Out on the stage

Insurers have finally stopped waiting in the wings and taken centre stage in a flurry of acquisitions. Marcus Alcock reports on what this means for the industry

The whirligig of fate likes to tease and transform. Go back three years or so and there were not many insurers in a position to even consider acquisitional activity. With investment returns still in the doldrums, balance sheets ravaged by extraordinary claims activity, and reinsurance costs putting further strain on the finances, the last thing on insurers minds was aggressive purchasing. However, now, in this short time, the picture is considerably different. Granted, rating conditions may not