Feature
Legal reform: Uncertainty abounds as Laspo countdown continues
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act is set to be implemented in April, but insurers and lawyers are concerned by a lack of detail.
Olympics: Claims from the games
Terrorism, adverse weather and the outbreak of disease could all cause the cancellation of the Olympics. But could the industry cope if the Games were canned?
IMD2 - a level playing field?
Legislative proposals released this month by the European Commission for the Insurance Mediation Directive have met with mixed reviews. Victor Fornasier asks whether they will finally create a level playing field.
European Union liability trends raise 'supra-national' challenges
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted that he wants to rein in Europe's legislative power. Ralph Savage looks at the effects it is having on European insurers.
Asian enterprise risk management gathering steam
The Asia insurance sector lags behind Western markets in terms of enterprise risk management. Nicky Burridge investigates the issues bringing the matter to the top of the agenda.
Payment Protection Insurance: Ringing the changes
Could a redrawing of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme boundaries save brokers from a repeat of the adverse financial impact of the payment protection insurance mis-selling scandal?
Outsourcing: Shall we take this outside?
The multi-billion pound business process outsourcing industry is gaining favour with the insurance industry - and it is about much more than just offshore call centres
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?
Asia’s next big growth market
Asia-Pacific is still very much the place to be in insurance terms but as Jenni Marsh reports the less traditional markets, outside of China and Japan, are expected to be the real growth stories in the coming years.
Mandatory commission – an necessary evil?
Rumors of mandatory commission disclosure have plagued the market since the start of the year but as the European Commission confirms brokers fears Francesca Nyman assesses the impact on European brokers.
Legal Update: Migrant Workers - Claims farming
The harvest season in the UK inevitably means a rise in migrant workers in the agricultural sector. The need to navigate questions of ethics, potential conflicts of interest and policy breaches means insurers must scrutinise related claims carefully
Roundtable: Future Technology - How can insurers keep pace with technology?
The onward march of social media and mobile technology pose imminent challenges for insurers over utilising publicly available data, not to mention much more radical prospective shifts in risk transfer on the horizon
Broking Focus: Bespoke tailoring
Biba’s wants the strategic review of its operations by Deloitte to produce a trade body fit to compete alongside the strongest organisations in the 21st century
High Net Worth: Join The High Flyers
With the lucrative high net worth market continuing to soar, it’s little wonder so many new entrants are getting on board – but there could be a hard landing ahead for some
Personal Lines Broking: Feeding the phoenix
As brokers continue to reinvent themselves to remain a major force in personal lines insurance, it is up to insurers to help them flourish in this competitive market
Personal Lines Broking: Challenges on the horizon
After facing multiple threats that promised doom and gloom, personal lines brokers are ready to face down further challenges coming their way
A mutual future?
Regulations like Solvency II will have a significant impact on mutuals across Europe. Francesca Nyman asks whether the model will survive.
Accounting Standards: Slow but steady
Eight years since the 'interim' International Financial Reporting Standards were introduced, progress is still slow on final implementation.
Spotlight On Medical & Health: The heart of the matter
The barriers of medical science are constantly being pushed back, and third-party liability is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cover required for research and development projects.
Spotlight On Medical & Health: The long-life experiment
With an ageing population presenting new challenges, how can the insurance industry turn the problem of increased longevity into an opportunity?
Roundtable: How can fraud be halted at the underwriting stage?
There has long been a focus on fighting fraud at the claims stage, but could more be done to discourage would-be fraudsters at an earlier juncture?
Commercial Property: Too little, too late
Property underinsurance creates a real headache for insurers and their clients, often not discovered until a claim is made. So, where does the buck stop for accurate valuations?
Spotlight On Medical & Health: Trial and error
Clinical trials on humans is witnessing great technological advances, but they can be dangerous, as the Te Genero case proved in 2006. With compulsory insurance required, how can insurers manage the risks involved?
Loss adjusting: A standards issue
Direct regulation of loss adjusters has been on the agenda for more than a decade but, with Europe ready to step in, is the industry prepared to be governed by forces on the continent?