Opinion
Looking Back - Government pulls plug on EL pilot
Insurers' battle to cut employers' liability claims costs hit another snag this week after the government finally pulled the plug on its fast-track pilot.
Looking Back: Legal expenses insurance takes off
After five years in operation, DAS Legal Expenses is now writing approximately £100 000 in premiums every month and has achieved a profitable underwriting result in its last two trading years, according to Tony Holdsworth, DAS' general manager.
Letter: Irish should be backing Quinn Group
If every cloud must have a silver lining then one of the very few benefits from the recession has been the renewed focus on the importance of relationships in business. In our own industry, much has been said recently about the need for brokers and…
View from the top: In from the cold
If every cloud must have a silver lining then one of the very few benefits from the recession has been the renewed focus on the importance of relationships in business. In our own industry, much has been said recently about the need for brokers and…
Comment - ELIB: How much of a liability?
Phil Bird considers the controversial proposal to establish an employee compensation fund of last resort and questions the validity of some of the objections to it.
Editor's comment: Can the gap be filled?
A week on and the dust has yet to settle around the future of Quinn Insurance, both in the UK and Ireland.
Inside View: Worth the risk
Romania and Ukraine offer hidden opportunities for underwriting risk, say Joanna Gorska, Carlo Gallo and Sorana Parvulescu of Control Risks.
Rethink: Disaster proof
Our roundup of readers' opinions reveals that despite heavy natural catastrophe losses reinsurance rates are falling
Penny black's insurance week
With so many companies having changed their name of late it is easy for even the most avant-garde insurance observer such as one, to sound resolutely stuck in a late noughties time warp. So, Penny was relieved to hear she's not alone and that no amount…
5 years ago: Tories to rein in FSA if they win election
The Financial Services Authority will be given only six months to bring about a "lighter touch" to regulation if the Conservatives win the next General Election.
20 years ago: Crisis as Wallbrook is suspended
The London insurance market is facing a new crisis following the secretary of state for trade and industry Nicholas Ridley's decision to bar Wallbrook Insurance from underwriting new business, notably US excess liability risks, due to insufficient…
50 years ago: Twin is sent to jail for arson fraud
George and Jack Hart were identical twins. They worked together in the same firm as partners, and they lived together with their families in two flats in the same house.
Postbox: Use your votes wisely
I would like to congratulate Post on its pre-election coverage of the major parties, culminating in last week's insightful interview with Lord Myners.
Postbox: Best practice for owners is to not use consultants
Whether the Financial Services Authority regulation of insurance intermediaries of all shapes and sizes is necessary or appropriate and proportional does not change the fact that it is here to stay.
View from the top: Paving the way for a new government
Last week saw the final budget before the forthcoming general election. Regardless of who wins, it is important that the industry has an open and effective relationship with whichever party or composition of parties is in power.
Looking Back 10 years: Eastgate to sue Lindsey Morden
Claims assistance group Eastgate is suing the Lindsey Morden Group for more than £20m over the Hambro Assistance deal.
Looking Back 20 years: Telephone changes for London calls
Members of the Association of British Insurers are urging policyholders with burglar alarms linked to police stations with London 01 telephone numbers to ensure these are converted to take account of the changes British Telecom is making to London codes.
Looking Back 30 years: From actuary to rock star interviewer
From pensions quotations to rock music is a big leap. But Spencer Leigh has no trouble in straddling two such disparate interests.
Looking Back 50 years: Deaths on the road see increase
The Ministry of Transport has announced that 507 people died in road accidents in the UK in January.
Penny black's insurance week
Penny has been to her fair share of celebrity restaurants in the past, but it is not often that she gets to rub shoulders with the celebrities themselves.
Letter - Teenage Associate lays claim to record
Tony Cornell's letter in the 11 March edition "An Age Old Conundrum" denying Peter Cullum's (ascribed) claim to be the youngest Associate at 21 sent me scurrying for my archives — otherwise known as the suitcase in the loft.
View from the top: A makeover of the mind
The insurance industry has an image problem. If it were a celebrity, it would take more than just a nip and tuck and some botox to transform its wrinkled reputation with the paying public.
Looking Back 5 Years Ago: Real-time MID updates are scrapped
Insurers have abandoned plans for real-time updating of the Motor Insurance Database on cost grounds, instead opting for a seven-day requirement. And the Association of British Insurers and the Motor Insurers' Bureau urged the government and the industry…
Looking Back 10 Years Ago: Insurers hit by high claims costs
Insurers suffered their second-heaviest claims burden ever last year — only 1992, the year of Hurricane Andrew, was worse.