Post - 09-03-2011 (09-03-2011)
Articles in this issue
Post Magazine – 10 March 2011
The latest issue of Post magazine is now available to subscribers as a digital and interactive e-book.
Aviva takes minority stake in rehabilitation firm HCML
Aviva Health UK has made a “significant” investment to secure a minority shareholding in rehabilitation firm HCML.
Concern over Google buying BTQ
Google intends to run Beat That Quote as a separate business in the near term, following its £37.7m acquisition of the aggregator.
Web design firm buys motor comparison sites
Insurance comparison site The Bike Insurer has been acquired by web design firm Vast Visibility, Post has learnt.
Interview – Peter Halpin: keeping Swinton on the acquisition track
Swinton CEO Peter Halpin had a lot to live up to - following, as he did, in Patrick Smith’s footsteps. He talks to Leigh Jackson about taking the company forward and continuing its impressive acquisition record.
Editor’s comment: two new faces to watch
With Google this week snapping up beat that Quote for a little under £40m, and web design firm Vast Visibility simultaneously buying two specialist bike and van price comparison sites, aggregators are very much the insurance ‘buy du jour’.
View from the top: an updating challenge
Well, spring has sprung and yet, with the exception of the personal lines motor market, there is still no sign of any rate-hardening green shoots.
Penny Black’s insurance week
Penny was fortunate to be sunning herself in southern Spain earlier this week. With only a mild case of sunburn to attend to, she was shocked to hear one of her insurer pals had experienced a rather more unfortunate injury on his holiday.
Chaucer profits fall due to cat exposure
Chaucer has attributed its fall in profit and property underwriting loss to its exposure to global catastrophes.
Aviva gears up for telematics return as motor rates rise
Aviva has mooted reintroducing telematics technology for private cars during 2011, according to UK chief executive Mark Hodges.
Admiral not confused over aggregator
Admiral has vowed to retain Confused, despite the aggregator’s profit falling by 54% in the past three years.
New ABI DG to focus on consumer issues
The Association of British Insurers’ new director general has pledged to put consumer issues across general insurance and life & pensions at the centre of the organisation’s strategy.
Aon hires staff after defection
Aon has made of raft of senior hires to its UK professions team, after several members of its previous team defected to rival broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson last year.
EC plans to standardise tax
The European Council’s proposals to standardise taxes across member states could mean fewer insurance companies look to redomicile to countries such as Ireland.
LMIE aims for slice of mid-corp market
Liberty Mutual insurance Europe is targeting rivals Ace and Chubb for a larger slice of the mid-corporate market - a sector it believes will act as a “springboard” into the wider UK market.
ELTO pushes for 100% coverage
Ace has become the final major insurer to sign up to the employers’ Liability tracing Office.
Amlin blames earthquakes for £250m drop in profit
Amlin will monitor rate increases in earthquake zones in 2011, after blaming significant catastrophe activity for a £250m drop in profit for 2010.
Novae: UK corporation tax may force us to redomicile
Novae chief executive Matthew Fosh has said the UK’s economic landscape is set to force the insurer to redomicile, so it can remain competitive and yield bigger returns for shareholders.
Catastrophe losses hold back Hardy profits
Hardy Underwriting’s profits halved to £10m during 2010, after it faced a string of international catastrophe losses with a net value of £37m.
Allianz calls on brokers to better BI basics
Allianz insurance has urged brokers to go “back to basics” to ensure more commercial customers are provided with adequate business interruption cover.
Acquisition-hungry Swinton spells out 2011 buy strategy
High street broker Swinton is targeting at least 25 acquisitions in 2011, after completing five such deals so far this year.
CCV looks to top 12 annual acquisitions
Callum Capital Ventures is aiming to exceed its current rate of one acquisition a month, after completing the purchase of South Wales-based Hanbury insurance.
Chartis web app launches
Chartis has launched a web app for two of its SME products, so brokers can obtain speculative or last-minute quotes while on the move.