QBE receives ratings boosts
07 July 2008
Standard & Poor’s has affirmed QBE’s key ratings and upgraded its recent US acquisitions Praetorian and Winterthur...
Corporate
Wesfarmers Insurance Division evades gas crisis
30 June 2008
Wesfarmers Insurance Division has escaped the fate of the group’s other arms after the explosion at Varanus Island earlier this month which imperilled WA’s energy supplies...
Zurich signs soccer sponsorship
30 June 2008
Zurich has renewed its sponsorship of soccer’s Hyundai A-League for another three years...
Suncorp’s record growth triggers new branch
30 June 2008
Suncorp has opened its sixth branch in Melbourne after growing its Victorian customer base by 60% in five years...
IUS Placements makes a Sterling change
30 June 2008
The purchase of underwriting agency IUS Placements by its management will be finalised tomorrow, and the company will change its name to Sterling Insurance...
Vero launches stockbroker liability policies
23 June 2008
Vero will step into the breach to provide professional indemnity (PI) and other liability lines for stockbrokers after QBE’s withdrawal from the market...
GPG secures partial takeover of Tower NZ
23 June 2008
Guinness Peat Group subsidiary Twenty One has succeeded in its partial takeover bid for NZ financial services firm Tower Limited...
Guild Group appoints Somogyi to board
23 June 2008
Former APRA Member Steve Somogyi has been appointed to the board of directors of the Guild Group...
Suncorp weathers media speculators
16 June 2008
Suncorp has been getting unwelcome attention from two influential financial commentators over the past couple of weeks, raising speculation that QBE might be running the ruler…
… while Fitch affirms A+ rating
16 June 2008
Fitch Ratings has affirmed Suncorp’s A+ rating following a review of the group, saying the insurer’s outlook is stable...
Sports Underwriting enters new markets via agency acquisition
16 June 2008
Sports Underwriting Australia will add bowling, RSL and social clubs to the list of groups it covers after taking over Club Insure Australia Underwriting, better known as Clubinsure...
AIG launches environmental liability cover
16 June 2008
AIG has released an environmental liability policy targeted at a wide range of commercial, manufacturing and industrial sites...
Zurich offers online funeral cover
16 June 2008
Zurich Financial Services has launched a funeral life insurance policy...
Suncorp beefs up broker offerings
16 June 2008
Suncorp is streamlining its intermediated commercial operations to provide brokers with a greater product range and more efficient service...
Calliden completes purchase of rural agency
10 June 2008
Calliden has bought out the remaining 50% stake in rural and regional underwriting agency Argis from Australian Unity for $6.3 million...
… and deals its way in to Queensland agency
10 June 2008
Calliden Group has collaborated with a group of Queensland brokers in a new underwriting agency...
Ellis steps aside at Australis
10 June 2008
Industry figure Roy Ellis is standing aside from his full-time role as Australis Underwriting Group CEO following the “successful completion of his re-engineering the business”...
Zurich covers political risk for carbon credits
10 June 2008
Zurich Australia is rolling out political risk insurance for companies investing in carbon credit programs in emerging markets...
MacBank makes US bond insurance play
10 June 2008
Macquarie Bank has stepped into an opening in the US bond insurance market in the wake of the subprime crisis...
Calliden lifts its rates
02 June 2008
Calliden is reacting to “difficult market conditions” by lifting rates, CEO Nick Kirk said last week...