Max Capital Group Ltd. recently announced the establishment of its Latin American reinsurance operations in Latin America through representative offices in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Bogota, Colombia.  The company also announced the hiring of Carlos Caputo and Sonia Galvis, both formerly of XL Re Latin America, as the CEO and Chief Underwriting Officer, respectively, of Max Capital’s Latin American operations. …
Read More Max Capital Group Establishes Latin American Reinsurance Operations

Credit Suisse announced on December 15, 2009  that it is nearing a $536 million settlement with the New York County District Attorney’s office and the US Department of Justice, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). 

…
Read More Credit Suisse to Settle Iran Sanctions Claims

Mapfre (Spain) and Grupo Mundial (Panama) recently agreed to form a joint venture that would constitute Central America’s largest insurance company, with the move reportedly already approved by Grupo Mundial’s shareholders.  The resulting venture would bring together Mapfre’s subsidiary in El Salvador and Grupo Mundial’s operations in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. 

…
Read More Mapfre and Grupo Mundial to Form Largest Central American Insurer

Petitioners Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (“Mitsubishi”) moved to vacate a partial arbitration award entered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution in favor of Respondent Stone & Webster, Inc. (“Stone & Webster”). 

…
Read More Court Finds That Arbitration Award is Not Final for Purposes of Review under the FAA

Plaintiff China National Chartering Corp. (“CNCC”) petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to confirm an arbitration award rendered in its favor against defendant Pactrans Air & Sea, Inc. (“Pactrans”) by the China Maritime Arbitration Commission (“CMAC”). 

…
Read More Federal Court Confirms Foreign Arbitration Award, Even Though Appeal of Award in Foreign Jurisdiction was Pending

During the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) winter meeting, the Restructuring Mechanisms for Troubled Companies (E) Subgroup adopted the “White Paper on Alternative Mechanisms for Troubled Companies” (the “White Paper”). 

…
Read More NAIC Subgroup Adopts White Paper on Alternative Mechanisms for Troubled Companies

ACE, through its local subsidiary ACE Resseguradora, recently received authorization as the sixth local reinsurer in the Brazilian reinsurance market.  ACE joins XL Re, Mapfre, Munich Re, J. Malucelli Re and IRB-Brasil Re as the only reinsurers in the Brazilian market unfettered by cession limits and/or rights of first refusal. 

…
Read More Brazil: ACE Becomes Sixth Local Reinsurer

The Law Commission has today published its draft Bill on Consumer Insurance Law: Pre-Contract Disclosure and Misrepresentation. It applies only to consumer insurance contracts, ie. contracts of insurance bought by individuals for purposes wholly or mainly unrelated to their trade, business or profession. It also only deals with the issue of what a consumer must tell an insurer before entering into or varying an insurance contract. 

…
Read More UK: Insurance Contract Law Reform – Draft Bill on Consumer Insurance Law: Pre-Contract Disclosure and Misrepresentation

On December 8, 2009, State Representative Bill Proctor filed HB 447, An Act Relating to Residential Property Insurance, in the Florida Legislature.  HB 447 would permit insurers to charge rates higher than those they have filed with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FOIR) for residential property insurance that covers hurricane or windstorm risk, as long as the insurers comply with certain new requirements set forth in HB 447.

Read More Florida Legislator Seeks De-Regulation of Rates for Property Insurance that Covers Risk of Windstorm or Hurricane