Insurer
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.
HSB focuses on North London with new development hire
HSB Engineering Insurance has appointed Chantell Scott as development executive with a focus on North London and the surrounding areas.
Markel International sees GWP grow but COR deteriorate
Markel International has announced it achieved $709m (£436m) of gross written premiums (GWP) for the year to 31 December 2010 (2009: $641.20m).
Brokers hit by further FSCS levy rise of over 50%
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) has announced that the general insurance mediation sub-class will have to contribute £93.5m in 2011/12 a 57% increase over last year’s levy (2010/11: £59.6m).
Enforcement welcome but lacks bite says motor industry
The insurance industry has delivered a mixed response to recent government forays into uninsured driving and the cost of insurance in the sector.
Reportage - engineering: Keeping things ticking over
With news of cutbacks to the HSE budget, there are fears the engineering inspection sector will suffer. Neil Clutterbuck advises how brokers can ensure their clients' equipment meets UK standards and help reduce risk.
Reportage - Environmental liability: Caring for the environment
As local authorities begin to grasp the new Environmental Damage Regulations, the number of cases ending in legal action looks set to rise. Liz McMahon clarifies how brokers operating in the agricultural sector can protect themselves and their clients.
E-commerce: OFT sends out data sharing warning to insurance industry
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) must clamp down on anti-competitive data sharing in the insurance industry, according to consumer watchdogs Which and Consumer Focus.
Reportage - Risk management: The commercial menu
Risk management is often touted as a way in which brokers can differentiate themselves from their competitors. Edward Murray asks why it is not offered to commercial clients as standard.
E-commerce: Simply Business reveals ambitious GWP growth plans
Simply Business, has unveiled a gross written premium target of £100m by the end of 2012, up from £41m last year.