Aviva
Aviva sets bid deadline for Malaysian unit
British insurer Aviva and Malaysian bank CIMB Group Bhd have set a 29 October deadline for suitors to place binding bids to buy their Malaysian insurance joint venture, in a deal worth at least $500m, according to Reuters.
Aviva backs Allan & Thomas risk management offering
Dorset-based broker Alan & Thomas Insurance Group is to offer commercial clients free access to a range of risk management tools and services after teaming up with Aviva Risk Management Solutions.
Brightside pockets £30m profit while online home policy sales plunge 74%
Insurance broker Brightside has reported a 10% jump in revenue to £43.6m for the six months ended June 2012, and a reduction in external debt of £15m.
The impact of European downgrades
This year has seen an increasing number of downgrades by ratings agencies for European insurers. Anne-Louise Fogtmann investigates how seriously these are taken and their impact on insurers.
Peter Elliot leaves Bluefin
Bluefin head of marketing Peter Elliott, pictured, is to leave the company with immediate effect.
DLG to offshore roles as part of £100m annual cost savings drive
Direct Line Group is set to offshore a "limited number" of chief operating office and sales, service and partnership roles as it begins to cut hundreds of UK jobs ahead of a planned flotation.
'You will get caught,' Aviva warns fraudsters
Aviva has warned fraudsters against submitting bogus claims ahead of the Association of British Insurers' fraud conference tomorrow.
AIA reportedly in talks with Aviva for Sri Lanka insurance arm
Hong Kong-based insurance giant AIA has reached the final stages of negotiations for Aviva’s stake in Sri Lankan insurer NDB-Aviva Insurance, according to reports in the Sri Lankan business press.
Aviva Europe CUO joins Towers Watson
Professional services firm Towers Watson has appointed David Ovenden, former Aviva chief underwriting officer for Europe, to lead its underwriting analysis practice.
Aviva director quits for Towergate
Aviva's shared services director, Alison Wilford, is to leave the insurer to join Towergate.
Houghton departs Broker Network after 17% drop in operating earnings
Nick Houghton has joined West Yorkshire-based broker JM Glendinning after resigning as managing director of Broker Network and Countrywide.
Insurers duck Admiral warning on 'killer' referral fees
Insurers have reiterated their support for the scrapping of referral fees, following remarks made by Admiral chief executive Henry Engelhardt that the incoming ban will be a "killer" for his competitors.
Whiplash on the Westminster agenda
Insurance industry claims bosses are heading to Westminster this afternoon to discuss whiplash at a meeting organised by the Transport Select Committee.
Keelan Westall boosts underwriting team with new starters
Wholesale property insurance broker Keelan Westall has set out to strengthen its technical expertise with a series of key appointments within its underwriting agency.
Barbon promotes Armitage to director
Barbon Insurance Group has promoted Mark Armitage to director after group managing director Nick Sharp, pictured, resigned from the company.
Cost of summer floods proves high as industry reports poor six-month results
This year's first-half results revealed a reverse in fortunes for Lloyd's and London market firms, while general insurers took a hit from the summer floods.
Post magazine - 23/30 August 2012
The latest issue of Post is now available to subscribers as a digital and interactive e-book.
Insiders voice concern at Aviva's long-term growth prospects amid cuts
Aviva's confirmation that hundreds of roles at "middle management or below" are at risk of redundancy has raised concerns that its long-term cost-cutting strategy comes at the expense of a focus on organic growth.
Editor's comment: Communication calamity
Aviva's evasiveness over revealing redundancy numbers attached to its well-publicised £400m cost-saving mission - coupled with the consequences of later admitting this to be as high as 800 (not counting the one in four directors who have already left) -…
Aviva action group calls for directors to resign
A group of Aviva policyholder activists and shareholders have called for four more directors to step down from the board just months after Andrew Moss, pictured, was forced to resign as chief executive.
Aviva: New jobs at risk "in line" with chairman's strategy
Aviva has claimed the 800 at-risk jobs among “middle management and below” are in line with its chairman’s plan to simplify the business.
Union accuses Aviva of job cuts programme via the back door
Aviva has warned that up to 800 jobs are at risk within its UK business as part of a push to cut costs by new chairman John McFarlane.
Allianz retail boss jumps ship to join First Central as marketing director
First Central bosses have signalled their intention to strengthen the firm’s online offering following the appointment of former Allianz Retail head of direct business Andy James as group marketing director.
Top five European news stories
The top five European stories from www.insuranceinsight.com over the past seven days.