Articles by Sarah Jones

Insurers with $6 Trillion Mull Mortgage Loans, Private Equity: Goldman Sachs

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 showed. Thirty-five percent of insurance executives said …

Fairfax Financial Agrees to Sell 30% Stake in Brit to Ontario Pension Fund

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. will sell as much as 30 percent of Brit plc to the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System two months after agreeing to buy the Lloyd’s of London insurer for $1.88 billion. Fairfax said Wednesday it reached …

Old Mutual’s CEO Roberts Steps Down, Hemphill Appointed

Old Mutual plc’s Julian Roberts is stepping down as chief executive officer of Africa’s biggest insurer and will be replaced by Standard Bank Group Ltd.’s Bruce Hemphill. Roberts, 57, is resigning after almost seven years leading the London-based company, and …

Aviva CEO & CFO Reduce Long-Term Bonuses After Voting Agency Concern

Aviva plc’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Wilson and the chief financial officer lowered their long-term bonuses after Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. was said to have raised concerns over 2015 compensation. Wilson’s long-term incentive plan (LTIP ) reverted back to 2014 …

Hastings Weighs IPO as U.K. Car Insurer Gains Market Share

Hastings Insurance Group increased its customer base by 20 percent in 2014, boosting profitability and setting the U.K. car insurer on track for a potential initial public offering this year. Hastings, which generates 90 percent of its business from price-comparison …

RSA Irish Staff Wept Recalling Pressure From Former Boss, Tribunal Hears

Executives at RSA Insurance Group plc’s Irish unit wept as they recalled how their former boss, Philip Smith, pressured them, an employment hearing heard. “Men were weeping into their hands, crying,” Derek Walsh, RSA’s group counsel, said at an Employment …

U.K.’s Aviva Reports 6% Increase in Operating Profit for 2014

Aviva plc, in the midst of buying Friends Life Group Ltd. for $8.6 billion, increased its shareholder payout for 2014 by 30 percent as the insurer reported higher profit. The final dividend was lifted to 12.25 pence per share, taking …

U.K.’s Direct Line 2014 Profit Misses Estimates on Less Premiums Written

Direct Line Insurance Group plc reported 2014 pretax profit that missed analyst estimates as the British home and car insurer wrote less premiums. Pretax profit for continuing operations rose 12 percent to 456.8 million pounds ($702.8 million) in the year …

Amlin, Hiscox Say They Plan to Remain Independent Amid Flurry of M&As

Lloyd’s of London insurers Amlin plc and Hiscox Ltd. both said they have enough scale to stay independent and see no need to find a buyer amid a flurry of deals in the industry. Both insurers reported lower full-year pretax …

RSA’s Restores 2014 Profit and Dividend; CFO Plans to Step Down

RSA Insurance Group plc reported its first full-year profit since Stephen Hester took charge, restoring dividends after a string of asset sales and cost-cutting measures. Pretax profit was 275 million pounds [$425.9 million], compared with a loss of 244 million …