A.M. BestTV at RIMS: Mergers & Acquisitions Appear Poised for New Cycle, Say Insurance Execs

Business Wire

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In this ^A.M.BestTV episode from the RIMS conference in Philadelphia, PA, a panel of insurance executives said industry merger & acquisition (M&A) activity dipped during the most recent election cycle, but may be poised to resume. Click on http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=rims3417nc to view the entire program.

Driving the M&A activity are high levels of capital, the quest for growth and the desire to leverage new technology.

“There is now a heightened level of discussion about M&A activity at the board level,” said Grace Vandecruz, managing director, Grace Global Capital. “In 2005, there was a record level of M&A activity, which caused the industry to pause a bit last year; however, now that is no longer the case.”

Jack Kuhn, chief executive officer, global insurance, Sompo International, said he also expects M&A activity to continue going forward.

“Although the market cycle is soft, there is still a drive within a number of companies to have better diversification, whether it is driven by product, geography, technology or distribution. There are all sort of issues that can drive M&A activity and I don’t see it changing,” he said.

For full video coverage of the RIMS conference, including exclusive executive interviews, visit http://www.ambest.tv/rims17.

Other people that appear in this episode:

Allyson Coyne, managing director, Aon, and;
Kevin Kelly, chief executive officer, Ironshore.

Recent episodes of ^A.M.BestTV include:

RIMS: It's Not Just the Risk, It's the Problem the Risk Creates, Say Property/Casualty Leaders: At the RIMS conference, a panel of insurers and brokers examines the commercial property/casualty risk frontier and sees an industry racing to keep up with technology and customer demands: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=rims2417nc.
RIMS: Going Forward on Data and Analytics, It’s Adapt or Die, Experts Say: At the RIMS conference, Jim Weiss, director of analytic solutions, ISO and Ben Fidlow, head of core analytics, Willis Towers Watson, said insurance organizations and professionals should become comfortable with risk analytics and numbers, or face the prospect of short-term obsolescence: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=rims1417.
Risk Managers Gather at Birthplace of U.S. Insurance: At the upcoming annual RIMS (Risk Management Society) conference, taking place April 23-25, in Philadelphia, PA, where U.S. insurance industry roots run deep: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=rimspreview417.
French Life Insurers Respond to Unforgiving Market, Says A.M. Best Analyst: Charlotte Vigier, senior financial analyst, A.M. Best, discusses a new report that shows French life insurers cutting returns on traditional products in response to lower interest rates and sluggish sales: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=frenchlife517.

^A.M.BestTV covers exclusive A.M. Best information and reports, targeted topics and key developments in the (re)insurance industry every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sign up for alerts of episodes at http://www.ambest.com/multimedia/ambtvsignup.html. View ^A.M.BestTV episodes at http://www.ambest.tv.

A.M. Best is the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.