United Kingdom (UK)
Allianz’s Stephanie Smith on being prepared for operational resilience
Stephanie Smith, chief operating officer at Allianz Insurance, assesses how the focus on operational resilience has taken old school business continuity planning and added helpful and important extras.
Analysis: Brokers face PI exclusion dangers
Compliance consultants have highlighted the dangers for brokers of buying professional indemnity insurance with Covid-19 exclusions, warning that the Financial Conduct Authority can suspend permissions if firms do not get the right cover
Blog: Choice will drive hybrid model for claims assessment visits post-pandemic
High-net-worth adjusting will move to a hybrid model of physical and virtual claims assessments post Covid-19, says Mark Pierce, Criterion operations director.
Blog: Brexit set to drive up escape of water claims costs
Many will have breathed a sigh a relief when the government finally agreed a trade deal with the European Union at the turn of the year. However, a few months on, the cost implications for escape of water claims are now becoming clear, argues Yuling Kao…
Guy Carp takes Cook from Aon as MD and head of London Europe
Guy Carpenter has appointed Sebastian Cook as managing director and head of London Europe with immediate effect joining from Aon where he was head of EMEA London and deputy CEO, Nordic and Baltic Region.
Blog: MGAs and the shift in the insurance industry distribution ecosystem
The number of delegated underwriting authority enterprises has grown rapidly over the past 10 years. David Blades, associate director of industry research and analytics at AM Best, explains why this is and what this means for the market.
Blog: Why 'in theory' is not enough - sexual abuse claimants and the insurance industry
Tensions between abuse survivors and insurers have always been high. Dr Julie Macfarlane, a distinguished University Professor and Professor of Law (Emerita) at the University of Windsor and the Director of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project…
Marsh Commercial confirms settlement reached in DRP legal dispute
The legal dispute between Marsh Commercial and David Roberts & Partners is over with the terms of the settlement being kept confidential, Marsh Commercial has confirmed.
Briefing: Lowering the bar
Change at Lloyd’s does not come easily, the London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association was reminded last week, after its suggestion that formal attire requirements be banished to the annals of history was at first met with almost anything but…
Advertising feature: The key to effective influencing
As a trade body, when we're seeking possible solutions to some of the challenges brokers face, we need to collaborate with both brokers and key decision makers explains British Insurance Brokers’ Association CEO Steve White.
Trade Voice: Airmic's Julia Graham on managing biodiversity risk
The World Economic Forum identified biodiversity loss as one of its top five global risks earlier this year. Airmic deputy CEO and technical director Julia Graham argues that taking action is in businesses' interests as well as the planet's.
Six jailed as motor trade policies facilitate drugs trafficking
Six members of a Bristol-based organised crime group who fraudulently used trade motor insurance policies to help traffic drugs have been sentenced to a combined 18 years and eight months in prison.
Ever Given losses likely to be hundreds of millions not billions, say ratings agencies
The unblocking of the Suez Canal just under a week after MV Ever Given ran aground and the apparent absence of damage to the boat, its cargo and from pollution will limit losses to hundreds of millions of dollars rather than billions, ratings agencies…
Ratings agencies stable on CNA after cyber attack
AM Best and Fitch have both maintained their ratings for CNA Financial Corporation with a stable outlook after the insurer suffered a sophisticated cybersecurity attack on 21 March.
Motor insurance: Falling claims volumes reignite pricing debate
Claims volumes fell significantly in 2020 as premiums crept down slightly, insurer figures show, leading to intensified campaigner calls for current and future savings to be passed on to motorists.
Analysis: Deconstructing Aviva
With a new group CEO in role, Aviva has made serious strides in offloading its overseas operations. What inspired these moves and what does this mean for its core operations in the UK, Ireland and Canada?
GRP’s Stephen Ross on why sometimes selling your house is like selling your broking business
After looking at over 100 potential deals last year but only striking a small proportion of them Stephen Ross, head of mergers and acquisitions at Global Risk Partners, details what brokers considering a sale need to think about.
Spotlight: Apprenticeships - Developing the skills the insurance industry needs for the future with government-backed financial support schemes
Reflecting on the past year of lockdowns, remote working and economic uncertainty; with learning and development budgets cut short for firms across the UK, using the apprenticeship levy to upskill people should be an essential part of any insurance firm…
Suez Canal: Insurance industry braces for claims as Ever Given partially refloated
Ahead of the crucial weekend efforts to move 400m long MV Ever Given and unblock the Suez Canal, insurance industry experts assessed the potential for claims.
Blog: New beginnings for PI claims
As we emerge out of Covid-19 and into the ‘new normal’, claims specialists are speculating what the future of insurance could look like. Peter Hamberger, head of claims – professional risks at Tokio Marine HCC, explains how the past year has impacted…
Analysis: Tapping into the returners talent pool
Post investigates whether the insurance industry is welcoming of returners who have had a career gap, assessing the programmes in place to support them and the range of skills, experience, motivation and fresh perspective that they can bring to an…
Blog: A wrong turn on the road out of lockdown?
The resumption of outdoor sports from 29 March is perhaps surprising given the risk that it creates for the spread of Covid-19, says BLM's partner for occupational disease Simon Morrow.
Digital Bar Quarterly: Chasing pack strive to overtake Aviva in scramble for digital services, with Admiral and More Than leading the way
In the first of a new quarterly column Altus Consulting insurance director Mark Andrews dissects the data from its Digital Bar to highlight the lack of uptake of data enrichment to enable quick quote for direct customers, with many journeys still…
Court case thwarted BI claims solution that was just two weeks away, says Ardonagh’s Ross
A coalition of brokers working with Hiscox was just two weeks away from solving the problem of Covid-19 business interruption claims but the court case cut the legs off the solution, Ardonagh CEO David Ross has claimed.