Shockwaves from the global credit crisis spread on Thursday, threatening industry and jobs worldwide and putting pressure on the U.S. Congress to finish up a $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial sector. The fate of the rescue plan, passed …
Fortis, the Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance giant, faced a takeover or break-up as European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet held emergency talks with Dutch and Belgian lawmakers to restore faith in the Belgian-Dutch financial group. Trichet, who as ECB [European …
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” of France’s Groupama S.A. Best also affirmed the FSR of ‘A’ (Excellent) and ICR of “a” of Groupama Vie and …
According to a recently released report from Marsh, “insurance rates across most lines of business in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region continued to soften in the first half of 2008.” However, “the report also identified trends being …
Bermuda-based Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. announced several new leadership appointments in its international reinsurance operation servicing non-US clients. Laurent Beauregard has been appointed Senior Account Underwriter in Endurance’s Zurich office to manage accounts in Continental Europe with a focus on …
The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited announced that it is sponsoring a major scientific expedition to capture vitally needed data for scientists studying the impact of global warming on the Arctic ice cap. “The project – to be known as the …
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating of “aa” of Allianz S.p.A. (Italy) with stable outlooks. Best said its ratings “reflect the enhancement received from the implicit support of Allianz S.p.A.’s …
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings of “aa-” of Italy’s Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A., as well as the debt instruments issued or guaranteed by Generali. The outlook for all ratings remains …
Zurich Financial Services Group reported $2.7 billion in net income for the first six months of 2008, a slight increase over the same period last year, and a 19.5 percent return on equity. Other highlights in the earnings report for …
UK Flood Model Risk Management Solutions has released a major new upgrade to its U.K. Inland Flood Model. “The upgraded model will enable all segments of the insurance industry to drill down to a finer level of detail than ever …
