US business insurance rates rise
Increases concentrated on properties exposed to weather risk, particularly earthquakes and wind damage, which saw an average 5.7% increase in January
Retail customers at heart of FSA crusade
Crackdown on CPP for alleged mis-selling of identity theft protection is a sign of regulator’s determination to intervene quickly to protect consumers
CPP says it could go bust in weeks
Move follows an investigation by the watchdog into the FTSE 250 company’s sale of credit card and identity protection products in the UK
Accident Exchange considers refloat
The former Aim-quote company settles out of court with insurers over a dispute about vehicle hire charges and eyes a return to the stock market
Insurers’ dividends and capital under scrutiny
Sputtering demand for savings products and record year for catastrophes leave investors paying close attention to the impact on high-yielding stocks
Insurers eye Chinese motor market
Western insurers will gain access to the rapidly growing Rmb300bn ($47.6bn) Chinese motor market after deal reached in US
FSA probes ‘death bonds’ group with Lib Dem link
A company linked to Lord Razzall is facing possible enforcement action by the financial regulator in connection with the sale of offshore ‘death bonds’
Aegon agrees life expectancy swap deal
Dutch insurer in transaction with Deutsche Bank to cover €12bn of reserves, protecting it if lifespans increase faster than actuarial projections
Insurers’ earnings hit by eurozone crisis
Full-year results of Axa and Zurich Financial Services fall shy of expectations as a result of natural catastrophes and low demand for life products
MetLife eager to use reserve capital
Shares hit a four-month high after the insurer says it is preparing to return capital or make acquisitions once Fed oversight ends
AIG buys back old mortgage securities
US insurer buys back some of the same bundled mortgage securities that it sold to the US government as part of its financial crisis bail-out
Paulson calls for Hartford split
The billionaire investor has taken public his efforts to get The Hartford Financial Services Group to split into two companies