Latest QBE Headlines

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

QBE Selling U.S. Agency Businesses to Alliant for $300M

Jan 19 2015 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd. of Australia is selling its U.S. agency businesses to California-based Alliant Services Inc. for about $300 million and exiting the distribution business.The agencies being bought by Alliant...

QBE Wins Time for Cleanup as Plan Reduces Risk: Australia Credit

Aug 27 2014 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd.’s John Neal is shoring up the insurer’s balance sheet by selling shares and assets. He still has work to do convincing bond investors that business is improving after three profit...

QBE to Sell $750 Million in Shares, Some Assets as Profit Drops

Aug 19 2014 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd. plans to raise about $750 million in a share placement and sell assets including part of its lenders’ mortgage insurance business in Australia after reporting an 18 percent drop in...

QBE Falls Most in 7 Months Amid 18% Profit Decline Forecast

Jul 29 2014 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Ltd. slumped the most in seven months after forecasting an 18 percent decline in first-half earnings due to higher claims in Latin America and competition with other insurers.Net...

QBE Reorganizing to Create Emerging Markets Division for Lat.Am.-Asia Pacific

Jun 16 2014 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Limited has announced “a strategic change to ensure its business is positioned for profitable growth.” QBE said that after a review of its organizational structure,...

QBE North America Launches Management Liability & Professional Lines Coverages

Apr 30 2014 // QBE North America’s continues its expansion into the management liability & professional lines arena with the launch of three new products for public and private commercial companies and financial institutions...

SNL’s Top 30 E&S Writers: Berkshire On Fire with 40% Growth in 2013

Apr 7 2014 // With 40 percent premium growth in 2013, Berkshire Hathaway climbed five spots in the U.S. excess and surplus lines (E&S) ranking by SNL Financial, while QBE scaled back its North American operations and fell three...

QBE Agreement Provides Additional Capacity to Shariah Compliant Cobalt

Mar 28 2014 // Business insurance specialist, QBE announced from London that it has “become the second major re/insurer to provide capacity to the world’s first Shariah-compliant MGA, Cobalt Underwriting.“The agreement...

QBE Jumps on Premiums, North American Unit Outlook: Sydney Mover

Feb 25 2014 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd., Australia’s second-largest insurer by market value, climbed to its highest level in more than two months on plans to increase premium rates and bring its North American unit back to profit...

Ratings Recap: Balboa, MEMIC, ALAS, Modern Woodmen, Seven Seas

Feb 25 2014 // A.M. Best announced that it has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings of “a” of Balboa Insurance...

MarketScout Acquires Specialty Bowling Program from QBE North Pointe

Feb 13 2014 // MarketScout said it has acquired a specialty underwriting facility, Bowling Center, which provides coverage for bowling centers on an admitted basis in all 50 states, except Alaska.The business was acquired from QBE North...

James Named President of P&C for QBE North America

Jan 27 2014 // Robert James has been appointed president of Property and Casualty for QBE North America, which includes the program, middle markets and major broker groups. James will be a member of the executive management board and...

Aviva CFO Regan Resigns after Four Years to Join QBE

Jan 23 2014 // Aviva plc, the U.K.’s second-biggest insurer by market value, said Chief Financial Officer Pat Regan resigned to take up a similar job at Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Ltd.Regan, who joined Aviva as CFO in...

Aon Benfield Securities Places $250 Million Cat Bond for QBE’s VenTerra Re

Jan 7 2014 // Aon Benfield Securities, the investment banking division of global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor Aon Benfield, announced that it has successfully underwritten and placed a $250 million catastrophe bond...

Best Downgrades Issuer Credit Ratings of QBE’s U.S. Subsidiaries; Affirms FSR

Dec 13 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a” from “a+” and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) of the pooled and reinsured members of...

QBE Bond Risk Surges as U.S. Expansion Sours: Australia Credit Risk

Dec 13 2013 // Bond risk on QBE Insurance Group Ltd. halved in the first 11 months of the year before surging this month as the company said it would lose money.Credit-default swaps on QBE have climbed 41 basis points since Nov. 30 to...

Best Downgrades QBE and Subs’ Issuer Credit Ratings; Affirms FSR

Dec 12 2013 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has downgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a” from “a+” and affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) of...

QBE Shares Drop Most in 12 Years on Unexpected U.S. Loss Forecast

Dec 9 2013 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd., Australia’s second-largest insurer by market value, plunged the most in 12 years after forecasting an unexpected loss due to write-downs at its North American operations.The company predicts...

Ratings Recap: QBE Optima, Aviva (Canada), Syndicate 609, Adamjee

Oct 21 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Puerto Rico-based QBE Optima Insurance Company, both with stable outlooks. The...

QBE North America to Launch D&O Line, Names Grange As Leader

Aug 23 2013 // Jeffrey S. Grange has been appointed head of Management Liability and Professional Lines for QBE North America, which plans to launch a directors and officers (D&O) liability division. Grange has 25 years experience in...