European Union officials have entertained the idea of a two-year delay in the implementation of strict new capital rules for the bloc's insurers, an internal document shows.

Tropical Storm Sandy is now a hurricane headed for the south coast of Jamaica and is due to make landfall later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday

Travelers Cos Inc posted a record quarterly operating profit as prices rose and losses from natural disasters fell sharply, the property insurance company said on Thursday.

Zurich Insurance Group said on Wednesday its third-quarter operating profit will be hit by a $550 million pretax charge as the company strengthens claims provisions for its German businesses and writes off some deferred costs to acquire new business.

Reinsurers should take into account the fact that climate change has boosted natural catastrophes when they price weather disaster insurance, insurer Munich Re said.

U.S. taxpayers could pay a record $15 billion to subsidize the privately run crop insurance program this year, double the recent cost due to devastating drought in the Farm Belt, say an array of agricultural economists.

A New York judge has limited the damages Assured Guaranty Corp can seek in a lawsuit accusing Credit Suisse Group AG of misrepresenting the quality of loans underlying mortgage-backed securities it insured.

Hurricane Paul weakened as it closed in on a sparsely populated area of Mexico's Baja peninsula on Tuesday, while Hurricane Rafael was expected to miss Bermuda in the Atlantic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.