ZURICH (Reuters) — Global warming will cause ever more hefty claims for insurers, the world’s largest reinsurer, Swiss Re, said yesterday, despite the relatively low number of natural disasters in 2006.Natural and man-made catastrophes caused “comparatively light” damage of $48 billion worldwide last year. Of that amount, insurers had to cough up $15.9 billion, giving them a breather after record losses in 2005.

“Over the past decades, insured losses have shown a rising trend, due mainly to weather-related catastrophes ... the effects of global warming are also likely to aggravate the loss situation,” Swiss Re said in a statement.

Three US hurricanes, Katrina, Rita and Wilma, alone caused insured losses of some $65 billion in 2005, making it the costliest year for the insurance industry ever, with total losses at $230 billion.

But last year showed the third-lowest losses in the last 20 years, with only 1988 and 1997 less expensive. Many disasters in 2006 were in developing countries, where there is less insurance cover and property is cheaper.

Overall, 31,000 people died in catastrophes such as the earthquake that destroyed Bantul in Indonesia in May and the June heatwave that killed almost 2,000 in Europe. In 2005, 97,000 people died in disasters. Swiss Re takes large or very volatile risks onto its books for insurance companies and its views on prices and underwriting risks are closely watched because of its status as the market leader in the reinsurance business.

Resolution Plc, Britain’s biggest administrator of closed life-insurance funds, may be taken over by Swiss Reinsurance Co., analysts at Collins Stewart said today.

[bul] London-based Resolution reiterated yesterday that it may “acquire, be acquired or merge with another,” Collins Stewart analyst Tim Young said in an e-mail yesterday.

The “simple read-through is that Resolution will be bought,” the analyst said. Zurich-based Swiss Re is a “likelier” acquirer than Pearl Group Ltd., a closely held UK company that buys closed-life policies, Young said.

Resolution, which buys life-insurance policies to fuel its business, yesterday said chief executive officer Paul Thompson stepped down “to prepare the company for the next stage of its development”.

It remains in “various discussions,” first announced last November, that may result in the company selling itself or buying other insurers, it said. Resolution’s specialty is cutting costs while collecting premiums until acquired policies expire.

Shares of Resolution rose 1.9 percent to 656.5 pence in London, valuing the company at$4.5 billion ($8.7 billion).