Insurer
RSA appoints CFO from Aspen
RSA has appointed Richard Houghton to the role of group chief financial officer with effect from early June 2012.
HCC reports fall in profits
HCC Insurance Holdings has reported a fall in net earnings in 2011 to $255m (2010: £162.3m) with a deterioration in its combined operating ratio to 90.8% from 84.6% the previous year.
Ageas reveals commercial COR of 110.9%
Ageas Insurance has confirmed it recorded a combined operating ratio (COR) of 110.9% in commercial lines business for the year ended 31 December 2011.
Corporate Underinsurance: Improving understanding of business interruption cover
Last year's riots brought the problem of a lack of business interruption cover to the fore. What are the solutions to underinsurance in this area?
RSA commercial chief threatens to exit unprofitable markets
RSA’s commercial chief has confirmed that he will pull out from product lines that are not working for the insurer as he continues his revamp of RSA’s commercial book.
CNA creates chief underwriting role
CNA Insurance has appointed John Taylor to the newly-created role of chief underwriting officer.
Hiscox promotes Gott to lead on art and private clients
Hiscox has announced the promotion of Justin Gott to the position of head of art and private client, Hiscox UK and Ireland.
Ageas’ chief bearish on commercial hardening
Barry Smith, chief executive of Ageas UK, has described himself as “very pleased” with the step change from loss to profit at the insurer but admitted he was not confident of seeing any commercial market hardening in 2012.
Insurers must improve customer service, according to survey
UK consumers are twice as likely to switch insurance provider as their mainland European counterparts, according to a survey conducted by Ernst & Young.
Aviva’s McMillan bullish on insurer summit outcomes
David McMillan, chief executive officer UKGI at Aviva, has told Insurance Age he was as optimistic as he had ever been on reducing the cost of motor premiums following the outcome of last week’s insurance summit with the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
QBE creates new combined team
QBE has combined its casualty international and professional and financial lines teams to form a new division led by David Harries.
Ageas produces growth and profit across the board
Ageas has reported a huge boost in both gross written premiums (GWP) and profit for 2011 as the insurer’s Tesco deal begins to pay dividends.
Chubb rides in with seven new staff
Chubb Insurance has recruited seven new senior London-based employees to enhance its personal lines offering.
PwC: Companies must adapt to changing market dynamics
Over two thirds (70%) of insurance CEOs are planning to change their strategy over the next 12 months as they tackle ongoing economic difficulties and increasing regulatory pressures.
Broker satisfaction with insurers remains high, survey says
Broker satisfaction with insurers has remained stable over the past five years and seen an increase for commercial lines, according to an annual survey carried out by General Insurance Market Research within Aura (Gimra).
Oliva management go it alone as Cooper Gay pulls capacity
Cooper Gay has pulled capacity from managing agency Oliva to focus its MGA strategy on international business.
MGAA unveils first elected board
The Managing General Agents Association (MGAA) has announced the members of its first elected board at its inaugural AGM.
Further credit rating woe for Allianz, Aviva and Axa
Moody's has downgraded the outlook from stable to negative for Allianz SE, Aviva plc and Axa SA and all subsidiaries of the three insurers.
Quinn Direct rebrand announcement imminent
Quinn Direct’s new owners are to launch the insurer’s new identity as Liberty Insurance later today, the Irish Independent has reported.
Axa Commercial lines opens revamped trading centre
Axa Commercial Lines has relaunched its Bolton branch as a national trading centre.
Zurich UK sees profits rise
Zurich UK has reported a 28% increase in business operating profit to $256m (£163.3m) for the year ended 31 December 2011.
Axa UK optimistic following 2011 results
Axa UK has reported a combined operating ratio of 98.9% for 2011, an improvement of 6.4% on 2010.
Fitch rates FM Global AA for sixth year in a row
FM Global has retained its ‘AA’ rating in financial strength, and been given a ‘Stable’ outlook, for the sixth year running by Fitch Ratings.
Insurers prosecuted for data protection breaches in Dublin
Zurich, Travelers and Irish insurer FBD have been prosecuted for breaching the Data Protection Act after pleading guilty to illegally using social welfare information on individuals at Dublin District Court.