Insurer
Italian insurers liable for losses if sovereign defaults
Italian insurers’ may be prevented from passing losses incurred in a sovereign default onto policyholders, if the return on customer portfolios is below the minimum guaranteed, according to Fitch.
Vienna Insurance appoints new head of investor relations
Vienna Insurance Group has appointed Nina Higatzberger as head of investor relations.
Homeserve expands mis-selling review
Homeserve is to revise its direct marketing materials as part of its mis-selling review. The materials are due to be sent out in the New Year.
Novae reiterates 60% loss ratio target
Novae has reported its gross written premium for the first nine months of 2011 was up 9% to £516.4m, up 9% (2010: £473.3m).
Zurich reports 'worst year since Katrina'
Zurich branded 2011 ‘the worst year since Hurricane Katrina’ as it reported a 12% slump in general insurance operating profit for the nine months so far, which was down to $1.73bn from $1.97bn last year.
Your say: A positive influence
I read with interest the two articles in last week’s Post (3 November 2011) concerning managed building repair networks: ‘Building referral fee costs hitting industry for ‘tens of millions of pounds’ and ‘Rok One Year On’.
Penny Black’s insurance week
Penny was impressed to learn Zurich’s commercial broking team is gearing up for a 1000-mile charity bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Customers revolt over hefty fines as eCar takes zero tolerance approach
Brightside has rebutted policyholder complaints about the practices of its online broker eCar. It follows claims by customers that they have reported the broker to the Financial Services Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Rugby club insurer RSA working on M5 crash
Bosses at RSA — the insurer responsible for covering Taunton Rugby Club — have said it is too early to comment on a police investigation into claims that smoke from a club firework display may have caused the M5 crash.
Crash-for-cash in commercial motor a 'massive blind spot' for industry
The Insurance Fraud Bureau needs to take the issue of crash-for-cash involving commercial vehicles off the “back burner”, commercial motor insurers have warned.
Groupama to expand share of non-standard motor
Groupama is expanding its book of business in non-standard personal lines motor after admitting competition in the “Mondeo man” market was stiff.
Structure is behind perception that Allianz UK is underweight, says Booth
The director responsible for all of Allianz’s insurance operations in the UK has insisted it is not underweight, and that it often gets overlooked in top five lists because of its structure.
Zurich targets top spot for high net worth
Zurich has unveiled its ambition to become the number one player in the high net worth market in the next three years and hopes broker support will mean it can take on Hiscox and Chubb.
Market moves: All change at Mondial and Marsh
This week insurers were, once again, the main recruiters with the majority of high profile appointments.
Law report: Environcom appeal rejected over disclosure dispute
This law report has been contributed by national law firm Berrymans Lace Mawer.
News analysis: An Olympian effort to prevent an impact on the business
If the trains and tubes are overcrowded and the roads gridlocked, will London’s brokers and insurers cope during the Olympics?
View from the top: A better deal on motor
We have a problem. As an industry, claims inflation in motor insurance is racing ahead of average earnings increases.
Insurer regionalisation: Spreading your wings
A number of industry players have recently bucked the trend of rationalising, to open new regional bases. Is localism a pasing fad or here to stay?
Interview - Duncan Spencer: Calling the shots
Mobile phone insurance has been branded ‘useless’ by some and touted as the next potential mis-selling scandal, but Duncan Spencer believes there is a growing need for the product.
Rehabilitation: Providing the carrot
While the use of rehabilitation has made great strides in the past few years, is a more co-ordinated approach with tangible incentives needed?
Agency workers: Temporary conditions
The Agency Workers Regulations will give temporary staff the same basic rights as permanent employees. What does this mean for liability policies?
Direct Line launches telematics pilot
Direct Line has teamed up with sister telematics firm Tracker to pilot the use of telematics within retail motor insurance.
Ageas boss 'confident' of an equally impressive Q4
Ageas chief executive Barry Smith is confident the company will continue to buck the trend in combined motor ratio for the fourth quarter after today posting impressive motor COR results of 96.4%.
Seven in 10 insurers admits being "average" or "weak" in meeting customer needs
While the majority of insurers (91%) believe future growth depends on providing a special customer experience, most of them do not currently see themselves as providing differentiated products and levels of service, according to findings of a global…