Solvency II News

Irish Insurers Face Higher Reserves; Fairfax Financial to Invest in FBD Holdings

Irish insurers will have to set aside significantly more reserves to cover car-crash, workplace injuries and other claims as compensation payouts surge, according to the industry’s regulator. The nation’s central bank will tell insurers the results of a review of …

Germany’s Talanx Invests in Renewable Energy to Counter Low Interest Rates

Talanx AG, the German insurance company buying into its first offshore wind farm, said it’s likely to purchase more renewable-energy assets. The insurer sees renewables as offering “long-term, bigger yields than from assets such as state bonds,” Chief Financial Officer …

Troubled Irish Insurers Seek Solvency II Support From Bond Investors, Buffett

Investors hunting for yield after a global financial rout might well take a detour to the headquarters of a tiny insurance company hidden away along a highway in west Dublin. Just as world markets cratered on August 24, troubled Irish …

UK’s PI Insurance Sector Expected to Grow by Almost 6% Annually: Report

The professional indemnity and directors & officers insurance sector has grown constantly since 2012 and is expected to continue the upward trend until at least 2019, according to the findings of a new report by London-based business intelligence company, Timetric. …

Ireland’s FBD Reports H1 Loss of $97.7M, Versus Profit of $6.8M in 2014

FBD Holdings plc fell to a five-year low after Ireland’s only publicly traded insurer posted one of its biggest first-half losses on record and said it’s unlikely to be profitable until the end of 2016. The company will sell as …

FBD Shows How to Lose Money, Even During Ireland’s Economic Recovery

Usually, economic recovery helps companies. Not so FBD Holdings plc. FBD, Ireland’s only publicly traded insurer, will publish first-half earnings in Dublin on Aug. 24, with analysts waiting to see whether the increasing claims linked to accelerating economic activity it …

EU Seeking to Cut Minimum Risk Weighting on Simple Securitizations

The European Commission is seeking to cut the minimum risk weight on securitizations that qualify as simple and transparent to 10 percent to help jump-start the bloc’s capital markets. The 5 percentage-point reduction in the risk weighting for securities backed …

Ireland’s FBD Could Sell as Much as $83M of Debt to Meet Solvency II Rules

FBD Holdings plc may seek to sell as much as 75 million euros ($83 million) of subordinated debt to ensure it meets new solvency rules, Darren McKinley, an analyst at Merrion Capital said. Insurance company FBD may need a capital …

EU Close to Easing Solvency II Capital Rules to Lure Asset-Backed Debt Buyers

The European Union’s plan to revive the asset-backed securities market may heed industry concerns by broadening the range of products eligible for a high-quality label and easing capital requirements for insurers. The securitization overhaul due next month from the European …

European Captives More Focused on Risk Mgmt., Investments: A.M. Best

A.M. Best has released a new study -“European Captives Increase Focus on Risk Management and Investments Ahead of Solvency II -” which concludes that “many European captives have embraced Solvency II’s increased regulatory requirements as an opportunity to focus more …