Reinsurance

Swiss Re today announces that Michel M. Lis, currently chairman global partnerships, has been appointed by the board of directors as the companys new group chief executive officer as of Feb. 1.

PartnerRe Ltd. is the latest insurer to issue an estimate related to the flooding in Thailand, with an expected $120 million 2011 fourth-quarter charge.

A coalition of reinsurance trade groups warn that protectionist policies by governments on global reinsurers will ultimately backfire because of the important role global risk distribution via reinsurance plays.

Aon Benfield says the fourth quarter proved to be another active one for catastrophe bond transactions despite the size of the transactions slightly being off from the previous year.

Countries prone to earthquakes, especially Japan, remain underinsured, reveals a new report from Swiss Re.

Global investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods says property and casualty insurance industry investors may not see improvements in earnings per share or return on equity in fourth-quarter earnings, but there is a silver lining for some companies.