Comparison sites
Which? super-complaint shows insurance is a race to the bottom
James Daley, managing director of Fairer Finance, argues Which’s super-complaint lays bare long-standing problems in policy quality, claims performance and comparison-site competition and pushes for better purchase information to halt the industry’s slide toward a race to the bottom.
AI models threaten to ‘blow apart’ price comparison sites
Artificial intelligence large language models such as ChatGPT are set to “blow apart” price comparison website distribution, according to Stella Insurance CEO Sam White.
Staysure doubling down on aggregator growth
Staysure’s chief growth officer, Simon McCulloch, has described how the travel insurance provider is investing heavily in price comparison sites, as well as relaunching its own.
Insurers exposed for pricing bias over payment preference
Some insurers and brokers on price comparison websites are inflating motor premiums based solely on whether a customer indicates a preference for paying monthly instead of annually, an investigation by Insurance Post has revealed.
Policy Expert bosses outline plan to double GWP
Policy Expert CEO Steve Hardy has laid down a target to double the size of the business within five years and become a top five provider of pet insurance in the UK.
Insurers cover APR cuts by increasing instalment costs
Consumer Intelligence has uncovered evidence that insurers are reducing their advertised annual percentage rate for premium finance without reducing the actual cost of paying for home and motor insurance in instalments.
What NatWest was doing while Amazon’s efforts crashed and burned
Editor’s View: At the end of 2022 all eyes were on Amazon’s Insurance Store, but Emma Ann Hughes observes perhaps more attention should have been paid to what NatWest was quietly doing with technology and financial services distribution.
Sabre targeting £80m profit by 2030
Geoff Carter, CEO of Sabre, has told Insurance Post that the firm plans to take in "at least" £80m in profit by 2030.
Lack of trust in telematics hampering potential
After a survey found only 8% of respondents had received any communication from insurers about adopting telematics-based insurance to help reduce premiums, Fairer Finance’s James Daley said “telematics still doesn’t seem to be fulfilling its potential”.
Q&A: Mike Brockman, ThingCo
ThingCo founder and CEO Mike Brockman sits down with Insurance Post to talk about why the business has recently been in 'stealth mode,' how he hopes telematics can appeal to a wider audience, and potentially new markets he hopes to expand into.
Big Interview: Mark Bailie, Compare the Market
Mark Bailie, CEO of BGL Group, the owner of Compare the Market, sits down with Scott McGee to talk about the 'bad bank' at RBS, achieving ‘perfect’ price and product comparison, and his plans for the business moving forward.
Compare the Market utilising AI to ‘perfect’ product comparison
Compare the Market CEO Mark Bailie has labelled artificial intelligence a “godsend” as he pledges to use the technology to achieve perfect price comparison.
Defaqto warns consumers are ‘brainwashed’ by prices
Speaking at Defaqto’s Smarter Financial Decisions conference today (12 September), Mike Powell, insight analyst at Defaqto, said customers are too consumed by price when picking a general insurance policy.
Compare the Market CEO aims to triple size of business
Compare the Market CEO Mark Bailie plans to triple the size of the business by pushing the price comparison website into fresh areas of financial services.
Are insurers racing to be online-only excluding disabled customers?
As the insurance sector increasingly digitises, Damisola Sulaiman examines the barriers disabled customers face in accessing online insurance services, as well as the measures that have been implemented by insurers to address these issues.
Crunch time for insurers’ Consumer Duty reports
One year on from the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer Duty requirements for open products, Emma Ann Hughes investigates whether insurers will get a pat on the back or a clip round the ear from the regulator when they hand in…
Travel insurance complaints hit highest levels since pandemic
The number of travel insurance complaints brought to the Financial Ombudsman Service has increased by 19% in the last year.
Home insurance premiums continue climb as motor dips
Pearson Ham’s latest Premium Price Index has revealed that home insurance prices continued to increase in May, while motor decreased slightly.
How Covid changed travel insurance laid bare
Anna-Marie Duthie, insight consultant for general insurance at Defaqto, examines how the Covid-19 pandemic and price comparison websites have transformed travel insurance and explains why some providers are feeling the pressure of the Consumer Duty rules.
Louise O’Shea, CFC
Louise O’Shea was appointed group CEO at CFC in January 2024 having served as an independent non-executive director since 2021.
Motor insurers warned about political and regulatory intervention
Motor insurers stand on the precipice of a possible explosion in complaints relating to essentials and value policies. And if the industry does not act it should be ready for political and regulatory intervention.