News

An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter-scale emanated off the south coast of Japan on Sunday morning, believing to have resulted in the death of one person and injuries of up to a further 381 people, according to early television…

Financial services group and broker network consolidator Western Financial Group (TSX: WES) saw net income almost double last year to $4.22 million compared with the $2.12 million reported for 2003. This equates to earnings of 18c a share for the…

Reinsurers operating in the U.S. likely finished last year with deteriorating business indicators with companies reporting declines in premium volume while higher claims costs appear to have boosted the sector’s combined ratio, according to data released by the Reinsurance Association…

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has reaffirmed the financial strength ratings of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. and the group’s U.S. operational holding company, Kingsway America Inc.A significant factor cited by the rating agency for its affirmed position of the Kingsway…

Financial services group and broker network consolidator Western Financial Group Inc. (TSX: WES) has entered into a joint venture with Harvard Developments Inc. to begin a new expansion of brokerages into major urban centers of western Canada. Although the terms…

In a filing recently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bermuda-based Ace Ltd. disclosed that the company had received 43 subpoenas and legal enquiries relating to its alleged involvement in bid rigging and price fixing of insurance arrangements…

Data published by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) puts the property & casualty insurance industry’s net income at $2.51 billion for 2004, up from $1.29 billion in 2003.The OSFI data represents the combined filings of all…

In a new “Status Report” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), small cars and small to mid-size SUVs ranked as the worst in terms of driver death rates in crashes. The two-door, two-wheel-drive Chevrolet Blazer tops the list…

In a new report, rating agency Standard & Poor’s explains its concerns and method for detecting finite reinsurance transactions in the financial information of company’s it analyzes.Finite re, also called financial reinsurance or financial engineering, has come under fire from…

Rating agencies have taken a dim view to confirmation late Monday that AIG CEO and chair Maurice “Hank” Greenberg will retire. But it was not only news of the 79-year-old industry veteran’s exodus which caught rater’s attention AIG also announced…

Lloyd’s of London has reached a financial settlement with insurers of its new Central Fund which will see the London market paid a total of GBP152 million.Lloyd’s and the six insurers began arbitration in early 2003 following a dispute over…

Oakville, Ontario-based pet insurer Pethealth Inc. (TSX Venture: PTZ) saw its annual net loss narrow to $422,540, or $0.01 per share last year, a 79% improvement over the loss of $1.99 million, or $0.01 per share, posted in 2003.Revenue was…