Post - 2011-06-21
Articles in this issue
Post Magazine - 23 June 2011
The latest issue of Post Magazine is now available to subscribers as a digital and interactive e-book.
Post history - Five years ago: Post Office pushes new PPI product
Looking through Post's back catalogue paints a unique picture of more than 150 years of insurance news, as this highlight from five years ago reveals.
Customer service: Brand no longer a guarantee of standards
It is becoming harder for companies to rely on the strength of their brand to prove their service credentials, according to speakers at the breakfast briefing.
Hastings eyes Aviva and Allianz in 2012 IPO push
Hastings Direct's panel of insurers has more than doubled in size since a management buyout 18 months ago, with more firms due to sign up this year, as it eyes one million policies.
Post history - 30 years ago: Industry gets high-tech seatbelt tests
Looking through Post's back catalogue paints a unique picture of more than 150 years of insurance news, as this highlight from 30 years ago reveals.
SRA to stick to timetable despite licence concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has pledged to stick to its timeframe for introducing licences for alternative business structures, despite concerns that the new set of regulations will not be ready in time.
Elite quits over ABI's support of Jackson review
Elite Insurance is quitting the Association of British Insurers, claiming the trade body's support of Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations in relation to legal expenses has made its membership "untenable".
Customer service: Social media highlights customer expectations
The spread of social media as a means for consumers to voice opinions on how businesses treat them is driving the need for boardrooms to take their customers' views and expectations more seriously.
UKG launches GAP product
UK General has developed a hybrid insurance product that helps motor trade dealers avoid financial penalties arising since the Association of British Insurers published guidelines on guaranteed asset protection insurance cover in February.
Customer service: Customer service at risk due to desire to reduce overheads
Companies need to be alert to the danger of compromising customer service in their attempts to reduce overheads, warned David Tryon, director of client management at DST Global Solutions.
Phase two of Jackson needed claims law firm
The government has "stuck to its guns" with primary legislation needed to introduce the core principles of Lord Justice Jackson's review into civil litigation costs.
Appreciation for Avery as whiplash work recognised
Thatcham's crash & safety manager Matthew Avery has been honoured with an award from a US-based vehicle safety organisation.
Customer service: Process improvements can provide 30% to 50% cost reductions
Businesses can be much more "intuitive to change" by improving their process management, rather than just focusing on workflow.
Climate change - Renewable energy: The future energy landscape
With the government committed to cutting carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency, the insurance industry may play a crucial role in providing effective cover, reports Mark Potter.
Brown: Aon 'could buy anyone' to expand its regional footprint
Aon UK chief executive Rob Brown has claimed the broker is well positioned to make further acquisitions in the UK market and "could buy anyone" to expand its regional footprint.
Editor's comment: Deadline decision time
It's not something a betting man would have ever wagered against but, as rumours continue to mount that the Solvency II implementation deadline will indeed be significantly pushed back, the UK insurance industry faces some difficult decisions.
Autoglass moots layoffs as NW looks to recruit
National Windscreens has pledged to embark on a recruitment drive as its rival Autoglass confirmed it has entered a 30-day consultation with staff over potential redundancies.
EC denies any delay to SII implementation
The European Commission has denied that implementation of the Solvency II directive could be delayed until 1 January 2014, a year later than planned, despite admitting a "short transitional period" is likely to be introduced.
Interview - Peter Winslow: Best at building
Backed by an armoury of well-known brands, BGL CEO Peter Winslow tells Lynn Rouse about pan-European aggregation, acquisitions and why there is plenty of life in meerkats yet.
Solicitors' professional indemnity: Turning off the life support
Potential sweeping changes to the solicitors' professional indemnity market could see the controversial assigned risks pool scrapped. Jakki May investigates the effect on qualifying insurers hoping to turn a profit.
Microinsurance - A solution to all ills?
Microinsurance is being touted as the answer to insuring the poorest regions of the world against extreme weather threats. However, as Stephanie Denton reports, this may not be the case.
Customer service: Employee engagement key to improved results
Improving employee engagement can positively impact the customer experience, according to Jo Causon, chief executive at the Institute of Customer Services.
Duty of care ruling overturned by appeals court
Surveyors and their insurers can "breathe a huge sigh of relief" according to lawyers, after the appeal court limited the duty of care owed to buy-to-let property investors.
Insure The Box aims for £50m
Telematics specialist Insure The Box, is aiming to write more than £50m in premium income over the next year, as it gears up to appear on aggregator Go Compare.
Post history - 10 years ago: Response to More Than launch mixed
Looking through Post's back catalogue paints a unique picture of more than 150 years of insurance news, as this highlight from 10 years ago reveals.
Towergate reshuffle sees three senior appointments
Towergate has made three senior internal appointments within its underwriting business following the departures of Simon Read and Scott Banks for Gallagher.
Bluefin applies for chartered status
Bluefin Group has applied for professional status with the Chartered Insurance Institute, in anticipation of it becoming a "basic requirement" from clients.
View from the top: The pace of change
Twenty years ago the world wide web was in its infancy. E-mail, if it was used in the insurance industry, was limited and contained within organisations. Letters and faxes dominated. We may have had second generation mobile phones but the first UK text…
Legal update - Occupational disease: Networking issues
With occupational disease claims hitting the headlines in recent months, as the Supreme Court seeks to resolve disputes, Ben FitzHugh comments on how the industry can make best use of social networking sites when defending such claims.
Scepticism over future of regulation
Law firms have reacted with scepticism to the Financial Services Authority's paper on the future of regulation for insurers. This week the regulator released a joint paper with the Bank of England, outlining how the Prudential Regulation Authority — the…
North of the Border: review of expenses and funding of civil litigation in Scotland
Following the Jackson review of costs in England and Wales, the Scottish government has launched its own review of expenses and funding of civil litigation north of the border. This review was one of the measures recommended by Lord Gill's Report of the…
JLT set to target economies emerging from conflict
JLT is set to launch a product suite aimed at companies that want to expand into economies emerging from periods of military conflict.
Cornish wins costs case against RSA
Cornish Mutual has successfully challenged a subrogated repair cost dispute with RSA.
Broker Assistance wins motor claims management deal
Alan & Thomas Insurance Group has appointed Broker Assistance to manage the claims for its entire motor portfolio.
Penny Black's insurance week
Penny had to check the date when she received word of a new insurance policy for players of the magical game of Quidditch — championed by Harry Potter and his Hogwarts classmates.
Green Insurance plants one millionth tree
Scotland's Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson planted a sapling Rowan tree to commemorate one million trees planted by The Green Insurance Company as part of a carbon offsetting scheme.
Disgraced coverholder boss faces FSA fitness probe
The chief executive and director of a Financial Services Authority-approved coverholder faces having his status as a 'fit and proper' person investigated by the regulator, after admitting to child sex offences at Canterbury Crown Court.
Legal update - Medical advances: The cost of breakthroughs
Medical breakthroughs give new hope to people who have been paralysed or had amputations as a result of accidents, but will these advances add to the already burgeoning costs of personal injury? Tim Brentnall warns that legal implications could prove…