Global insurance programs have significant challenges to overcome if they want to be viable

The global insurance industry is an ardently regulated entity. Most nations have strict laws and rules concerning insurance and have a great deal of interest in applying these regulations as a way to govern the actions of insurance companies. The problem, however, is that these regulations differing wildly from country to country, meaning that no two countries have the same regulations. As such, creation of global insurance programs has been a gargantuan challenge, and one that cannot be easily overcome through tenacity. As with other industries of business, insurance is…

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Catastrophic tornados trample the South and Midwest, claiming 33 lives

An outbreak of deadly and devastating tornadoes wrought havoc in many Southern and Midwest states over the weekend. The disasters began on Friday last week. The tornadoes struck a major blow to four states: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Alabama. The people in these states had little warning of the storms, which manifested at an alarmingly fast pace. The tornadoes quickly grew in intensity and caused a significant amount of damage to everything in their path. When the winds finally calmed after hours of fury, approximately 33 people were found dead.…

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Samsung Life Insurance to invest in distressed assets from U.S. and Europe

As the economies of Europe and America continue to struggle, Asian insurers are seeing great opportunity for investments. Samsung Life Insurance, the largest insurance group in South Korea, has taken a keen interest in distressed assets that banks in Europe and the U.S. have put up for sale. The company had stepped back from investments when the recession of 2008 made a major impact on the global economy. Now, however, the opportunities seem to great to ignore. Samsung has more than $130 billion in assets and is willing to invest…

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Pennsylvania insurance regulators move to liquidate First Sealord Surety Insurance

The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance has announced that it will be liquidating First Sealord Surety Insurance. The state’s Commonwealth Court yesterday approved a petition from the department that was filed last year regarding liquidation of the insurer. Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine cites the insurer’s inability to pay off its debt and meet the needs of its policyholders as the reason for the liquidation. The insurer saw steep drops in its surplus capital in recent years, sealing its fate in an unforgiving regulatory environment. The approval of the petition allows the Department…

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Willis Group claims captive insurance companies could be key to future of insurance industry resiliency

The global insurance industry is undergoing extreme change. The change is brought on by the rapidly evolving risks that the industry is facing. As risk changes, insurers are feeling pressure to become more adaptive and resilient against emerging threats. The Willis Groups, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers, believes that captive insurance companies could be the key to weathering the storms of the future. Joe Plumeri, CEO of the Willis Group, attending this year’s World Captive Forum in Miami, Florida, highlighted the usefulness of captives to insurers around the…

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