Articles by Chris Wheal
QBE sponsors Brake road safety week
Commercial motor insurer QBE is to sponsor Road Safety Week 2011, organised by Brake, the road safety charity.
Lockton names Walton for expansion
Lockton’s Real Estate & Construction team has taken on Robert Walton (pictured) as part of expansion plans to provide advice to contractors, civil engineers and developers on a global basis.
September 11 attacks have made insurers more resilient to ‘unthinkable' events
This is one of the findings of the latest report into the event by International insurance think tank, The Geneva Association.
Geneva Association reports on 9/11
International insurance think tank, The Geneva Association, has said the impact of the September 11 2001, attacks on the insurance industry was much smaller than expected at the time.
Travelers attracts Sawyer from QBE
Travelers has poached QBE’s David Sawyer (pictured) to be assistant general manager for its professional indemnity portfolio.
THB’s Cardinus gives Young new role
THB group injury reduction firm Cardinus Risk Management has appointed Abi Young (pictured) to the newly-created role of head of ergonomics managed services.
Central and Hiscox target charities
Central Insurance, one of Scotland’s biggest independent insurance brokers, has joined forces with specialist business insurer Hiscox to launch a comprehensive charity policy.
Randall & Quilter's H1 profits fall
Run off experts Randall & Quilter has reported half-year income up 17% to £18.8m (£16.1) but saw its pre-tax profit plummet to £3m from £5.8m.
Companies face tougher risk reporting rules
Companies look set to be forced to improve the way they report the key strategic risks facing their businesses, following criticism from accounting standards setter the Financial Reporting Council.
CCV buys Swansea's Antur
Broker CCV has bought Welsh broker Antur Insurance of Swansea.
Abbey to grow in legal consultancy
Abbey Protection will grow from an insurer to more of a consultancy firm with the liberation of the solicitor market. It will increase the 70 lawyers it employs and target its 350 000 SME customers to provide a wide range of legal services direct.
Keelan Westall offers to beat quotes
Wholesale property insurance broker Keelan Westall has launched a ‘guarantee to beat’ initiative promising to beat premiums by 10% for commercial property risks over £500 until the end of the year.
Wilson Organisation takes on Boots man
Nottingham insurance broker The Wilson Organisation has named former Boots The Chemist director Gary Cormack as non-executive deputy chairman to work alongside MD Charlotte Perkins and CEO Annabel Prow.
Biba and IIB call for FCA changes
The two broker bodies, Biba and the IIB, have jointly called for regulatory barriers to be lowered and for the current inappropriate style and intensity of regulation to be reformed.
Brit warns about untrained lorry drivers
Brit Insurance has issued a stark warning that shop shelves could be left bare and consumers will struggle to buy essentials such as bread and milk if truck drivers fail to comply with incoming EU driver training rules.
Policy covers schoolkids' iPads
CityMain's education insurance division Burnett & Associates has launched a policy to cover iPads and other tablet computers in schools and colleges, covering use in the classroom, at home or digs and when travelling between the two.
PowerPlace launches D&O workshops
Commercial insurance portal PowerPlace is to run free educational workshops for brokers in directors’ and officers’ insurance.
Abbey profits rise despite ATE drop
Legal and professional fees insurer Abbey Protection has announced half year results showing revenue and pre-tax profit up 6% with revenue at £18.3m (H1 2010: £17.3) and pre-tax profit at £5.0m (£4.7m).
Foil warns MP on civil justice reform
City insurance lawyers group the Forum of Insurance Lawyers has warned MPs planning to reform civil litigation costs not to “go soft” and be swayed by those arguing against change.
16 firms paid 92% of PPI compensation
The Financial Services Authority has said that 16 firms, representing 92% of all payment protection insurance complaints received in the first half of 2011, have paid a total of £215m in redress between January and June 2011.
L&G puts Holweger in charge of brokers
Legal & General’s general insurance business has appointed Coverwise founder Mark Holweger to the new role of broker & intermediary director.
Solvency II could contract personal lines insurance market
Nine out of ten senior financial services executives expect the costs of complying with Solvency II to force smaller firms to quit personal lines insurance unable to make a profit, reducing choice for consumers.
Birmingham tops crash-for-cash league
For the sixth consecutive quarter Birmingham has been named the number one hotspot for crash for cash insurance Fraud by the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
Hurricane Irene could cost insurers as much as $6bn
Catastrophe modeling firm Air Worldwide estimates insured losses from Hurricane Irene to onshore properties in the US will be between $3bn and $6bn.