News
Brokerslink gears up for Venice conference
More than 200 broking delegates from 70 countries are expected to participate in this year's Brokerslink conference in October.
Iceland Met office raises red volcano warning
The Iceland Meteorological Office has raised its aviation warning to red near the Bardarbunga volcano.
Munich Re's head of China and Hong Kong takes up global marine role
Munich Re's chief executive of Greater China and Hong Kong John Wilkinson has been appointed CEO of Munich Re’s global marine partnership.
Hastings CEO Hoffman forecasts rising motor rates
Motor rates are likely increase over the next twelve months, barring any exceptional events, according to Hastings chief executive Gary Hoffman.
Hodges admits caution in Manchester call centre migration
Towergate chief executive Mark Hodges has admitted the broker is leaving some SME and personal lines business with local offices, rather than migrating accounts to its new Manchester call centre.
Miller appoints Beattie to head Asian construction unit
Miller has appointed former Willis divisional director Paul Beattie as its head of construction for Asia.
Ex-Arista liability boss cites market ambitions for Gresham switch
Managing general agent Gresham Underwriting has confirmed the appointment of Arista’s head of liability Tony Collman to the position of chief underwriting officer.
Austbrokers racks up 10.5% rise in 2014 after-tax profits
Sydney-based insurance company Austbrokers has chalked up ninth successive year of double-digit earnings growth with a net profit after tax of A$35.5m (£20m) for 2014 (2013: A$32.1m).
Canopius targets casualty in South Asia with Ace hire
Specialist (re)insurer Canopius has appointed Alan Law as regional casualty underwriter for its Singapore platform.
DLG names Dixons Carphone boss as non-exec
Direct Line Group has recruited the group chief executive of Dixons Carphone to serve as a non-executive director.
CEO Jansen and CFO Boland to leave the AA
The AA chief executive Chris Jansen has resigned from the board of the roadside assistance company “by mutual agreement”.
Aon and Amlin launch new product for estate owners
Aon Estates Practice, part of the broker's private client business, has launched an insurance solution for estate owners, in conjunction with Lloyd’s insurer Amlin.
Hastings sees 90% increase in Q2 pre-tax profit
UK motor specialist Hastings posted profit before tax of £17.1m for the second quarter of 2014, a 90% increase on the same period in 2013.
Reinsurers urged to work with governments to improve disaster resilience
Rising losses in the wake of natural catastrophes is increasing economic instability in many developing and emerging economies, according to a report by Standard & Poor’s.
Insured disaster losses fall by $4bn in first six months of 2014
Total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached $44bn (£26.5bn) in the first half of 2014, according to preliminary estimates from Swiss Re’s Sigma database.
ABI defers decision on Flood Re participation for independent Scotland
The Association of British Insurers has refused to rule out the possibility of an independent Scotland being excluded from the insurance industry backed Flood Re scheme.
Ageas Law awarded Lexcel accreditation
Ageas Law, the alternative business structure established by Ageas in April 2013, has been awarded Lexcel status by the Law Society.
Allianz promotes Lewis to Maidstone branch boss
Allianz Commercial has handed the reins of its Maidstone office to strategic account manager Jamie Lewis.
Ryanair to remove ‘hidden’ opt out from travel insurance menu
No-frills airliner Ryanair will replace the ‘confusing’ travel insurance menu of its website by the end of the year, following pressure from consumer champion Which?
BLM appoints new PI partner
BLM has added, commercial lawyer Jagdeep Singh Hayre, formerly of Birmingham City Council, to its public sector team.
Great Lakes Australia helps Steadfast buy Calliden
Australia's largest broker network Steadfast is buying Australian managing general agent the Calliden Group for A$105m (£59.1m).
Fosun's insurance assets make modest profits in first half
Chinese conglomerate Fosun's insurance revenues climbed 8,294% over the last year in the first six months of 2014.
Allied World to double Asia book
Allied World's premiums in Asia will more than double when the RSA's Hong Kong and Singapore books are integrated.
R&Q faces large legal expenses from syndicate 102 dispute
The ongoing cost of a "significant" legal dispute on old syndicate 102 and several accounting technicalities were to blame for Randall & Quilter positing a loss in the first half of 2014, according to chairman and chief executive Ken Randall.