Latest Australia Headlines

All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.

What Executives Need to Know About Managing D&O Liabilities: Allianz Report

Dec 2 2016 // Company directors and senior managers across the globe are increasingly likely to face costly regulatory investigations, criminal prosecutions or civil litigation, which not only put their company’s assets, and their...

ANZ’s Life Unit Attracts Interest from Suitors in Japan & Hong Kong: Sources

Nov 18 2016 // Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s sale of its life insurance and wealth business, which has been valued at $3.33 billion by the bank, is attracting interest from Japan’s Meiji Yasuda and Hong Kong-based...

Talbot Underwriting Australia Taps Former Catlin Exec Case as Managing Director

Nov 11 2016 // Talbot Underwriting Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Validus Holdings Ltd., has appointed Andrew Case as managing director of Talbot Underwriting Australia. During his 30 years of experience in the insurance industry,...

Australian Safety Bureau Reports on Missing Malaysian Flight’s Descent

Nov 3 2016 // A report into missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 by the Australian safety investigator leading the search supports its view that the aircraft descended rapidly after running out of fuel with no human intervention, the...

BHSI Launches Civil Liability Cover for Australia/NZ Financial Institutions

Oct 28 2016 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. (BHSI) announced it has launched Professional First Financial Institutions Civil Liability Insurance in Australia and New Zealand. “Many forces have shifted the risk...

XL Catlin to Buy Australian Underwriting Agency Brooklyn

Sep 16 2016 // Specialist insurer XL Catlin has agreed to acquire Australia’s Brooklyn Underwriting from Paul Hines. Brooklyn is an underwriting agency in Australia and a Lloyd’s approved coverholder, that has been operating...

Cat-Insurance Data Provider PERILS Expands Into Australia

Sep 13 2016 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based company providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has extended its market coverage to include Australia. PERILS now provides market-wide property sums insured that are exposed...

Australia Airlines Ban Use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Phones After Battery Fires

Sep 8 2016 // Three Australian airlines have banned passengers from using or charging Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7 smartphones during flights due to concerns over the phone’s fire-prone batteries. Qantas, its budget...

UK’s BMS Launches Melbourne, Australia-based Affinity Broking Operation

Sep 7 2016 // BMS Group Ltd., the London-based independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, announced the launch of a new affinity broking operation focused on Australia and New Zealand. The team will be based in Melbourne...

Willis Re Taps Aon’s McDowell to Lead Bermuda Unit; Harden as APAC President

Aug 23 2016 // Willis Re announced the appointment of Chris McDowell as CEO of Willis Re Bermuda. Effective Jan. 1, 2017, he will succeed Michael Harden, CEO of Willis Re Bermuda since 2014, who is returning to the Asia Pacific region as...

BHSI & Tego to Provide Medical Indemnity Cover for Doctors in Australia

Aug 16 2016 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. (BHSI) and Tego Insurance announced they have entered into an exclusive underwriting agreement to provide medical indemnity insurance to medical practitioners in...

Malaysia Confirms Pilot’s Simulator Contained Flight 370 Course

Aug 9 2016 // Malaysia acknowledged for the first time that one of the pilots of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had plotted a course on his home flight simulator to the southern Indian Ocean, where the missing jet is believed to have...

BHSI Launches Cyber Liability Cover in Australia; Osgood Leads Product Line

Jul 21 2016 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSI) announced it has introduced cyber liability insurance in Australia and named Emma Osgood as head of Cyber Liability in the region. BHSI is focusing on the...

BHSI Enters Australia A&H Market, Appoints Product Leaders

Jul 6 2016 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. (BHSI) announced it has launched a full suite of Accident & Health Insurance products in Australia and appointed Daniel Kenny as head of Accident & Health and Shaun...

Insured Losses from Australia’s Storms Rise to $41.6M

Jun 8 2016 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has expanded the footprint of the latest insurance catastrophe to include the east coast of Victoria and Tasmania’s northern and eastern coastlines. The declaration increases...

Australia’s Storms Estimated to Cost Insurers $28 Million: Insurance Council

Jun 6 2016 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe after the storms that pounded the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) over the weekend. By Monday, June 6, insurers had received...

StarStone, Subsidiary of Enstar, Creates Australian Underwriting Hub

May 20 2016 // StarStone, the global specialty insurer and subsidiary of Enstar Group Ltd., announced the creation of an underwriting capability in Australia. The new hub will operate alongside Enstar’s existing Australian...

Australian Tech Entrepreneur Confirms He Is Bitcoin Creator: BBC Report

May 2 2016 // Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright told the BBC on Monday he was the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin, ending years of speculation about a person who until now has gone by the name of Satoshi...

Investors Back Trov, On-Demand Platform for ‘Insurable Moments’ and Items, with $39M

Apr 26 2016 // Investors have pledged $39 million for a technology platform that allows consumers to insure their valuable things and turn the coverage on and off whenever they want with swipe of a finger on their smartphone. In the...

Australia Nears Record for Fewest Cyclones Since 1970 – Thanks to El Niño

Apr 25 2016 // El Niño is getting some of the credit as Australia nears a record for the fewest tropical cyclones since 1970. “With the end of the season approaching and only three cyclones so far, the 2015-16 Australian region...