Opinion
Comment
Well no-one could claim that 2005 has been a dull year! The onset of Financial Services Authority (F...
Conundrum for composites
Just when you thought the scandal of with-profits funds could not get any worse, some are sinking to...
The pathway to progress
A major shift in government thinking in an area crucial to the insurance industry has taken place over the last year. Rehabilitation is now on its agenda
Conduct unbecoming
Q. A key employee is underperforming and seems hungover most mornings. How do I handle this?
Searchlight - Letter of the month
I have just returned from one of your roadshows and was amazed at how out of touch Eric Galbraith an...
No place like home
Q. Increasingly frustrated by the (lack of) insurer service from overseas call centres, can we insist on UK-only offices as we are not convinced people are properly trained to understand our needs?
Staying ahead of the regulator
Last year, we were looking forward to authorisation but, after many months of experience with the Fi...
Old chestnut is still a hot topic
The recent Professional Broking Roadshows provided evidence that an age-old debate is being played o...
Short stories from the insurance industry
David Wheatley cited an example of possible declining standards at insurance company call centres. W...
pollyc@incisivemedia.com - The hottest insurance gossip
Polly has learnt that British Insurance Brokers' Association chief executive Eric Galbraith has a se...
Are the barbarians finally starting to beat a retreat?
In early 2003, I wrote an article entitled 'Barbarians at the Gate', warning the industry of the imp...
Bad practice comes under the spotlight
The FSA intends to find out once and for all whether insurers are complying with its rules on selling payment protection insurance. Ian Moffatt says it will be a long, but worthwhile, task
The latest proposals issued
The latest proposals issued by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in its Quarterly Consultation ...
Managing your own expectations
The issue of contingent commissions, bid-rigging and the way brokers are remunerated proved itself t...
Stars In Their Eyes moment
There was a Stars In Their Eyes moment at The UK Insurance & Financial Services Conference & Expo wh...
Katrina to hit all classes
While it is still too early to analyse in detail the effect of Hurricane Katrina on the marine insur...
A single voice of reason
The time is ripe for addressing concerns surrounding the so-called compensation culture. However, it is imperative that the industry tackles this 'as one'
Sentiment insight
The Sentiment Survey published in this edition of PB reflects brokers' fears about insurers competin...
Taking the pulse
Q. An employee has been absent from work for over three months with injuries sustained outside of the workplace. Proposed return dates keep getting set back. Can I dismiss him?
Timely renewals
Q. Our firm is experiencing difficulty in obtaining renewal terms from certain insurers in time to meet FSA deadlines. What should we do to ensure that we do not breach FSA rules ourselves?
Searchlight
I feel we must reclaim our industry from the stock market and rescue it from the short-termism from ...
Outsourcing: is it a holy grail or a poisoned chalice?
The major news story over the summer was the dispute at the airline-catering supplier, Gate Gourmet,...
Brokers may be delighted to hear ..
Brokers may be delighted to hear that at the Chartered Insurance Institute conference the Financial ...
The hottest insurance gossip
Polly has discovered that UK motorists are prepared to feel the 'good vibrations' with the launch of...