Habitat, diet and climate have changed and the species is becoming extinct. In 1990 there were almost 30,000 Lloyd's "names", wealthy people who at that time provided the entire backing for the famous London insurance market and were, proverbially, liable "down to their cufflinks" to meet claims. Today, they number barely 2,000; those with unlimited liability are heading into history. For most of the past 300 years, being a Lloyd's name signified both status and riches. All you had to do was show, not even actually invest, the right level of wealth. Then you signed up to several syndicates to spread your risks, and picked up the profits (or, sometimes, losses). The actual insurance work was done by another bunch of supposedly gentlemanly types.
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