Insurer
Ecclesiastical reports interim losses
Ecclesiastical has announced a loss of £9.9m in the first half of 2010. The figure is in stark contrast to the same period in 2009 when the insurer made a profit of £25.7m.
Brit Insurance boosts Glasgow operations
Brit Insurance has appointed Denise Fletcher and Karl Weidner to its Glasgow office. They join the property combined team, headed by Suzanne Sadahew, as underwriter and assistant underwriter respectively.
RBSI announces office closure plans and job cuts
Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance is to close 14 of its offices and plans to cut staff numbers at 12 other sites.
Fall in profits and revenue at Confused.com
Price comparison website Confused has announced a 10% fall in revenue and 20% decline in profit during the first six months of the year.
Fortis reports return to profit in Q2 but trails behind last year's H1 result
The insurer reported profit before tax of £8.4m for Q2 2010, an improvement on the £3.2m loss made in Q1, but behind last year's H1 profit of £26m.
Admiral's H1 2010 profit grows to £126.9m
Admiral's group profit before tax has soared to £126.9m for H1 2010, a 21% increase on the same period last year (H1 2009: £105.3m).
FSA slaps Zurich UK with record fine for data loss
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has hit Zurich UK with a record fine of £2.275m for failing to have adequate systems and controls in place to prevent the loss of customers’ confidential information.
Capita buys insurance scheme provider National Dental Plan
The Capita Group has acquired the National Dental Plan (NDP) group of companies for a cash consideration of £30m on a cash-free, debt-free basis.
QBE raids Chubb for accident and health underwriter
QBE has announced the appointment of Gemma Seymour as accident and health underwriter in its non-Lloyd’s A&H team.
Groupama completes claims consolidation with four senior appointments
Four appointments have been made as Groupama completes the centralisation of commercial and personal claims to its claims centre in Port Solent, Portsmouth.
Hiscox's H1 results reveal a fall in profits
Hiscox’s profits before tax have dropped to £97.2m (H1 2009: £141.1m) and the group combined ratio has increased by 5.8% to 93.6% (H1 2009: 87.8%).
Flooding: Raising the barriers
The spate of high-profile floods over the last five years has given insurers, brokers and clients much food for thought about rates and whether or not some risks can be covered at all. Andrew Tjaardstra finds out what precautions the industry is taking.
Market Watch - Low carbon economy: High hopes for low carbon
Andrew Williams investigates the promises and pitfalls of offering cover across the many and varied risks in the growing green energy sector.
The Green Interview: Building momentum for change
Andrew Tjaardstra speaks to Andrew Torrance, chief executive officer at Allianz and chairman of ClimateWise, about what the environmental organisation hopes to achieve and its radical proposals to last year's Copenhagen climate conference.
Climate science: Too hot for comfort
Global warming is one of the most contested and emotive issues in the world. Regardless of whether the experts are right or wrong, the industry has to face the challenge, writes Danny Bradbury.
Editor's comment: Change regardless of blame
The floods in Pakistan and fires in Russia might or might not be caused by manmade global warming but they are the kind of incidents that the bulk of the scientific community are predicting more of if we continue to spew carbon dioxide into the…
MP banned after driving without insurance
Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi has been banned from driving for six months after being caught using her mobile phone while driving without insurance, according to the BBC.
Quinn confirms withdrawal from solicitors' PI
Quinn Insurance has confirmed today that it will not be re-entering the solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance market in England and Wales this year.
Brit loses distribution head Tim Grant
Brit Insurance's head of distribution Tim Grant is leaving to join Dual Corporate Risks, Insurance Age can reveal.
BCIS study reveals nearly a third of UK home insurance policies are incorrect
Homeowners may have paid the wrong premium for their buildings insurance if they insured for market value rather than rebuilding cost, according to The Building Cost Information Service (BCIS).
RSA warned to raise Aviva offer to £8bn
RSA will have to raise its offer for Aviva’s general insurance business by 60% to £8bn to seal the deal, according to a report in the City AM newspaper.
Ace raids Chartis and Aviva for Birmingham team
Ace has announced two new appointments to its Midlands regional management team.
QBE reports rise in European profits
QBE European Operations has reported a rise in pre-tax profit to US$222m for H1 2010, compared to $213m for the same period last year.
PB Week: Thinking about motor rates
Further to the news that car insurance premiums have jumped 14.2% in the second quarter 2010 it was interesting to note NIG's recent announcement that they were changing their strategy and moving away from the personal lines market, writes Paul Muir,…