Data & Research
Raised M&A Offer Possible as Willis/Towers Watson Adjourn Shareholder Merger Votes for 2 Days
Towers Watson & Co said it adjourned a shareholder meeting on Wednesday after failing to muster enough support for its $18 billion merger with insurance broker Willis Group Holdings in a move ...
XL Catlin Maintains Positive Fitch Ratings Assessment
Fitch Ratings remains cautious optimistic about XL Group, corporate parent of the newly merged XL Catlin, maintaining it previous positive assessment of the global insurer and reinsurer. Fitch said ...
Research: Microfinanced Business Success Tied to ‘Spiritual Capital’ in Developing Countries
Higher levels of spiritual capital—the motivation, energy and work ethic one gets from a relationship with God—have a positive effect on business success, employment and innovation in developing ...
Terrorism’s Global Property Damage Costs Highest Since 9/11 Attacks
In the wake of Friday's massacre in Paris, a new report says the world is paying the highest price for terrorism since the 2001 attack on New York's Twin Towers. In 2014, acts of terror cost the ...
Does a CEO’s Ability Affect Performance? Researcher Says No
A Texas A&M University researcher calls into question the common notion that CEOs have a large effect on firm performance. Although previous research contends that the so-called "CEO effect" is ...
Insurance CEOs Fearing ‘Uberization’ Eye Cognitive Computing: IBM Survey
The trend of "uberization"—industry disruption caused by an unlikely outside competitor—has become a key concern of executives in and outside the insurance industry, according to a new IBM study ...
Nationwide: Small Business Owners Lack Cyber Prep Plans
Small business owners in the United States are a wide, untapped customer base for property/casualty insurers developing coverage to address the escalating costs of cyber attacks. A recent ...
Aon: Homeowners Insurance Market Improves, Thanks to Rate Increases + Cheaper Reinsurance
The outlook for the U.S. homeowners insurance market has improved over the last year, thanks in part to rate increases and lower reinsurance costs, according to reinsurance intermediary Aon Benfield. ...