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PARIS RE Holdings Limited announced a net operating income1 of US $59.4 million, or US $0.72 per share, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009, compared to net operating income of US $81.0 million in the second quarter of 2008.

Net operating income for the first half of 2009 was US $120.4 million, or US $1.47 per share, a decrease of 20.1% from US $150.6 million for the first half of 2008.

Hans-Peter Gerhardt, Chief Executive Officer of PARIS RE Holdings Ltd., commented:

“The second quarter of 2009 and the first half of the year have produced stable results in line with our expectations. We are pleased with a combined ratio in the very low nineties, especially as we absorbed a one-off charge in the context of a commutation of a legacy exposure. For the next months our focus will be to work closely with our clients to maintain our well balanced portfolio through the upcoming renewals. In the meantime we are preparing ourselves for the planned combination with PartnerRe, expecting that all conditions precedent with respect to the different steps of the transaction will be satisfied. Mid-year reinsurance renewals in short tail lines continued the positive trend, albeit not at the level anticipated at the start of this year. Overall we are pleased with the average rate level of our book. The absence of meaningful rate hardening at the primary insurance level, however, gives some reason for concern”.

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Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Martin Senn (52, Swiss) to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following the retirement of James J. Schiro on December 31, 2009.

“Martin is an engaging, thoughtful and results-oriented leader who is ideally suited to build on and further develop Zurich’s successful strategy,” said Manfred Gentz, Chairman of Zurich’s Board of Directors. “His extensive international exposure and diverse operational experience have prepared him well for tackling the challenges of leading a global firm, while his demonstrated focus on people management, proven commitment to corporate responsibility and deep knowledge of capital markets shows he appreciates the delicate stakeholder balance and knowledge of customers’ needs required for sustained profitable success. We are confident he is the right leader for Zurich’s next phase of success, and are proud that his selection illustrates the depth and strength of Zurich’s management team.”

Mr. Senn currently serves as Zurich’s Chief Investment Officer, and as a member of its Group Executive Committee. Prior to joining Zurich, he served in senior leadership positions with Swiss Life, Credit Suisse and Swiss Bank Corp (now UBS), serving in financial, operational and investment related roles in Europe, Asia and North America.

“It is an honor to be asked to lead a company with such a rich and successful history as Zurich,” remarked Mr. Senn. “I am looking forward to working with all 60,000 employees to build on our successful strategy and make the most of the opportunities we have created for ourselves.”

The unanimous Board decision follows a lengthy review of both internal and external candidates, as well as a deep assessment of the needed attributes of Zurich’s future leader. “A proven ability to engage multi-cultural teams will be a key success factor for future CEOs in this global economy, and Martin has shown he can listen and act with proven results,” added Chairman Gentz. “In addition, his success in managing our assets to effectively match our liabilities illustrates his in-depth understanding of the complexities of the insurance business.”

Mr. Senn will assume the CEO position on January 1, 2010, following the planned retirement of James J. Schiro. Schiro assumed the CEO position in May of 2002 amidst significant financial and operational turmoil, and led the company through a successful turnaround, resulting in a revamped structure and strategy, as well as 26 straight quarters of profitability. “Jim’s vision and focus is why Zurich enjoys such a strong market position today,” according to Chairman Gentz, “and our ability to choose his successor from amongst his management team demonstrates his commitment to developing people.”

Additional Biographical Information: Mr. Senn is a member of the Group Executive Committee of Zurich Financial Services Ltd. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Zurich Group Holding and Zurich Life Insurance Company, and serves as Chairman of the Z Zurich Foundation. He joined Zurich in 2006.

Mr. Senn worked for the former Swiss Bank Corporation from 1976 to 1994 where his international career steps included treasurer in Hong Kong and regional treasurer for Asia and the Pacific region in Singapore before ultimately managing the company’s Tokyo office. In 1994 he joined Credit Suisse where his executive roles included that of treasurer for the Head Office and Europe, chairman and turnaround manager of Credit Suisse Group Japan with a mandate to restructure and reposition all legal entities of the Group in Japan. In 2001, he became a member of the Credit Suisse Banking executive board and was appointed head of its Trading and Investment Services Division. From 2003 until 2006 he served as a member of the corporate executive board and as chief investment officer of the Swiss Life Group.

Mr. Senn is a member of the governing board of Avenir Suisse and treasurer of the Zurich Association of Economics. In addition he serves as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Korea in Zurich. He was previously a member of the board of directors of various banks and financial services institutions.

Mr. Senn received his commercial and banking diploma from the Business School in Basel, Switzerland and graduated from the International Executive Program at INSEAD in Fontainebleau and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

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    Some media reports that have expressed concern about the safety of vaccines for pandemic influenza. The public needs to be reassured that regurelatory procedures in place for the licensing of pandemic vaccines, including procedures for expediting regulatory approval, are rigorous and do not compromise safety or quality controls.

    Vaccines are among the most important medical interventions for reducing illness and deaths during a pandemic. However, to have the greatest impact, pandemic vaccines need to be available quickly and in large quantities.

    During the 1957 and 1968 pandemics, vaccines arrived too late to be used as an effective mitigation tool during the more severe phases of the pandemics. Influenza vaccines had not yet been developed when the 1918 pandemic swept around the world, eventually killing an estimated 50 million people.

    In 2007, as part of preparedness for an influenza pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) worked together with health officials, regulatory authorities, and vaccine manufacturers to explore a broad range of issues surrounding the regulatory approval of pandemic vaccines. [1]

    Ways were sought to shorten the time between the emergence of a pandemic virus and the availability of safe and effective vaccines. Different regulatory pathways were assessed, and precautions needed to ensure quality, safety, and effectiveness were set out in detail.

    Fast-track procedures for approval

    Regulatory authorities have shown great flexibility in developing procedures for fast-tracking the approval and licensing of pandemic vaccines.

    In some cases, pandemic vaccines are not regarded by regulatory authorities as entirely “new” vaccines, as they build on the technology used to produce vaccines for seasonal influenza, established procedures for testing and regulatory control, and an extensive body of safety data.

    In such cases, approval procedures are similar to those applied to “strain changes” made each year when seasonal vaccines are modified to match circulating viruses in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

    Specific regulatory procedures have been devised to expedite the approval of pandemic vaccines. In the USA, for example, fewer data are required when the manufacturer already has a licensed influenza vaccine and intends to use the same manufacturing process for its pandemic vaccine.

    In the European Union, the European Medicines Agency uses a rolling review procedure whereby manufacturers can submit sets of data for regulatory review as they become available, without having to wait until all data can be submitted together in a single formal application.

    Also in Europe, some manufacturers have conducted advance studies using a so-called “mock-up” vaccine. Mock-up vaccines contain an active ingredient for an influenza virus that has not circulated recently in human populations and thus mimics the novelty of a pandemic virus. Such advance studies can greatly expedite regulatory approval.

    Special safety concerns

    Influenza vaccines have been used for more than 60 years and have an established record of safety in all age groups. While some serious adverse events have been reported, these have been rare.

    Nonetheless, special safety issues will inevitably arise during a pandemic when vaccine is administered on a massive scale. For example, adverse events too rare to show up even in a large clinical trial may become apparent when very large numbers of people receive a pandemic vaccine.

    Some adverse events will be coincidental – that is, associated in time with vaccine administration, yet not directly caused by the vaccine. Genuine adverse events directly caused by the vaccine may also occur, but cannot be predicted in advance. Given the safety record of seasonal vaccines, such events are expected to be rare.

    Time constraints mean that clinical data at the time when pandemic vaccines are first administered will inevitably be limited. Further testing of safety and effectiveness will need to take place after administration of the vaccine has begun.

    For these reasons, WHO advises all countries administering pandemic vaccines to conduct intensive monitoring for safety and efficacy, and many countries have plans in place for doing so. On the positive side, mass vaccination campaigns can generate significant safety data within a few weeks.

    International sharing of data from such post-marketing surveillance will be vital in guiding risk-benefit assessments and determining whether changes in vaccination policies are needed. WHO has developed standardized protocols for data collection and reporting in real-time, and will communicate findings to the international community via its web site.

    [1] Regulatory preparedness for human pandemic influenza vaccines. Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2007 [pdf 625kb]

    Source : World Health Organisation

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    Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) reported today its 26th straight quarter of profitability and its third consecutive quarter-on-quarter profit increase since the financial crisis started in the latter half of 2008.

    Business operating profit for the discrete second quarter was USD 1.5 billion, a 41% increase over the previous quarter, while net income1 was USD 892 million, a 147% increase over the previous quarter.

    “I am proud of how we have proactively managed our way through this global economic downturn, strengthening our financial position while capitalizing on opportunities,” remarked Zurich’s Chief Executive Officer James J. Schiro. “These results demonstrate our ability to generate consistently strong profitability, and underscore our confidence that we will enter the recovery period from a position of strength.”

    Half-year performance highlights2 include:

    • Business operating profit (BOP) of USD 2.6 billion, a decrease of 28% from the first six months of 2008. Annualized BOP ROE3 after tax of 16.6%

    • Net income of USD 1.3 billion, a decrease of 53% from the first six months of 2008. Annualized return on equity (ROE) of 10.8%

    • General Insurance gross written premiums and policy fees of USD 18.2 billion, down 11% or 2% in local currencies, and a basically unchanged combined ratio of 96.2%

    • Global Life new business value4, after tax, of USD 332 million, down 3% but up 9% in local currencies. New business margin, after tax (as % of APE), of 21.0%, with APE up 3% or 19% in local currencies

    • Farmers Management Services’ management fees and other related revenues up 4% to USD 1.2 billion

    • Shareholders’ equity of USD 25.2 billion, an increase of 14% over year end

    “We are particularly pleased with our ability to increase shareholders’ equity and strengthen our solvency ratio despite the challenging market conditions,” said Zurich’s Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer.

    The company is well on track to meet its operational improvement target under The Zurich Way initiatives of USD 900 million after tax as well as its expense saving target of USD 400 million for the current year. In addition, the company continued to broaden its product range and distribution capabilities organically as well as through entry into new market segments and the ongoing successful integration process of its recent acquisitions completed in Europe, the U.S. and emerging markets.

    The full report is available here

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    A new website at http://www.ppinews.co.uk has been launched to keep pressure on regulatory authorities, banks and insurance companies to compensate up to 12 million UK consumers who have been mis-sold billions of pounds of Payment Protection Insurance.

    “The Competition Commission, Financial Standards Authority and the Office of Fair Trading all agree that PPI’s have been mis-sold but failed the British consumer by not forcing these policy providers to compensate victims of this huge scam,” said journalist and marketing expert, Tim Hunt.

    “If a consumer wants to get their PPI payments back today, they are forced into a ridiculous charade of writing a string of recorded delivery letters to their policy provider until there is sufficient evidence to then submit each individual case to the Financial Ombudsman Service for resolution. This takes months of effort, huge amounts of stress and anxiety on the consumers’ part, and the PPI touts know that most victims will simply give up,” said Tim.

    Citizens Advice lodged a Super Complaint four years ago about PPI and called on the OFT and regulators to act. However, Tim says that progress has been painfully slow and that unsavoury PPI marketing and sales techniques continued to dupe British consumers out of GBP5 billion annually.

    “To add insult to our injury, this summer the Competition Commission is running free events for PPI providers instructing them on how to continue to market their fundamentally flawed PPI policies. It’s not more marketing hype and small print that consumers need, they want their money back for being mis-sold PPIs in the first place.

    “If you are unfortunate enough to be paying for PPI cover today, its poor value is further depleted with rip-off providers now pulling new tricks by raising premiums or reducing cover to maintain their fat profits.

    “The Financial Ombudsman Service admit to receiving thousands of PPI complaints making it the biggest single source of UK public grievance yet nothing is being done to force compensation. And, even Which? state that PPIs are usually a poor deal, so why are they still allowed to be sold?

    “The only way to win is to do what Brits do best, stand up and not let these charlatans get away with our hard-earned money. I built http://www.PPInews.co.uk because I want this to be a thorn in the side of bumbling bureaucrats, banks and loans bullies.”

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    For Brits planning to take everything but the kitchen sink on holiday this summer, travelsupermarket.com is urging travellers to check their baggage allowance before flying to avoid getting caught out by hefty airline fines.

    • Brits look to avoid fines for taking overweight baggage on holiday
    • More than one in ten Brits prepared to only take hand luggage on flights
    • Brits travel in heavy shoes, buy toiletries abroad and wear as many clothes as possible  to avoid additional airline costs

    With finances front of mind for Brits, 41 per cent of the population have already stated that they are more likely to check actual baggage weight and airline allowances before heading to the airport this year.

    The research also reveals the lengths holidaymakers would go to in order to avoid getting fined for additional baggage weight.  These include:

    1. Taking fewer clothes away with them (51 per cent)
    2. Packing heavy items in their hand luggage (35 per cent)
    3. Wearing their heaviest shoes on the plane (26 per cent)
    4. Buying toiletries once they’ve arrived at their destination (23 per cent)
    5. Packing items in their friend’s/partner’s suitcase (17 per cent)
    6. Wearing as many clothes as possible on the plane (13 per cent)
    7. Taking travel wash so clothes can be laundered throughout their holiday (13 per cent)
    8. Taking hand luggage only (11 per cent)

    However, there are a few holidaymakers throwing caution to the wind and claiming that they don’t care how much they have to pay to take everything they need away with them.  Compared to a national average of just three per cent who feel this way, people from the North East are particularly laid back about paying the excess charges – with eight per cent of those in the region claiming not to care about the extra cost.  Interestingly, women are more prepared to take fewer clothes away than men (54 per cent compared to 48 per cent) to avoid being fined.

    Bob Atkinson, travel expert at travelsupermarket.com, commented: “I can’t stress enough how important it is for travellers to weigh their hold and hand luggage before they turn up at the airport to avoid a confrontation at the check in desk or gate.  Many airlines have become much stricter about checking in overweight baggage, particularly in light of rising fuel costs.  And many more are weighing hand luggage to ensure that people are complying with the rules they impose.

    “Passengers taking hand luggage only also need to check the dimensions of their allowance; if their bag is too big they could face having it removed from them, then placed in the hold and charged for the privilege.  If you know you need to take extra weight then, wherever possible, book this online before going to the airport.  The charges are less and you will have an easier transit through the check in and bag drop procedures.

    “If holidaymakers are unwilling to pay charges, they will have little choice but to leave items behind, getting their holiday off to a bad start.  People hoping to take golf clubs and bulky sports equipment away with them need to pay particular attention to the small print which outlines what their baggage allowance is.”

    Cost of Baggage – Based on Return Flight to Europe (Online Check In)

    Cost of Baggage - Based on Return Flight to Europe
    Cost of Baggage – Based on Return Flight to Europe

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    American International Group, Inc. (AIG) will report its second quarter 2009 results before the market opens on Friday, August 7, 2009. AIG’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, earnings release and financial supplement will be available in the Investor Information section of www.aig.com  after the results are reported.

    It should be noted that the earnings release and financial supplement may include projections and statements which may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These projections and statements are not historical facts but instead represent only AIG’s belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside AIG’s control.

    These projections and statements may address, among other things, the outcome of the recently completed and proposed transactions with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) and the United States Department of the Treasury (Department of the Treasury), the number, size, terms, cost and timing of dispositions and their potential effect on AIG’s businesses, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity (and AIG at any time and from time to time may change its plans with respect to the sale of one or more businesses), AIG’s exposures to subprime mortgages, monoline insurers and the residential and commercial real estate markets, the separation of AIG’s businesses from AIG parent company, AIG’s ability to retain and motivate its employees and AIG’s strategy for customer retention, growth, product development, market position, financial results and reserves.

    It is possible that AIG’s actual results and financial condition will differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these projections and statements. Factors that could cause AIG’s actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those in the specific projections and statements include a failure of the completed transactions with the FRBNY or the Department of the Treasury to achieve their desired objectives or a failure to complete the proposed transactions with the FRBNY, developments in global credit markets and such other factors as discussed throughout Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and in Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors of, AIG’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2009, in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of AIG’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 (including Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A filed on April 30, 2009) and in AIG’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 30, 2009. AIG is not under any obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter any projection or other statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Source: American International Group, Inc.

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    Research conducted in the USA and published 29 July in The Lancet [1] has drawn attention to an increased risk of severe or fatal illness in pregnant women when infected with the H1N1 pandemic virus.

    Several other countries experiencing widespread transmission of the pandemic virus have similarly reported an increased risk in pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. An increased risk of fetal death or spontaneous abortions in infected women has also been reported.

    Increased risk for pregnant women

    Evidence from previous pandemics further supports the conclusion that pregnant women are at heightened risk.

    While pregnant women are also at increased risk during epidemics of seasonal influenza, the risk takes on added importance in the current pandemic, which continues to affect a younger age group than that seen during seasonal epidemics.

    WHO strongly recommends that, in areas where infection with the H1N1 virus is widespread, pregnant women, and the clinicians treating them, be alert to symptoms of influenza-like illness.

    WHO recommendations for treatment

    Treatment with the antiviral drug oseltamivir should be administered as soon as possible after symptom onset. As the benefits of oseltamivir are greatest when administered within 48 hours after symptom onset, clinicians should initiate treatment immediately and not wait for the results of laboratory tests.

    While treatment within 48 hours of symptom onset brings the greatest benefits, later initiation of treatment may also be beneficial. Clinical benefits associated with oseltamivir treatment include a reduced risk of pneumonia (one of the most frequently reported causes of death in infected people) and a reduced need for hospitalization.

    WHO has further recommended that, when pandemic vaccines become available, health authorities should consider making pregnant women a priority group for immunization.

    Danger signs in all patients

    Worldwide, the majority of patients infected with the pandemic virus continue to experience mild symptoms and recover fully within a week, even in the absence of any medical treatment. Monitoring of viruses from multiple outbreaks has detected no evidence of change in the ability of the virus to spread or to cause severe illness.

    In addition to the enhanced risk documented in pregnant women, groups at increased risk of severe or fatal illness include people with underlying medical conditions, most notably chronic lung disease (including asthma), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immunosuppression. Some preliminary studies suggest that obesity, and especially extreme obesity, may be a risk factor for more severe disease.

    Within this largely reassuring picture, a small number of otherwise healthy people, usually under the age of 50 years, experience very rapid progression to severe and often fatal illness, characterized by severe pneumonia that destroys the lung tissue, and the failure of multiple organs. No factors that can predict this pattern of severe disease have yet been identified, though studies are under way.

    Clinicians, patients, and those providing home-based care need to be alert to danger signs that can signal progression to more severe disease. As progression can be very rapid, medical attention should be sought when any of the following danger signs appear in a person with confirmed or suspected H1N1 infection:

    • shortness of breath, either during physical activity or while resting
    • difficulty in breathing
    • turning blue
    • bloody or coloured sputum
    • chest pain
    • altered mental status
    • high fever that persists beyond 3 days
    • low blood pressure.

    In children, danger signs include fast or difficult breathing, lack of alertness, difficulty in waking up, and little or no desire to play.

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      The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has been named Trade Association of the Year at the prestigious Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards. BIBA also won the Commercial Initiative and Exhibition categories at the awards.

      BIBA beat 37other associations to be named Trade Association of Year 2009.  The judges said that BIBA’s activities were the hallmark of an association that pursues, and achieves, excellence in all their activities whether that be sector representation, communicating with members or undertaking commercial activity.

      The judges were keen to acknowledge that BIBA had achieved everything with only 16 staff which was “a truly remarkable performance”.

      BIBA Chief Executive, Eric Galbraith, said: “This is an excellent example of how BIBA is achieving success on behalf of members.  This award is a testament to the hard work of the BIBA team and we are delighted to receive recognition from our trade association peers. Our challenge now is to continue to improve even further.”

      The awards, hosted by the Trade Association Forum, received 100 entries and were presented at a ceremony at London’s Intercontinental Hotel on 29 July.

      BIBA was also a finalist in the Electronic Communication Award, Magazine Award, Newsletter Award, Sector Representation Award, Social Initiative Award and Website Award categories.

      Trade Association of the Year

      Winner: British Insurance Brokers’ Association

      The Award for the Trade Association was strongly contested this year with no one association dominating the individual awards. However, it was last year’s runner’s up the British Insurance Brokers’ Association that shone through with all of the eight entries they submitted making the finals and a number of them narrowly missing out on the top award.

      The judges concurred that this was the hallmark of an association that pursues, and achieves, excellence in all their activities whether that be sector representation, communicating with members or undertaking commercial activity. That the association has come back with even stronger entries than last year show that they do not settle for second place and their commitment to being the best is unrelenting.

      This commitment, along with their ability to innovate and “think outside the box”, was clearly evident in their entry in the Commercial Initiative category where that took what was a problem for their members and turned it into a commercial opportunity which is reaping a considerable financial return for the organisation and providing benefits their members.

      The judges were also particularly impressed that this commercial acumen had been accompanied by a strong social and environmental performance. The awarding of the trophy for in the Exhibition of the Year category was not just for the commercial success of the venture but because of the environmentally responsible way in which the exhibition was organised and run. This high degree of CSR was also evidence in the association being a finalist in the Social Initiative of the Year category and sets a benchmark for how Trade Associations must think and perform in future.

      Finally, the judges were keen to acknowledge that the British Insurance Brokers’ Association had achieved all this with only 16 staff. A truly remarkable performance.

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      Liberty Mutual Group reported net income of $274 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009, a decrease of $26 million from the same period in 2008. Net income excluding private equity (loss) income was $287 million in the quarter versus $262 million in the prior year.

      “We are pleased with our operating results,” said Edmund F. Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO of Liberty Mutual Group Inc. “Our results reflect disciplined underwriting and pricing in a price sensitive global insurance market.”


      Second Quarter Highlights

      • Revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2009 were $7.830 billion, an increase of $882 million or 12.7% over the same period in 2008.

      • Net written premium for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was $6.904 billion, an increase of $625 million or 10.0% over the same period in 2008.

      • Pre-tax operating income before private equity (loss) income for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was $427 million, an increase of $78 million or 22.3% over the same period in 2008.

      • Pre-tax operating income for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was $407 million, consistent with the same period in 2008.

      • Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was $274 million, a decrease of $26 million or 8.7% from the same period in 2008.

      • Cash flow from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was $603 million, a decrease of $476 million or 44.1% from the same period in 2008.

      The combined ratio before catastrophes1 and net incurred losses attributable to prior years2 for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was 98.8%, an increase of 0.8 points over the same period in 2008. Including the impact of catastrophes and net incurred losses attributable to prior years, the Company’s combined ratio for the three months ended June 30, 2009 decreased 1.7 points to 100.2%.


      Year-to-Date Highlights

      • Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2009 were $15.236 billion, an increase of $1.403 billion or 10.1% over the same period in 2008.

      • Net written premium for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $13.932 billion, an increase of $1.397 billion or 11.1% over the same period in 2008.

      • Pre-tax operating income before private equity (loss) income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $831 million, an increase of $50 million or 6.4% over the same period in 2008.

      • Pre-tax operating income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $438 million, a decrease of $461 million or 51.3% from the same period in 2008.
      • Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $302 million, a decrease of $358 million or 54.2% from the same period in 2008.

      • Cash flow from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $988 million, a decrease of $704 million or 41.6% from the same period in 2008.
      • The combined ratio before catastrophes and net incurred losses attributable to prior years for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was 98.0%, a decrease of 0.5 points from the same period in 2008. Including the impact of catastrophes and net incurred losses attributable to prior years, the Company’s combined ratio for the six months ended June 30, 2009 decreased 1.5 points to 99.8%.
      • Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $302 million, a decrease of $358 million or 54.2% from the same period in 2008.
      • Cash flow from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $988 million, a decrease of $704 million or 41.6% from the same period in 2008.
      • The combined ratio before catastrophes and net incurred losses attributable to prior years for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was 98.0%, a decrease of 0.5 points from the same period in 2008. Including the impact of catastrophes and net incurred losses attributable to prior years, the Company’s combined ratio for the six months ended June 30, 2009 decreased 1.5 points to 99.8%.

      Read the full report

      Note :

      1 Catastrophes include all current and prior year catastrophe losses including assessments from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (“TWIA”) and exclude losses related to the Company’s external reinsurance assumed lines (assumed voluntary reinsurance and reinsurance assumed through Lloyd’s Syndicate 4472) except for losses related to the events of September 11, 2001, the 2004 U.S. Hurricanes, the 2005 U.S. Hurricanes and the September 2008 Hurricanes. Catastrophe losses, where applicable, include the impact of accelerated earned catastrophe premiums and earned reinstatement premiums.

      2 Net incurred losses attributable to prior years is defined as incurred losses attributable to prior years (excluding prior year losses related to natural catastrophes and the events of September 11, 2001) including both earned premium attributable to prior years and amortization of retroactive reinsurance gains.

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      Broker insurer MMA Insurance has launched a new dedicated micro underwriting team for its non-standard micro commercial business as a result of extensive broker consultation.

      The new team, led by Commercial Underwriting Services Manager Matt Brown, is comprised of underwriters with expertise in micro SME risks. It covers Master Tradesman, Shops, Offices & Surgeries and Residential Property Owners.

      Consistent with MMA’s philosophy of providing multiple contact options, brokers can now access the team via a dedicated phone number, fax line or email address. There is a streamlined process for both new and existing business.

      Commenting on the launch, Commercial Director Derek Plummer said: “This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to building our micro SME offering. We’ve already seen a lot of progress this year, all of which has been in response to feedback from our brokers. This latest service is no exception.

      “Our research identified that brokers wanted a dedicated underwriting resource for non-standard SME business that did not fit the profile for our web-based trading platform, Broker Online.”

      He added: “We know SME is a really important business area for our brokers and so we want to make it is easy as possible for them to respond to their clients’ needs with underwriting flexibility and first class service. The micro underwriting team have that as their objective and will work hard with brokers to help them achieve as much success as possible both attracting and retaining SME clients.”

      Mr Brown added: “Every member of this newly created team has specific expertise in micro risks so will be able to provide exceptional support to brokers. We will continue to invest in Broker Online for standard SME risks as well as work with brokers to make sure all their needs are being met for non standard risks.”

      MMA’s Commercial Lines brokers are being informed of the initiative and contact details for the team via an extensive communications campaign.

      Broker Online is MMA’s online trading system which was launched in 2002. It provides instant cover for standard micro commercial risks, guaranteed premiums and full cycle capability on all products including adjustments and renewals for all business originally placed online.

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      A third of small and medium-sized (SME) retailers and almost a fifth of large retailers have experienced a reduction in bank lending in the last three months.

      The findings are part of the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC’s) Quarterly Credit Conditions Monitor published today (Friday).

      For those respondents who cited a fall in lending, over two-thirds of SME retailers said it had undermined their ability to trade and of these 60 per cent have reduced staff levels. Three-quarters of large retailers who reported a fall in bank credit reported they reduced stock levels as a result.

      Despite the Bank of England keeping interest rates at historic lows for the last five months, 44 per cent of SME retailers reported the cost of bank lending has increased over the last three months. The availability of credit will determine how quickly the UK economy emerges from the recession.

      More than half of large retail respondents said the reduction or withdrawal of trade credit insurance had adversely affected their business. Of those, more than three-quarters said it had led to problems with up to a quarter of their suppliers.

      The BRC welcomed last month’s announcement that the trade credit insurance top-up scheme is being backdated to 1 October, but is calling on the Government to extend the date to 1 April 2008 – when insurers began removing cover as the downturn began.

      Jane Milne, BRC Business Environment Director, said: “As the Government launches its employment schemes, it’s outrageous that some retailers are being forced to let staff go because of a lack of affordable credit.

      “The poor availability of bank credit is undermining stock levels and retail employment. We understand the banks’ current cautious approach to lending, but there’s no reason why they need to stop loans to fundamentally sound businesses.

      “I’m shocked to hear that over forty per cent of SME retailers said banks had increased the cost of lending in the last three months. We should all be doing our bit to help speed the recovery. How can these increased charges be justified?

      “For retailers to survive the current tough trading conditions and keep staff in work they need have to have the right stock on their shelves. This is especially important in the run up to Christmas – the most important trading period for most retailers.

      “Extending the trade credit insurance top-scheme will help, but we’re calling on the Government to extend the scheme to last April – when the recession started to bite.

      “It’s clear from the BRC Monitor that the majority of respondents are not confident of trade credit insurers’ ability to assess risk accurately. The Association of British Insurers’ Codes aren’t improving underwriting – as they were meant to. The Government must put more pressure on these insurers to undertake proper research to ensure more accurate underwriting decisions.”

      Notes :

      The full results of the BRC’s Quarterly Credit Conditions Monitor are available to journalists from the BRC press office.

      Why trade credit is important
      – Trade credit insurance protects suppliers who sell goods on credit to companies, such as retailers, against the risk they will not get paid.
      – If credit insurance is withdrawn, suppliers demand to be paid upfront.
      – This can leave retailers short of stock, create cash flow problems for retailers and cost jobs as retailers seek to divert funds from wages to paying suppliers.
      – Banks also use retailers’ insurability as one of the criteria for making lending decisions.

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      According to a new report by Lloyd’s, the smecialist insurance market, business leaders feel comfortable managing internal risks, such as reputation and corporate liability, but are less confident about external risks, such as currency fluctuation and cancelled orders.

      The report, Risk priorities and preparedness, produced in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit, is one of the largest ever surveys on risk surveying 570 board level-executives from around the globe to identify their top 20 risks and how prepared they are – or think they are – to deal with them.

      The report reveals that there may be great disparity between what companies think threatens them and what their exposure to a particular risk actually may be.

      Lloyd’s Chairman, Lord Levene, warned that boards should not discount certain risks simply because they feel they don’t apply to them, saying:

      “Business leaders must not be over confident in how prepared they think they may be. While good risk management will help to minimise internal factors, they should recognise that they need to extend their thinking outwards to their suppliers, customers and other stakeholders to ascertain how their behaviour will resonate with the company itself.

      “Last year 55 per cent of businesses feel that a US-style compensation culture is spreading around the world, and in a recession the speed at which customers or suppliers will escalate litigation must be considered.”

      Lord Levene also warned about risk perceptions, highlighting that recent events, or high impact risks, should not overshadow longer tail risks, such as climate change.

      “It is completely understandable that companies focus on the latest problem, but good risk management needs to take in to account the broader risks and potential threats, and keep an eye on the horizon. What will disrupt business tomorrow is just as important as what is faced today,” he said.

      The report goes further to highlight the recent ‘rise of the risk manager’. In the wake of the financial crisis, they are now taking centre stage as boards apply more stringent filters to business activities and seek to fully assess threats.

      “The importance of someone who can keep a company’s reaction to risk sensible and accurate is essential. Risk is not a dirty word , we just need to understand it to manage it properly,” Lord Levene concluded.

      The report will form the basis of a new RiskMap, a ground breaking, interactive online map that will be launched in early 2010, which will display emerging risk hotspots around the world. The map will allow people to track changes in risk priorities and preparedness around the world.

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      MotorSport Vision, the commercial rights holder of the British Superbike Championship (BSB), is delighted to announce MCE Insurance, the UK’s most dynamic bike insurer, as the new BSB title sponsor.

      The contract announced today (Wednesday) is for the remainder of 2009 and for a further three years, making it the longest title sponsorship deal in BSB history.

      MCE Director Julian Edwards believes the new relationship with Jonathan Palmer‘s MotorSport Vision group will provide a powerful partnership for future success. He commented:

      “At MCE we are totally committed to becoming the UK‘s best motorcycle insurer and it has become clear that BSB offers an excellent opportunity for us to really understand bikers need. These are exciting times for MCE and we are absolutely thrilled about being involved with the world’s best domestic Superbike series. To celebrate our partnership with BSB, we have also launched Club MCE, giving existing and new customers money can’t buy BSB opportunities, such as grid walks, pillion laps and walk the track tutorials with leading riders.”

      MCE has just been named as Broker of the Year at the prestigious British Insurance Awards.

      “I am delighted that MCE Insurance will be the new title sponsor of British Superbikes. MCE share our commitment to providing our respective customers with outstanding quality and value in the UK and I admire their determination and customer-focussed approach. With MCE‘s long term commitment to BSB we are really looking forward to working together and developing our new partnership.” said Jonathan Palmer, the Chief Executive of MotorSport Vision.

      The inaugural MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship event takes place at Brands Hatch circuit on 7/8/9 August featuring the first ever BSB “triple-header” and a live track appearance by the legendary former Grand Prix rider Giacomo Agostini.

      For more information about the MCE Insurance British Superbikes click here

      For more information about The British Insurance Awards you can visit here

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      Yet more bad luck for holidaymakers looking to jet off this summer with the news the UK Border Agency staff have voted for strike action. If the dispute is not resolved, travellers could face major delays at airports as limited staff members attempt to cope with the influx of holidaymakers looking to travel.

      It is worth noting exactly what your travel insurance policy covers you for in the event the strike takes place. In the event of delays to your journey, the majority of providers will only cover you if the departure time of the outward journey or return journey takes place more than 12 hours after the departure time appearing on your ticket.

      After this point, compensation is normally paid, for example Insurewithease will pay out £20 per hour delayed for the first 12 hours, and £10 for each additional 12 hour period after this, up to a maximum of £200 in total. I would advise all holidaymakers to clarify this with their providers before making a trip.

      “With the outbreak of swine flu still at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the pandemic has caused some confusion and anxiety for travellers regarding plans for their holidays. I advise any worried holidaymakers to contact their tour operator, airline and travel insurance provider to clarify exactly where they stand and identify who is liable to pay out in the event a claim needs to be made, whether it be as a result of swine flu or the potential strike.

      “It is unsurprising holidaymakers are concerned about whether their travel insurance will cover them if they contract the swine flu virus since it could result in refused entry to board their plane, or being unable to travel at all. Although restrictions for travelling to Mexico have been lifted, it is still worth checking where you stand with your insurer if you are booked to holiday in Mexico and have any uncertainty about travelling there.

      If you contract swine flu before heading off on your trip, providing you have already purchased your insurance and your doctor has deemed you medically unfit to travel, your insurance should cover you if you want to claim back the cost of the holiday you have missed. Similarly, if you contract the virus whilst holidaying abroad, any medical costs incurred will be covered through your policy. For those using their EHIC card while travelling in Europe, full cover would also still apply under the normal terms of the card.”

      Top tips for travel insurance :

      • Ensure you are covered for the entire duration of your trip; its often wise to start a policy before you depart so you are covered for any cancellation
      • Check the policy covers belongings such as an ipod, mobile phone and any other items of value
      • Shop around for the best policy with the right level of cover to suit the nature of the trip, you may find an annual policy is cheaper if you take more than two holidays a year especially if one of those holidays is long haul, whereas a single trip policy could prove a bargain if you make one short trip to Europe
      • If travelling in Europe ensure that you have a valid European Health Inaurance Card (EHIC). These cards do expire so ensure you have a card that is in date in your possession when you travel.
      • Make sure the levels of cover are adequate, where possible we advise they match our recommended levels of cover (below)
      • Speak with your insurer to check you are adequately covered for scheduled airline failure or any delays to your flight
      • Check your destination is covered by your policy – the small print will list the destinations
      • Some activities will not be covered by a insurance policy – if you intend to do something specific, i.e. water jet skiing, check whether its covered and if not speak to your insurer to see if it can be added
      • Also, travel insurance policies probably won’t cover competitive or professional sports / activities; a specialist policy may be necessary
      • If you are taking specialist equipment on holiday it is also worth checking the small print, and then calling your insurer if you need to add it.

      Check at least the following level of cover:

      • £2 million for medical expenses
      • £1 million personal liability
      • £3,000 cancellation – or enough to cover the cost of your holiday
      • £1,500 for baggage
      • £250 for cash

      Source : moneysupermarket.com

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        Michael Jackson’s children may miss out on a US$20 million (HK$156 million) life insurance payout because an aide allowed the policy to lapse.

        The King of Pop’s family are planning legal action against the assistant who they reportedly believe kept the cash that had been put aside for insurance.

        Dr Steven Hoefflin, the plastic surgeon who became one of Jackson’s closest friends, said that the affair highlighted the “deception and incompetence” of the hangers-on who surrounded the singer in his final days.

        “The family have told me that, utterly unbelievably and horrifyingly, one of his aides did not keep up with payments in the last months of his life. They believe he was pocketing the money,” he told The Sun.

        “This was hugely important to him – it was money for his children. The family are furious and they are now seeking a lawsuit against the person believed responsible.

        “It is incredible, and just stands of further proof of the levels of deception and incompetence of the sharks that surround Michael.”

        Because the final payments were missed it is understood that Jackson’s children will now receive around $2.5 million rather than the $22.5 million to which they would have been entitled.

        Jackson was around $400 million in debt when he died, having squandered a fortune once estimated at $1 billion.

        His children Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, commonly known as Blanket, will inherit his $300 million share in The Beatles back catalogue but the rights are mortgaged up to the hilt and the singer is facing a range of legal claims on his estate.

        Source : The Sun

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        American International Group, Inc. (AIG) today announced that it has completed the sale of a majority of the U.S. life insurance premium finance business of AIG Credit Corp. and A.I. Credit Consumer Discount Company (A.I. Credit) to First Insurance Funding Corp. (FIFC), a subsidiary of Wintrust Financial Corporation of Lake Forest, Illinois, for approximately $679.5 million in cash. If certain conditions are met, FIFC will purchase certain specified additional life insurance premium finance assets for $61.2 million.

        A.I. Credit is a leading provider of insurance premium financing products in North America. A.I. Credit’s lending products enable individuals and businesses to obtain insurance while retaining their capital for other purposes.

        The property-casualty premium finance business of A.I. Credit is not included in the transaction.

        Blackstone acted as financial advisor to AIG on this transaction.

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        moneysupermarket.com logo

        moneysupermarket.com is the UK’s leading finance price comparison website and a leading UK travel price comparison website. Our website attracted approximately 120 million visitors and approximately 900 million page impressions in the year ended 31 December 2008.

        moneysupermarket.com saves consumers time and money – both precious commodities, especially during a recession. We believe our price comparison services offer a compelling value proposition to both consumers and product providers, simplifying consumers’ research, improving consumers’ shopping experience and enabling product providers and advertisers to target their marketing spend effectively.

        moneysupermarket.com offers a free online service to consumers enabling them to search for and compare a wide range of products across the relevant market, and assists them in finding the product most suited to their requirements. As a result, we are able to offer product providers and advertisers access to considerable volumes of informed consumers who, having compared products, are potentially ready to make a purchasing decision.

        Our revenue comes predominantly from fees paid by providers, advertisers and financial intermediaries. moneysupermarket.com’s price comparison services are complemented by rich community features such as user forums and editorial content.

        moneysupermarket.com operates across four verticals:

        Insurance Vertical

        • Insurance has become the cornerstone of the Group’s offering accounting for approximately £77 million, or 45%, of internet revenue in financial year ended 31 December 2008.
        • Launched in 2003, the insurance comparison service attracted approximately 25m visitors in 2008. There are 15 channels in Insurance including car insurance, home insurance (buildings & contents), travel insurance and life insurance.
        • The insurance vertical offers consumers the ability to compare quotations for home and motor insurance in real time using the Group’s screen-scraping technology. This technology was developed internally by the Group in order to facilitate the launch of the Insurance vertical because the number of variables involved in obtaining home and motor insurance quotations means that it is not practicable to use a market rates team to collate a database of information.
        • More recently moneysupermarket.com has worked with contracted providers to retrieve information from their databases using XML technology, enabling deep linking between moneysupermarket.com and contracted providers which is faster and more effective than screen-scraping.

        Money Vertical

        • Money now makes up approximately £68 million, or 40%, of internet revenue and attracted approximately 35 million visitors in financial year ended 31 December 2008.
        • There are 14 channels within money including loans, credit cards, savings, current accounts and mortgages.
        • The search results typically compare and rank substantially all providers in the relevant channel irrespective of whether the relevant provider has a commercial relationship with the Group.
        • Introduced SmartSearch technology in 2005, which allows consumers to match their credit profiles to the lowest cost products. SmartSearch benefits both consumers and contracted providers.
        • Dedicated market rates team.
        • PAALeads.com business, a lead generation business established in 2002, to collect details from consumers, with their permission, who were researching mortgages online but who were either unwilling or unable to complete their transaction online.
        • moneysupermarket.com Customer Assistance Team – moneysupermarket.com’s in house team of approximately 40 staff who provide mortgage and life insurance advisory services to consumers whose leads are not passed on through PAALeads.com.

        Travel Vertical

        • The Travel vertical, which trades under the travelsupermarket.com brand, accounted for approximately £19 million, or 11%, of internet revenues and approximately 49 million visitors in the financial year ended 31 December 2008.
        • There are nine channels within travel, the core ones being package holidays, car hire, flights and hotels.

        Home Services Vertical

        • Our newest vertical; Home Services, contributed approximately £7million, or 4%, of internet revenues and approximately 11 million visitors in the financial year ended 31 December 2008.
        • The vertical enables consumers to compare and switch utilities (gas and electricity), broadband and mobile phone providers.
        • Our Utilities channel is accredited by Consumer Focus.
        • In 2008 we launched a Shopping comparison service within Home Services, this now includes the facility for customers to access discount vouchers.

        Key Facts

        The UK’s leading price comparison website

        moneysupermarket.com was ranked by Hitwise (April 2009) as the number one UK finance price comparison website by share of UK internet visits in the Hitwise Banks and Financial Institutions category (excluding non price comparison websites). travelsupermarket.com was in the top six of all travel agency websites in the UK, based on estimated online market share in April 2009.

        Generated over £178 million revenues (financial year ending December 2008)

        The Group generated revenues of £178.8 million in the financial year ended 31 December 2008.

        120 million visitors (financial year ending December 2008)

        The Group websites attracted approximately 120 million visitors in the financial year ended 31 December 2008.

        Offering 42 price comparison channels

        Expanding from our personal finance origins, moneysupermarket.com currently covers 42 channels across 4 verticals

        Employing over 450 staff at its headquarters

        The Group employs (as at 16th April 2009) over 450 staff at the headquarters based in Ewloe in Flintshire, North Wales.

        6.7 million subscribers and approximately 41,000 forum users

        We have over 6 million individual customers registered and subscribed to receive our email alerts. There are also approximately 41,000 users registered for our online community.

        The management expertise and experience of each of the Directors and the Company Secretary is set out below:

        Gerald Corbett Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Nomination Committee
        Gerald was appointed Chairman of the Board in June 2007. He has been chairman of SSL International plc since August 2005 and chairman of Britvic plc since November 2005. Gerald is also a non-executive director of Greencore Group plc and is chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. Gerald was chairman of Woolworths Group plc from 2001 to June 2007, chief executive of Railtrack plc from 1997 to 2000 and group finance director of Grand Metropolitan plc from 1994 to 1997.


        Simon Nixon Executive Deputy Chairman
        Simon co-founded the Group’s business in 1993 and since then has been continuously involved in the management and development of the business including the launch of moneysupermarket.com in 1999 and travelsupermarket.com in 2004. Simon was appointed to the Board as Chief Executive Officer in April 2007 and became Executive Deputy Chairman in February 2009.


        Peter Plumb Chief Executive Officer
        Peter joined the Group in 2008 as Managing Director, Financial Services and was appointed an Executive Director on 1 January 2009. Peter became Chief Executive Officer of the Group in February 2009. Prior to joining the Group, Peter was the UK managing director of dunnhumby Limited between 2006 and 2008 and was previously general manager of Europe Disney Consumer Products, international director of Dyson Appliances Limited and held commercial roles at PepsiCo International.


        Paul Doughty Chief Financial Officer
        Paul joined the Group in 2004 as Chief Financial Officer. He has 15 years of commercial finance experience with Motorola Limited, National Power plc and Morse plc. He is a qualified chartered accountant having trained and qualified at Price Waterhouse. Paul was appointed to the Board in April 2007.


        David Osborne Marketing Director
        David was appointed an Executive Director in February 2009. Between 2005 and 2009, David was UK regional general manager at easyJet. He was previously head of advertising at ING Direct, head of advertising and e-business at Orange and head of brand marketing at Amazon.co.uk.


        Graham Donoghue Managing Director, Travel and Insurance
        Graham joined the Group in 2008 as Managing Director, Travel and was appointed an Executive Director in February 2009. Prior to joining the Group, Graham was new media director of TUI Travel plc between 2006 and 2008.


        Michael Wemms Senior Independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
        Michael was appointed a Non-Executive Director in July 2007. Michael has been a non-executive director of Galiform plc since 2006 and Inchcape plc since 2004. He was formerly chairman of the British Retail Consortium between 2004 and 2006, chairman of House of Fraser plc between 2001 and 2006 and a non-executive director of A&D Pharma Holdings N.V. between 2006 and 2008. Michael was previously an executive director of Tesco plc between 1989 and 2000.


        Rob Rowley Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee
        Rob was appointed a Non-Executive Director in September 2007. Rob has been a non-executive director of Liberty International plc since 2004 and is chair of its audit committee and senior independent director. He was formerly deputy chairman of Cable & Wireless plc between 2003 and 2006 and a non-executive director of Prudential plc between 1999 and 2006 where he chaired its audit committee. Rob was previously at Reuters plc from 1978 to 2001 where he was a director between 1990 and 2001.


        Darren Drabble Company Secretary and General Counsel
        Darren joined the Group as Company Secretary and General Counsel in May 2007. Darren has a corporate and commercial law background originally qualifying as a solicitor with Addleshaw Goddard before working as a senior legal counsel at United Utilities plc.

        Contact :

        Moneysupermarket customer care

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        Responding to the Financial Crisis Advisory Group (FCAG) proposals on the impact on accounting of the financial crisis, Stephen Haddrill, the ABI’s Director General, who sat on the group, said:


        “The financial crisis has emphasised the need for high-quality financial reporting. This report highlights the importance of independent accounting standard setting to investor confidence, as well as the need to avoid knee-jerk responses. The FCAG’s ideas will help both Boards to further improve the usefulness and accuracy of financial reports – which can only benefit a global recovery.”

        The Financial Crisis Advisory Group was formed to advise the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) about the standard-setting implications of the financial crisis and potential changes in the global regulatory environment.

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        Allianz Engineering has promoted Ben Chunsi to the role of regional technical operations manager for the Company’s Midlands territory.

        Ben will be responsible for directing the 180-strong engineer surveyor workforce in the area, ensuring that a first-class inspection service is delivered to Allianz Engineering clients. He will also maintain and develop effective client and broker relationships through a structured Customer Relationship Management programme.

        Ben originally joined Allianz in 2001 as an engineer surveyor, before becoming an area technical operations manager in 2004. Prior to joining Allianz Engineering, he spent 12 years as an engineer in the Royal Air Force