Personal
RSA expects 2010 profits to approach £630m despite bad weather impact
RSA has announced the impact of adverse weather in November and December 2010 to be around £142m above normal levels with full year costs predicted to hit £255m.
Over half of motorists would not rule out 'fronting'
Thousands of motorists are putting their cover at risk and driving illegally by knowingly giving false information or failing to disclose important facts, according to a survey by Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Redundancies confirmed at Confused.com
Confused.com has made a series of redundancies, hitting its PR team, Insurance Age understands.
Fully comp cover rises by nearly £200 latest price index reveals
Confused.com/EMB’s annual and fourth quarter 2010 Car Insurance Price Index has revealed that average comprehensive car insurance prices have risen by nearly 40% in a year.
LMA speaks out in car insurance investigation
The Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) has warned MPs that a reduction in the price of motor insurance can only be achieved if the risks and costs borne by insurers are reduced.
Car insurance study champions niche players
In Which’s latest study of motor insurance for the over 50s, NFU Mutual and 50 plus Insurance Services came out on top while household brands such as Aviva and Axa failed to gain recommended status.
PPI complaints hit FOS budget
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has published for public consultation its proposed budget for the next financial year (2011/2012) – together with an update on the numbers and workload for the current financial year (2010/2011).
1 Answer becomes first network to sign up to Powerplace
Personal lines network, 1 Answer, has pushed into the commercial arena by joining Powerplace.
Ageas responds to retail growth with senior restructure
Ageas UK has announced key appointments to support the growth of its retail operations reporting into retail managing director Andy Watson.
Editor's comment - January 2011
Here we go again. Another year, another set of woes. The economy has only improved slightly, premium rates still show no sign of real hardening and insurers still seem hell bent on self-sacrifice in the name of growth. I feel for you brokers, I really do…
New general insurance technology offering for intermediaries launched
Founding directors, Gregg Taylor and Neil Harkin, have launched What-Insure, a general insurance trading platform for intermediaries.
Reportage - Defining schemes: Spoilt for choice
Coming in such a vast array of shapes and forms, it is difficult to define what schemes actually are. Tony Bloomer argues their ambiguity enables flexibility and innovation and, ultimately, opportunity for the industry.
Your opinions: One in four pay off other driver
Insurance Age welcomes your opinions via email, Linked In, the Broker Forum, Twitter and good old fashioned letters.
Towergate: SME provision deal 'just the beginning'
Towergate Insurance has claimed its deal with Comparethemarket.com to provide insurance to small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers is "just the beginning" of its online SME strategy.
Axa and Zurich reorganise management and operations
Axa and Zurich have revealed the results of internal restructures.
Legal expenses: Referral fee free?
Martin Friel looks to the future and imagines a legal expenses market where referral fees no longer exist. What would this mean for brokers and how would the sector adapt to accommodate this change?
Reportage - Online schemes: Choosing channels
How does e-trading apply to schemes? Edward Murray explores whether the returns are worth the time and money brokers invest in putting schemes online or if they sell better off the back of face-to-face relationships.
News review: December
A brief round-up of December's news.
Agenda: Hopes for the New Year
Ten years have passed since the dawn of the new millennium. The predictions of economic meltdown because of the millennium bug were false but we have seen crises that have had enormous impact on the global economy: 9/11, the crash of the dot-com bubble…
Interview: In perfect focus
With sharp intelligence, good humour and unique perspective, industry consultant Clare Ryder shares her thoughts with Martin Friel about where the market has been and where it needs to go next.
Power hour: Feeling the benefit?
It is hoped that a change in the Government's position regarding benefits may open up opportunities for PMI. This month's discussion covers the expansion of cash plans, the role of trade bodies and the normally taboo subject of claims data sharing. Liz…
Car claim volumes double as snow and ice turn UK roads into ‘fairground dodgems’, says AA
Snow and ice have contributed to a 100 per cent increase in car insurance claims compared to an ordinary Monday in December, AA Insurance has reported.
Survey finds increasing loyalty to aggregator sites
A survey by consultants EMB has found that around a third of people buying car insurance now choose an aggregator site to visit based on one they have used before, up from 26% in February.
Axa unveils senior personal lines team
Axa has revealed the senior management structure for its newly created personal lines operation, which now combines all its intermediated, partnerships and direct businesses, including Swiftcover.