Nugget: Fairfax aquires 35% of Bank of Ireland

From an interesting article in The Globe and Mail: "Fairfax sent a team to Dublin about two weeks ago to comb through the bank’s loan books and question its credit people. Mr. Watsa met with the bank’s management, and came away believing that, with a recapitalization, Bank of Ireland chief executive officer Richie Boucher would … Continue reading Nugget: Fairfax aquires 35% of Bank of Ireland

Fairfax Financial Holdings

Investment Competence How would you describe the investment style of Hamblin Watsa? Our investment philosophy at Hamblin Watsa rests on the principles of value investing championed by Ben Graham and practiced by Warren Buffett and John Templeton. We have a long term value oriented approach to managing money, which results in our viewing the risk of capital … Continue reading Fairfax Financial Holdings

Prem Watsa on insurance industry outlook in 2010 annual letter

Our businesses in Canada and the United States continue to be challenged by highly competitive market conditions. Excess capacityhas led to downward pressure on rates. Another year of benign catastrophe experience inNorthAmerica has encouraged aggressive pricing. While the industry’s accident year combined ratio is running at 100% or more, reserve releases from prior years have … Continue reading Prem Watsa on insurance industry outlook in 2010 annual letter