Aggregators
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…
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.
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.
News review: November 2010
IAG UK-owned broker Barnett & Barnett almost doubled its size to £50m gross written premium, with a move for a controlling stake in Bromley-based commercial and personal lines specialist NBJ.
Entire Choicequote workforce in redundancy consultation
The entire staff and management team at Choicequote have entered a redundancy consultation period just two and a half years after the broker was bought by Groupama.
The PB Interview - Laurent Matras: Through the storm
Laurent Matras, managing director at Groupama Insurances, tells Andrew Tjaardstra about the state of the insurance market and how he is working closely with brokers to give his firm a competitive advantage.
SME Aggregators: Digital commercial futures
Edward Murray outlines the difficulties being encountered in establishing a successful aggregator template for small and medium-sized enterprise trade.
Deloitte says industry must address issue of brokers selling motor at a loss
Motor insurers need to increase their premiums while maintaining their customer base in order to return to profitability, according to Deloitte.
Viewpoint: Time to put things right
With poor motor results continuously dismissed as being due to external factors, David Vine asks why insurers choose to ignore the evidence that would enable accurate pricing and, in turn, profit.
Aggregators are criticised for their poor online security
Price comparison sites Confused.com and Comparethemarket.com have been accused of leaving the door open to criminals by sacrificing security in favour of ease of use.
LV Broker sets sights high on £1bn worth of business in first decade
LV Broker has revealed it is aiming to write £1bn worth of business by 2015, less than 10 years after its launch.
Advertising power acknowledged
Aggregators have admitted that their financial performance has become increasingly dependent upon the success of advertising campaigns.
Agenda: Commission disclosure
The European Union (EU) is now putting together its consultation paper on a revised Insurance Mediation Directive and this will include their views on commission disclosure.
Broker claims debate - roundtable: A case of too many cooks?
The friction between brokers, insurers and accident management companies is well documented, but what has come under less scrutiny is the underlying reason for this tension. Martin Friel reports on this special roundtable debate.
Social media users could face rise in home premiums
Aggregators are divided over whether social networkers could see their home insurance premiums rise.
Aggregator surge could hamper insurers' IT
Software experts have raised concern that the growing popularity of comparison sites is causing IT troubles for UK insurance companies.
News review: August
Axa Insurance customer experience director, Paul Meehan, expressed interest in filling the senior management vacancy in the company's commercial division.
Fresh hopes web revamp will boost its home book
Fresh Insurance has announced an online makeover as part of its aim to increase its share of the home insurance market during the next year.
Go Compare targets home insurance market
Aggregator site Go Compare is to target the home insurance market with a new TV advert starring character Gio Compario.
Fraud blamed for record motor premium rise
Fraud is pushing car insurance premiums up faster than ever, according to AA Insurance.
Gadget insurance comparison service launched
Aggregator Moneymaxim.co.uk has announced the launch of what it claims is the UK's first gadget insurance comparison service.
Insurance revenue grows 9% at Moneysupermarket
Moneysupermarket has reported a 9% increase in insurance revenue to £40.6m for the six months to 30 June 2010 (H1 2009: £37.1m).