Reinsurers have not been especially disciplined, and they in fact prolonged a soft insurance market that should have ended a year ago, a broker said here yesterday.

A dozen Bermuda reinsurers that released first-quarter 2010 earnings over the last week were hit hard by $1.4 billion in catastrophe losses, primarily related to the earthquake in Chile.

Bermuda-based Torus announced its intention to acquire Glacier Insurance AG headquartered in Liechtenstein for undisclosed terms today.

Directors and officers liability insurance experts do not foresee any major widespread uplift in D&O insurance prices emerging from Goldman Sachs' current woes or the increased lawsuit activity that has been provoked.

In a move that experts saw signaling a new wave of securities litigation, a shareholder class action has been filed against Goldman Sachs Group and three of its executives.

Directors and officers insurance experts found little to celebrate in a report declaring an end to securities lawsuits arising from the credit crisis, and Goldman Sach's recent troubles had them throwing more cold water on positive findings.

There's no clear answer as to whether fraud litigation brought against Goldman Sachs by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will fuel a new wave of credit crisis lawsuits.

While program carriers have found property and casualty business opportunities in everything from auto repossessors to fine arts in recent months and years, some are eyeing new business potential in the accident and health space.