Reinsurance News
Munich Re’s ERGO to sell Russian non-life arm to RESO-Garantia
12th February 2019
German reinsurer Munich Re has announced that it intends to sell the Russian non-life re/insurance business of its ERGO International division to Moscow-based insurer RESO-Garantia. The property and casualty (P&C) subsidiary provides a range of insurance solutions both in Russia and internationally, including motor, voluntary health coverage, property, mortgage, travel, accident, ... Read the full article
Argo improves combined ratio, reports strong growth for 2018
12th February 2019
Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. saw its combined ratio strengthen in both Q4 and the full-year 2018, as the re/insurer continued to expand its business operations. Argo has reported its financial results for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2018, posting a net loss of $43.6 million and net income of $63.6 million, ... Read the full article
High cat losses drive Q4 net loss for Everest Re
12th February 2019
Bermuda-based reinsurer Everest Re Group, Ltd., fell to a net loss of $382.3 million in the fourth-quarter of 2018 as catastrophe losses spiked to $875 million, driven mostly by hurricane Michael, the California wildfires, and a hailstorm event in Australia. The Q4 net loss compares to net income of $571 million ... Read the full article
Liberty Specialty Markets hires casualty leader for Italy
12th February 2019
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has entered the casualty market in Italy for the first time, appointing Paolo Pitton to lead the initiative. Pitton will join LSM’s existing Milan office, arriving from Chubb Europe, where he most recently served as Deputy Casualty Manager. LSM has been ... Read the full article
Lambrou appointed Global CEO of Commercial Risk Solutions, Aon
11th February 2019
Global insurance and reinsurance broker, Aon, has named veteran Aon leader, Lambros Lambrou as Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its Commercial Risk Solutions division. According to the broker, this appointment is another significant step to realise the full potential of its Aon United growth strategy. Lambrou replaces Mike O'Connor as CEO ... Read the full article
Berkshire Hathaway to launch three-page insurance product for small businesses
11th February 2019
The Insurance Group of Warren Buffett's conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway has announced the launch of a concise and comprehensive three-page insurance product for small businesses called THREE. The company hopes to cut down the lengthy and time-consuming processes currently required for a small U.S business to secure the necessary cover. THREE provides insurance ... Read the full article
AIG’s Robert Quane joins AXIS as Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Optimization
11th February 2019
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has appointed Robert Quane to the newly created role of Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Optimization. In his new role, Quane will be responsible for leading the company's Group Underwriting function, while at the same time working in partnership with AXIS' business segments. Quane joins the firm from ... Read the full article
Property reinsurance rates “inexplicably flat” at 1/1, says Markel’s Whitt
11th February 2019
Richard Whitt, Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of Markel Corporation, has said that property reinsurance rates were “inexplicably flat” at the recent January renewals. Speaking during a company earnings call, Whitt noted that reinsurance rates were disappointing at the 1/1 renewals despite two consecutive years of heavy catastrophe losses across ... Read the full article
Beazley CEO identifies growth opportunities for 2019
11th February 2019
Andrew Horton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of specialist re/insurer Beazley, has outlined the potential growth opportunities the company considers to be most promising going into 2019. Commenting on Beazley’s 2018 results, which saw profits fall by 55% due to heavy catastrophe losses and low investment yields, the CEO highlighted the ... Read the full article
Munich Re launches wind farm insurance product: reports
11th February 2019
Global reinsurance giant Munich Re has launched a product that provides wind farm operators cover against revenue losses due to fluctuations in wind speeds, according to reports from Reuters. Munich Re hopes to cover one gigawatt (GW) of wind power capacity in 2019 with this new insurance product, which can be ... Read the full article
RMS adds Nieswandt as MD, Continental Europe
11th February 2019
Catastrophe risk modelling and analytics firm RMS has appointed Oliver Nieswandt as Managing Director of Continental Europe. Based at the RMS Zurich office, Nieswandt replaces Christer Pehrson who, after completing an assignment in Europe, is due to move to the company’s office in New York. Nieswandt started out his career at Hannover ... Read the full article
Investor losses drive retro pricing hikes amid flat 1/1 market: A.M. Best
11th February 2019
Large catastrophe losses and ongoing loss creep resulted in pricing hikes of up to 35% for the retrocession segment at the January 2019 renewals, as investors pushed for higher returns amid a predominantly flat rating environment, according to A.M. Best. Analysts said that property catastrophe retrocession was the brightest spot at ... Read the full article
Townsville flooding claims rise again, cost now estimated at AUD 165mn: ICA
11th February 2019
Insurance companies have now received 13,560 claims, amounting to losses of an estimated AUD 165 million (USD 117mn), in relation to the torrential rainfall and flooding in the City of Townsville, Queensland, according to data from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). The latest figures are as of 10am local time, and the ... Read the full article
RT Specialty adds insurance lawyer Katz as EVP
11th February 2019
RT Specialty, a subsidiary of Ryan Specialty Group, has announced the appointment of Mark Katz as an Executive Vice President. Katz joins from Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass LLP, a law firm in New York City, where he served for 25 years. This new role will see Katz take responsibility for the ... Read the full article
Modest downturn for commercial lines rates in January: IVANS
11th February 2019
Most major U.S commercial product lines experienced a downward trend in premium renewal rates during January 2019, according to the latest monthly results of the IVANS Index, which tracks commercial re/insurance pricing. IVANS, which is a division of Applied Systems, observed a negative change in average premium renewal rates across the ... Read the full article
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