Bond insurer MBIA expects to complete separation of its municipal and mortgage insurance companies this year and begin going to trial over its legal wrangling with banks over collateralized debt obligations the company says were ineligible for insurance coverage.

London-based insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson reported year-end profit before tax rose 17 percent despite the demanding economic and pricing environment.

Large insurance brokers do not rate as highly as their smaller, middle-market counterparts when it comes to customer satisfaction, according to a survey of large corporate insurance buyers.

The economic downturn has meant cutbacks in many areas, but technology vendors still continued to invest, producing new, innovative products for the financial services industry, said a technology executive.

Standard & Poor’s lowered the insurer financial strength rating of three Bahraini insurers while affirming the financial strength of three others domiciled there after lowering the sovereign rating of the kingdom of Bahrain.

Standard & Poor’s lowered the insurer financial strength rating of three Bahraini insurers while affirming the financial strength of three others domiciled there after lowering the sovereign rating of the kingdom of Bahrain.

Warren Buffett bemoaned the continued competition of the soft market, making a critical assessment of chief executives who pursue market volume over underwriting profit as Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance business produced a profit of 38 percent.

While AIG reported a net profit of more than $11 billion, its property and casualty subsidiary Chartis came in with an underwriting loss of $5.2 billion, primarily becasue of its reserve charge.