Articles by Chris Wheal
Lancashire raises Fascione in Bermuda
Lancashire Holdings has promoted Simon Fascione to chief underwriting officer of the company's Bermuda operation, Lancashire Insurance Company.
RBSI bid rumours rubbished
Rumours of a £4bn CVC bid for RBSI are wide of the mark, market sources have told Post.
Munich Re launches $100m cat bond
Munich Re has a $100m catastrophe bond to cover US hurricane and European windstorm risks.
Brokers Link growth takes it to $14bn
José Fonseca, chairman of Brokers Link, has told delegates at the Broker Network conference that new joiners in Israel, Indonesia, South Korea and the Caribbean had increased members’ managed premium to more than $14bn.
Homeserve review suspends sales calls
Homeserve has been forced to cease selling over the phone after a Deloitte investigation found “cases where its sales processes did not meet the company's required standards”.
Armed guards will help tackle pirates
Maritime security firm Haymarket Risk Management has welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron’s ruling that UK registered ships can carry armed guards to fight pirates.
Invicta completes Fountain buyout
Invicta Insurance Services will tomorrow (Tuesday 1 November) complete its latest acquisition, the household and property owners’ portfolios of Dorset broker Fountain Insurance & Investment Services.
Aqua replaces Sterling for Biba HNW
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association is to dump high net worth insurer Sterling after 15 years as its preferred supplier and appoint a recently launched broker-only HNW underwriter.
Axa reports modest UK P&C growth
Axa has reported its third quarter property & casualty revenues in the UK & Ireland were up 1% to €2 821m from €2 791m.
Ireland and SW UK hit by flooding
Catastrophe modelling firm AIR Worldwide reports that torrential rainfall has caused widespread disruption and damage on both sides of the Irish Sea, with the Dublin area has been the hardest hit.
News analysis: IFB’s three-year strategy wins financial backing from insurers
The Insurance Fraud Bureau is to more than double in size in its crackdown on professional enablers.
Muir calls for better motor insurance PR
Paul Muir, managing director of broker club One Answer Network, has called on motor insurers and brokers to be honest and open with the public to improve the industry’s image.
R&Q gets £30m bank takeover fund
Randall & Quilter has completed a £30m funding package with Clydesdale Bank Corporate and Structured Finance to fund future acquisitions.
Groupama sacks CEO Jean Azéma
Groupama has sacked its CEO Jean Azéma who has been blamed for the company’s credit rating downgrade.
Care homes group chooses Howden
The English Community Care Association (ECCA) has appointed Howden Insurance Brokers as preferred supplier of insurance services to its care home members.
Gcube covers Italy’s biggest wind farm
Renewable energy project underwriter Gcube has been selected by Nsure to underwrite Italy’s largest wind power project, the Falck Renewables Buddus - Al dei Sardi wind farm.
Turkey quake to cost as much as $200m
Catastrophe risk modelling firm Equecat has said the insured loss estimate for the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey is in the range of $100m to $200m.
Willis says UK business dipped in Q3
A fall in the UK and Ireland market contributed to Willis reporting a Q3 operating margin down to 11.8% from 14.5% for the same period last year.
Willis names Wilkinson as UK head
Willis has named long-serving executive Daniel Wilkinson, pictured, as chief executive for Willis United Kingdom and Ireland, following the departure of Brendan McManus last week.
Terrorists to carry out only small attacks
Catastrophe risk modelling firm AIR Worldwide says terrorists can only carry out smaller scale attacks with less powerful weapons carried by worse-trained operatives, reducing the terrorist risks faced by the US.
Zurich hits Allianz for SME underwriter
Zurich’s has appointed Allianz’s SME underwriter manager Russell Corbould-Warren to the newly created role of head of SME underwriting.
Groupama offers PA toolkit for brokers
Groupama has created a personal accident broker toolkit downloadable from its website as part of its campaign to raise awareness of the value of personal accident cover and help brokers sell more.
Shareholders show support for Jardine Matheson's JLT buy-in bid
Jardine Matheson’s bid to increase its stake in broker JLT by buying 10% of the company got more than 85% support from the other shareholders.
NIG starts aggressive recruitment drive
NIG has taken on Louise Field, pictured, to be London area underwriting manager, while Ruth Owen from Chartis joins NIG as area business development manager.