Brit rated as a buy

Brit rated as a buy
Analysts rate shares in BRIT Insurance Holdings as a buy. They say the specialist insurance and reinsurance group is well placed to benefit from the expected upturn in the insurance cycle.

Better motor insurance rates and an absence of major catastrophes helped BRIT turn a £13.7m loss in the first half of last year into a small overall profit for 2000.

Hamburg office
Shipping and insurance law specialist Ince & Co will open an office in Hamburg on October 1. It will be the firm's sixth office worldwide.

The new office will be headed by London partner Jonathan Lux, with support from Ince & Co London.

Local partners Detlef Zschoche and Axel Salander will join him there, along with senior assistant Jan Hungar.

Premiums up
The aviation insurance market is seeing a significant increase in premiums for the first time in several years.

It is understood that recent rises have been up to 50% higher than last year's premiums.

One contributing factor has been the steady increase in some airline operations as they cover more revenue passenger miles, despite the global economic slowdown, said an industry spokesman.

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