Articles by Lucca de Paoli, Luca Casiraghi and Donal Griffin

Credit Suisse Knew Frozen Greensill Funds’ Insurance Cover Relied on One Insurer: Report

Long before Credit Suisse Group AG was forced to wind down a $10 billion group of funds it ran with financier Lex Greensill, there were plenty of red flags. Executives at the bank knew early on that a large portion …

Seeds of Greensill Capital’s Swift Fall Triggered When Credit Insurer Balked at Renewal

The seeds for the rapid disintegration of Lex Greensill’s empire were sown eight months ago, when a little-known Australian insurer called Bond and Credit Company decided not to renew insurance policies covering $4.6 billion in corporate loans backed by the …

Investors Eye Windfall From Denied COVID-19 Insurance Claims

A growing market niche where investors profit from others’ legal troubles is getting a boost from Covid. Distressed-investing funds and litigation-finance boutiques are likely to be spoiled for choice after a landmark U.K. court ruling last month rejected pleas from …

UK Insurer Admiral Sells Price Comparison Unit to Zoopla in $685 Million Deal

UK home and car insurer Admiral Group Plc agreed to sell its price-comparison unit to the owner of property portal Zoopla in a transaction valued at 508 million pounds ($685 million). Admiral will get about 450 million pounds in the …

Insurers Ink $90 Billion in Merger Deals as They Pursue Post-Coronavirus Clout

Insurers pummeled by the pandemic are looking to deals as they race to see who’ll emerge strongest when the outbreak subsides. The takeover of RSA Insurance Group Plc and Allstate Corp.’s largest acquisition ever have helped push industry deals announced …

How to Address the Next Uninsurable Pandemic — A Black Swan Event

There aren’t many contexts where $2 trillion seems like a paltry sum. Then a pandemic comes along. The economic fallout from COVID-19 has left insurers issuing existential warnings and businesses discovering they weren’t covered. It’s resulted in courts packed with …

Bank of England Warns Private Insurers Need Government to Help Narrow Protection Gap

The Bank of England has encouraged the government to work with UK insurers in preparation for future major shocks, rather than leave swathes of the economy exposed to catastrophic losses. The danger of a “protection gap” is emerging as firms …

Major UK Ruling on Business Insurance for COVID-19 Claims Expected Tuesday

Insurers battered by coronavirus are about to find out how much worse the damage could get. A London court is set to rule Tuesday in a case involving about 370,000 policyholders, companies including Zurich Insurance Group AG and Hiscox Ltd. …

Update: COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims Take Center Stage in London Court Case

UK financial regulators took aim at insurers’ attempts to compare the coronavirus lockdown to government warnings on cigarettes and alcohol, telling a London court that businesses had no choice but to shut down during the pandemic. The clash took place …

UK Insurers Cite Swedish Example in Bid to Dodge Coronavirus Biz Income Payouts

Insurers are set to argue against paying out fully on claims made by businesses forced to shut because of the pandemic, saying that shops in Sweden lost money even without a strict lockdown. The strategy was raised at the first …