Analysis
Outsourcing: Need a hand?
While some in the insurance industry associate outsourcing with cutting jobs and costs, others are keen to extol its virtues. So when is it right to outsource, and how can it benefit the sector?
Travel: In rude health
The refusal of some Spanish hospitals to accept EHICs sparked anger in the insurance industry, but will the scandal impact premiums?
Europe: A Rock and a hard place
The row between Spain and Britain over Gibraltar may have put insurance firms in the country in an unenviable position. Mark Sands explains.
IUMI Preview: Charting a course
With the sector suffering major losses, long-term sustainability is high on the agenda at this year’s International Union of Marine Insurance conference. Can the market navigate the choppy waters?
Piper Alpha: 25 years on
A quarter of a century on from the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster, how has the industry learnt from the difficulties it faced in the aftermath – and what has been done to stop such a tragedy occurring again?
Europe: The cost of Concordia
What has the Costa Concordia disaster meant for the European marine market? Katie Marriner finds out.
SME: On board the enterprise
The SME space is a key battleground for the future of the industry. But if SMEs can do business direct online, where does that leave brokers? By Mark Sands
Investment: Diminishing returns
Insurers are predicted to find it increasingly difficult to make high yields from investments, so what can the industry do to turn the tide and increase returns?
Europe: A pen for Europe?
Managing general agents have seen a resurgence of popularity in the UK, but has there been a similar renaissance across the continent? Tim Evershed investigates.
Ethics: Do the right thing
The insurance industry may need a root and branch overhaul of its approach to ethics. But with claims that companies don’t actually understand the issue, the road to restoring trust is set to be rocky.
Non-standard risks: Playing it safe
With increasingly cautious insurers regularly redefining what should be classed as non‑standard risks, is expertise available to deal with the challenges they present?
Europe: Too big to fail?
The recent release of the Financial Stability Board's GSII list has led to complaints that insurers are not being differentiated from banks. Francesca Nyman explains.
Europe: Continental catastrophes
An EC Green Paper proposing harmonisation of catastrophe insurance across Europe has faced strong criticism from the market. Edmund Tirbutt explains why.
International: Entering cyberspace
Will the potential implementation of the EU Data Protection Directive lead to growth in the cyber liability market in Europe?
Mesothelioma: Bearing the burden
With the Mesothelioma Bill due to come into operation early next year, just how much strain is the compensation scheme likely to put on insurers?
Gender Directive: New Tricks
The EU Gender Directive has given rise to a new generation of ‘girly’ motor insurers – but are the practices sustainable in the long term?
Europe: Aggregation domination
Research suggests that the use of aggregators in Europe is growing but can the continent replicate the price comparison success seen in the UK? Mark Sands investigates.
Europe: Subscribing to cyber
Will the potential implementation of the EU Data Protection Directive lead to growth in the cyber liability market in Europe? Carolina Parra-Serrano investigates.
Supply chain: A closer look
Insurers must understand the microeconomics of supply chains to thrive during the downturn.
Consolidators: Dead or alive?
Critics say the consolidation model is unsustainable, while its proponents argue it is yielding admirable results during difficult economic times. So, are consolidators heading into the future fighting fit, or are they falling apart?
Private Equity: With the same brush
Industry insiders say that a recent report prescribing the pitfalls of private equity backing misrepresents the bigger picture. Are they right? Or is there hope on the horizon?
Europe: Tapping new risk
Is there a potentially untapped market on the continent for non-standard customers? Katie Marriner investigates.
Redomiciling: Insurer’s paradise?
With continued uncertainty over Solvency II, could more firms be tempted to follow the lead of Randall & Quilter and split their tax and regulatory domiciles?
Household: On shaky ground
With cracks beginning to show in the profitability of the household insurance market, is the sector set to crumble or are its foundations solid enough to see it through?