Insurers News

Great American Environmental Continues West Expansion with Staff Addition

Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division has added made another staff addition to its division as it continues to expand its San Francisco office. Pauline Saint-Pierre (formerly Lowe) joins Great American from Woodruff-Sawyer & Co., where she held the title …

UK Government Announces Financial Regulatory Changes; ABI, Lloyd’s Comment

The UK’s Conservative government recently announced the long awaited regulatory reform proposals for financial services, covering both banks and insurers. They are far reaching, and will require changes in the way the UK’s insurance industry is regulated. As a result …

S&P Publishes Updated Insurers’ Economic Capital Models

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published its updated methodology for assessing insurers’ economic capital models on Jan. 24, 2011. S&P said the announced criteria “apply to all the life and health insurers, property and casualty insurers (frequently called non-life …

New Systemic Risk Council Faces Key Test

The new council of U.S. regulators will face a major test on Tuesday when it unveils recommendations on how to enforce one of the most recognizable, if inscrutable, aspects of the six-month-old Wall Street reform law: the Volcker rule. The …

Insurers, Industries Affected by Australia’s Floods

Australia’s mining industry has borne the brunt of the economic impact from massive floods in Queensland state, but agriculture, construction, transport, tourism and retail have also been hit. Following is a list of sectors and companies affected: INSURERS The Insurance …

New York Insurers Applaud Plan to Merge State’s Regulatory Arms

A key trade group for insurers in New York State applauded a proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to merge the state’s insurance regulatory arm into a single agency overseeing insurance, banking and consumer protection. The proposal for the so-called Department …

Bond Insurer Sues Goldman Sachs Over Abacus Deal

Bond insurer ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. sued Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Thursday, alleging it was deceived into insuring a transaction designed to fail and for which Goldman ultimately paid a $550 million civil penalty. Goldman Sachs paid the settlement …

Midwest Insurers Austin Mutual and Cooperative Mutual Complete Merger

Minnesota-based Austin Mutual Insurance Company, a regional property and casualty insurer, announced it has completed its merger with Cooperative Mutual Insurance Co. located in Omaha, Neb. The previously announced merger of the companies will result in projected combined assets of …

Maine Licenses Two New Insurers

Maine has licensed two new workers’ comp insurers, one of them a new company that will begin writing this month, the state insurance department said. The first, Great Falls, which will begin offering policies this month, will be headquartered in …

Dukes Named Tennessee VP for Keystone Insurers

Doug Dukes has been named state vice president of Tennessee for Keystone Insurers Group. Dukes will manage Keystone’s expansion into Tennessee, slated to occur this month. Dukes most recently served as field and marketing representative for The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. …