Opinion
Not up to scratch
Q. I have taken on a number of sales people recently. Upon completion of training, two of them are not up to the company's standards, or those required by the FSA. What can I do about this?
Reassurance for the regulatory critics
The Financial Services Authority recently faced a barrage of questions from sceptical parliamentarians when David Strachan led a team to meet the All Party Parliamentary Group on Insurance and Financial Services
Disclosure of income
Q. I understand that the FSA will require feedback on our income every year - is this true?
Solving a non-existent problem
Re: "More ado about nothing" (PB, February 2005) rehearses the popular distinction between a grocery...
The hottest insurance gossip
Commentators can 'um' and 'ah' until the cows come home as to whether offshoring is the devil incarn...
Direct marketing faces new scrutiny
Direct marketing continues to be a lucrative tool, especially for the insurance sector, but Alex Walsh warns that random targeting of a product will eventually backfire and will soon be outlawed
ABI reopens debate
It was interesting to see the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reopen the debate on the way in ...
Brokers offer the only voice of sanity
Over the last couple of months, we have seen insurance company chief executives and senior underwrit...
Fund-raising opportunity
While a phenomenal amount of financial support has been offered by the British public to those affec...
A request for flexibility
Q. Can you provide an outline of the basic procedures for employees who want to work on a flexible basis following maternity leave and for those on fixed-term contracts?
More ado about nothing
Concerning a letter in last month's issue of Professional Broking (PB, January 2005) that likened br...
Novel way to take clients
Overheard has come across a novel way of a broker leaving his company and taking clients with him. C...
Timely notification
Q. We are considering the acquisition of a local firm who are about half our size. Am I right in believing that the FSA might take an interest in this?
Under starter's orders for the election
We might not know yet where the finishing-line is, but the starting pistol for the General Election has definitely been fired, and issues affecting the insurance industry are expected to figure prominently
Do you have protection?
With the new regulatory regime in force, brokers need to ensure their technology is working to protect their business from the general public
The push for profits, post-regulation
The introduction of regulation went smoothly, according to the Financial Services Authority. It has ...
The hottest insurance gossip
Polly C was very impressed with the response she received from brokers for the Insurance Age survey ...
Resisting the fate
Overheard has discovered that Nick Jones, head of claims management at the RAC, was in a punk band a...
Fraud bills face election threat
Politics is likely to be put before real issues - currently earmarked for tackling - as an election in 2005 is highly likely, making undertakings in the Queen's speech about uninsured driving look distinctly vulnerable
The firing line
Q. I am proposing to reduce a large number of employees I have at my firm because of a planned change in the company's structure. Are there any guidelines that I will have to follow and are there any penalties for failing to follow these guidelines…
What is all the fuss about?
The disclosure of commissions has been thrust back into the limelight following Spitzer's inquiry in...
Boom or bust - is there another way? Norwich Union's letter to brokers
The boom-bust cycle of premium pricing has done nothing but harm the stability of our industry and h...
True investment in people
Integral to the future of every business, resourcing is a matter of fitting the bill and not just filling the gaps
A new year - a brave new world
Welcome back to what is set to be a historic year. And, on behalf of Professional Broking, I would l...