Articles by Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Amy-Jo Crowley and Alexander Hübner

PE Firm Cinven Eyes Sale of German Life Insurer Viridium: Sources

Cinven is considering a sale of German life insurer Viridium after another of its insurance investments in Europe, Eurovita, was hit by heavy customer outflows earlier in the year, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The private equity …

Allianz Returns to Q4 Net Profit After U.S. Funds Debacle

Germany’s Allianz on Friday swung to a fourth-quarter net profit, rebounding after taking big charges a year earlier for a U.S. funds scandal and as a higher investment margin boosted its life and health insurance business. But its asset management …

Hurricanes and Floods Bring $120B in 2022 Insurance Losses: Munich Re

Hurricane Ian in the United States and floods and Australia helped to make 2022 one of the costliest years on record for natural disasters, Munich Re said on Tuesday, warning that climate change was making storms more intense and frequent. …

Allianz to Pay Over $6B for Structured Alpha Fraud, Former Fund Manager Indicted

Germany’s Allianz SE agreed to pay more than $6 billion and its U.S. asset management unit pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud over the collapse of a group of investment funds early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Allianz’s settlements with the …

Allianz Sets Aside Another $2 Billion for Structured Alpha Fund Debacle

Germany’s Allianz said on Wednesday it would set aside another 1.9 billion euros ($2 billion) as it braces for the outcome of U.S. regulatory investigations into a multibillion-dollar trading debacle at its funds arm. The collapse of a $15 billion …

Allianz Sets Aside $4.2B to Handle Probes, Lawsuits After Collapse of Investment Funds

German insurer and asset manager Allianz ALVG.DE on Thursday said it would set aside 3.7 billion euros ($4.20 billion) to deal with investigations and lawsuits resulting from the collapse of a multi-billion-euro set of investment funds. The provision resulted in …

Finance System Is Getting More Dangerous, Not Safer: Allianz CEO

FRANKFURT – Allianz Chief Executive Officer Oliver Baete said on Thursday that the financial world was getting more dangerous, not safer, setting an ominous tone for investors. Baete, who oversees one of the world’s largest insurers and asset managers, pointed …

‘Not Everything Was Perfect’ in Fund Manager, Says Allianz CEO, After ‘Horrible Week’

Oliver Baete, chief executive officer of Germany’s Allianz, on Friday spoke of a “horrible week” for him and the insurer, his first response to a disclosure that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating losses at its fund division. Baete, …

EU Fines VW, BMW $1B for Colluding to Curb Use of Emissions Cleansing Technology

BRUSSELS – The European Commission fined German carmakers Volkswagen and BMW a total of 875 million euros ($1 billion) on Thursday for colluding to curb the use of emissions cleaning technology they had developed. The case, separate to the so-called …

Wirecard Hires Forensic Investigator, Say Sources. Findings Could Aid in D&O Litigation.

German payments company Wirecard has hired Alix Partners for a forensic investigation of the accounting scandal that led to its collapse, people close to the matter said. The blue-chip company filed for insolvency last month, owing creditors almost $4 billion …