Solvency II News

UPDATE: Allianz 2nd Quarter Profit Rises 15% on Fewer Nat Cat Claims

Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said second-quarter profit rose 15 percent as lower claims from natural catastrophes offset a drop in earnings at Pacific Investment Management Co. Net income increased to 2.02 billion euros ($2.2 billion) from 1.76 billion euros …

Europe’s ABS Market Promotion Hinges on Easing Insurers’ Capital Requirements

Europe’s push to promote asset-backed securities (ABS) hinges on persuading insurers to buy the debt by easing capital requirements, investors and analysts said. European Union and global regulators recently proposed criteria for identifying simple and transparent securitizations that could qualify …

UK Insurers to Stress Test Capital Reserves Against Synchronized Terrorist Attack

UK regulators have asked property and casualty insurers to stress test their capital reserves against catastrophes, including a synchronized terrorist attack in London, New York and one other major city. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published the exercises last week …

Bank of England to Rule on Risk Models as Insurers Prepare for Solvency II

The Bank of England will issue its verdict in December on the models insurance companies use to quantify risk and determine capital requirements as the industry prepares for the new European Union rules known as Solvency II. “I consider it …

Reinsurance Industry Faces Uncertain Future as Time Moves On

It’s around two months until the annual Reinsurance Rendezvous in Monte Carlo, where the reinsurers, brokers, carriers, lawyers, accountants and cat modelers discuss the state of their industry. That industry, until recently a rock solid bastion of the “we do …

Low Interest Rates Challenge European Insurers: A.M. Best Report

The low interest rate environment represents a significant challenge for insurers, according to a report published by A.M. Best. “European insurers are struggling to generate investment income as the majority of their invested assets are held in high-quality fixed-income securities,” …

Aon Benfield Analytics Releases Lloyd’s Update; 2014 Performance Examined

Aon Benfield Analytics’ Market Analysis team has released its latest Lloyd’s Update report, which assesses the market’s 2014 financial performance and latest developments. Key findings in the report include: The Lloyd’s market began 2015 with 92 active syndicates and slightly …

A.M. Best: European Insurers Tap Capital Markets Ahead of Solvency II

Low interest rates together with highly liquid and stable financial markets have prompted European insurers to tap the capital markets in their efforts to lower the cost of capital and optimize levels of risk-adjusted capitalization, according to a new report …

Allianz to Shrink German Branch Network; Hit by Low Interest Rates

Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said it will shrink its administrative branch network in Germany as low interest rates and regulatory demands hurt industry profitability. About 360 jobs, or about 1 percent of employees in Germany, will be affected, mainly …

Solvency II’s Impact and Its Future Analyzed at EIF Conference

Solvency II – all 2000 plus pages of it – has been completed and is slated to go into force as of the first of January 2016. As befits a major reorganization of a major EU industry, it took a …