The week's winners
Windsor up 10.1%
Aviva up 8%
The week's losers
AIG down 10.3%
Zurich Financial Services down 10%
Benfield Group may still list in New York rather than London for its planned IPO later this year, market insiders say.
Looking at Willis' results this week, its twelfth consecutive record-breaking quarter, there's a strong argument for listing a big broker in New York. That's the approach Willis took in 2001 after a 1998 buy-out.
Benfield might be tempted to go the same way.
Most of Willis' shareholders are based in the US, giving it access to a huge pool of capital through a traditionally strong market.
Back in the UK, Premium Credit categorically denied tales it was up for sale.
The idea has been persistent for some time but sales and marketing director Simon Moran relishes the attention. "This attention follows us because we're the dominant player."
He said Premium Credit processed £2bn of loans last year, making it the largest premium financer by "a considerable margin."
And there's talk of Norwich Union healthcare looking to buy its equivalent at Royal & SunAlliance - another move to bolster cash-strapped R&SA.
