Opinion
Target school leavers rather than graduates
I read with considerable interest the continuing tale of the shortage in the insurance industry’s talent pool.
Editor's comment: Reading the Riot Act
Last month saw the 30th anniversary of the Toxteth Riots, violent disturbances that erupted on 3 July 1981 following the arrest of a young man, Leroy Alphonse Cooper in Liverpool.
View from the top: The going gets tough
Tough is probably a rather English understatement to describe the state of the world — and the world of reinsurance and insurance — today.
News analysis - Lancashire Tax move: Bringing business back to Blighty
With Lancashire set to move its tax residence to the UK, Amy Ellis looks at proposed reforms to the controlled foreign companies rules and asks whether other insurers may follow suit.
Postbox: Facing the data challenges of Solvency II
I read your article 'Lack of funds to spark Solvency II M&As', with interest. The article tells us that 31% of insurance firms surveyed are fully aware of the implications of Solvency II, and a further 38% are partially aware, but I wonder how many have…
Postbox: Squaring a difficult circle
David Bonehill's letter 'Bursting for Improvement' quite correctly referenced the scale of the burst pipe and escape-of-water claims either side of last Christmas. He also correctly identified the finite resource that is the UK loss adjusting profession…
View from the Top: Threat from wave of natural catastrophes?
The spate of natural catastrophes around the world shows no signs of abating.
European brokers set to benefit from IP growth
The value of intellectual property has come to the fore in recent months and according to Sam Bobo smart European brokers will be investing in developing insurance for this area in order to corner an expanding market.
Postbox: Collaboration is key to finding a surge solution
I read with interest David Bonehill's letter 'Bursting for Improvement'.
View from the top: The start of the journey
Four weeks into my new role and, after working in RSA's UK commercial business for 11 years, I have returned to my roots in the UK market. In many ways, it feels like I have never been away and yet, in others, it does.
Penny Black's insurance week
If Penny thought that Take That fever had passed following the end of the reformed pop band's UK tour she was very much mistaken.
Comment - Referral fees: Make your mind up time
As the debate over the future of referral fees rumbles on, it is time for the government to make its decision or risk creating confusion over its civil justice reform programme, writes Kate Lotts.
Comment - RTA scheme extension: Desirable data
After a year in operation, the RTA claims process is coming under scrutiny to determine whether it is actually working. Tim Wallis explains why statistical analysis is useful and desirable, but also difficult, at this stage.
Postbox: Fraud problem underestimated
I am writing to address the comments in the last edition of Post from Simpson Millar partner Emma Costin 'Co-operative attacked over PI claims fraud focus' , who I believe is underestimating the growing issue of false personal injury claims.
Postbox: Adjusters at the mercy of fickle insurers
David Bonehill's letter has clearly provoked a significant response — and rightly so.
Postbox: Mediation is a viable alternative
The various debates surrounding the future of referral fees and the resulting impact on the costs of insurance — 'TSC re-opens premiums inquiry as referral fee furore escalates' and 'Referral fees a 'red-herring', claims CSC' - overshadow the fact that…
Postbox: Independents can help lessen the load
I agree that there is room for improvement where surge response is needed.
View from the Top: Time for a new way of working with risk
Having recently attended the Airmic conference in Bournemouth, it struck me how much the risk management profession has changed over the last decade.
Risk management: the issue of local v global
Companies are increasingly becoming global but as Tracey Clayton argues this does not always mean that having a global insurance programme forced on them is the best option.
View from the top: More than just words
Tech companies push the boundaries of what is conceivable, while media groups walk a legal tightrope to publish good stories. That's why their insurers and brokers must work so hard to keep up with their clients' risks.
Postbox: Fraud unit funding not a floodgate
Your front page headline 'Insurers fear £9m fraud unit will prompt further cash calls' is somewhat alarmist.
Penny Black's insurance week
Penny thought she got invited to all the best gigs, but clearly her invitation to Markerstudy's 10th anniversary bash at The Savoy was lost in the post.
Editor's comment: Partners and crime
This week's insurance news theme could be the stuff of another unpublished Jane Austen novel — Partnership & Punishment — although it's doubtful the Bodleian would fork out another £1m for the privilege. Or perhaps with a title like that it's more…
View from the Top: The role of reinsurance in disaster risk management
Reinsurers are gaining recognition in the light of disasters for the role they are playing in helping insurers, governments and society as a whole to deal with today’s risk landscape.