Latest Europe Headlines

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

Reinsurers Get Down to Business in Baden-Baden; Willis Re Chairman Comments

Oct 21 2013 // “I don’t think there have been any big changes between Monte Carlo and Baden-Baden,” said James Vickers, chairman of Willis Re International. This isn’t that surprising, given that the two...

Europe 9 Month Nat Cat Losses $23 Billion+; Trending Upwards: Munich Re

Oct 21 2013 // A report from Munich Re estimates that losses due to natural catastrophes totaled €17 billion [$23.24 billion] in Europe in the first nine months of 2013, “dominated by flood losses, which accounted for a share of...

Best Europe Affirms AVIVA and Subs Ratings

Oct 17 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of the insurance subsidiaries of UK-based...

Allianz CEO Says New Regulation to Create Room for Acquisitions

Oct 17 2013 // Allianz SE’s CEO Michael Diekmann said tougher financial regulation will create takeover opportunities for Europe’s biggest insurer. “If Solvency II and Basel III mean more capital, then it’s hard...

AIG Launches Product Recall Estimate Service, Raises Contaminated Product Limits

Oct 16 2013 // In response to the growing financial impact and frequency of product recalls for food and beverage manufacturers, distributors and importers in the U.S. and Europe, American International Group (AIG) today launched NOVI, a...

AXA Sells $474 Million in Cat Bonds against Europe Storm Damage

Oct 16 2013 // AXA SA said it sold catastrophe bonds designed to protect insurers from payouts on storm damage, in the biggest transaction of the notes in euros. Europe’s second-largest insurer by market value issued €350 million...

Best Report: European Insurers See Improvements; Challenges Remain

Oct 15 2013 // European non-life and life insurers “are benefitting from a more stable economic environment, although they continue to adjust product offerings and adapt reinsurance purchasing in response to the low-yield...

Best Europe Affirms SCOR and Main Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable

Oct 11 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of French reinsurer SCOR SE and its main...

Allied World Europe Appoints Graham VP – Mergers and Acquisitions

Oct 10 2013 // Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG has announced that Allied World Europe has appointed Andrew Graham Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions. He will oversee the strategy, underwriting and marketing of Allied...

Ratings Recap: Sirius, Sunderland Marine, Flagstone Re, Atradius, AmerInst

Oct 9 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Sweden’s Sirius International...

ACE Names Givelet to Lead European Environmental Risk Engineering Group

Oct 7 2013 // ACE Group has appointed Nicolas Givelet as risk engineer in its Continental Europe environmental insurance team. In this newly-created role, Givelet will lead a new environmental risk engineering task force for ACE in the...

EU-U.S. Trade Talks Halted by Shutdown, Complicated by Financial Services Rift

Oct 6 2013 // Even before the cancellation of the latest round of EU-U.S. talks, negotiations to create the world’s largest free-trade deal were getting into difficulty territory. France won a concession to leave European movies...

Allied World Europe Acquires Markel Int’l.’s Aviation Renewal Rights

Oct 3 2013 // Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG and Markel International announced that they have entered into an agreement for Allied to acquire the renewal rights to a book of aviation business written by Lloyd’s...

FERMA Forum Opens with Solvency II Analysis from Karel Van Hulle

Sep 30 2013 // The bi-annual Risk Management Forum of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) kicked off with a reception on Sunday night for the 1400 plus delegates at the MECC Conference Center in the Dutch city...

Insurance Law, Regulation – Jim Wrynn’s Experience Covers It All

Sep 29 2013 // James J. Wrynn, Esq. served as New York’s Superintendent of Insurance from 2009 to 2012, when he joined the law firm of Goldberg Segalla LLP, which specializes in insurance law. His knowledge and experience are both...

Industry Pioneer Catlin on Insurance and Environmental Concerns

Sep 27 2013 // Stephen J.O. Catlin has led the company/group that bears his name since 1984. He’s seen it grow into the biggest syndicate at Lloyd’s with gross premiums written of $5.5 billion. He was the first to move the...

EU and Singapore Finalize Details of Far-Reaching Trade Deal

Sep 23 2013 // The European Union and Singapore have finalized the details of one of the world’s most comprehensive free trade agreements, a pact the EU sees as a stepping stone towards a wider deal with booming economies in...

The FSB’s Report Misses The Mark

Sep 23 2013 // In the United States, football season has just arrived. In Europe, football season has been underway since August. While both are a sport and called “football,” they couldn’t be more different. They have...

Swiss Re Opens French Operation for Hull and Cargo Coverage

Sep 20 2013 // Swiss Re Corporate Solutions announced the expansion of its Marine insurance presence in Continental Europe through the formation of a dedicated underwriting team in Paris. The new unit officially started operations in...

EU Ready for Talks with China on Possible Free Trade Pact

Sep 19 2013 // European Union countries will agree next month to talks with China on a pact making it easier to do business, possibly paving the way for a free-trade deal between two of the world’s biggest markets, EU officials...