Latest Bermuda Headlines

All the headlines from our Bermuda Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Willis Appoints McGeehan Exec. VP – Managing Director for Bermuda

Sep 4 2008 // Willis Group Holdings has announced the appointment of Vince McGeehan as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Willis Bermuda, effective immediately. He is responsible for the company’s insurance broking...

Speak Up if You Care …

Sep 1 2008 // If you’re like most insurance firms, your workforce is aging. Or, as a friend of mine recently put it, “There’s a lot of gray hair in the room.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but...

Business Moves

Aug 21 2008 // Allied World, DarwinBermuda-based Allied World Assurance Co., Ltd. has agreed to acquire Connecticut-based Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. Darwin offers specialty and primary professional lines coverages, which...

Business Moves

Aug 21 2008 // Allied World, Darwin ProfessionalBermuda-based Allied World Assurance Co., Ltd. has agreed to acquire Connecticut-based Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. Darwin offers specialty and primary professional lines...

People

Aug 21 2008 // W.R. Berkley Corp. named William M. Rohde Jr. president of Acadia Insurance Co., succeeding Bill Thornton, who now is chairman of Berkley Regional Specialty Insurance Co. Walter E. Stradley remains president of Berkley...

By Charles E. Boyle

Aug 21 2008 // From Novelty to Necessity: Bermuda’s Insurance Market 2008Bermuda’s insurance industry has grown steadily since it began 50 years ago. It is now a mature market, and, in certain sectors – natural...

Soft Market Hammers Commercial Carriers’ Stocks; M&As Active in Personal Lines Sector

Aug 21 2008 // Stock Prices: The soft market continues to have an effect on insurers’ stock prices. With the inability of insurers to grow in the current market, commercial insurers’ stocks are still falling, down 18 percent...

Flagstone Re Holdings to Merge Bermuda, Swiss Operations

Aug 19 2008 // Bermuda-based Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited announced that it will restructure its global reinsurance operations by merging its two wholly owned subsidiaries, Flagstone Reinsurance Limited of Bermuda and Flagstone...

Ratings Roundup: Catlin (US), R.V.I., Companion, AmTrust

Aug 19 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Catlin Speciality Insurance Co. (CSCI) and Catlin Insurance Co. Inc....

Ratings Roundup: Exporters, Endurance

Aug 14 2008 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed the insurer financial strength (IFS) rating of Exporters Insurance Company Ltd., a Bermuda-domiciled group captive insurance subsidiary of EIC Corporation Ltd. that focuses on writing credit and...

Bermuda Monetary Authority Sets New Solvency II Compliant Rules

Aug 11 2008 // The Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA – www.bma.bm) has announced what it describes “significant enhancements to Bermuda’s solvency and disclosure regulations for insurance.”Specifically the BMA said...

Catlin Posts 21% Decline in First Half Net Income; GPW Top $2 Billion

Aug 11 2008 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited posted mixed financial results for the first half of 2008. While gross written premiums were up four percent to $2.075 billion, net income before taxes for the period declined by 21...

CastlePoint Q2 Earnings Stable at $10.3 Million

Aug 11 2008 // Bermuda-based CastlePoint Holdings, Ltd. reported net income of $10.3 million and basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.27 for the second quarter of 2008. Operating earnings for the second quarter of 2008 were $13.2...

Ratings Recap: XL, Milli Re, One Beacon (Bermuda), Seguros Triple-S

Aug 7 2008 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed XL Capital Ltd.’s ratings as well as those of its P/C (re)insurance subsidiaries, including the Issuer Default Rating (IDR) for XL, at ‘A’, and the Insurer Financial Strength...

N.Y.’s Tower Group to Acquire Rest of Bermuda’s CastlePoint

Aug 5 2008 // New York-based insurer Tower Group, Inc. has agreed to acquire Bermuda reinsurer CastlePoint in a transaction valued at approximately $490 million.The deal will allow Tower to shift some of its reinsurance to other...

Ratings Roundup: AXIS, Itau XL, Topiary/Platinum

Aug 5 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Bermuda-based AXIS Specialty Limited (AXIS) and its operating...

Bermuda-based Companies Second Quarter Earnings Reports

Aug 1 2008 // A number of Bermuda-based companies have released their second quarter earnings reports, as follows:RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. reported $159.9 million in second quarter operating income available to common shareholders...

Doucette Joins Everest Re as Exec. VP

Jul 31 2008 // The Bermuda-based Everest Re Group announced that it has appointed John P. Doucette to the position of Executive Vice President, effective September, 2008. He joins Everest Re from Max Bermuda where he held the position of...

Price a Sticking Point for Bermuda Insurers Looking to Buy Entry into Lloyd’s Market

Jul 23 2008 // A handful of Bermuda insurers see an opportunity to expand their horizons by entering the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, but their interest of late has waned as prices of potential target companies have...

Ariel Re Makes Executive Appointments

Jul 3 2008 // Bermuda-based Ariel Reinsurance Company Ltd. has announced the following executive appointments: — George Rivaz has been named Chairman of Ariel Re. He will also continue in his current role as Chairman of Atrium...