LONDON (Reuters) ? Reinsurer Alea became the first London-listed company to receive a subpoena in a widening US investigation into alleged malpractice in the insurance industry, sending its shares down more than 6 percent.

Bermuda-based Alea said that one of its US divisions had received a subpoena from the New York Attorney General and along with another US unit had received requests for information from certain US state insurance departments.

?The subpoena and requests relate to the on-going industry-wide investigations into US broker and agent compensation agreements. Alea will cooperate fully with these authorities,? the company said in yesterday?s statement.

Alea?s shares fell as much as 6.2 percent after the announcement, before paring back some losses to trade down 2.9 percent at 204 pence by early afternoon.

Several leading insurance and reinsurance firms have become involved in the investigation into fees paid to insurance brokers after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued the world?s No.1 insurance broker Marsh and McLennan last month for alleged rigging bids made by insurance companies in exchange for lucractive fees.

Several European insurers have been asked to provide information, including the world?s second-largest reinsurer Swiss Re and Swiss peer Zurich Financial Services.

Zurich suspended a number of its US employees, two of whom have pleaded guilty to misdemeanours related to bid-rigging.