Latest France Headlines

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

Willis Towers Watson Completes Purchase of French Aviation Broker, OAAGC

Mar 1 2017 // Willis Towers Watson has concluded its negotiations with OAAGC, the French aviation brokerage, and has now completed the acquisition of its team and book of business.Willis Towers Watson said the deal makes it the leading...

Europe’s Windstorm Egon to Cost Insurers an Estimated US$223.3M: PERILS

Feb 23 2017 // The initial estimate of the insured property market loss for extra-tropical cyclone Egon, which hit France and Germany in January, is €212 million (US$223.3 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...

Willis Towers Watson Plans to Acquire French Aviation Broker, OAAGC

Feb 22 2017 // Willis Towers Watson has entered into exclusive negotiations with OAAGC, the French aviation brokerage, to acquire its team and book of business.Paris-based OAAGC (Office d’Assurances Aériennes G. de Cugnac) was...

Lance Armstrong Loses Bid to Stop $100M Federal lawsuit

Feb 15 2017 // A federal judge has refused to block the government’s $100 million lawsuit against Lance Armstrong, putting the former cyclist on course for trial in a 2010 case stemming from his performance-enhancing drug use.The...

Uber Offers Guaranteed Revenue for French Drivers, Avoiding Wage Law

Feb 8 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. offered to guarantee revenue for its most financially strained French drivers, temporarily averting a new law that would force a minimum wage for all chauffeurs.The company proposed a 21 euro...

French Insurers & Bankers Aim to Beef Up Fintech Investments

Jan 27 2017 // After years of lagging behind London on spawning financial technology startups, Paris this week hosted a show of force aimed at proving the French capital can catch up as more than 1,500 bankers, investors and...

Opinion: Does an Allianz-Generali Merger Make Sense? Perhaps Not…

Jan 23 2017 // The last time Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA was rumoured to be in play, the supposed bidder, France’s AXA SA, said such a costly and complex deal would “make no sense at all.”This time, the...

Brexit Opportunities, More M&A: Clyde & Co.’s 2017 Predictions, Part 1

Dec 19 2016 // M&A and Brexit will be major factors for the global re/insurance industry over the coming year, according to predictions from the insurance team at the international law firm Clyde & Co.Andrew Holderness, a partner...

Allianz Eyes Purchasing Generali’s French Operations: Sources

Dec 16 2016 // Allianz SE, Europe’s largest insurer, is in discussions with Assicurazioni Generali SpA as it weighs a bid for the company’s French operations, according to people familiar with the matter.Allianz executives...

EU Court to Decide Whether Uber Is an App or a Transport Company

Nov 30 2016 // Fifteen judges at the European Union’s top court are trying to decide, once and for all, whether Uber Technologies Inc. is an app or a transport company. The question has long vexed regulators and lawmakers across...

XL Catlin Enhances D&O Offering in France

Nov 23 2016 // XL Catlin has enhanced its directors & officers insurance offering in France with the launch of three coverages catering respectively to mid-sized companies, publicly listed companies and financial institutions.These...

French Utility Firm Veolia Beefs Up Cyber Security to Protect Water Plants

Oct 19 2016 // Veolia Environnement SA, the French utility that provided drinking water to 100 million people last year, has beefed up cyber security to protect installations from hackers. “Cyber crime is the main threat for the...

France to Hike Premium Tax to Bolster Compensation Fund for Attack Victims

Oct 19 2016 // France plans to increase a levy on property insurance policies to 5.90 euros [$6.30] from 4.30 euros [$4.59] per contract to bolster a fund that provides compensation to victims of attacks or other criminal acts.Following...

Idaho French Fry Maker in a Twist over Alleged Fry Design Infringement

Oct 17 2016 // Two major french fry producers are facing a court battle over a new twisty fry design.The Times-News reported the J.R. Simplot company of Boise, Idaho filed a patent infringement lawsuit against McCain Foods in U.S....

Beazley Adds ArgoGlobal’s Paulin to Aviation Team in France

Sep 19 2016 // Beazley announced that Christophe Paulin will join at the end of this month as an aviation underwriter, managing its aviation business in France and developing its aerospace/products portfolio worldwide. He will be based...

French Women Took Sanofi Epilepsy Drug Despite Risk to Fetuses: Report

Aug 11 2016 // More than 10,000 pregnant women in France took Sanofi’s anti-epilepsy drug Depakine between 2007 and 2014 although the risk of fetus malformation was known, according to a study quoted by French satirical weekly Le...

France in Mourning After Latest Deadly Terror Attack Kills at Least 84

Jul 15 2016 // Eight months after a murderous rampage in Paris, a deadly attack in the coastal city of Nice on Bastille Day left at least 84 people dead and scores injured, threatening to throw a still-traumatized France into a tailspin...

French & German Floods to Hit Insurers’ Earnings but Not Ratings: A.M. Best

Jun 27 2016 // The earnings of French and German insurers during the first half of 2016 will be dampened by flood claims following storms Elvira and Friederike, which pounded the countries in quick succession between late May and early...

Winners of 1st Innovation in Insurance Awards Are ‘Change Leaders’

Jun 13 2016 // The winners of the first annual Innovation in Insurance awards include Allianz, AXA, Europ Assistance, MS&AD Insurance, and USAA.The program, jointly launched by Efma and Accenture, seeks to reward and foster...

Insured Losses from French Floods May Total $682M: Industry Association AFA

Jun 6 2016 // Insurance executives meet with government officials in Paris Monday to assess the cost of flooding in the Centre and Ile-de-France regions as the Seine river recedes from its highest levels in more than three decades.The...