Zurich Financial Services

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Zurich Financial Services
TypePublic
Founded1872
HeadquartersZurich, Switzerland
Key peopleJames J Schiro, Chief Executive Officer (Global Operations)
IndustryFinancial Services
ProductsGeneral Insurance, Life Insurance, Specialty Products, Pensions and Investments
Revenue$46.8 billion (2005)
EmployeesApprox. 55,000 worldwide
SloganBecause change happenz
Websitewww.zurich.com

Zurich Financial Services Group is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Contents

[edit] Global operations

[edit] North America

The US consumer market is served primarily by Farmers Insurance Group the third largest personal lines property & casualty insurance group in America. Founded in 1928, the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which are Zurich managed but not Zurich owned, operate in 41 states through a network of 17,000 exclusive agents and 1,100 independent agents.

The Chicago area-based Zurich North America [1] is the third largest provider of commercial property-casualty insurance in North America, serving small business, mid-size markets and large corporate customers. In 2005, Zurich North America Commercial produced gross written premiums of USD 12.5 billion.

Other Zurich companies in North America include:[2]


[edit] Europe

In Europe, Zurich's key markets are the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.

[edit] International

Zurich's International Businesses division includes operations in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Southern Africa.(The Greater China Market On 1961)

[edit] Scale

Today Zurich employs approximately 55,000 people serving customers in more than 150 countries.. In 2006, Zurich increased its business operating profit (BOP) by 48% to USD 5,9 billion.

[edit] Criticism

In 2006, Zurich Financial Services settled a $171 million case relating to bid-rigging and price fixing. [1] "Businesses shopping for commercial insurance were deceived into believing they were getting the best deals available," said Abbott. "The whole anti-competitive scheme was an intentional smoke screen by several insurance players to artificially inflate premiums and pay improper commissions to those who brokered the deals." The states included in the settlement were Texas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Zurich is also required to pay about $122 million [2] in refunds to commercial policyholders in a New Jersey class action lawsuit [3] settlement.

Zurich Financial Services settled a bid-rigging and improper "finite reinsurance" transactions probe. [4] Zurich Financial agreed to pay 153 million in restitution and penalties and agreed to a series of reforms. Zurich apologized and acknowledged that "certain of its employees violated both acceptable business practices and Zurich's own standards of conduct by engaging in improper bidding practices and the ‘finite reinsurance’ transactions described in the Assurance of Discontinuance." The states included in the settlement were New York, Connecticut and Illinois.

In May of 2007, Zurich Capital Markets, a subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, paid $16.8 million to settle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for helping four hedge funds disguise their identities to avoid detection when making frequent trades in mutual fund shares. [5] An SEC director stated, “By knowingly financing their hedge funds clients' deceptive market timing, ZCM reaped substantial fees at the expense of long-term mutual-fund shareholders" [6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Zurich, 9 States Settle Bid-Rigging Case for $171 Million : "Texas and eight other states have reached a $171 million settlement with Zurich American Insurance Co. relating to bid-rigging and price-fixing in the commercial insurance market."
  2. ^ Zurich American Implements Reforms, Pays Consumers Millions
  3. ^ Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation Zurich Settlement : "This website provides general information on the Zurich class action settlement ."
  4. ^ Zurich Settles Bid-Rigging Probe : "Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and State Insurance Department Superintendent Howard Mills today announced an agreement with one of the world’s largest insurance companies to resolve allegations of bid-rigging and improper "finite reinsurance" transactions.."
  5. ^ Zurich Financial Settles US Market Timing Case : "In order to buy, exchange and redeem shares in these mutual funds, these hedge funds employed deceptive techniques designed to avoid detection by these mutual funds. ZCM came to learn that the hedge funds were utilizing deceptive practices to market-time mutual funds, and nonetheless ZCM provided financing to them and took administrative steps that substantially assisted them," the SEC said.
  6. ^ Zurich Financial Pays $16.8 Million in SEC Fund Probe : "Zurich Capital Markets, a U.S. subsidiary, helped four hedge funds disguise their identities to avoid detection when making frequent trades in mutual-fund shares, a practice called market timing, the SEC said in statement today.”

[edit] External links

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