Terry Wellard.

Many brokers who jumped at the short-term solution of price-matching in a bid to hold on to business are now paying the price.

I gather the honeymoon is over with regard to "price matching" and
certain delegated arrangements in the wake of a hardening market. Over the
last few years, we have witnessed these classic symptoms of desperation by
the major companies in their quest to maintain market dominance at the
expense of profit. They have succeeded in driving out most of the smaller
players - let alone the reduction in their own ranks.


To many, the prospect of having an underwriter in situ in a broker's
office seemed like