ING Group to abandon plans for combined insurance and investment operations in Europe and Asia

The ING Group, a Dutch financial institution working in the banking and insurance industries, has announced that it will be abandoning its plans for a combined European and Asian insurance investment operation. The company cites economic turmoil in the European region as the primary reason for its change of heart. Future investment and insurance plans are still a possibility for the future, if the European financial crisis is resolved appropriately. The company still has a keen interest in the Asian market, however, and plans to pursue alternative schemes to expand…

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China insurance industry to face major challenges this year, according to Regulatory Commission

China may be home to one of the fastest growing insurance markets on the planet, but Xiang Junbo, chairman of the Chinese Insurance Regulatory Commission, says that the industry is faced with major challenges this year. Last year, Chinese insurers saw return on investment results drop by 3.6%. When coupled with the now notorious natural disasters of 2011, the results have rocked the nation’s insurance industry somewhat. Regulators say that if the coming challenges cannot be overcome, the growth of the insurance market may grow beyond the industry’s ability to…

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Report: Global economy able to withstand only one week of disruption caused by major catastrophic event

A new report from Chatham House, a policy institute for international affairs based in the UK, paints a very dire picture for the future of the global insurance industry. The past two years have been incredibly difficult in terms of insurance. Two record-breaking years for natural disasters have left the industry rattled and somewhat disoriented. The impact of these disasters has taken a toll on the global economy as well, damaging what was already a fragile structure. According to the report, the global economy can only withstand one week of…

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Climate change becoming a major focus for the global insurance industry, according to Munich Re

Last year has garnered major notoriety for the number and severity of natural disasters it played host to. 2011 has become widely recognized in the insurance industry as the costliest year in recent history in regards to natural disasters. While estimates varying regarding the total cost of disasters, Munich Re, a reinsurance and risk modeling organization, claims that 2011 generated more than $380 billion in worldwide insured losses, only a third of which was paid by insurance companies. The disasters have caused the global insurance industry to raise prices, but…

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Natural disasters from 2011 cost private insurance companies over $32 billion

As a result of the insured losses from natural disasters in 2011, private sector insurance companies will have paid over $32 billion in claims to assist businesses and homeowners to rebuild after damages caused by those events. According to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), this figure breaks the records for all previous years in terms of federal disaster declarations. The I.I.I. president, economist Dr. Robert Hartwig, CPCU, the catastrophes that occurred in the United States in January through September resulted in 32.6 billion in losses that were directly insured. This…

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