Merrill Lynch recently agreed to “make whole” the city of Springfield, Massachusetts by paying nearly $14 million in connection with subprime losses the city suffered in cash accounts held with the brokerage firm. 


Read More Broker Agrees To Reimburse Massachusetts City for $14 Million in Subprime Losses

Parana Banco, a Brazilian bank, recently sought authorization to form the country’s first ever private-sector reinsurer.  Parana Banco indicated that the reinsurer, which will be named J. Malucelli Resseguradora S.A., will have nearly $40 million in capital and initially provide reinsurance cover only for surety bonds issued by J Malucelli Seguradora, the insurance unit of the bank. 
Read More Brazilian Bank Seeks Authorization for Reinsurance License

The proposed rates of 15 auto insurers have been reviewed and approved by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance since the implementation at the beginning of this year of a “managed competition” system for setting auto insurance rates. 
Read More Update: Massachusetts Managed Competition System for Auto Insurance Rates

Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, recently gave a speech at the Insurance Institute of London about the European Commission’s policy priorities for the insurance sector. Solvency II is currently the key project and will remain so until its transposition, which is intended to take place in 2012. 


Read More EU: Solvency II and the European Commission’s Policy Priorities for the Insurance Sector

Under recently-enacted legislation, New York State has switched to a loss cost system for determining workers’ compensation rates.   The New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board (“NYCIRB”) has been tasked with developing loss cost values, and each insurer will submit its own loss cost multiplier to the New York State Insurance Department (the “Department”) for approval. 
Read More New York Adopts Loss Cost System For Setting Workers’ Compensation Rates

As the credit crunch of the subprime meltdown continues, a recent question has been whether a government or private bailout of the troubled bond insurers is on the way.  While early reactions were positive, recent events seem to indicate that a bailout by state and federal regulators or private industry is getting more unlikely by the day. 
Read More Bond Insurers – Bailout on the Way?