Articles by David Worsfold
Analysis: Review of the Year 2019
It feels as if 2019 was an uncomfortable year for the general insurance market as it never quite seemed to grasp control of its own destiny. Wherever you look, carefully laid plans were derailed by the unexpected – and often unwanted – intervention of…
Analysis: Brexit: A view from Europe
As the negotiations over Brexit reach another crescendo of confusion, especially as the EU, UK and European leaders meet in Brussels, the insurance industry can only look on nervously. Those nerves, spiced with concern, are not just felt in the UK but…
Timothy Benn, who as chairman of Timothy Benn Publishing owned Post from 1985 to 1997, has passed away aged 82.
Timothy Benn, who as chairman of Timothy Benn Publishing owned Post from 1985 to 1997, has passed away aged 82.
Analysis: Climate change - Getting to grips with global warming
Insurers have been forced into the front line of the fight to stop global warming and climate change and they are beginning to feel uncomfortable and exposed. While several major insurers have issued bold commitments to join the fight to halt global…
Analysis: Investing in a sustainable future
European governments and a wide range of international governmental and non-governmental organisations are looking to big institutional investors to back the development of a sustainable, greener infrastructure. Insurers and pensions funds are top of…
Analysis: The future of pricing - Tightening the noose
The dual pricing noose is slowly tightening around the insurance industry’s neck. Its laudable attempts to escape from the regulatory hangman seem increasingly futile as the pressure is mounting on the Financial Conduct Authority to take action.
Roundtable: Making data fit for compliance and regulatory purpose
The use of data is widespread but where insurers are on their integration journeys can be very different. Post, in association with Marklogic, brought a panel of experts together to discuss best practice in this area including effective compliance and…
Analysis: Changing face of terrorism and terrorism covers
Terrorism has been a constant threat in the UK for more than half a century and has proved hard for security forces to keep up with, so it is hardly surprising that the insurance market too has found itself trying to repair gaps in cover as they emerge
Analysis: Moving the premium finance roadblock for SMEs
The penetration of premium finance into the SME market has been stuck stubbornly in the 40% to 45% range for many years. Could that be about to change as slicker offerings from the main providers and new entrants hit the market just at a time when small…
Analysis: Bad data - A risky business for insurers?
Data is everywhere: good data, partial data, valuable data, bad data. Insurers need data to measure and price risks but do they take enough care in assessing the quality and provenance of the data they are using and are their processes sufficiently…
Roundtable: Dual pricing and loyalty
Loyal customers have long felt penalised by dual pricing. As the regulator and the government are promising to stop the practice, insurers discussed how to move the focus away from premiums to build stronger loyalty, at a roundtable organised by Post, in…
Analysis: Review of 2018
The spectre of Brexit loomed large over the insurance sector this year, and although the picture is still no clearer in terms of how the UK market will continue to trade with Europe after 29 March 2019, significant merger & acquisition activity was among…
Analysis: Insuring for Brexit
How can insurers help customers facing Brexit uncertainly when they themselves face taking a blind bet on whether the UK will face a hard or soft deal when leaving the European Union? David Worsfold investigates.
MGAs roundtable: What does the future hold for managing general agents?
Nimble and niche, managing general agents have carved themselves a sizeable market share. A roundtable organised by Post, in association with RSA, discussed how these strengths equip them for the future
CPD module - claims II: Sport injury: Hitting hard
As professional sportspeople complain about their insufficient cover for career-ending injuries, insurers fear a surge in claims from contact sports
Farm safety: Fatal farms
Farming is the most lethal of all industries. The sector and its main insurer are trying to change rules and mentalities to make it safer
Credit hire roundtable: necessary evil or essential service?
The insurance industry’s perpetually uneasy relationship with credit hire has often flared up into hostility. Judging by the tone of the exchanges at a recent roundtable, the current mood is much calmer, with a greater willingness to explore ways of…
Analysis: Pricing climate risks
As climate change becomes tangible, insurers are feeling the heat. Their understanding of the risks could inform not just their underwriting but also their investment strategies.
Analysis: Sport injury: Hitting hard
As professional sportspeople complain about their insufficient cover for career-ending injuries, insurers fear a surge in claims from contact sports
Interview: Faizal Karbani, CEO, Insure Halal
Halal Insure has recently launched sharia-compliant household insurance covers. Its CEO Faizal Karbani speaks to David Worsfold about his hopes for takaful insurance in the UK.
Analysis: Tracking rail risks
Railways are travelling through a changing landscape of severe weather risks and terror perils, but perhaps none so arresting as the cyber threats raised by their new reliance on digital connectivity
Analysis: Takaful, all promise and little delivery
With more than three million Muslims in the UK, there has long been a feeling that sharia-compliant insurance products should find a market but the reality has proved the opposite. So far, every attempt to establish a takaful insurer in the UK domestic…
Analysis: Risks, challenges and opportunities of commercial use of listed buildings
Underinsurance casts a long shadow across the world of listed properties, especially when owners are constantly expanding commercial activities. Experts warn that there can be many traps for the unwary or naïve, many of which do not come to light until…
Spotlight on ADAS: Is everyone ready for ADAS?
As assistance systems are making cars safer, but also more costly to repair, insurers would love a database listing which features are fitted on which vehicles - but motor manufacturers aren’t sharing that information yet