Insurer
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.
Aspen on the hunt for new CFO following poor 2011 results
Aspen Insurance Holdings is searching for a new chief financial officer following the departure of incumbent, Richard Houghton.
Business continuity plans likely to reduce premiums
New research has suggested that insurers are happy to provide premium discounts to companies that have business continuity plans in place.
Disappointing results for Willis show income halved last year
Willis has reported total commissions and fees of $816m (£520m) for the fourth quarter of 2011, down from $823m in the same quarter of 2010.
Industry agrees to reduce premiums if government action cuts legal costs
The government has made a commitment to tackle the country’s growing compensation culture, reduce legal costs and cut health and safety red tape in return for the insurance industry’s assurance that it will pass any resultant savings on to consumers.
Seán Quinn faces jail over contempt of court charge
Contempt of court proceedings have been initiated against Seán Quinn and two family members, the Irish Times has reported.