Articles by L.S. Howard

Natural Catastrophes Cost $150B in 2019, with Insurers Paying $52B: Munich Re

Natural catastrophes caused overall losses of US$150 billion during 2019, including insured losses of about US$52 billion, which matches the average of the past 30 years, according to Munich Re’s catastrophe update. The reinsurer said the protection gap (the difference …

BGC Insurance’s Aerospace Broker Rebrands as ‘Piiq Risk’ with Spate of Key Hires

BGC Insurance Group (BGCI), a global broker and division of BGC Partners Inc., announced it has rebranded its global aerospace re/insurance brokerage as Piiq Risk Partners. Since the division was launched during the second half of 2019, it has been …

January 2020 Reinsurance Renewals Varied Significantly, Brokers Say

The January 2020 reinsurance renewals saw significant variation in pricing and capacity depending on geography, line of business, cedents’ loss record and client relationships, according to two reports published by brokers Guy Carpenter and Willis Re. Indeed, the market demonstrated …

Argo and Shareholder Voce Lay Down Their Swords, Agree to 3 New Board Members

Argo Group International Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based re/insurer, announced it has agreed with activist shareholder Voce Capital Management to change the composition of Argo’s board with the addition of three new directors. The agreement ends a contentious dispute with Voce, …

Insurance Journal’s Top 10 International Stories of 2019

Mergers & acquisitions led the interest of readers of Insurance Journal’s International section during 2019, with three of the top 10 articles covering M&A topics. This reflects a similar theme to that seen for 2018’s top articles. At number one …

MS Amlin to Exit U.K. P/C Classes as Part of Underwriting Review

MS Amlin, the London-based re/insurer, said it will cease underwriting corporate property, real estate, casualty and package binders through its U.K. P/C business with effect from Jan. 31, 2020. This announcement follows the outcome of MS Amlin’s comprehensive underwriting review …

Argo Activist Shareholder Voce Renews Battle to Elect Independent Board Members

Activist shareholder Voce Capital Management LLC is renewing its fight with the board of Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. This time, Voce is calling for a special meeting of Argo shareholders to elect five independent board members. Argo has been …

CEO of Gallagher’s UK Broker/Underwriting Unit Apologizes for ‘Insensitive Comments’

Simon Matson, CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher’s UK broking and underwriting business, has apologized for “insensitive comments” made when former employees left Gallagher-owned Alesco to join Ardonagh Group. Comments made by Matson and other Alesco executives came to light when …

Reinsurers Maintain Upward Pricing Momentum-But Will It Last?

Positive pricing momentum—it’s the favorite phrase of many reinsurance executives, who are hoping that the momentum they’ve seen in 2019 will continue during the coming January renewals and beyond. The question is whether they will be disappointed, once again. Over …

Reinsurers Look at Cyber’s Massive Growth Possibilities-With Caution

Reinsurers are aware they must constantly invent new solutions in order to stay relevant for their clients. Yet, they admit they are sometimes challenged to close the protection gap for new and emerging risks such as cyber. Cyber is actually …