Could all the ship jumping signal an industry sea change?

The defection of the Norwich Union property market team to Allianz Cornhill is, to my knowledge, the first instance of a whole team moving from one major composite insurer to another.

This has often happened in the Lloyd's and London markets, between international brokers but staff moving from major insurers have tended to be individual decisions rather than group ones.

Sowing the seeds of a group defection is quite an achievement. You must keep it quiet, ensure that everyone stays on board and it