Rumours surrounding the future of Fortis in Australia continue to bubble in the market. There are suggestions that Royal & SunAlliance is the front-runner of three major insurers bidding for its profitable niche insurance operations, AIM, AMEV and VACC.

Although Fortis CEO Vyn Tozer did not return calls, his company is continuing to return strong results for its Dutch parent.

Internationally, Fortis has announced it wants to merge with another European insurer within the next three years. CEO Anton van Russum was quoted in a Dutch newspaper as actively seeking a merger, and a spokeman later agreed the company is holding talks with potential partners.

Fortis was also in the news last week over market rumours that ING and a significant French investor were selling down their Fortis stakes.