Interesting people representing Bermuda interests at RIMS this year include Ian Coulman, the Bank of Butterfield's new chief investment officer, who this year left a job with AIG in Tokyo. In the Far East he was working for a joint venture between AIG and Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corp.

Seeking to capitalise on the potential for market deregulation in Japan, and the opening of the financial markets with pension fund deregulation and the launch of investment trust products.

Mr. Coulman said: "People coming by the Bank of Butterfield booth have been interested in what kind of services we provide in general, and interested in the asset management side from the captives' perspective.

"While there's been significant growth on the captives side there seems to be way more potential. We've seen a lost of risk managers and lawyers but a lot of general interest in who we are and what we do.'' Peter Fallon, director of corporate marketing for Swiss Re New Markets and chief underwriting officer for Bermuda-based property reinsurer, Harrington International, worked this week on the Bermuda booth. He said that more US buyers are seeing the range of solutions that his companies supply.

Mr. Fallon said, "There seems to be a lot of interest and excitement in terms of what's going on in Bermuda and what can be done locally through Harrington, and what can be done globally through Swiss Re New Markets.'' Harrington provides traditional property reinsurance. Swiss Re New Markets can provide mono-line or multi-line cover financial lines whether or not it's commodity risk or interest rate risk.

Mr. Fallon said, "Swiss Re has been leading the charge recently on securitisation on certain types of exposures, wind and quake throughout the world.

"We're really trying to demonstrate that we can handle business risk, financial risk balance sheet protection, income statement protection through some of the solutions we've been developing.'' Technology Minister Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards was at RIMS representing INVESCO Bermuda Asset Management.

He said, "A lot of our clients are here. We serve the insurance market as asset managers. We're making contact with clients and potential clients.'' Malcolm Butterfield, the former Registrar of Companies who is now in private practice, noted, "I'm here to show that our firm KPMG Peat Marwick is a leading and global player in the insurance and risk management business.

"To protect that we need to be at a conference of this magnitude to show a commitment to that by our presence.

"Another reason for being here is to look for business. This is probably the world's largest risk management and insurance conference.'' Roy Fellowes of HSBC Insurance Management said his company was launching its combined entity at RIMS this year.

"Up to now each member of the HSBC group has been doing their own thing. In the last 12 months we've coordinated from London to bring the whole thing under one umbrella.

"We're now in a position to offer our management services in Bermuda, Caymen, BVI, Guernsey and Cyprus. And in places where we have no physical presence, we have alliances with very strong management companies such as in Vermont, Isle of Man and Dublin.'' HSBC Management operates HSBC Gibbs Harnett and Richardson in Bermuda, a joint venture with Harnett and Richardson providing broking services and captive management.

Mr. Fellowes said, "HSBC is not known that well in the US, like it is in the rest of the world, so this week has been good for name exposure.'' Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards BUSINESS BUC