A.M. BEST UPGRADES RATINGS OF STARR PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE (CHINA) COMPANY, LIMITED

HONG KONG, Aug 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has upgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating to “a” from “a-” of Starr Property & Casualty Insurance (China) Company, Limited (Starr China) (China). The outlook for each rating remains stable.

The ratings reflect Starr China’s improved risk-adjusted capitalization and operating performance. In addition, Starr China receives business and operational support from Starr International Company, Inc. (SICO) and its insurance subsidiaries, and a capital commitment from Starr Insurance & Reinsurance Limited (SIRL), a company within SICO that is a 20% shareholder of Starr China. Starr China also assumes overseas treaty business ceded from SIRL, which accounted for over 30% of total gross premiums written in 2015.

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A.M. BEST AFFIRMS RATINGS OF CENTRAL REINSURANCE CORPORATION

HONG KONG, Aug 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a” of Central Reinsurance Corporation (Central Re) (Taiwan). The outlook for each rating remains stable.

 
The rating affirmations reflect Central Re’s strong risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), stable and positive underwriting results (after compulsory auto liability insurance (CALI) reserve release) in recent years and its competitive advantage being the sole domestic commercial reinsurer in Taiwan’s reinsurance market.

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NOMURA RESEARCH INSTITUTE: JAPAN'S NEW HOUSING STARTS TO DECREASE TO 540,000 IN FY2030

TOKYO, Aug 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI, TOKYO:4307), a leading provider of consulting services and system solutions, has announced its predictions*1 regarding Japan’s new housing starts and the renovation market scale from (FY) 2016 to 2030.

The expected number of new housing starts for FY2020 is approximately 790,000, for FY2025 is approximately 670,000, and for FY2030 is approximately 540,000 (Figure 1). The renovation market scale in the broad sense of the word*2 is predicted to level off at six trillion yen per year by 2030 (Figure 2; the market in the narrow sense of the word is around one trillion yen smaller).

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NOMURA RESEARCH INSTITUTE: JAPAN'S EXISTING HOME SALES TO INCREASE TO 340,000 IN 2030

- Vacant Homes Will Double to Over 20 Million in 2033 –
 
TOKYO, Aug 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI, TOKYO:4307), a leading provider of consulting services and system solutions, has announced its predictions on the number of Japan’s vacant homes and vacancy rate (ratio of vacant homes in the total number of homes) from 2018 to 2033, as well as Japan’s existing home sales (homes other than newly built homes) from 2015 to 2030.
 
Number of vacant homes and vacancy rate
NRI predicts that, if existing homes are not demolished or effectively used for non-residential purposes, the total number of homes will expand to roughly 71.3 million in 2033, the number of vacant homes will reach roughly 21.7 million, and the vacancy rate will reach 30.4%, all of which are increases.

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SUNDANCE ENERGY AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES RE-FRACTURING PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHLUMBERGER

DENVER, Aug 1 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sundance Energy Australia Limited (ASX:SEA) (“Sundance” or the “Company”), a U.S. onshore oil and gas exploration and production company focused in the Eagle Ford and Greater Anadarko Basin, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Schlumberger Limited (“Schlumberger”) to re-fracture (“re-frac”) at least 5 Eagle Ford wells in McMullen County, Texas starting in the third quarter of 2016.

Under the terms of the agreement, Schlumberger will be paid for the re-fracs from production generated by the re-fracs above the current production forecast of the wells. The re-fracs are expected to generate a 5-6x initial production uplift for each well and a 40-50% increase in estimated ultimate recoverable reserves.

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NASDAQ WELCOMES TALEND TO THE NASDAQ STOCK MARKET

NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talend (Nasdaq:TLND), a Silicon Valley-based leader in big data and cloud integration solutions, visited the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square today in celebration of its initial public offering on The Nasdaq Stock Market, the home to the world’s most innovative companies.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/313e5ec1-f1eb-4042-9505-f2998913f96c

Talend’s open-source, next generation solutions help companies become data driven by making data more accessible, improving its quality and quickly moving data where it’s needed for real-time decision making. By simplifying big data through these steps, Talend enables companies to act with insight based on accurate, real-time information about their business, customers, and industry. The company’s innovative solutions quickly and efficiently collect, prepare and combine data from a wide variety of sources allowing companies to optimize it for virtually any aspect of their business – from identifying fraud to improving customer service.

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PERANGSANG SELANGOR CLINCHES TOP AWARD AS RISK MANAGER OF THE YEAR FOR 2016 BY MARIM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Berhad (“Perangsang Selangor” or the “Company”), has been named Risk Manager of the Year for 2016, by the Malaysian Association of Insurance & Risk Management (“MARIM”) at the recently held MARIM Conference 2016. MARIM is a non-profit trade association representing corporate entities which practice Risk and Insurance Management in Malaysia, and presents the award to the organisation which clearly demonstrates an implemented effective risk management system with the objective of minimising potential losses while also adding value to the organisation. The MARIM Risk Manager of the Year Award recognises the pursuit of excellence in the risk management sector, and strives to set benchmarks for the risk management profession in the country. Ultimately, through the award and the related recognition, MARIM aims to promote the integration of sound risk management standards into business processes to enhance the overall growth and survival of an organization.

Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Perangsang Selangor, Ahmad Fariz Hassan (“Fariz”) expressed, “We are extremely pleased to be recognised by MARIM as Risk Manager of the Year for 2016. It affirms the importance all of us at Perangsang Selangor place on risk management, not only in our investment strategy but also in our day to day operations and management processes. We are always mindful of our responsibilities as a public listed investment company and are constantly working to ensure that we effectively mitigate any risks to our shareholders.” 

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