Reinsurance

The value of insurance-linked securities placements increased by more than half in the first quarter of this year as four insurers placed more than $1 billion in bonds in the market, according to a report from Willis Group.

New reports are supporting the notion that while the Japan earthquake and tsunami may not be enough to reverse the soft market, the impact of combined first-quarter catastrophes should improve pricing in some areas.

With plenty of capital still in the pipelines, no industrywide price increase is expected from Japan’s Tohoku earthquake—and any talk about a hard market is being greeted with skepticism, at least by one financial analyst.

The term “bad faith” is one of the most disparaging terms risk managers can level against their insurers. Bad-faith allegations are made after a claim has been poorly handled in the eyes of the risk manager, with a lawsuit often following.

The Association of Professional Insurance Women has selected Pina Albo, president of the reinsurance division of Munich Reinsurance America, as this year’s recipient of the APIW Insurance Woman of the Year Award.

Another earthquake that shook the northern section of Japan rattled the stocks of insurance and reinsurance companies on Thursday.