Latest Swiss Re Headlines
All the headlines from our Swiss Re Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Re/insurers Rethink Climate Change Risks as Losses Grow from Wildfires, Floods, Hail
Sep 20 2019 // By the time David Kaisel got back from selling his flour at a farmers’ market, a wildfire in California’s Capay Valley had burnt both his tractor and the shipping container where he kept some tools. His insurer...
Global Policymakers Must Focus on Strengthening Economic Resilience: Swiss Re
Aug 27 2019 // A decade after the last financial crisis, attention is too focused on what central bankers can do to prevent the next one, according to Swiss Reinsurance Co. With liquidity taps open and policy rates stuck in a...
42% of $44 Billion Global Catastrophe Losses in First Half Were Insured: Swiss Re
Aug 16 2019 // Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in the first half of 2019 were responsible for USD $44 billion of economic losses globally, according to Swiss Re Institute’s preliminary sigma estimates. This figure is...
Swiss Re-Backed Insurer FWD Eyes China Expansion Ahead of Potential IPO
Jul 31 2019 // Fast-growing insurer FWD is seeking to launch operations in China ahead of any public offering and plans to bolster its non-life business in Asia, its chief executive said, as a potential shake-up looms in the...
Swiss Re H1 Profit Hit by Ethiopian Airlines Crash, Grounding of Boeing 737 MAX
Jul 31 2019 // Swiss Re’s first-half net profit fell 5.3%, as claims relating to the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the subsequent grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, plus natural catastrophes took their toll. The world’s...
Data-Deprived Auto Insurers Cautious About Discounts for Advanced Safety Features
Jul 26 2019 // Automakers are accelerating the rollout of technology designed to avoid crashes, but insurance companies are waving a caution flag at consumers eyeing discounts for buying collision-avoiding brakes or automated cruise...
Brit Global Specialty USA Adds Swiss Re’s Zillgitt, Redstone’s Magee
Jul 12 2019 // Brit Global Specialty USA has named Garick Zillgitt as vice president, Primary General Liability, and Justin Magee as vice president, Excess Casualty. Zillgitt and Magee will both be based in California in Walnut Creek and...
Swiss Re Postpones $4B ReAssure IPO, Citing Weak Investor Demand
Jul 11 2019 // Reinsurance group Swiss Re suspended plans for a $4.1 billion initial public offering of British life insurer ReAssure on the day it was set to start trading in London, citing weak demand from institutional investors. The...
Asia Market Drives Global Insurance Premiums Past $5 Trillion in 2018: Swiss Re
Jul 8 2019 // Carriers’ expansion in Asia helped push global insurance premiums past the $5 trillion mark for the first time in 2018, Swiss Re said in its latest sigma report. That growth came generally from property/casualty...
Higginbotham Named Swiss Re’s CEO Reinsurance Asia, Replacing Plunkett
Jun 27 2019 // Swiss Re announced that Russell Higginbotham has been appointed CEO Reinsurance Asia and regional president, effective July 8, 2019, and subject to necessary regulatory approvals. He is succeeding Jayne Plunkett, who has...
Swiss Re’s UK Unit ReAssure to Be Valued at up to $4.2B in IPO
Jun 27 2019 // UK life assurance business ReAssure will be valued at up to 3.3 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) when it floats on the London Stock Exchange, its largest shareholder Swiss Re said on Thursday. Swiss Re, the world’s...
Swiss Re’s UK Unit, ReAssure, Gets Ready for IPO in July
Jun 14 2019 // Swiss Re AG confirmed that its U.K.-based ReAssure Group Plc unit intends to undertake an initial public offering, giving the business firepower to expand its closed life and pension business. The company is expected to...
Swiss Re Plans IPO of $4.5 Billion UK Subsidiary ReAssure
Jun 7 2019 // Swiss Re is pressing ahead with plans to float its $4.5 billion UK life insurance business in London to put it under a more favorable regulatory regime and give it easier access to capital to fund its expansion. ReAssure,...
Henchoz Succeeds Wallin as Hannover Re’s Chief Executive Officer
May 8 2019 // Hannover Re announced that Jean-Jacques Henchoz has stepped into the role of chief executive officer, succeeding Ulrich Wallin who is retiring. Prior to joining Hannover Re, Henchoz had been in charge of the region Europe,...
Swiss Re: Insurance Industry Must Wake Up to Costs of ‘Secondary’ Catastrophe Perils
May 6 2019 // The insurance industry must wake up to the growing cost of “secondary” catastrophe perils, which amounted to more than 60 percent of the $76 billion price tag for insured natural catastrophe losses during 2018,...
Swiss Re’s Q1 Profit of $429M Hit by Natural Catastrophes, Boeing Crash
May 3 2019 // Reinsurer Swiss Re AG’s reported an unexpected 6 percent fall in quarterly net profit on Friday as claims from large losses offset higher net premiums and a solid return on investments. Net profit came in at $429...
Brazil’s Argo Seguros Appoints Queiroz from Swiss Re as CEO
Apr 26 2019 // Argo Seguros, the Brazilian underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products and a member of Argo Group, announced the appointment of Newton Queiroz as CEO, effective May 1, 2019. Queiroz will report to Jorge...
Insurance Industry Must Wake Up to Costs of ‘Secondary’ Catastrophe Perils: Swiss Re
Apr 12 2019 // The insurance industry must wake up to the growing cost of “secondary” catastrophe perils, which amounted to more than 60 percent of the $76 billion price tag for insured natural catastrophe losses during 2018,...
Insurers Pitch Quick-Paying Parametric Disaster Insurance to Public Sector
Apr 9 2019 // Some of the world’s largest insurers are eagerly pitching cities, states and even school districts on policies designed to pay out quickly with few questions in the event of extreme weather. The catch: Even a...
Swiss Re-Backed FWD in Talks for Biggest-Ever Southeast Asian Insurance Deal
Mar 22 2019 // FWD Group, backed by billionaire Richard Li, has revived talks about a potential acquisition of the life insurance operations of Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank Pcl after a two-year hiatus. Siam Commercial reached a...
