The insurance industry\'s lack of a unified voice weakens its case against the new international accounting standards

New capital rules for a UK speciality - with-profits policies - are likely to reinforce the decline in the market

Australia\'s general insurance companies must further improve their governance and risk management practices, a senior Australian supervisor said in August.

The SEC\'s interpretation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that criteria be used when judging the effectiveness of a firm\'s controls - which is good news for lawyers, says Tim Leech.

The insurance industry\'s lack of a unified voice weakens its case against new international accounting standards, reports David Keefe

Fears that Washington\'s decision on Basel II compliance will create unlevel playing field. Potential backlash threat. Question mark over foreign banks in the US Interview:Jan Sijbrand co-head of group risk management at ABN AMRO Bank

The Basel Committee\'s third Consultative Paper(CP3) prompted some 200 responses, including comments from banks, trade organisations, national supervisors, academics, insurance firms and credit-rating agencies. Here is a summary of what they say.

WASHINGTON - US bank regulators have been oddly coy over naming the ten \"internationally active\" banks that they will require to comply with the New Basel Capital Accord when it eventually comes into effect. The reason for this coyness is, they say, that the list could change between now and the final Basel II start date.

NEW YORK - Banks have been warned by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor\'s that if they substantially reduce their capital levels on the basis of the new Basel II accord methodology, they risk being downgraded if the agency does not approve.

LONDON – The global banking industry still has many grumbles about the treatment of its trading activities under the Basel II bank safety rules, but it’s expected that bankers will knuckle down and accept the final verdict, banking industry analysts say.