Spain & France wildfires likely an earnings event for insurers unless urban areas hit: Morningstar DBRS
The spreading wildfires in Spain and France are among the worst fire events in Europe in recent years, but Morningstar DBRS, a global credit rating agency that provides financial intelligence and credit ratings, said the current losses are more likely to reflect a profit event for insurance companies rather than a major credit problem. The…
J.S. Held appoints Irvinder Singh Lail as Head of Global Capability
Global consultancy JS Held has announced the appointment of Irvinder Singh Lail as global head of capabilities. In his new role, Irvinder will work to advance the company’s global operating model by standardizing how JS Held organizes and deploys expertise across regions, enhancing service delivery and expanding the capabilities of the company’s experts. Irvinder will…
Willis urges data centre sector to rethink insurance buying amid AI demand growth
As the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence-driven demands reshape the technology landscape, Willis, a WTW-owned insurance brokerage, urges data center owners, developers, builders, operators and investors to rethink traditional insurance strategies. The company warned that many organizations may currently be receiving more capacity than their actual exposure because the risks are not…
S&P upgrades West P&I to A- financial strength rating
West P&I, a maritime mutual insurance company that provides protection and indemnity (P&I) and other specialty insurance to the global shipping industry, has received an A- financial strength rating from S&P Global Ratings, with the ratings agency giving it a stable outlook. The rating follows continued improvement in its underwriting performance, with the insurer reporting…
Cinven and La Caisse acquire majority stake in Optio from PCP
Optio, an independent international professional managing general agent (MGA), has announced that international private equity firm Cinven and global investment group La Caisse (formerly CDPQ) have agreed to jointly acquire a majority stake in Preservation Capital Partners (PCP). This investment will support Optio’s next chapter by supporting the expansion of Optio’s specialty underwriting capabilities, broadening…
Tunis Re premiums increase 2.2% in H1’26
Tunis Re (Société Tunisienne de Réassurance), Tunisia’s national specialized reinsurance company, had a turnover of 126 million Tunisian dinars ($42.6 million) in the first half of 2026, an increase of 2.2% compared with the same period last year. The reinsurer said the achievement rate was 48% compared to the target set for fiscal 2026. The…
IGP Specialty names David Nikolai as President, Programs Division
Innovation Growth Partners Specialty (IGP Specialty), a US-registered specialty insurance company and subsidiary of USI Insurance Services, has appointed David Nikolai as President of Projects, effective immediately. IGP Specialty was formed in November 2025 from the merger of specialty lines underwriting manager and wholesale broker US Risk and plan administrator Safehold Special Risk. Nicola brings…
QBE Re focused on building deeper, long-term relationships with key partners: Nick Hankin
QBE Re managing director Nick Hankin said the company was increasingly focusing on building long-term, meaningful relationships with a handful of key partners rather than expanding broadly across markets, which could mean being selective about where it deploys capacity. In an interview with Reinsurance News, Hankin discussed what he sees as the most attractive opportunities…
Pinion Insurance launches proprietary data interchange platform for MGAs
Pinion Insurance, a new technology-enabled specialty insurance company, has launched Sarrus, an upgraded, fully integrated proprietary technology platform designed to replace fragmented, outdated data exchanges in the managing general agent (MGA) space with daily portfolio visibility and audit-ready reporting. Sarrus allows MGAs to partner with reinsurers by digitizing the flow of data and information from…
Selective Insurance Q2’26 net income increases to $127.1m
Selective Insurance Group reported financial results for the second quarter of 2026, with net profit of $127.1 million and a combined ratio improvement of 98%. Net income increased 52% in the second quarter of 2026 from the same period last year, while the combined ratio decreased by 2.2 percentage points from 100.2% in the second…