Insurer
Over 1,000 jobs lost as Auto Windscreens is closed
The administrators of Auto Windscreens have confirmed that 1,042 staff have been made redundant and the business closed.
Admiral confirms plans to move into household arena
Chief executive of Admiral, Henry Engelhardt, has confirmed that the insurer is planning to move into household insurance.
LV experiences rapid growth and profit hike but takes £30m hit in December
LV experienced accelerated growth in 2010, increasing premiums by 45% to £1.18bn, but recorded an underwriting loss of £43m.
Profits fall and combined ratio deteriorates at RSA
RSA has reported a 15% fall in profits after tax to £355m (2009: £419m) while net written premiums increased 11% to £7.5bn (2009: £6.7bn) in the year ended 31 December 2010.
Video interview: Peter Cullum on Towergate's refinancing
Days after Towergate Partnership announced the completion of its refinancing and £200m investment from private equity firm Advent International, founder and chairman Peter Cullum CBE spoke to Post about what now lies ahead for the broker.
ABI casts doubt on FOS' need to increase reserves
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has responded to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) by questioning the need for an increase in reserves and calling for a push on transparency.
Zurich appoints director of personal lines broker business
Zurich has appointed Gareth Howell as the director of UK personal lines broker business, reporting to Karl Bedlow, managing director of UK personal lines.
NIG's rates guarantee is suicidal according to Groupama CEO
Groupama Insurances CEO, François-Xavier Boisseau, has fired a broadside at NIG and its controversial ‘guarantee to beat’ rate offer to brokers, describing the move as suicidal.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car denies it wants brokers out of claims process
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has called for an amendment to the Road Traffic Act to ensure reporting of accidents to insurers, even in cases where the at-fault driver has admitted liability, is made mandatory.
Ageas adds to commercial broker account team
Ageas Insurance has appointed three new commercial broker account executives to cover the North East, East and West Midlands, and South West regions.
Chartis appoints new head of UK operations
Chartis Insurance UK has announced the appointment of Kate Roy as the head of UK operations based in London.
The professionalism push: Video interview with Sandy Scott, CII
Sandy Scott, chief executive of the Chartered Insurance Institute talks to Jonathan Swift about the challenges and opportunities facing the general insurance industry in its quest to embrace professionalism.
Groupama reports return to form with profit leap
Groupama Insurances has reported a dramatic leap in profitability although the insurer’s broking arm experienced a slight dip in revenues.
Axa and Bluefin both report drop in revenue
Axa’s full year earnings for 2010 have plunged by £100m to £131m (2009: £235m) with Bluefin Insurance services also reporting a 3% drop in revenue to £112m.
ABI appeals to MoJ to cut consumer legal costs
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called for reform of Britain’s civil litigation system, after claiming that millions of consumers are losing out as a result of the high legal costs involved in dealing with personal injury claims.
Bent case could force drivers to shop around for credit hire
A case involving footballer Darren Bent could impact UK car drivers who accept a replacement vehicle following a crash, Allianz has warned.
Policyfast in Aviva homework cover deal
Policyfast has announced an exclusive deal with Aviva to provide the insurer’s homework cover electronically to the broker market for the first time.
Laurent Matras defends new claims structure
Groupama’s managing director, Laurent Matras, has claimed the company’s new claims structure will make brokers “happier”.
Insurance Age blog: Sports people as biscuits, insurers as presenters
If you have never listened to Fighting Talk (Radio 5, Saturday 11am) then you are missing a trick. One of the staple jokes is ‘sports people as biscuits’ where Seb Coe becomes a Viennese Whirl, or Gareth Southgate is likened to a digestive, a good honest…
NIG defends “Guarantee to Beat” pricing strategy
NIG is promising brokers it will beat premiums by up to 5% on business held or quoted with 15 major insurance companies in the UK market.
Phil Bird leaves Groupama
Groupama Insurance’s claims director, Phil Bird, is to leave the company following an internal restructure.
Allianz creates new sales and partnerships role in Speciality Retail
Allianz Retail has recruited Simon Masding as head of sales and partnerships for its Speciality Retail division.
Post Intelligence Benchmarking: How do insurers measure up in the high net worth market
High net worth clients demand a high standard of service, as do their brokers, but which insurers are delivering it? Peter Joy unveils the answer.
ECIS targets brokers through new affinity division
Electrical Contractors’ Insurance Services (ECIS) has announced the creation a new affinity group division.