Spain News

Best Affirms MAPFRE RE ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Remains Negative

A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating of “aa-” of Spain’s MAPFRE RE, Compania de Reaseguros, S.A. However, Best’s outlook on both ratings remains negative. The ratings …

Europe Considers Greek Default Possible; Leaders to Meet

European Union leaders are poised to hold an emergency summit after finance ministers acknowledged for the first time that some form of Greek default may be needed to cut Athens’ debts and stop contagion to Italy and Spain. “There will …

Survey Shows Europe’s Top 10 P&C Insurers Grew Premiums by 5.2% in 2010

Spain’s MAPFRE has published its 7th annual survey of Europe’s non-life insurers, ranking them by gross premiums written. The survey found that “all the companies achieved an increase in premium revenues as well as excellent results, especially driven by their …

Germany Says Beansprouts May be Cause of E.coli Infections

German-grown beansprouts could be the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak that has killed 22 people, made more than 2,000 ill and struck fear into consumers across Europe, officials said on Sunday. The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, …

Europe’s Lethal E.coli Strain May be Deadliest Yet

More than 1,600 people have been infected by a toxic strain of E.coli bacteria that has killed at least 17 and may be the deadliest yet in human history, health officials said on Friday. Germany is at the center of …

Virulent German E.coli Outbreak Death Toll Rises

A virulent form of E.coli bacteria blamed on infected cucumbers from Spain has killed 13 people in Germany and sickened 300, health officials said on Sunday while warning people not to eat suspect vegetables. European health experts Saturday said the …

Spain’s MAPFRE, Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Reinforce Collaboration Pact

MAPFRE, a major non-life insurance group in Spain and Latin America, and MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE (MSI), Japan’s principal non-Life insurance group in Asia, announced that they have “extended their framework partnership agreement to all the countries where the groups have …

EQECAT Estimates Spain Quake Insured Losses at Maximum $100 Million

Catastrophe modeling firm EQECAT has released a “CatWatch update” on the market loss estimate for the May 11 earthquake near Lorca, Spain, which indicates that, based on the latest information available, insured losses are not expected to exceed $100 Million. …

Earthquakes Hit Southern Spain; At Least 8 Dead

Two earthquakes, the first measured at magnitude 4.4, and the second a much stronger tremor measured at magnitude 5.2, struck Southern Spain near the city of Lorca late Wednesday afternoon at 6:47 PM, local time. At least 8 people reportedly …

Markel International Expands in Spain with Barcelona Office

Markel International España, the Spanish operation of the specialist insurer Markel International, has opened an office in Barcelona to work alongside its Madrid office, which opened in 2005. Markel’s business in Spain has “grown significantly” since then, and “this performance, …