Prem Watsa News

Muddy Waters Shorts Canada Insurer Fairfax Financial, Alleging Asset Value Manipulation

Short seller Muddy Waters has placed bets against the shares of Canadian insurer Fairfax Financial alleging manipulation in its asset values. Shares of the property and casualty insurer sank 12% on Thursday, and set for their worst drop since Sept. …

CEO Watsa Buys US$149M of ‘Ridiculously Cheap’ Fairfax Shares

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. announced that Prem Watsa, its chair and CEO, has purchased in the market 482,600 subordinate voting shares of Fairfax for a cost of approximately US$148.95 million. “At our AGM and on our first quarter earnings release …

Cloutier to Step Down as Brit’s Exec. Chairman, with Plans to Become CEO of Aspen

Brit Ltd. announced that Mark Cloutier will step down from his role as executive chairman of Brit in December 2018. Following his departure, Cloutier will take up a role with an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC, working as a …

Fairfax Financial Completes $4.9 Billion Acquisition of Allied World

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., the Toronto-based investment and insurance company, has successfully completed its acquisition of Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings, for US$4.9 billion – marking the company’s largest purchase yet. Indeed, Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive officer, has …

Fairfax Plans to Sell 12.2% Stake in India’s ICICI Lombard

Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings plans to sell a 12.2 percent stake in its Indian joint venture insurer ICICI Lombard in a deal that will value the company at 203 billion rupees ($3.15 billion), the Indian company said on Saturday. Red …

Warburg Seeks to Buy Minority Stake in India’s ICICI Lombard from Fairfax

Warburg Pincus is the frontrunner to acquire a minority stake in Indian insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. from Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., according to people familiar with the matter. Toronto-based Fairfax, which owns 35 percent of ICICI …

Fairfax Financial to Pay More Cash, Less Stock, for Allied World

Toronto-based insurance group Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. said it would increase the cash component of its offer to buy Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings AG by $18 per share. The increase in the cash component of the offer would reduce …

Prem Watsa’s Fairfax to Pay $144M for New Zealand-Based Insurer

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. will pay $144 million for New Zealand insurer Tower Ltd., giving it an instant, significant presence in a growing, emerging market. Tower’s board of directors has already unanimously approved the sale at about NZ$1.17 per share, …

Fairfax Expected to Raise About $500M for New Africa Fund: Sources

Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. is expected to raise about $500 million for its new African investment fund, attracting less than its original goal as investor interest in the region proved weaker than anticipated, according to people familiar with …

Canada Pension Fund OMERS to Invest $1B in Fairfax’s Allied World Purchase

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System agreed to invest $1 billion to back the $4.8 billion acquisition by Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. of insurer Allied World Assurance Co. The investment will give OMERS a 21 percent stake in Allied …