U.S. car-safety policies for child passengers have become some of the weakest in the developed world, according to safety advocates. Martha Bidez, a professor of safety engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and advocate for improved U.S. child-protection …
Cash rich Australian companies are being forced to search offshore for takeover targets as the small local market has become too consolidated to get deals past the competition watchdog. With the Aussie dollar at a 28-year high, now would be …
Willis Group Holdings announced that it has incorporated its US, UK and International hubs of mining expertise into one worldwide group practice, which will report to Steve Hearn, London-based Chairman of Global Markets International (GMI). The new group will bring …
Australia faces almost double the number of destructive tropical cyclones, possibly as many as 22, across oil and gas, iron ore and sugar production regions during 2010/11 cyclone season, the weather bureau said. The above-average number of cyclones are a …
Aon Benfield launched a market update for the key Asia Pacific reinsurance hubs of Australia/New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and China at the recently concluded East Asian Insurance Congress (EAIC) in Bali. The announcement gave the following details for each of …
Western National, Arizona Auto, Legacy Western National Insurance Group (WNIG) of Edina, Minn., signed an agreement for the purchase of 100 percent of the stock of Arizona Auto Insurance Co. and Legacy Insurance Services, both headquartered in Phoenix. The purchase …
A.M. Best Europe – Ratings Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength ratings of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Aspen Insurance UK Limited (AIUK) and Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Limited (AIL). Best also affirmed the …
A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a” from “a-” of Pennsylvania-based Praetorian Insurance Company and Minnesota-based NAU Country Insurance Company. Both are operating companies …
A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength ratings of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of UK-based QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited, Australia-based QBE Insurance (International) Limited and QBE Reinsurance (Europe) Limited, …
The Lloyd’s of London insurance market revealed that record claims from disasters including the Chilean earthquake and U.S. oil spill halved its profits, and said it saw no respite from a steady decline in prices. Lloyd’s, which traces its origins …
