Bishop Street Underwriters, a multi-boutique insurance platform, has announced that it will acquire Landmark Underwriting, a specialty focused managing general agent (MGA) in the London Insurance market. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and it is subject to United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority regulatory approval. Landmark Underwriting provides multi-disciplined product offerings to…
Month: November 2024
Ceres proposes federal climate risk reinsurance program to build resilience
In a recent report, Ceres calls for the consideration of a federal climate risk reinsurance program as part of its 10-point plan to help the U.S. insurance industry build resilience against increasing climate disasters. As climate change accelerates, causing more frequent and severe weather events, the insurance industry faces significant challenges. Rising premiums, market withdrawals,…
IRB (Re) identifies Brazil’s insurance coverage gap as a key opportunity: Goldman Sachs
Brazilian reinsurer IRB (Re) views Brazil’s insurance coverage gap as a significant long-term opportunity, according to Goldman Sachs, following a meeting with IRB CEO Marcos Falcão and Head of Investor Relations Natasha Nakagawa on November 18, 2024. The climate events in Brazil in 2024, including floods in the South and droughts in agricultural areas, have…
Spain floods highlight role of state-backed reinsurance for climate risks
A recent report from Fitch Ratings has highlighted the vital role of the state-managed catastrophe insurer, Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (CCS), in strengthening the Spanish insurance market’s resilience to climate risks, as demonstrated by the recent floods that struck the country. For those unaware, the flash floods claimed over 220 lives, and earlier this…
Swiss Re’s Xabier Gallardo joins WTW’s Natural Resources, CRB NA team
Global insurance brokerage WTW has announced the appointment of Xabier Gallardo as Senior Director of Client Relationship Management within the Natural Resources division of Corporate Risk and Broking, North America (CRB NA). In this role, Gallardo will focus on optimising client outcomes and driving strategy execution across WTW’s Natural Resources sector, delivering tailored solutions to…
Canadian life insurance new premium climbs to CAD 478m in Q3: LIMRA
Total Canadian life insurance new annualised premium jumped 4% to (CAD) $478 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to LIMRA’s Retail Canadian Life Insurance Sales Survey. During Q3’24, policy count dropped 17%, which was largely due to term life sales declines. John Carroll, senior vice president and head of Life & Annuities, LIMRA…
Von Mesterhazy named as new MD for Allianz UK Specialty business
Allianz UK has announced the appointment of Isabella Von Mesterhazy as Managing Director for its Specialty business, effective 1 December 2024, subject to regulatory approval. Von Mesterhazy will be taking over the role from Kieran O’Keeffe, incumbent MD for Specialty, who will be retiring at the end of the year. In her new role, Von…
US insurers to benefit from Nearmap peril models following approval in 27 jurisdictions
Nearmap, a provider of property intelligence to insurers, has received regulatory approval for its predictive AI-powered peril models and scores to be adopted for rating and pricing in 26 states, plus Washington, D.C. The AI models developed by Nearmap are used in predictive vulnerability and claim scores covering wildfire, hurricane, wind, and hail risks. Leveraging…
Pension de-risking surge as 93% of sponsors plan full liability divestment: MetLife
LIMRA, a research and consulting organisation in the insurance and financial services industries, reports that pension risk transfer (PRT) transactions increased by 14% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, MetLife, a global provider of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programmes, reports in its 2024 Pension Risk Transfer…
Reinsurers can differentiate themselves beyond price competition: Aon’s Attard
Reinsurers are poised to leverage a disciplined market and differentiate themselves by actively assisting insurers in managing risks and pursuing growth, moving beyond price competition, Aon’s George Attard shared in his comments following the Singapore International Reinsurance Conference (SIRC). He stated: “This year’s SIRC was an exciting time for us to connect insurers and reinsurers…