ANOTHER group of white-tailed sea eagles was released in Killarney National Park yesterday as part of an ongoing project to re-introduce eagles to the south-west.

Pension funds, so badly hit in the downturn, have shown their fifth consecutive monthly improvement, according to Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services company.

PENSIONS and life assurance specialist Zurich Life Ireland is to create 50 jobs by the end of the year.

LIFE assurer Eagle Star wants the High Court to stop the Equality Tribunal case of an equality officer who claims her income protection policy was 100% loaded because she was overweight.

MAUREEN and Martin McGowan struggled to hold back tears as they proudly held up a picture of their son in his graduation robes for photographers outside the Four Courts.

ZURICH Life (Ireland) chief executive, Michael Brennan, has said that the company — formerly known as Eagle Star — is capable of growing further this year after seeing both market share and new business levels rise strongly during 2008.

THE fall in global asset values have wiped billions off the value of Irish pensions this year.

THE Irish life assurance arm of international financial services group, Zurich — that was up until recently Eagle Star Life — has reported a 12% like-for-like decline in new business sales for the first half of the year to €92.4 million.

Insurance giant Hibernian was tonight facing a bitter row with staff over plans to axe almost 600 jobs as part of relocation to India.

Eagle Star Life has announced an strong set of new business results for the first quarter of 2008.

INSURANCE giant Eagle Star generated operating profits of $52m (€35.5m) and gross written premiums (similar to APE, or annual premium equivalent) of $234m for the first nine months of this year.

A STATE-FUNDED life assurance and mortgage protection scheme for people infected with hepatitis or HIV from contaminated blood products has been launched by the Government.

EXAXE, the Dublin-based software and consultancy provider to the financial services industry, is looking to expand in Europe and is seeking partners in overseas markets to drive the business on.

HOUSEHOLDERS looking to insure their homes could cut their costs in half if they avoid giving their custom to the big insurance companies, according to a new cost comparison.

SMOKERS are paying up to €18,000 more for life assurance than non-smokers, with their premiums up to 150% higher.

A DEAL has been struck between BMW and Eagle Star in the Irish insurance market, it emerged yesterday.

A new managing director of Hibernian Life & Pensions was named yesterday. Dermot Browne will lead the Hibernian Life and Ark Life businesses.

The introduction of mandatory pensions in Ireland would increase coverage but the pension system could collapse as a result according to the Eagle Star pensions director.

THE High Court yesterday approved a settlement of €2.5 million for a woman who suffered brain damage in a car crash and needs long-term permanent care.

THERE was an average rise of 0.2% in Irish Pension Managed Funds in June, according to figures released yesterday by Mercer Investment Consulting.

The average Irish Pension Managed Fund was down 4.3% in May, according to the latest figures released by Mercer Investment Consulting today.

BLACKBURN Rovers yesterday lost a High Court claim against insurers who refused to pay the club £4m over a back injury which ended the professional career of striker Martin Dahlin.

Blackburn Rovers today lost a High Court claim against insurers who refused to pay the club £4m (€5.8m) over a back injury which ended the professional career of striker Martin Dahlin.

CONSUMERS could save themselves several hundred euro by shopping around for the best deals on home insurance, an industry watchdog said yesterday.

Consumers could save themselves several hundred euro by shopping around for the best deals on home insurance, it was revealed today.

Consumers could save themselves several hundred euro by shopping around for the best deals on home insurance, it was claimed today.

Smokers were today given an added incentive to kick the habit – saving up to €5,000 on life insurance policies.

YOUNG drivers can save up to €2,000 on insurance by simply shopping around, a detailed survey has found.

IF the hugely successful viewing figures for Rip-off Republic indicate anything - one-in-two of the watching audience tuned in to the first show - it’s that Eddie Hobbs has come to be regarded as something of a people’s advocate; a “consumer campaigner”, as he terms it.

THERE will be no spending spree when the Special Savings Incentive Account (SSIA) scheme comes to an end, according to a new survey by investment managers Eagle Star.

Swiss insurance giant Zurich Financial Services today said the Asian tsunami and a string of hurricanes would cost it $185m (€144m) in the fourth quarter.

IRISH pension funds are still under pressure to make up the losses of earlier years.

Two men defrauded Eagle Star Insurance of almost €30,000 by falsely claiming a BMW car was stolen and obtained another €25,000 for the same car by selling it on, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

WE all know Uncle Gaybo is a broadcasting heavyweight. He’s been known to pull no punches. But soon he’ll come out of retirement and come face to face with one of the world’s most famous kings of the ring in front of a packed hall.

SOME insurance companies are ripping off home owners, charging twice as much as rivals for insurance, a new survey reveals.

The average Irish Pension Managed Fund increased by 1.4% over the second quarter of the year, bringing the year to date return to 5.3%, according to the latest figures by Mercer Investment Consulting.

BANK of IRELAND is pulling out of the Irish motor insurance market but says no forced job losses will result following the closure of its Premier Direct Insurance motor section.

The ISEQ index of Irish shares finished down 30.53 points to close at 5376.59 on Wednesday.

Bank of Ireland has sold its motor insurance arm Premier Direct.

AIB was keeping quiet yesterday on speculation that a deal to buy the pensions arm of Eagle Star had hit the rocks.

SHARES in AIB slumped by just over 6% yesterday despite posting a rise in underlying earnings for 2003. The bank saw profits, excluding a number of one-off items, increase by 3% to €1.01 billion.

The Tánaiste, Mary Harney, has launched a series of case studies detailing examples of best practice of corporate responsibility in six of Ireland's largest companies.

MOTORISTS who don't shop around for insurance can end up paying five times too much for cover.