Broker
Reportage - Defining schemes: Spoilt for choice
Coming in such a vast array of shapes and forms, it is difficult to define what schemes actually are. Tony Bloomer argues their ambiguity enables flexibility and innovation and, ultimately, opportunity for the industry.
Fears trade bodies are on IMD2 collision course
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba) could be on a collision course over the revised Insurance Mediation Directive (IMD2).
Your opinions: One in four pay off other driver
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Product launch: Schemes target set for 2011
UK General has announced an ambitious new target of delivering 180 new schemes in 2011.
CBI calls for greater female presence in boardrooms
All UK listed companies should have to set targets for the number of women in their boardrooms, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Ex-Giles duo join forces to launch Amicus
Two former Giles employees have launched a new brokerage, Amicus Insurance Solutions, with the aim of hitting £1m commission by the end of 2013.
Higos reveals three-year plan of acquisition and organic growth
Higos Insurance Services has embarked upon an ambitious growth plan that could see it more than double in size over the next three years.
Reportage - Scheme innovation: Creative sparks
Has the financial crisis forced insurers to become more imaginative with new products and schemes or are they following where brokers lead? Louise Phillips investigates the catalyst for recent innovation in the market.
Moorhouse online arm set to write £50m GWP
Welsh broker Moorhouse's online commercial arm Constructaquote is aiming to write £50m of gross written premium (GWP) by the end of 2013.
Towergate: SME provision deal 'just the beginning'
Towergate Insurance has claimed its deal with Comparethemarket.com to provide insurance to small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers is "just the beginning" of its online SME strategy.
Start-up brokers: New Year, new start-up?
What's on your New Year's resolutions for 2011? Get fit, give up the fags, start a new broking business? Malcolm Lee sets out what you need to consider to be a successful start-up broker.
Cullum trade-off for IPO
Peter Cullum will lose his majority shareholding in Towergate Partnership as part of a new equity deal, Insurance Age understands.
Legal expenses: Referral fee free?
Martin Friel looks to the future and imagines a legal expenses market where referral fees no longer exist. What would this mean for brokers and how would the sector adapt to accommodate this change?
Brokers' expansion plans face lengthy delays
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is taking more than twice as long to approve regulated firms' expansion plans, known as a variation of permission.
Reportage - Online schemes: Choosing channels
How does e-trading apply to schemes? Edward Murray explores whether the returns are worth the time and money brokers invest in putting schemes online or if they sell better off the back of face-to-face relationships.
News review: December
A brief round-up of December's news.
Product review: Specialist social welfare covers for all
This product has been reviewed by brokers and rated from one to five based on the policy's key benefits.
Westinsure network moves east while competitors eye members
Rival networks have begun to circle Westinsure in the wake of a series of upheavals since its takeover by Ink Underwriting.
Lord Levene calls for cover of digital dangers to climb higher on businesses' priority lists in 2011
Many companies are still unintentionally exposed to digital risks and mistakenly believe they have coverage from their existing insurance, according to a new report from Lloyd's.
Reportage - Setting up a scheme: A scheming mind
Louise Meeson uncovers what a successful scheme looks like and offers practical advice on how brokers can identify and run one - should they find an existing niche or create one, how do they sell it to the insurer and is it possible to win schemes from…
Agenda: Hopes for the New Year
Ten years have passed since the dawn of the new millennium. The predictions of economic meltdown because of the millennium bug were false but we have seen crises that have had enormous impact on the global economy: 9/11, the crash of the dot-com bubble…
Biba to issue brand guidance after old name is hijacked online
The British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba) has warned members of the threat of online brand hijacking after taking legal action to protect its own name.
Solicitor watchdog's PI plans will create an 'uneven playing field'
A new proposal from the Solicitors' Regulation Authority (SRA) to shake up the rules around professional indemnity (PI) requirements could create an "uneven playing field" within the insurance broking community, experts have warned.
Product launch: Extended brand protection
Aon Risk Solutions has launched a restaurant contamination insurance policy that it claims offers a new level of brand protection for mid-sized chains.