News
Marsh appoints Lay business development leader international
Broker Marsh has appointed Chris Lay to the newly created position of business development leader for its International division, which comprises all Marsh's operations outside North America.
RSA appoints replacement HR director Vanessa Evans
RSA bosses hope to have found the perfect fit in the appointment of former Lego global retail HR director Vanessa Evans as Orlagh Hunt's replacement in the role of group HR director at the insurer.
CEA rebrands as Insurance Europe
The CEA, the European insurance and reinsurance federation, is rebranding to become Insurance Europe.
Novae suffers £6m loss before tax in "torrid year" for general insurance
Specialist insurer Novae has reported an underlying loss before tax of £6m for the year to 31 December 2011 in a "torrid year for the non-life insurance industry" compared to £36.2m profit in 2010.
NEDs left in the dark about underwriting risks, claims Mazars study
Non-executive directors at some of the UK's biggest insurance firms are being left in the dark about underwriting risks associated with coverholder audit results.
Hardy chairman blames 'challenging years' for £50m losses
Hardy Underwriting Bermuda chairman David Mann has bemoaned the past two "challenging years" for a loss before tax of £42.1m against the previous year's £10m profit.
Ai Claims revenue hit by warmer winter weather
Ai Claims has posted a 21% drop in revenue to £47.5m (from £60.1m in December 2010) for the six months to 31 December 2011, citing warmer winter weather and shorter repair times.
Overseas revenue surge drives 13% pre-tax profit rise at JLT
Strong retail revenue growth and margins in Asia and Latin America helped offset difficult trading environments in Europe and Canada to deliver an overall 13% pre-tax profit rise for Jardine Lloyd Thompson for the full-year ending 31 December 2011.
Woodgate & Clark snaps up Fitzpatrick following Crawford departure
Graeme Fitzpatrick has joined loss adjusters Woodgate & Clark after leaving his position as managing director general insurance at Crawford.
Career development: Markerstudy gains ILM accolade
Markerstudy has been granted 'centre status' by the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Groupama and Brit hit snags as they try to shortlist potential buyers
Industry big-hitters linked to Direct Line Group chairman role
One year on, Christchurch still counting the cost
February marked the first anniversary of New Zealand’s most deadly natural disaster. One year on from the magnitude 6.3 quake that devastated downtown Christchurch on 22 February 2011 and claimed the lives of 185 people – and with the dust far from…
MEPs on the front foot as Prudential sparks fear of mass insurer exodus
Solvency II concerns in the spotlight after UK giant linked with Hong Kong move
My best 11: Jon Bates, APC Underwriting
APC Underwriting operations director Jon Bates selects his best XI for an insurance startup. Bates has snubbed the Premier League, with a team dominated by brokers and fellow underwriting agency players, including his boss as captain, with the surprise…
Market moves: Insurers dominate again
Zurich made two high-profile appointments this week, as the recruitment space was once again dominated by insurers.
Experts play down fears of wider trend as two brokers slip into administration
Fears that smaller brokers are coming under increased pressure — after two independent firms slipped into administration in a week — have been downplayed by Eric Galbraith (pictured) who claims "the market is as competitive as ever".
Commercial lags behind personal as major insurers reveal their 2011 hands
The results season is more than halfway through and, while analysts have highlighted the increased profit in personal lines despite market saturation, they claim commercial is lagging behind and could worsen.
Career development: Plum grows training scheme
Plum Underwriting has pledged to expand the size of its broker training scheme.
Shorter car hire lengths damaged results, says Helphire boss
Credit hire firm Helphire is "cautious but optimistic" about the future, despite posting an adjusted operating loss of £0.7m for the six months to 31 December 2012.
Ace Europe targets over-50s market with Netherlands pilot
Ace Europe is branching into the over-50s market with a pilot starting in the Netherlands in Q2 this year.
Markel opens second Malaysian office
Specialist insurer, Markel International, has opened a marketing office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in response to increased demand for specialist products from the Asian market.
Prudential departure would be "severe blow", says Tory MEP
The market has been responding to the news that The Prudential, one of the UK's oldest insurance companies, may re-domicile abroad, due to a lack of clarity over how Solvency II will affect its business.
Direct Line Group hires chief risk officer
Jose Vazquez will join Direct Line Group as chief risk officer, reporting to Paul Geddes, chief executive officer.
LV wins landmark contrived collision court case
LV has won the first case of its kind in which an accident that was wholly contrived has been successfully concluded in favour of the insurance company.