Natural catastrophes (Nat Cats)
Zurich operating profit down 12%, but net income up 10%
Zurich Financial Services Group reported net income after tax of $3.8bn for the full year 2011, up 10% from $3.8bn in the prior year period.
Novae suffers £6m loss before tax in "torrid year" for general insurance
Specialist insurer Novae has reported an underlying loss before tax of £6m for the year to 31 December 2011 in a "torrid year for the non-life insurance industry" compared to £36.2m profit in 2010.
Hiscox says 92% fall in profit a 'good result'
Hiscox claimed that reporting a pre-tax profit down 92% to £17.3m (2010: £211.4m) was "a good result in the circumstances", as chairman Robert Hiscox announced he would complete one more year at the helm.
Q&A Asia: with Lloyd's Asia's Kent Chaplin
Kent Chaplin, head of Asia Pacific and managing director of Lloyd's Asia, spoke to Francesca Nyman about the market's presence in Asia, its relationship with brokers and its plans for the future.
Swiss Re reports $2.6bn profit despite nat cats hitting P&C combined ratio
Global reinsurer Swiss Re exceeded analyst expectations to report net income of $2.6bn for the full year 2011.
Allianz revenues down 2.7% to €103.6bn
German general insurer Allianz reported a 2.7% reduction in revenues for the full year 2011, down to €103.6bn from €106.5bn in 2010.
Perils expects €267m losses from Windstorm Andrea
Independent Zurich-based firm Perils has disclosed its initial loss estimate for windstorm Andrea as €267m.
Countdown to EIS: Q&A with panel member Jan Auerbach
Jan Auerbach is senior vice president for the European risk management division at Chubb and will be taking part in a panel debate on the varying role of the broker across Europe at Insurance Strategy Europe taking place in Brussels on Wednesday 21 and…
Japan earthquake risks rise to 93%
Catastrophe modelling firm Air Worldwide has said the Tohoku-Oki earthquake changed the landscape for quake risks in Japan, increasing the risk of severe quakes from 72% to as high as 93%.
Zurich sees 19% drop in GI profits after US$1bn cat losses in 2011
Zurich recorded a general insurance business operating profit of US$2.3bn in 2011, a decrease of US$403m or by 15% in US dollar terms and 19% on a local currency basis.
Zurich sees 19% drop in GI profits after US$1bn cat losses in 2011
Zurich recorded a general insurance business operating profit of US$2.3bn in 2011, a decrease of US$403m or by 15% in US dollar terms and 19% on a local currency basis.
Industry loss estimates for Thai floods increase to $15bn
The Thai floods could be one of the top five costliest insurance events of the past three decades, according to AM Best.
Q&A Peter Solloway
Peter Solloway, business development manager for Continental Europe at FM Global, pictured, spoke to Stephanie Denton about the challenges facing the French insurance market including exposure to nat cats, supply chain issues and distribution challenges.
McGavick remains confident as XL reports $474.8m loss
XL chief executive officer Mike McGavick said his firm would not shy away from "frustrating" 2011 results, but asked yesterday for their broader context to be considered.
Willis CEO calls for insurers to provide resilience
The insurance industry is uniquely placed to provide resilience amid the global financial crisis, according to Willis CEO Joe Plumeri.
Catlin reports reduced profits due to cat losses
Bermuda-based speciality reinsurer Catlin Group reported $71m profit before tax for 2011, down from $406m for the 2010 year.
Scor takes bigger slice at 1 Jan renewals
SCOR Global P&C said 2011 gross written premiums were up by 8.8% to €3.982bn (up 11.6% at constant exchange rates) and 1 January saw average 2.2% price rises but saw it take a 13.9% growth in business.
Catlin in profit despite £1bn cat claims
Catlin's pre-tax profit was cut by more than 80% to $71m (2010:$406m) on the back of nearly £1bn of natural catastrophe losses last year.
Philippines quake: only 10% of damage insured
Economic losses from the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Monday are estimated to be close to $1bn - but only a tenth of the damage is thought to insured.
Aspen blames 'challenging year' for operating loss
Aspen Insurance Holdings chief executive Chris O’Kane has bemoaned a near record year for catastrophes for an operating loss of $1.26 (80p) per share in 2011, however, he was eager to point more positive results from the company’s casualty and specialty…
Acquisition-hungry Beazley still in profit
Lloyd’s insurer Beazley reported a profit of $62.7m, down 75%, despite catastrophe losses and said it had a war chest of more than $400m to buy Hardy, other Lloyd’s businesses or European insurers struggling with solvency II.
6.7 magnitude quake hits Philippines
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines yesterday, killing at least 40 people and causing damage to property in the region.
Nat-cat losses cause mining capacity withdrawal
The capacity available to mining property damage & business interruption insurance programmes has reduced by 30% in the last year, according to a report by broker Willis Group.
The supply chain disappointment
Recent natural catastrophes have highlighted the need to insure supply chain risks, however, risk managers have said they want better products. Jane Bernstein finds out what more the insurance industry can do.