Consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide will fully acquire its alliance partner in the Netherlands, Watson Wyatt Brans & Co. A definitive agreement is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2007. “The two firms have maintained a close …
A new report from Standard & Poor’s Equity Research – European Investment Outlook – Riding A Wave Of Volatility – foresees the volume of mergers and acquisition in Europe exceeding the €1.3 trillion [$1.7 trillion] generated by the end of …
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued a new report that warns of the dangers of increased flooding in Eastern England. Among other findings, the report, which was compiled using data supplied by Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions, concludes: — …
France’s AXA Group has received approvals from U.S., Swiss and the European Commission antitrust authorities for its CHF12.3 billion ($9.89 billion) agreement to acquire Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co. from Credit Suisse, its current owner. AXA said that “subject to the …
Amsterdam-based Financial services company ING Groep NV reported a 30 percent rise in its second quarter profit, with the bulk of the gain coming from its insurance division. Net profit was 2.01 billion euros ($2.58 billion), up from 1.55 billion …
Germany’s Hannover Re announced that Eurus Ltd., a special purpose vehicle, has issued a CAT bond with a volume of $150 million, giving the reinsurer windstorm protection with immediate effect for a term of approximately three years, covering seven European …
Many conservative methods used to treat work-related complaints of the upper body have only limited effectiveness, according to an updated systematic review by Arianne Verhagen, Ph.D., and her colleagues in the Netherlands. Exercise, however, emerged as “a very good thing …
Parts of coastal Louisiana have remained stable 30 to 50 feet underground for the past 8,000 years with little or no subsidence, a Tulane University researcher writes in a study that contradicts some other recent findings. That means Louisiana, though …
EU Leaders Fiddle While Europe Burns: The crisis in the European Union, provoked when French and Dutch voters rejected the EU Constitution, is being largely ignored by Europe’s leaders. Instead of a bit of soul-searching and reassessment, they’ve chosen to …
Marketing fraud scheme results in 560 arrests; $1 billion in losses More than 560 people have been arrested in an international investigation of mass-marketing fraud schemes that have victimized more than 2.8 million people, the U.S. Justice Department said. Losses …
