Free Trial

Reactions Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher

US legislation: Keeping capitalism under control

03 November 2008

As US insurers look to the next Congress, the big question will be how its shake-up of the financial services industry is going to affect insurers. Meanwhile, the controversial subject of cat cover has not gone away, reports Karen Eeuwens.

Read more: US insurance regulation hartwig chamness iii namic



The US might be the land of the free, but – following the meltdown of the world's financial markets – its federal government is calling for tighter control of financial institutions, including insurance companies.

In a report released in March 2008, Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure, the Treasury Department detailed its plans to bring the US regulatory structure into the 21st century. For the insurance industry this includes the creation of an optional federal charter (OFC), allowing the federal government to license, regulate and supervise insurers, reinsurers and brokers, as well as the set-up of an Office of National Insurance (ONI) within the Treasury to regulate companies operating under the OFC.

In the short term, the Treasury called for Congress to establish a Federal Office of Insurance Oversight, which could immediately begin to deal with international regulatory issues and both international and domestic policy issues. This could then be combined...


  • Philippines Earthquake Mw 6.7 06 Feb 2012 - On Monday, 6 February a magnitude Mw 6.7 (regional moment magnitude) earthquake ...
  • Queensland Floods 06 Feb 2012 - Monsoonal rains since mid-January have resulted in flooding in northeast Australia, affecting ...
  • Peru Earthquake Mw6.3 30 Jan 2012 - Updated 1 February. On Monday, 30 January a magnitude Mw6.3 (regional moment ...
For more catastrophe reports, data and news, click through to the RMS/Reactions Catastrophe Centre.

Poll

Catastrophe bond issuance was $4.3bn in 2011. How much new issuance will there be in 2012?

Less than $3bn
0%
$3bn-$4bn
44%
$4bn-$5bn
22%
$5bn-$6bn
11%
$6bn-$7bn
22%
More than $7bn
0%