Latest France Headlines

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

News Briefs

Jul 4 2006 // EU Leaders Fiddle While Europe Burns: The crisis in the European Union, provoked when French and Dutch voters rejected the EU Constitution, is being largely ignored by Europe’s leaders. Instead of a bit of...

S&P Affirms CCR’s ‘AAA’ Rating

Jun 8 2006 // Triple “A” ratings have been on the endangered species list for some time, but they do still exist. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has just affirmed its ‘AAA’ long-term counterparty...

AXA Posts Strong Q1 Results

May 11 2006 // France’s AXA Group’s earnings figures for the first quarter of 2006 show strong growth in its three main sectors of operation – summarized as follows:— Life & Savings entities new business up...

ACE European Names French, Hayward to London Underwriting Posts

Apr 18 2006 // ACE European Markets has made two appointments at its London branch office. Stephen French has been appointed to chief underwriting officer. This is a new role will focus on core businesses of property, excess liability...

AXA Receives ‘Binding Offer’ from Stone Point for Re business; Best, S&P Comment

Apr 10 2006 // France’s AXA Group acknowledged that it has received a binding offer for its reinsurance operation – AXA Re and its subsidiaries – from Paris Re Holdings Limited. As previously reported (See IJ Website...

Willis Opens French Aerospace Office

Apr 7 2006 // Global broker Willis Group Holdings announced that its Inspace division has been “further strengthened by the opening of a new office in France, Willis Aerospace Consulting (WAC).”Willis’ new operation is...

S&P Sees European Securitizations Gaining Acceptance

Jan 19 2006 // Standard & Poor’s newly issued report on Corporate Securitizations notes that these types of transactions are gaining increasing acceptance as a capital management tool by European insurers, with Swiss Re and...

Zurich (Ireland) Opens Branches in France, Sweden and Finland

Jan 18 2006 // Zurich Financial Services Group announced that Zurich Insurance Ireland Limited (ZIIL), the EU-wide risk carrier for Zurich Global Corporate business, has opened branches in France, Sweden and Finland in addition to its UK...

Best Downgrades Ratings on Allianz Marine & Fire (France)

Nov 30 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has downgraded the financial strength rating to “A-” (Excellent) from “A+” (Superior) of Allianz Marine & Aviation (France) (AMAF) and has removed the rating...

International Newsbriefs

Nov 21 2005 // New Bermuda Insurers Formed: As the proverb says: “It’s an ill wind that blows no man good.” Even Katrina, one of the “illest” winds of all time, has brought some good fortune to the...

News Briefs

Nov 20 2005 // New Bermuda Insurers Formed: As the proverb says: “It’s an ill wind that blows no man good.” Even Katrina, one of the “illest” winds of all time, has brought some good fortune to the...

S&P Report Indicates French Insurance Market Remains Stable

Nov 15 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report – “Insurance Industry Risk Analysis: France (Republic of),” which indicates that the rating agency is “maintaining its stable...

Remembering the End of the Great War

Nov 11 2005 // Paris: Somber, gray leaden skies cover Paris, as dignitaries gather to commemorate the 87th anniversary of the end of what the French call La Grande Guerre. The weather matches France’s somber mood at the moment,...

French Insurers Plan Rapid Processing of Riot Related Claims

Nov 11 2005 // Spokesmen for France’s insurance industry have indicated that it will speed up claims processing in order to pay for damages to vehicles and property resulting from the urban violence that has rocked France for over...

S&P to Assign Rating to AXA’s Auto ART – A “Landmark Transaction”

Nov 10 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its preliminary credit ratings to the €200 million asset-backed floating-rate notes to be issued by FCC SPARC, an SPE, involving the...

S&P Affirms AXA Re ‘AA-” Ratings

Oct 18 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced from its Paris Office that it has affirmed its “AA-” insurer financial strength ratings on French reinsurer AXA Re and its subsidiaries Compagnie...

News Briefs

Oct 3 2005 // Roundup of Katrina Loss Estimates: As the scope of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina became increasingly evident, European and Bermuda-based insurers and reinsurers continued to calculate their potential...

Willis, France’s Gras Savoye Create Willis Gras Savoye Re

Sep 12 2005 // Willis Group Holdings and Gras Savoye, a leading French insurance broker, announced that they have agreed to join their respective French and Belgian reinsurance businesses in a new Paris-based company, Willis Gras Savoye...

Sep 5 2005 // Extreme Weather Hits Europe: Devastating wild fires in Portugal; torrential rains in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Romania; drought in much of France. There seems to be no end to the list of extreme weather conditions...

International Newsbriefs

Sep 5 2005 // Extreme Weather Hits Europe: Devastating wild fires in Portugal; torrential rains in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Romania; drought in much of France. There seems to be no end to the list of extreme weather conditions...