Commercial
Willis extends Guernsey foothold
Willis has been issued with a full commercial lines licence to conduct insurance intermediary services in Guernsey.
Barbon reports £9.4m turnaround in fortunes with £471 000 loss in 2011
Barbon Insurance Group slipped into the red for the year ended 31 December 2011, according to results filed at Companies House, with a £471 000 overall loss for the financial year (2010: £8.9m).
Commercial lines division primed for further growth, says LMIE boss Rocks
Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe chief executive Sean Rocks is eyeing further expansion in the firm's commercial lines division after reporting substantial profitable growth.
Liberty Europe's commercial arm reports 'profitable growth'
Liberty Mutual Insurance, the commercial lines division of Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe, is reporting 'substantial profitable' growth.
DLG's ambition to float in doubt amid reports of PE bids
The Direct Line Group's plans to float have been put in jeopardy, according to reports claiming that two private equity consortiums could launch rival bids for the business.
Randall & Quilter opens Manchester MGA office
The company's specialist MGA platform has opened its first UK regional office, in Manchester.
Scrap Metal Dealers bill passes second reading
The insurance industry is one step closer to seeing tighter laws in place against "wanton" acts of metal theft after the House of Commons voted for a Private Member's Bill to go through to the committee stage.
LAS chairman Posner retires
LAS Claims Management chairman Howard Posner, pictured, has stepped down following a management restructure to position LAS for further business growth.
Aria Assistance teams up with Ageas and Aviva on emergency help products
The newly-independent Europ Assistance team Aria Assistance is working with a host of major insurers providing policyholders with commercial and personal lines emergency services.
Questgates issues warning to brokers amid rise in cannabis farms
A rise in the number of cannabis farms across the UK has led Questgates to urge brokers to check that illegal activity is not excluded from the cover held by property owner clients.
Thousands of homes evacuated after floods in Japan
Homes suffered substantial damage on Wednesday after intense rainfall caused flash flooding, burst river banks and landslides in the south west region.
H1 natural catastrophe losses $70bn less than in 2011
Insured losses from natural catastrophes were approximately $12bn in the first six months of 2012, significantly less than the $82bn in the first half of 2011.
Stormy weather causes £35m worth of vehicle damage
Two weeks of severe weather has caused £35m worth of damage to vehicles.
Telematics could deliver an 'Olympic-sized' saving to UK economy
Coverbox has urged the government to encourage take-up of telematics among drivers.
Application fraud: Slow steps in an industry-wide challenge
Brokers champion the idea of tackling fraud at the application stage, but what are they actually doing about it?
Market moves: Another busy week for insurers
This week, once again, belonged to insurers, with a number of firms making significant management changes. While Aviva stole the limelight with another reshuffle, Zurich quietly added a new CEO and Mitsui Sumitomo at Lloyd's rejigged its risk management…
VAT & Outsourcing: VAT's the way to do it
The rules on VAT in the insurance industry can be complex when it comes to outsourcing, and the European Union isn't providing any quick and easy answers.
Insurance contract law: Overcoming the barriers
A single European contract law has been on the cards for the past decade, but would a similar rationalisation in the insurance industry suit the continent's firms?
Weather claims to hit £750m as industry waits for SoP announcement
The insurance industry is hopeful that the government will finally release details of the flood risk model that will replace the Statement of Principles before its summer recess next week.
Interview: Woodgate & Clark's Michael Woodgate - conventionally unconventional
With his indefatigable adoration of loss adjusting, Woodgate & Clark's joint managing director Michael Woodgate had an unusual route into the industry. He talks about the changes in the market, why his firm doesn't have its own contractor network and the…
Expert analysis: The return of motor madness
The push for volume in motor has started again, with a fall in rates for a fourth consecutive quarter, while home is proving more resilient, says Tom Cooper.
Blanc to lead Axa's joint commercial and personal lines broker business
Axa commercial lines chief executive Amanda Blanc has been selected to head up the firm's new combined broker business, in a bid to strengthen capabilities and propositions in the intermediated market.
Beazley offers single piracy and war product
Beazley is offering owners of ships sailing in troubled waters the option to buy one policy covering war risks and piracy.
Insurers urged to use proposed Solvency II templates
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority has "strongly" advised insurers to start using the proposed reporting templates for Solvency II as a basis to start the implementation phase.