RMS executives discuss approach to cyber risk, Global Petroleum Show in Calgary and DailyMail.com appoints Alicia Muntzner as US Chief Revenue Officer.

DMGT

The UK's top 100 media companies have a combined revenue of GBP 87bn, according to research by Deloitte. A Press Gazette analysis of the Deloitte Media Metrics list found that companies who employ journalists contributed GBP 13.2bn of the total, and those describing themselves as working in 'news publishing' accounted for GBP 5.9bn of the total. According to the data DMGT is the biggest news industry company on the list, in ninth position with revenue of GBP 1.8bn, however as the data is based on Companies House information it vastly under-estimates the likes of Facebook and Google and their global footprint.

Read the full article on pressgazette.co.uk, 07 June, Dominic Ponsford

RMS

A new company called e3bank - a reference to the 'triple bottom line' concepts of 'enterprise, environment and equity' that would guide its lending strategy - was formed following the financial recession in 2009. The company did not survive but the 'green lending' concept did survive, with for example JP Morgan no longer funding new coal projects in developed nations. Robert Muir-Wood, Chief Research Officer at RMS comments on the concept, saying: 'We want to see a world that is more resilient, which means that disasters cause less damage.' As part of the Principles for Sustainable Insurance initiative, RMS has incorporated the effects of proactive mitigation measures, like supporting marshlands in coastal areas, into its overall risk assessments.

Read the full article on nbcnews.com, 04 June, Andrew Thompson

On AM Best TV, two RMS executives, Elizabeth Foughty, Director, Professional Services, and Gates Maus, Analyst, are discussing the elements that underpin the modelling firm's approach to analysing cyber risk. Foughty comments: 'RMS has developed a deterministic cyber model that has four key elements, which we've developed to help insurers manage their probable maximum loss and their accumulation risk.' Maus says: 'We've used a lot of academic and publicly available data to create and parameterize this model. Understanding that data helps you understand your cyber risk.'

Read the full article on benzinga.com, 03 Jun

dmg information

The long term view of the commercial lending market is bright, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association as they revealed that delinquency rates were low across the board during the first quarter. Jamie Woodwell, the MBA VP of commercial real estate research, stated that: 'Strong fundamentals and strong property prices, as well as still-low interest rates, continue to support the performance of commercial and multifamily mortgages.' This bullish statement came in spite of Trepp reporting earlier in the month that late-pays for CMBS have ticked upward by a handful of basis points over each of the past three months.

Read the full article on globest.com, 09 June, Paul Bubny (Registration may be required)

Sean Barrie, an analyst with Trepp, is commenting on the view that retail giants are increasingly facing hard times, with closures, falling margins, and increased competition from the internet. Barrie states that: 'Though big-box closures and struggling malls in secondary and tertiary markets have spelled doom and gloom in the eyes of many, the demise of retail real estate has been overstated. Current debt service coverage ratios and occupancy levels on many loans are above the minimal requirements for refinancing, and property fundamentals are still on solid footing.' Trepp believes that in spite of market weariness, the notion that the 'end is nigh' for brick-and-mortar retail is being overstated. E-commerce giants are now slowly opening physical stores, average occupancy is reportedly increasing every year since 2009, and net operating income growth positive since 2011.

Read the full article on commercialobserver.com, 08 June, Danielle Balbi and Cathy Cunningham

A survey of Australian counsellors by Hobsons is finding that only 5% of Year 7 students are receiving exposure to tertiary education and careers. David Saville, Hobson's vice-president of advertising and admissions solutions, revealed that the company's K-12 college and career readiness platform, Naviance, is improving students' engagement with their learning. Currently some 200 schools are using Hobson's services throughout Australia, a number that is expected to grow thanks to the positive impact of the Naviance program. The program is proving particularly successful in integrating careers outcomes into the school curriculum, as well as serving as a delivery vehicle for valuable content. Saville stated that; 'We believe it is important that schools devote more attention to career and tertiary study readiness helping students understand themselves and aspire to careers that match their strengths.'

Read the full article on educatoronline.com.au, 08 June, Robert Ballantyne

The Birmingham Law Society, in partnership with Landmark Information Group, is hosting a specialist conference on identifying and mitigating environmental risks and the associated regulations. The 'Risk, Regulation and Due Diligence' conference is taking place at St Philips Chambers in Birmingham on 15 September 2016. The conference will cover such issues as identifying and mitigating environmental risk, contaminated land, flood risk, criminal enforcement, regulatory risk, energy efficiency and building regulations, as well as reviewing commercial leases and environmental responsibilities between landlords and tenants.

Read the full article on landmark.co.uk, 08 June

Trepp is issuing its May 2016 USA CMBS Delinquency Report, revealing that the delinquency rate for USA commercial real estate loans in CMBS is now 4.35%. Manus Clancy, Senior Managing Director at Trepp, commented: 'Thus far, the dreaded wall of maturities hasn't impacted delinquencies to the degree that some had expected. It's still early in the game, but an 82-basis-point drop in the delinquency rate since the start of the year along with continued loan resolutions in the face of scanty new CMBS issuance are surely positive signs.'

Read the full article on prweb.com, 03 June

dmg events

Speaking on the last day of the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary, Alberta Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd said that the province's oil and gas industry remains competitive in spite of the adoption of a carbon tax. She also stated that this year's event had a 'somewhat hopeful' vibe as attendees of the Global Petroleum Show saw oil prices inch up over USD 50 a barrel, leaving some visitors wondering if oil had reached a turning point.

Read the full article on cbc.ca, 08 June

Euromoney Institutional Investor

Political risk is no longer something that is limited to emerging markets, as the British Brexit vote, critical elections in Spain, and Italy, and the USA presidential election later this year are all said to be featuring in the 2016 investment landscape. Marko Papic, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, thinks that markets have more or less priced the risks of the rise of the anti-establishment parties in Europe, but less so in the English-speaking world. Papic states: 'In our view this is evidence that the pendulum is swinging from pro-market laissez-faire policies that have been the hallmark of the Anglo-Saxon economies to the far more left-oriented socialist policies of anti-establishment parties.'

Read the full article theglobeandmail.com, 09 June, James Saft

dmg media

DailyMail.com is announcing the appointment of Alicia Muntzner as Chief Revenue Officer for the USA, having recruited her from her most recent position as SVP of Ad Sales at the Weather Channel. Muntzner is not at all daunted by her new role in digital media, commenting: 'I think the strength and breadth of my relationships in the marketplace will be substantial to the DailyMail. And I also think if you look at what [they are] doing in terms of video-producing over 650 daily - I think I can be a valuable asset there.' Alicia will focus on strengthening relationships and partnerships within the media world to capitalise on the site's 80m monthly unique views, a number that puts it in the top 50 digital media properties in the USA, according to comScore. Muntzner starts next week and will report to Martin Clarke.

Read the full article on adweek.com, 06 June, Carrie Cummings

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