Latest Excess Surplus Headlines

All the headlines from our Excess Surplus Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Lloyd’s Warns of Contamination Hazards from Chinese Food Imports

Nov 3 2010 // “China was the source of most contaminated or unsafe foodstuffs that came into Europe in 2009, according to a European Union report,” as cited in an article on the Lloyd’s of London web site, which...

The ‘Secrets of the Ancients’

Nov 1 2010 // How Insurance Companies Can Live to Be 100 and Beyond Companies that seek longevity in the insurance industry should not focus solely on increasing profits. That’s the assessment of Robert P. Hartwig, president and...

London Broker Oxygen Strengthens Construction Specialty Team

Oct 29 2010 // London-based Oxygen Insurance Brokers announced that it has “further strengthened its broking and risk management services to architects, engineers and surveyors with the appointment of two new senior brokers, part...

Navigators Launches Specialty Reinsurance Business

Oct 29 2010 // The Navigators Group has established Navigators Re, a unit focused on developing specialty assumed reinsurance business. “As a global specialty insurer, there are certain product lines and geographies where a...

Best Affirms Torus Insurance and Operating Subsidiaries Ratings

Oct 27 2010 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength ratings of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of Torus Insurance (Bermuda) Limited, Torus...

Torus Names Kuprianczyk to European Professional Lines Team

Oct 25 2010 // Lines, based in Zurich. In addition to the newly appointed Cologne-based team under Professional Lines Manager Esther Fittinghoff-Hansen, he will “further bolster the provision of senior local expertise for...

Willis Re Merges UK, Europe Teams; Forms Willis Re Europe

Oct 21 2010 // Willis Re, the reinsurance advisor and part of Willis Group Holdings, announced that it has merged its teams handling Continental European and UK-based property and casualty business into an expanded European unit and is...

Best Affirms ‘A’ Ratings of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2010 (Cathedral)

Oct 21 2010 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the Best’s Syndicate Rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2010. At the same...

Specialty Products Manufacturing: Multiple Opportunities for Injury

Oct 21 2010 // In 2007 there were over 10 million consumer-product related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments, according to the National Safety Council. While the statistics reveal injuries from seemingly innocuous...

Lloyd’s to Restructure Claims Management Procedures

Oct 20 2010 // Tom Bolt, Lloyd’s Underwriting Performance Director, outlined plans in a speech last week to reorganize Lloyd’s claims handling procedures. He received immediate, and no doubt expected, support from...

HCC Insurance Holdings Creates New Underwriting Unit, HCC Specialty

Oct 20 2010 // Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. is combining its Professional Indemnity Agency (PIA), HCC Public Risk, and HCC Specialty Underwriters units under a newly created underwriting division, HCC Specialty. HCC...

Lloyd’s McGovern Works to Expand No. American Business; Part II

Oct 18 2010 // Sean McGovern now heads Lloyd’s operations in the U.S. and Canada – the first and third largest sources of business for its underwriters. Lloyd’s not only wants to hold on to that business, but also to...

People

Oct 18 2010 // Insurance broker Marsh has added five industry veterans – four from competing broker Aon – to its private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice. James O’Brien, Jason Hawkins and Craig Warnke join...

Declarations

Oct 18 2010 // Inflationary Increase “The previous $15 million capital and surplus requirement has been in place since the ’90s, so is not near as meaningful in guaranteeing financial solvency of surplus line insurers today....

Court: Calif. Surplus Line Insurers Should Not Be Double-Taxed

Oct 18 2010 // Surplus line insurers should not be subject to California Constitution Section 28 taxes to the state, according to a California Court of Appeal decision that notes that these nonadmitted insurers already pay surplus line...

Lloyd’s McGovern Navigates Turbulent U.S. Waters; Part I

Oct 15 2010 // A recent article in Lloyd’s “Market” magazine noted that Sean McGovern, General Counsel and, since February 2010, the Director of Lloyd’s North America, “loves to mess about in boats in his...

Stanford Denied Use of Lloyd’s Insurance to Pay Fraud Defense

Oct 14 2010 // Accused swindler Allen Stanford may not use $100 million in a Lloyd’s of London directors and officers insurance policy to pay the lawyers defending him on charges of running a $7 billion fraud, a U.S. judge in Texas...

Beazley, Co-Founder of Beazley Group, Passes Away

Oct 14 2010 // The co-founder and former CEO of Beazley Group, Andrew Beazley, has passed away at the age of 57. Beazley was co-founder of the company and its CEO for 22 years of its 24-year history. The company founded by Andrew Beazley...

S&P Revises Outlook on Mutual of Omaha to ‘Negative’

Oct 13 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it has revised its outlook on Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co. to negative from stable, and has assigned its ‘A’ rating to Mutual of Omaha’s issue of up to...

Clock is Ticking on Surplus Lines Tax Reform

Oct 12 2010 // The insurance industry called the passage of the Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act on July 21, 2010, a “big win” thanks to provisions in the massive reform bill that would modernize regulation...