According to sources, former Zurich CFO Pierre Wauthier and former chairman Josef Ackermann disagreed on the company's message to investors before presenting second-quarter results.

Josef Ackermann, the former Deutsche Bank boss, resigned on Thursday as chairman of Zurich Insurance over the apparent suicide of the Swiss insurer's chief financial officer.

British life insurer Phoenix Group is in talks to buy the Admin Re unit of Swiss Re, re-starting its drive to consolidate the sector and achieve savings after a hiatus caused by its heavy debts.

British life insurer Phoenix Group is in talks to buy the Admin Re unit of Swiss Re, re-starting its drive to consolidate the sector and achieve savings after a hiatus caused by its heavy debts.

Zurich Insurance has backed away from deal talks in emerging markets as prices hot up, the insurer's chairman said in a newspaper interview.

Swiss Re said Chief Executive Stefan Lippe will take early retirement after roughly three years at the helm in a surprise move which analysts said added a new element of uncertainty to a company Lippe had helped stabilize.