RSA are bracing for a lowball bid from prospective suitor Zurich Insurance, putting one of Europe’s largest ever insurance deals in doubt. After flagging its interest to the market on...
EU Seeking to Cut Minimum Risk Weighting on Simple Securitizations
Aug 21 2015 // The European Commission is seeking to cut the minimum risk weight on securitizations that qualify as simple and transparent to 10 percent to help jump-start the bloc’s capital markets. The 5 percentage-point...
EU Close to Easing Solvency II Capital Rules to Lure Asset-Backed Debt Buyers
Aug 18 2015 // The European Union’s plan to revive the asset-backed securities market may heed industry concerns by broadening the range of products eligible for a high-quality label and easing capital requirements for...
European Captives More Focused on Risk Mgmt., Investments: A.M. Best
Aug 14 2015 // A.M. Best has released a new study -“European Captives Increase Focus on Risk Management and Investments Ahead of Solvency II -” which concludes that “many European captives have embraced Solvency...
Insurers Look to Cyber, M&A Coverage as Prices Decline for 9th Quarter: Marsh
Aug 14 2015 // Commercial insurance rates continued their global decline in the 2015 second quarter, a trend driven by a continued abundance of global capacity and a lack of large insured loss activity, Marsh said in its latest Global...
UnipolSai, Willis Capital Confirm Italian Cat Bond for Azzurro Re; 1st in Europe
Aug 14 2015 // UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. (UnipolSai), a multi-business Italian insurance company of the Unipol Group and Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA) part of Willis Group Holdings plc, have confirmed the...
A.M. Best: Sanctions Removal to Attract Re/Insurers to Iranian Market
Aug 12 2015 // The lifting of trade restrictions placed on Iran may present significant opportunities for the Middle East and North African (MENA) re/insurance market, with European participants also expected to re-engage and seek a...
UPDATE: Allianz 2nd Quarter Profit Rises 15% on Fewer Nat Cat Claims
Aug 7 2015 // Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said second-quarter profit rose 15 percent as lower claims from natural catastrophes offset a drop in earnings at Pacific Investment Management Co. Net income increased to 2.02...
Europe’s ABS Market Promotion Hinges on Easing Insurers’ Capital Requirements
Aug 6 2015 // Europe’s push to promote asset-backed securities (ABS) hinges on persuading insurers to buy the debt by easing capital requirements, investors and analysts said. European Union and global regulators recently proposed...
Investment Return Moves up Boardroom Agenda for Europe Insurers: A.M. Best
Jul 31 2015 // The pursuit of improved investment returns has become more important for European insurers after a lengthy period when their attention was more focused on non-investment sources of profit, according to a report published...
Generali 2nd Quarter Profit Rises 51% on Life Business
Jul 30 2015 // Assicurazioni Generali SpA said second-quarter profit rose 51 percent, beating analysts’ estimates, after earnings from life insurance surged. The shares climbed in Milan. Net income at Italy’s biggest insurer...
Hamilton Underwriting Limited Hires Carvey as Head of Treaty
Jul 29 2015 // Hamilton Underwriting Limited, the Lloyd’s managing agency of Bermuda-based holding company Hamilton Insurance Group, announced that Trevor Carvey has been hired as head of treaty. Carvey will report to Dermot...
Buffett Helps Ireland’s Vhi Insurance Avoid Bailout with $99M Subordinated Loan
Jul 29 2015 // Irish state-owned health insurer Vhi Insurance DAC borrowed money from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to help avoid a bailout as the company comes under central bank regulation for the first time. Berkshire...
AXA Enters Exclusive Negotiations to Buy Genworth Lifestyle Protection Insurance
Jul 22 2015 // Paris-based AXA has entered into exclusive negotiation with Genworth Financial to acquire 100 percent of Genworth Lifestyle Protection Insurance (Genworth LPI), for a total cash consideration of 475 million euros. Genworth...
Global Reform of Tax Systems to Hit Insurance Industry: London’s IUA
Jul 20 2015 // A sweeping global reform of tax systems is under way and will have profound implications for the insurance industry, the London-based International Underwriting Association has warned. Responding to public concerns about...
EU Aviation Safety Agency Makes Recommendations after Germanwings Crash
Jul 17 2015 // A European task force set up to look into safety after the Germanwings crash on March 24 has made six recommendations that will now be reviewed by the European Commission. The task force representing airlines, crew,...
Willis Dealmaker Walkiewicz Hires Shea for Capital Markets Role
Jul 15 2015 // Willis Group Holdings Plc has hired Brian Shea as head of Europe for the investment banking division as the insurance broker seeks to arrange more deals. Shea, 49, joins from reinsurer SCOR SE. He was previously the head...
Global Insured Cat Losses in First Half Are Below Long-Term Average: Munich Re
Jul 14 2015 // Overall losses and insured losses from natural catastrophes during the first half of 2015 were below long-term average values, according to a review of global natural catastrophes issued by Munich Re. Total natural...
