Fireman’s Fund Opens London Office for Film Underwriting

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, the California-based U.S. operations of Germany’s Allianz SE, announced that it is expanding its operation with the opening of a London office, “which offers film underwriting to European production companies.”

Ian Mercer, an insurance executive with 20 years of experience in both the UK and the U.S., heads the new office.

Fireman’s Fund said it “will work with one of its parent company subsidiaries, Allianz Insurance in the U.K., to provide a fully comprehensive insurance package for production companies and vendors.”

“This is the first step in broadening our unmatched experience and expertise in film underwriting, backed by the power of our parent Allianz, a global insurance leader,” explained Joe Finnegan, vice president of Fireman’s Fund Entertainment. “Over the years, we have been underwriting productions that are filmed in Europe and other global regions – but now we’ll be able to offer an increased ease of doing business by providing local coverage we weren’t able to offer before, local underwriting knowledge and eliminating time differences.”

Mercer joined the insurance industry in 1981 and has worked in entertainment insurance since 1987, serving in a variety of roles at Hayward & Company, an entertainment insurance broker and with EBI U.K. Ltd. In 1997, Mercer established Media Insurance Brokers (MIB) in London with several partners, working exclusively in the entertainment and media sectors. He opened MIB’s Los Angeles office in 1999, working there for seven years before returning to London in 2007, where he continued to oversee MIB’s Los Angeles office.

The new London office is located at 27 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 1AA, Tel: (020) 7488 1882.

Source: Fireman’s Fund – http://www.firemansfund.com