Cinven Ltd. has announced that it has purchased the life and pension unit of U.K. Guardian from the Dutch insurance company which owns Scottish Equitable, Aegon NV, for $449 million, in the effort to reduce its expenses within the United Kingdom. According to Aegon, which is based in the Hague, by the end of June 2011, the U.K. Guardian unit had recorded a value of approximately $445 million. Its unit for asset management will still be responsible for Guardian’s approximately $12 billion in assets on Cinven’s behalf. By 2015, Aegon’s…
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Global insurance industry may be in for change as regulators come together to draft new rules
In the wake of major natural disasters and allegations of corruption, the world’s insurance industry is set for change. Insurance regulators from several nations have begun drafting new rules to present to political leaders in time for the 2012 G20 summit .These new rules are being tailored to ensure that the actions that spurred the 2008 economic recession cannot be repeated in the future. Both the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) are playing a major role in drafting the new rules. Overall, the…
Read MoreMissouri lawmakers investigate state’s employee insurance program over surplus funds
The Missouri Legislature continues to investigate Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co., a state-backed insurance company providing coverage to public employees. The Legislature has recovered more than $163 million in surplus money from the insurance company, which was seized after regulators found that the company was, supposedly, withholding benefits. The investigation stems from events that unfolded earlier in the year, in which state regulators found that two of the company’s five board members were committed theft and fraud. Now the insurance company faces the scrutiny of state legislators, who are investigating…
Read MoreAIG files suit against Bank of America, looking to recover $10 billion in losses
American International Group (AIG), the U.S. largest insurer that has been steeped in controversy, has filed a lawsuit against Bank of American Corp. The insurer is looking to recover over $10 billion in losses from what it is calling “massive fraud.” The lawsuit is spurred by allegations of mortgage fraud stemming from the bank’s deals leading up to the 2008 economic recession. The suit claims that Bank of America misrepresented its mortgages as being of a higher quality than they actually were. According to the suit, filed with the New…
Read MoreCaptive insurance executives from all over the world travel to Vermont for major conference
The Vermont Captive Insurance Association will be hosting the world’s largest captive insurance conference this week. The event will gather together insurance executives from all over the world in Burlington, Vermont. The conference aims to expand the knowledge of the industry as well as introduce new practices, standards and prospective legislations that could affect the worldwide industry. Executives will be met with a series of seminars and will participate in forums throughout the course of the event. Vermont is home to some of the most favorable laws in terms of…
Read MoreFEMA seeks to partially privatize National Flood Insurance
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has had a troubled history. The program is meant to provide affordable home insurance coverage to those that live in areas prone to flooding either from hurricanes or other storms. Thousands take advantage of the program, but it has suffered shortfalls in funding, putting NFIP $18 billion in debt. Congress has been debating solutions to this problem. Legislators have until September 30th to figure it out or the program will be abolished. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate may have a plan that could offset NFIP’s…
Read MoreWorldwide disasters push commercial insurance rates higher
In the past 16 months, natural disasters all over the world have cost the insurance industry more than $100 billion. The financial impact of these catastrophes is compounded by the worldwide recession which severely impaired the industry as a whole. Insurers are struggling to reassert themselves in the world as the economy improves, and the only way to do so is by offsetting the cost of natural disasters with higher insurance premiums. Some commercial companies have already begun the process, raising rates on commercial insurance for the first time in…
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