Darren Maher "thinks outside the box".
Insurance: The European Legal 500

Expertise

Darren Maher is a partner and Co-Head of the Firm's Corporate Department and Head of the Financial Institutions Group at Matheson. He has led the Financial Institutions Group since 2017. Darren advises a wide range of leading domestic and international financial institutions on all aspects of financial services law and regulation including establishment and authorisation, development and distribution of products, compliance, corporate governance and re-organisations including cross-border mergers, schemes of arrangement, portfolio transfers and mergers and acquisitions.

Darren is ranked Band 1 in Chambers and has been admitted to the Hall of Fame in Legal 500 for Corporate Insurance.

Darren is a leading figure in the (re)insurance market and is regularly asked to speak and chair discussions at key industry conferences in both the UK and Ireland, on current matters of relevance to the sector.

Darren frequently publishes articles in financial services publications and is co-contributor to ICLG’s Guide to Insurance and Reinsurance and the Irish Trends and Development and Q&A chapters of Chambers Insurance & Reinsurance.

Experience Highlights

Darren’s recent experience includes:

Advised AXA S.A. on its EUR650mm acquisition of Laya Healthcare Limited and its subsidiaries.
Advised Bank of Ireland on its acquisition of all of the performing loan assets and deposits of KBC Bank Ireland for about €5 billion; the deal comprised the purchase of a portfolio of performing mortgage loans worth €8.8 billion, €4.4 billion of deposits, €300 million of non-performing mortgage loans, €100 million of performing commercial and consumer loans, as well as KBC Ireland’s credit card portfolio.
Advised ALD Group on its acquisition of Leaseplan and the subsequent merger of ALD Re DAC (a reinsurer) and Euro Insurances Ireland DAC (a non-life insurer), both leaders in the field in the automotive industry.
Advised Octium Group on the crossborder merger by acquisition and simultaneous portfolio transfer of Octium Assurance AG, a private limited company based in Liechtenstein, into Octium Life DAC, an Irish successor company, regulated as a life insurance undertaking by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Advised Arthur J Gallagher on the acquisition of managing general agent Wrightway Underwriting from Zurich Insurance Group.
Advised Compre group on the acquisition of Medical Insurance Company from Covéa and advised on the subsequent intra-group portfolio transfer.
Advised Medical Insurance Company and Bothnia International Insurance Company Limited (a Finnish authorised insurance company), both being entities within the Compre group, in relation to the corporate, regulatory and court aspects of the transfer of the entire book of MIC to Bothnia. Also advised, from a regulatory and corporate perspective in relation to the surrender of Medical Insurance Company’s Central Bank of Ireland licence and the voluntary liquidation of that entity.
Regularly advise Utmost Pan European DAC on a broad range of product structuring and related regulatory matters most recently advised on regulatory aspects of the closure of with-profit funds.
Advised Vartry Re on the structure for intergroup reinsurance transactions.
Advised Kota on obtaining a licence as an insurance intermediary and supporting its transition from being a tied agent to a regulated entity.
Regularly advise Awbury Insurance Limited, a Bermuda domiciled specialty insurer, on significant insurance transactions with major banks and financial institutions.
Advised Allianz Global Life on its decision to enter the Irish insurance market.
Advised Howden, an international insurance broking group, on the Irish aspects of its acquisition of Aston Lark, backed by Goldman Sachs, with a reported deal value of €1.3bn.
Advised Aviva on its joint venture and establishment of a new health insurance company in Ireland trading as Level Health.
Advised BNY Mellon on the transfer of the business of BNY Mellon Trust Company (Ireland) Limited to the Dublin branch of the Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV, a Belgian-incorporated entity (including novation of existing custody clients and merger by acquisition of TCIL by Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV of the remaining business of TCIL to SA/NV Dublin Branch).
Advised AXIS Specialty Europe SE on the cross-border merger by absorption with a Belgian authorised non-life insurance undertaking.
Advised Intesa Sanpaolo Vita group on a cross-border merger by absorption from Ireland to Italy to restructure its business.
Advised Irish Life on the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Ark Life and the subsequent consolidation of that business within Irish Life, by way of portfolio transfer.
Advised Compre Group on the acquisition of Equinox CA Europe DAC.
Advised Generali on the acquisition and restructuring of the Liberty Seguros business.
Advised Fidelis on the separation of its entire global group into a managing general agent ("MGA") group and a "balance sheet group" providing delegated underwriting authority to the MGA group.
Advised Danske Bank Pensions on the buy-in and transfer of €335 million of its defined benefit pension liabilities to Irish Life.

Accolades

"Darren Maher is best in class."