Professional Broking - 1999-10-21
Articles in this issue
APC Underwriting unveils product
APC Underwriting has unveiled the first of its new products for 2008, with the launch of a commercia...
Cargo: each risk is unique
The Joint Cargo Committee has recently reviewed the Institute Cargo Clauses and will be recommending...
Information gathering - End of days for Firms Online
I have received some information from the Financial Services Authority regarding Gabriel. Will this mean having to do yet more unpaid work for the regulator?
FSA changes - April rules
A colleague told me he had read that the FSA is making significant changes to the rulebook that tells us how we need to run our business. Is this true?
AIG - Scared new world
With financial giants making daily, doom-laden announcements, we appear to be facing a radically different financial landscape, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Clarification
Following an article in June's PB profiling Heath Lambert's chief executive Adrian Colosso, PB would...
Philip Gregory - A giant awakes
Andrew Tjaardstra talks to Philip Gregory, chief executive of HSBC Insurance Brokers, as he attempts to reawaken what he considers to be a 'sleeping giant'
Bedford and Maxted - Performance to bank on
Andrew Tjaardstra meets Andrew Bedford and Tim Maxted of Berkeley Insurance Group, who give him the lowdown on their recent management buy-out of Leicester-based Berkeley Burke
Bank bailouts - Uncertainty could benefit brokers
The weakening position of insurers that are looking to divest their faltering investments could mean higher insurance rates, argues Katherine Brandon
Liability - Where responsibility lies
Richard Evans gives an overview of some key cases to demonstrate the importance of policy wording in assessing liability in court
Accountancy PI - PI warfare
Katherine Brandon explores the battlefield of insurance for accountants and the domination of professional indemnity cover for this sector
Buying and selling - Heading for the door
As consolidators cut back on their spending, Katherine Brandon reviews exit strategy options
Robin Lucas - A measured approach
Andrew Tjaardstra meets Robin Lucas, managing director at Lucas Fettes and Partners, to find out how he intends to grow his business after a deal with Oval fell through earlier in the year following the retirement of founding partner David Fettes last…
Conflicts of interest - In your best interests
We have authority from some insurers to discount or match rates in order to secure business and I have been told that this should be declared in our conflicts-of-interest policy. Is this correct?
Tribunals - Achieving a fair hearing
An ex-employee, who claims that they were dismissed unfairly, took a close friend of mine to tribunal. As a broker owner, I want to ensure that disciplinary procedures are both correct and fair and that I steer clear of litigation. How do I ensure this?
Insurer jitters - Insurers on the defensive
The sector's traditional counter-cycle is no longer a sure thing, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Financial services - The power of unity
There is a long-standing association between insurance brokers and financial advisers but commercial factors have pushed this relationship into the spotlight and forced many to examine how it can be made to work more effectively, writes Edward Murray
At the crossroads
Imarket
The changing world of insurance
Climate change
Insurer solvency - Where does broker liability end?
Garon Anthony and Lucy Tolond demonstrate the need for brokers to take precaution in their retainer documents against insurers going bust
Arson - Arson levels rise
Katherine Brandon looks at the growing problem of arson for the insurance of both commercial and residential buildings
Residential property - Out of crisis, opportunity
Some brokers are shying away from the residential property market in the current gloomy economic landscape. However, under the surface lurks a highly accessible and competitive multi-tenancy market, writes Katherine Brandon
Equality Bill - Equality Bill signals change for brokers
James McNish and Ceri Lawrence explore some of the possible changes that could result from implementing the new Equality Bill
Buying and selling - Reviewing financing options
Robin Davies gives a credit-crunch busting overview of the choices of funding available to brokers
Social networks - New breed of site baffles broking
Social networking sites' subscribers number in their millions, yet broking is not taking full advantage of the commercial opportunities that they present, writes Katherine Brandon
Brokers gain in rough economy
Brokers frightened of a recession should bear in mind that the worst decade for the British economy ...
TCF MI failure raises questions
With the second deadline of the year looming, Katherine Brandon reviews the issue of management information for Treating Customers Fairly compliance
Dismissals - Termination for gross misconduct
An employee has committed an act of misconduct. I would like to terminate their contract to dismiss them without issuing any warning by effecting a summary termination. Am I within my rights to do this?
Industry voices speak at Management Event
PB rounds up the highlights from this year's PB Management Event
Without frontiers
Overseas business
Year in review: 2008
2008 Review
Highway purchase
LV= is set to complete the £150m purchase, subject to terms, of Highway Insurance. The insurer will ...
Aon and Benfield - Deals could signify mass consolidation
Two of the major international players in the broking sector have signed big cheques: Willis have taken out Hilb Rogal and Hobbs, while Aon is set to buy Benfield, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Workplace bullying - Work bullying 'rife' - survey
Nearly all UK workers suffer workplace bullying, reports Katherine Brandon
Technology - The rise of the broker platform
Rachel Gordon explores the ever-advancing world of broker technology to discover the advantages that it has brought and the prospects that it offers the industry and its clients alike
Buying and selling - Does everyone want a broker?
Ian Clark writes about broker consolidation and why it has occured in the wake of Aon's agreed bid for Benfield, a proposal that has heralded a return to mega-deals in the sector
Liiba - New broking body splitting loyalties
Major London market and international brokers in favour of tie-up with new breakaway industry body, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
PB Sentiment Survey October 2008
PB Sentiment Survey
PB Management Event - PB Management Event ready to roll
This has been an eventful year for the broker market. The recent news of the problems being faced by...
It is a long way back from here
We are where we are. There is no turning back and our government is fighting tooth and nail to retur...
Driving offences - On the highway to jail
Kate Archer argues why new sentencing guidelines have serious consequences for the perpetrators of death by dangerous driving
Internet crime - Criminal evolution heads online
Katherine Brandon exposes the risks presented by malware to brokers' IT systems
Telecom networks - Hanging on the wire
Telecom networks come in many guises and, with such choice, there should be little excuse for a potential customer to be left on hold, argues Katherine Brandon
The carrot and the stick
Many brokers feel that they are faced with a carrot-and-stick scenario when it comes to communicatin...
Health and Safety - Safety at work
I am employing staff for the first time. From a health and safety perspective, what should I be aware of to ensure that I meet regulatory standards and provide a safe working environment for staff?
Product liability - Goods in, claims out
Katherine Brandon explores the competitive market of product liability and the effect of compensation culture on the market
Banks must aid small players
The UK government has helped bail out the banks and now it is the duty of our once-great British ins...
Crunch time for the economy
The economy is going through some difficult times and carnage on Wall Street is already filtering th...
Marshall Wooldridge - Built with the strength to endure
Howard Marshall
Absence due to poor mental health
An employee needs to take time off work with mental health problems and a doctor's note has been provided to clarify this. Can I employ someone in their absence to do their job so that work levels are kept to a minimum for when they return?
Lee Green - Building the right cover
Director's Q&A
James Clarke - Keeping the best traditions
Director's Q&A
Ray Holloway - King of the road
Director's Q&A
The technology train
I have noted a step change in the quality and presentation of brokers' websites in the last six mont...
Missing out on MNW
Over the last two years, the term 'mid net worth' has been stretched to include an ever-broadening r...
Solicitors PI battle gathers pace
As the renewal date for solicitors' professional indemnity cover looms, Katherine Brandon looks at the turmoil in the market and this year's new offerings
Pre-budget report
Drastic action highlights dangerous slide in fortunes for UK economy. The pre-budget report, which included a £20bn fiscal stimulus, has shown just how precarious our economy has become, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Piracy - Shipping moves onto war footing after pirate attacks
Piracy is in the spotlight as 40 ships, including the oil tanker the Sirius Star, have been seized by Somali pirates so far this year, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Personal motor - Finding the key to motor
There is no escaping the fact that motor insurers are suffering poor results but there is still much that can be done to improve personal lines brokers' performances in this cutthroat market, writes Katherine Brandon
Industry scores for charity
Broker Allan Chapman & James was the winner of this year's Prince's Trust Insurance Leadership Group...
Gossip from the industry - Industry in fine voice
On the night before our third Management Event, in Weston-super-Mare, Steve Nightingale, Provident's...
Denney O'Hara - A wise head
Denney O'Hara
Remote working - Slow progress for mobile working
Katherine Brandon argues that remote network access is increasingly accessible to brokers but that adoption levels are still low
Jeremy Cary - Progress from within
Stackhouse Poland bucks the trend of recent broking times: its previous owner did not sell out to a consolidator but to a management buy-in looking to propel the business forward, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
Stakeholding - Insurer stakes can assist independence
Amlin, the specialist insurer and reinsurer, has bought a 19.9% stake in Bradford-based commercial broker TL Dallas for an undisclosed sum, writes Andrew Tjaardstra
CSR - Green gold
Katherine Brandon investigates how setting in place an environmental policy can provide tangible benefits for brokers and their clients
Building regulations - EPCs enter statute
Energy certificates give opportunity for brokers to add value through advice, writes Katherine Brandon
Credit write-backs - Clarity on accountancy headache
Katherine Brandon investigates the new guidance on credit write-backs issued by the FSA
Stamping out the identity fraud bug
Identity Fraud
CEO reveals fashion sense
Gossip from the industry
Premier Guarantee - A guaranteed winner
Premier Guarantee
Broker doubles turnover
Performance car insurance broker Peart Insurance has increased its turnover to almost £1m a year as ...
Gossip from the industry - Are you tough enough?
Contemplating the economic turbulence that is shaking world markets and seems set to worsen, Jonatha...