Commercial
Nat Cats push specialty market into costliest year on record
The UK specialty insurance market suffered the costliest year on record in 2017 as natural catastrophe activity took its toll on underwriting performance.
Marcell named Aon’s reinsurance head
Aon has named Andrew Marcell as CEO of Reinsurance Solutions.
Blog: E-cigarettes - playing with fire
E-cigarettes may pose unknown health risks, writes Stuart Toal, casualty account manager at Allianz, warning the liability exposures associated with vaping might be slow-burning ones.
Beazley’s specialty lines split a positive move, say analysts
Beazley is to split its specialty lines business from cyber and related lines, in a move welcomed by insurance analysts.
Analysis: Protecting against protectionism
Protectionism is posing challenges to the insurance market, but also creating some opportunities, especially for trade credit cover.
Castel targets European growth with Dutch office launch
Castel Underwriting Agencies has opened its first branch office in Amsterdam to support plans to expand its operations in Europe.
Allianz takes 8% stake in Africa Re
Allianz is to take an 8% stake in Africa’s leading reinsurer Africa Re.
Interview: Patrick Tiernan, Aviva
Aviva Global Corporate & Specialty's new managing director Patrick Tiernan is confident of profitable growth. He tells Jonathan Swift how he hopes to take the business to the next level.
Berkshire becomes third-largest reinsurer on back of AIG deal
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway became the world's third-largest reinsurer in 2017, ending European dominance over the top four.
Blog: Rise of the robo-diagnosis
BLM partner Greg McEwen considers the liability implications of using artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics.
Hiscox's Tom Dixon on tactical litigation in tech
Tactical litigation is costly, underhand and rife within the technology sector, writes Tom Dixon, head of technology for Hiscox UK and Ireland, explaining how to help policyholders avoid it.
Blog: Pukka's Sam White on the investment gap
Pukka's CEO Sam White calls on bankers to fund female-led businesses to achieve gender balance.
Roundtable: Digital innovation in commercial lines
The terms commercial lines and digital aren't often spoken together - is the problem that the industry doesn't talk about it or is it really not happening in the market?
Ardonagh MGA division to exit loss-making personal lines
Ardonagh’s underwriting division will exit unprofitable parts of its personal lines book after it reported a £5.2m loss in the first quarter 2018.
RSA backtracks over no bonus for UK staff
Exclusive: RSA has backtracked over a decision to not award bonuses to UK staff, after employees claimed it was unfair that group CEO Stephen Hester received a bonus of almost £5m.
Lloyd's Brussels gets regulatory green light, Vandendael named CEO
Lloyd’s has received regulatory approval from the National Bank of Belgium for its Brussels subsidiary.
Hundreds of hip implant claims ditched as High Court rules not defective
The High Court has ruled that metal-on-metal hip implants are not defective, in one of the largest product liability group actions in recent years.
CII launches Aspire Apprenticeship programmes
The Chartered Insurance Institute has launched its Aspire Apprenticeship programmes.
Insurtech funding reaches record high
The volume of insurtech deals reached $724m in the first quarter of 2018, its highest ever level and 155% greater than the same period last year.
Interview: John Ludlow, Airmic
With business models facing increasing threats from more directions than ever before, John Ludlow, CEO of the Association of Insurance and Risk Managers, spoke to Post weeks before its members gather in Liverpool and he warned risk managers need to be at…
Swinton's Gilles Normand on why brokers can be a guiding digital hand
Swinton CEO Gilles Normand believes brokers can be the Amazon of the insurance market.
Scor names McMurdo UK insurance CEO
Stuart McMurdo has been named CEO of Scor’s UK insurance business.
Analysis: Supply chains: Pruning supply risks
With supply chains entwined through businesses like ivy, disruption risks are climbing. Under-utilised policy wordings and little-known specialist covers haven’t weeded them out
Allianz to gain £250m commercial book from LV deal
Insurance giant Allianz will gain a commercial book worth £250m from LV following its purchase of 49% of LV’s general insurance business.