Aggregators
FSA review reveals TCF issues for aggregators
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has deemed it necessary to issue proposed guidance on the selling of general insurance policies through price comparison websites.
Broking success: Training to gain
Emmanuel Kenning speaks with a profitable, debt free start-up motor broker that is writing more than £50m a year, targeting 250,000 policies within 18 months and focusing on staff training and development
Biba queries "misleading" survey on aggregator commission levels
The British Brokers’ Association (Biba) has questioned a recent YouGov survey which stated that the average commission taken by comparison sites stood at 24%.
Aviva makes aggregator u-turn
Aviva has confirmed it intends to return to the aggregator space for private motor with a new, separately branded internet-only offering.
Ex-Coverzones boss to lead PowerPlace
Towergate-owned PowerPlace has announced the appointment of Simon Ball as chief executive officer effective 1 June 2011.
Ageas unveils four retail appointments
Ageas UK has announced a series of appointments as it looks to support the growth of its retail operations.
Reportage: Facing up to networks
With networks increasing in popularity, Emmanuel Kenning recounts their development and looks to the future of this crucial market sector.
Management - Broking success: making the connection
Liz McMahon talks to Autonet MD Glynn Keeling about the value of a strong audit process and striking a balance between online business and customer communication.
Google buys UK aggregator BeatThatQuote.com
Google has bought BeatThatQuote.com for £37.7m. The website offers a suite of financial products including insurance, loans and mortgages.
News analysis - online: Brightside comparison site plans spark aggregator debate
The intention of Brightside Group to build a commercial aggregator following its purchase of technology company Quote Exchange, has reignited the debate over whether or not aggregators can eat into the broker commercial lines arena.
Management - broking success: step forward to look back
Emmanuel Kenning meets Duncan Macbeth of Macbeth Scott & Co as he prepares for retirement after more than 30 years as a broker and casts his eye over the insurance industry.
Power hour - future of broking round table London: Talking heads
The biggest names in the industry come together to debate the key issues facing brokers at the moment, from regulation and rates to consolidation and distribution. Martin Friel reports.
Profile - Henry Engelhardt: Admiral of the fleet
Henry Engelhardt was at the bow when the Admiral ship first set sail and he led the company onto the stock exchange when it floated in 2004. Emmanuel Kenning talks to the CEO about claims, pricing and the source of great market envy - the provider's COR.
Reportage - SME: a blossoming romance
The SME love affair has been flourishing for a while, but what does the term actually mean? With nearly all UK enterprises falling into this category, Liz McMahon explores the sector's diverse needs.
New property aggregator promises to help brokers retain clients
Former KGM group development manager, Doug Phelan, has returned to the market with a new ‘broker friendly’ aggregator proposition.
Brightside building commercial aggregator
Brightside Group has confirmed that it will be using newly acquired technology company Quote Exchange to build a commercial insurance comparison site.
Brightside buys aggregator technology firm Quote Exchange
Brightside Group has agreed to buy Quote Exchange for £3.7m in cash and just under 1.4m ordinary shares in Brightside.
E-commerce: Simply Business reveals ambitious GWP growth plans
Simply Business, has unveiled a gross written premium target of £100m by the end of 2012, up from £41m last year.
Agenda: KIC 2010 results and 2011 outlook
Letter to president Petrov Arverbeyev Kazakhstan Insurance Company
Simply Business targets £100m GWP
Simply Business, the online broker for small to medium sized enterprise business, has unveiled a gross written premium target of £100m by the end of 2012, up from £41m last year.
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…
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.
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?
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…