Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hiscox Reports 12% Hike in Gross Written Premiums on Good Claims Experience
May 12 2015 // Bermuda-based Hiscox Ltd., the international specialist insurer, reported gross written premiums increased by 12 percent to £561.7 million ($869.6 million), compared to £501.6 million ($776.6 million) reported during the...
Outflows From Pimco Cut Allianz Asset Management’s Q1 Profit by 14%
May 12 2015 // Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said first-quarter profit from asset management slid on outflows from Pacific Investment Management Co. Operating profit at the business, which consists of Newport Beach,...
European Insurers’ Dividend Growth Unlikely With Rock-Bottom Interest Rates
May 11 2015 // Expectations of rising dividends and share buybacks from Europe’s insurance companies are fading as ultra low interest rates make it harder for them to meet new capital regulations. Rock-bottom interest rates reduce...
UK Elects the Conservatives, but Question of EU Status Remains
May 8 2015 // “Heavy Fog In Channel. Continent Cut Off.” That often quoted newspaper headline, which dates from at least the 1930’s, captures the ambivalent feelings the British have about their European neighbors....
Zurich Profit Falls 4% on Decline at General Insurance Unit
May 7 2015 // Zurich Insurance Group AG, Switzerland’s biggest insurer, said first-quarter profit fell 4 percent on lower earnings from general insurance and higher tax payments. Net income declined to $1.22 billion from $1.28...
Allianz Profit Rises 11% to 1.82 Billion Euros Despite Outflows From PIMCO
May 6 2015 // Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said first-quarter profit climbed 11 percent, even as investors withdrew funds from its asset manager Pacific Investment Management Co. The shares surged the most in six...
Shareholders Seek Clues to Allianz’s Plan for Pimco from New CEO
May 6 2015 // Allianz shareholders will see new CEO Oliver Baete installed on Wednesday and will be eager for any clues about his strategy for Europe’s largest insurer – and how he plans to improve the prospects of its asset...
Insurers Warn Against Encroachment on State Regulation
May 5 2015 // Insurance companies are calling for Congress to ensure state-based insurance regulation remains protected from federal or international “regulatory encroachment.” “Congress must now increase its oversight...
In Land of Negative Yields, Even Conservative Insurers Eye Junk Bond Investments
May 5 2015 // The new fixed-income haven is, of all things, the market for junk bonds. With government securities in Germany to Japan and Ireland yielding less than nothing, money is pouring into exchange- traded funds that buy...
QBE Appoints Huber as Head of European Liability
May 4 2015 // London-based QBE European Operations, which is part of QBE Insurance Group, has appointed Thomas Huber to lead the expansion of its European liability portfolio. Huber has joined as head of European liability with...
Europe Calls for Tougher Limits on Super Greenhouse Gases (HFCs)
May 1 2015 // The European Commission on Thursday called for a tougher U.N. Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer by curbing super greenhouse gases known as HFCs, that have a global warming potential thousands of times greater...
Roscoe Appointed Head of London and European Broker Relations for Beazley
May 1 2015 // Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Will Roscoe to head the company’s broker relations activity in the London and European markets. Roscoe brings extensive experience of the insurance market both as a broker and...
UK Regulator Approves Xchanging’s Acquisition of Agencyport Europe
Apr 29 2015 // Business technology and services provider Xchanging plc announced that the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has delivered its formal decision to clear the completed acquisition of Agencyport...
Insurers May Face Stock Sell-Off as Bond Yields Drop to Record Lows
Apr 27 2015 // Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, was cut to underperform by Jefferies Group as the investment bank warned insurance stocks may face an industrywide sell-off. “If bond yields fall further from here, the...
German Soccer Club Insured for Revenue Losses; Policy Led by Catlin, XL
Apr 23 2015 // Borussia Dortmund is using an unusual insurance policy to recover most of the income it is losing for failing to qualify for European soccer’s elite Champions League for the first time in five years, according to two...
Qatar Insurance Co. Posts 28% Q1 GWP Growth to $527 Million
Apr 22 2015 // The Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) posted strong growth in the first quarter of 2014 with gross written premiums rising 28 percent to $527 million, comparted to $412 million in Q1 2013. Net income for the period, however,...
Insurers with $6 Trillion Mull Mortgage Loans, Private Equity: Goldman Sachs
Apr 22 2015 // Global insurers who oversee more than $6 trillion in assets plan to invest capital in commercial mortgage loans and private equity this year to generate higher returns, a Goldman Sachs Asset Management survey...
EU Mounts Fresh Bid to End U.S. Reinsurance Collateral Rule
Apr 21 2015 // The European Union will mount a fresh bid to persuade the United States to free up the billions of euros in collateral it requires foreign reinsurers to set aside against policies. EU states agreed on Tuesday to give the...
Hundreds Drown off Libya; EU Leaders Forced to Reconsider Migrant Crisis
Apr 20 2015 // As many as 700 migrants were feared dead on Sunday after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean, raising pressure on Europe to face down anti-immigrant bias and find money for support as turmoil in Libya and the Middle...
Aspen Insurance, Starr Companies to Form Joint Europe Property Venture
Apr 17 2015 // Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance, the insurance segment of Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited, and Starr Companies announced that they have “signed a memorandum of understanding under which both parties will enter into a...
