Bermuda-based re/insurer Catlin Group Ltd. said on Friday that its Catlin Europe unit has established an underwriting office in Rome with a team of underwriters hired from rival Swiss Re.

The Rome office will be staffed by a five-member reinsurance underwriting team headed by senior underwriter and branch manager Antonio Fiengo.

At Catlin, the team will underwrite various classes of treaty reinsurance business.

Mr. Fiengo and the other members of the underwriting team have joined Catlin from Swiss Re in Italy.

Catlin Europe, which is headquartered in Cologne, underwrites speciality classes of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance for European clients. Besides the Rome and Cologne offices, Catlin Europe also operates from offices in Paris, Zurich, Innsbruck, Barcelona, Antwerp, Bergen, Munich and Genoa.

Ralf Tillenburg, CEO of Catlin Europe, said: "I am delighted that Antonio and his experienced team of underwriting professionals have joined Catlin to launch our Rome office. The team, which has worked together for many years and has established a very successful track record, is looking forward building new relationships with brokers and their clients.

"Catlin is already well known in Europe as a leading underwriter of specialty lines of insurance as well as reinsurance business.

The skills and expertise of our Rome team will further strengthen Catlin's position in the European market."