Reinsurance
Tawa shrugs off $21.6m loss in a year of "transforming"
Run-off specialist Tawa reported a loss after tax of $21.6m for the full year 2011, after a profit of $1.8m in 2010.
EU may allow limited coverage for Iranian oil shipments
Intense lobbying by South Korea and Japan has led the EU to relax its ban on insuring Iranian oil shipments, according to Reuters.
ISE 2012: Agility is 'name of the game' for European insurers
European insurers will need to be agile to survive, according to Capgemini's group vice president.
Talanx 'thoroughly satisfied' after posting €1.2bn profit
German insurance giant Talanx was "thoroughly satisfied" after increasing operating profit 21% to €1.2bn for 2011, despite a turbulent year for the eurozone and high incidences of natural catastrophes.
ISE 2012: Interest in cyber insurance 'overwhelming' in Europe
Speaking at Insurance Insight's inaugural Insurance Strategy Europe event, Jacob Ingerslev, European underwriting director for technology and cyber risks at CNA, said that interest from Europe in cyber crime insurance is growing rapidly.
ISE 2012: Portugal to follow Greece but sovereign defaults won't 'cripple' insurers
Kurt Karl, managing director, chief economist and head of economic research and consulting at Swiss Re, has predicted that Portugal will be the next nation to default, but that it will not cripple the insurance industry.
ISE 2012: Luzzi says firms must think in global terms
Opening the inaugural Insurance Strategy Europe event Jorge Luzzi, president of the Federation of European Risk Management Association and director of group risk management at Pirelli, told delegates that a global view is essential going forward.
Mexico quake damage "less than $100m"
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Mexico yesterday is expected to cause less than $100m of insured damage, according to catastrophe modelling firm Eqecat.
CNA to buy Hardy
US commercial property and casualty insurer CNA is to acquire troubled Lloyd's insurer Hardy Underwriting.
Bahrain celebrates inaugural 'Insurance Day'
Industry specialists gathered for Bahrain's first annual 'Insurance Day' today in a bid to increase insurance awareness in the Kingdom.
Ecclesiastical posts loss, despite Ireland performance
Specialist faith insurance providers Ecclesiastical made an overall pre-tax loss of £7.7m for the full year 2011.
AIR poaches Zurich global head of cat modelling
AIR Worldwide has appointed John Elbl as vice president of the firm’s business development group.
Kiln promotes MacMillan to active underwriter
Kiln has appointed Paul MacMillan, pictured, to active underwriter of its aviation division.
Ace bolsters Continental Europe sales and distribution team
Ace has made three senior appointments to its Continental Europe sales and distribution team.
RMS launches specialist liability modeller
Modelling firm Risk Management Solutions has launched a liability modelling company in a joint venture with private investors.
Insurance Insight – top 10 stories
The 10 most read stories from www.insuranceinsight.eu over the past seven days.
Far East 'cold spots' and nat-cats lead Canopius to report first loss
A string of natural catastrophe losses in 2011 drove Canopius Group to the first loss in the company's eight-year history.
Asian states lobby EU in hope of Iran oil sanctions U-turn
European Union foreign ministers are expected to consider how the bloc's Iranian oil embargo will affect insurers at a meeting in Brussels next week, under mounting pressure from Asian states to change their stance.
Swiss Re seeks approval for dividend increase to €2.48
The Swiss Re board of directors has proposed the approval of a dividend for 2011 of CHF3.00 (€2.48) per share and the election of Robert Henrikson to the board.
Insurers still wary despite Solvency II deal ahead of vote next week
The European Parliament's two biggest parties have tentatively agreed to include measures related to Solvency II legislation that could save the industry billions and avoid a long delay to the rules' implementation, according to reports.
China loses out as Mapfre targets more 'liberal' Asian countries
China's hostile environment for foreign investors has led Spanish insurer Mapfre to seek acquisition targets elsewhere in Asia in order to expand within the region.
Scor IDS upgraded to A+
French reinsurer Scor has had its long-term issuer default rating and insurer financial strength ratings upgraded by Fitch, owing to its strong solvency and moderate debt in relation to its risk profile.
Aftermath of Japan earthquake serves as reality check for insurance industry
One year ago, Japan was shaken to its core by a magnitude nine earthquake. The shockwaves from Tohoku-Oki on 11 March 2011 are still causing ripples among insurers, risk modelling firms and reinsurers.
Hannover Re latest group to reveal nat cat hit with 2011 results
Hannover Re this morning reported that its gross written premium in total business increased by 5.8% to Eur 12.1bn (2010: Eur 11.4bn).