Philippines News

Rivalry Haunts Prudential/AIA Integration

British insurer Prudential will try to reassure investors it can seamlessly absorb the Asian arm of AIG next week when it publishes the prospectus for a record $21 billion cash call to fund the takeover. With shareholders broadly backing the …

Flights Resume in Parts of Europe

Flights from large parts of Europe are set to resume on Tuesday under a deal agreed by the European Union to free up airspace closed by a cloud of ash hurled into the sky by an Icelandic volcano. However, with …

Poll Finds More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated

A growing number of Americans, nearly half the country, think global warming worries are exaggerated and more people doubt that scientific warnings of severe environmental fallout will ever occur, according to a new Gallup poll. The new doubts come as …

El Nino Dissipating, But May Linger Through 2010

The deadly El Nino weather anomaly should dissipate by early summer in the northern hemisphere, but there is a chance a weak version will linger for the rest of 2010, according to a U.S. government report issued Thursday. The federal …

Ratings Recap: AIA/AIAB, SOVAG, Coface, PhilNaRe, Generali Rueck

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American International Assurance Co. Ltd. (AIA) and American International Assurance Co. (Bermuda) Ltd. (AIAB) on CreditWatch with developing implications. The ratings on American International …

Political, Financial Risk Levels Continue High in 2010, Says Aon

Political and financial instability remain a feature of the business landscape as a result of the recession, according to Aon Risk Services, the global risk management and insurance brokerage business of Aon Corp. The company launched its 17th annual Political …

Filipino Seafarers to Undergo Anti-piracy Training

The Philippines has ordered its seafarers, comprising about a third of the world’s commercial sailors, to go through anti-piracy training before they will be allowed to board ships, the labor secretary said Monday. The training, which lasts about eight hours, …

Munich Re Analyzes 2009 Nat Cats; A Lot, But Few Big Ones

A report from Munich Re confirms that losses from natural catastrophes “were far lower in 2009 than in 2008 due to the absence on the whole of major catastrophes and a very benign North Atlantic hurricane season.” However, the reinsurer …

Ratings: NIPPONKOA, Russian Re, Lemma, Lakeside Re, Inter Hanover

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a” of Hong Kong-based NIPPONKOA Insurance Company (Asia) Limited, both with stable outlooks for both ratings is stable. “The ratings reflect NIPPONKOA …

France’s AXA Eyes Asia Growth with Takeover Bid

AXA Asia Pacific rejected a $10.3 billion bid from parent AXA SA and Australian rival AMP Ltd on Monday, an initial hurdle for the French insurer’s bold ambitions to expand in Asia. AXA SA, Europe’s second-largest insurer it would raise …