Hastings Group
Complete Cover boosts management team with four hires including ex-Markerstudy and Brightside leader Russell Bence
Non-standard motor specialist Complete Cover Group has recruited a four-strong team of senior managers with experience from Hastings, Kwik Fit, Markerstudy, Brightside and Ageas.
Broker gender pay gap wider than insurers' and static in 2019
The gender pay gaps of top insurance brokerages showed little movement in 2019, with the divide between the mean pay of men and women shrinking by 0.33% while the gap in median pay grew by 0.34%.
Admiral ploughs on with year end shareholder dividend
Admiral confirmed it will recommend a final dividend for the year to shareholders, as it suspended a special dividend.
Hastings chair Hoffman to exit
Gary Hoffman, Hastings non-executive chair, will step down from the company next month.
Politicians call for motor insurers to refund policyholders
Members of Parliament have called for insurers to refund motorists based on coronavirus lockdown savings, following Admiral's pledged £25 per customer rebate yesterday.
MP calls on government to force insurers to use dividends to pay coronavirus claims
Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards has tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the government to instruct insurers to put their dividends towards settling insurance claims resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week: Under pressure
UK insurers are coming under increased scrutiny as Covid-19 worsens. And this week that was certainly the case for Hiscox after businesses threatened the insurer with a class action lawsuit for rejecting claims related to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Hastings pushes ahead with dividend payment plan
Hastings Group has confirmed it will propose a final dividend of 5.5p per share at its AGM on 21 May despite calls from regulators for the industry to suspend payments during the coronavirus pandemic.
Analysis: Insurers nix staff travel as coronavirus casts shadow over events
Some firms are telling their staff to avoid all but essential work travel in the UK due to coronavirus concerns, leading to some insurance event postponements and cancellations, Post has learned.
Analysis: A coronavirus call centre crisis?
Personal lines insurance providers are faced with a potentially “lethal” situation if call centre staff cannot go into work en masse due to coronavirus disruption, compliance experts have cautioned. Post asked brokers and insurers how they are preparing…
This week: Ups and downs
It's been a swings and roundabouts kind of week.
Hastings sees profit slide 42%
Hastings’ share price took a tumble as it revealed operating profit fell 42% in a year that the insurer was hit by the Ogden rate and claims inflation.
Hastings looks to suppliers and fraud detection to staunch claims inflation
Hastings is hoping that investment in its anti-fraud capabilities and supplier partnerships secured in the tail-end of last year will mitigate the impact of claims inflation on its bottom line.
Admiral staff to get bumper bonus as predicted profit soars
Admiral is expecting to see profit before tax of £510m to £540m for 2019, with its staff to each receive a £500 bonus.
Hastings sees claims costs jump in Q4
Rising claims costs in quarter four are expected to put a slight dent in Hastings’ 2019 dividend payout.
Former Hastings group CFO Hoskins takes on BGL NED role
Hastings’ former group chief financial officer, Richard Hoskins, will join BGL as an independent non-executive director in January.
ABI opts against legal challenge to Ogden rate decision
The Association of British Insurers will not be proceeding with a legal challenge to the “misguided and incorrect” decision to set the Ogden personal injury discount rate at -0.25%, the organisation has confirmed.
Roundtable: A customer-centric approach to the digital future
On the back of research into the shape of the future delivery of personal lines, Post held a roundtable, in association with EXL, with experts to investigate how ready organisations are to meet customer expectations as demand for cover evolves in the…
First Central looks to raise external investment to fund “ambitious plans for the future”
First Central Group is seeking external investment which will see its founders reduce their stake in the Guernsey headquartered insurance group, Post can reveal.
This week in Post: Ardonagh in the clear
A long-awaited judgment in the legal wrangle between Ardonagh and Gallagher came today, clearing Ardonagh of wrongdoing.
Hastings' new business competitiveness ‘has fallen’ as it prioritises pricing discipline
This year Hastings has priorititised pricing discipline amid a regulatory probe into pricing practices and rising claims inflation, leading to a drop in its competitiveness for new business.
Analyst names insurers likely to face most disruption from pricing practices review
Disruption caused by any regulatory interventions on insurers’ pricing practices is more likely to affect insurers such as Direct Line Group, RSA and Saga than price comparison site-based underwriters such as Admiral and Hastings, Peel Hunt has predicted.
2019 Insurance Fraud Awards: Full list of winners
Zurich was the big winner at the 2019 Post Insurance Fraud Awards picking up three awards, and a highly commended including top prize in the Investigation of the Year category.
This month in Post: Insurtechs, results and discount rate
London seems strangely quiet in the summer, most people are away on holiday, and out of office replies are basically a given.