Insurer
Zurich pledges to beat the market by up to 4% on COR
Zurich will today outline plans to improve its general insurance combined ratio by three to four percentage points relative to global competitors by 2013 while contributing to group business operating profit after tax return on equity target: > 16%.
Jubilee off the market as Ascot buys motor book
Jubilee group chief executive Andreas Loucaides has vowed that the Lloyd's underwriter is no longer for sale, despite Ascot Underwriting acquiring its commercial motor book.
Penny Black's insurance week
Penny and her colleagues were out and about on the town last week with the NIG executive, apart from poor managing director Jon Greenwood who has been struck down with glandular fever.
Brokers face North-South divide over M&A activity
Brokers in the 'resilient South' are standing their ground when it comes to getting the price they want for a sale, creating a divide between themselves and their northern counterparts in terms of acquisition availability, it has been claimed.
Career path & CSR: Zurich director wins top Women in the City award
Zurich Insurance global underwriting technical director Jane Hayes has been named as winner of this year's insurance category at the Women in the City awards.
RSA looking for repair supplier
RSA has kicked off a tender process to find a repair supplier for its commercial property claims, Post has learnt.
Mortgage fraud - Regulation: Safe as houses?
Concern at the scale of professional negligence in the mortgage industry has prompted renewed focus on regulation. But will these efforts succeed in stamping out fraud, asks Jennifer Bates.
Market conditions behind MD's departure
Insurer QBE has cited a shift in the market as the reason behind its reshuffle that saw property managing director Bernard Mageean depart the firm last week.
View from the top: Staying ahead of the game
So, business plans have been approved and/or amended and 2011 looms ever closer. In today's market there is at least one certainty: it will be just as challenging to produce an underwriting profit next year as it has been in 2010.
Insurance landscape - Household future: Leaping forward
Changes in the household claims market have been sluggish over the past 25 years. Max Dunworth looks at the significant upcoming developments that aim to revolutionise this sector.
Legal review of the year: Less doing more
Consolidation among insurance law firms was the hot topic for 2010, as they try to meet insurers' demands. Veronica Cowan reports on an interesting year.
BGL: European aggregators on hitlist after French buy
BGL Group will look to buy more European aggregators if its purchase of Courtanet proves successful.
Postbox: H&S performance index useful for all
I was interested to read the article on a "sense of anticipation" from Zurich's David Smith where he commented on the lack of engagement with the Health & Safety Executive's H&S performance index
Interview - Bart de Smet: Return to fitness
Despite being one of the most high-profile casualties of the financial crisis, Ageas is now focusing on the future rather than the past. Jonathan Swift meets group CEO Bart De Smet to discuss its UK plans, acquisitions and why big is not necessarily…
Career path & CSR: The value of mentoring
With the economy still teetering on the edge between recession and recovery, the advice and support that mentors can give to aspiring business leaders and managers can help shape immediate business prospects and future growth. Business leaders have a…
Postscript - 10 years ago: Early black box plans challenged
Looking through Post's back catalogue paints a unique picture of more than 150 years of insurance news, as this highlight from 10 years ago reveals.
Insurance landscape - Household past: Stiff competition
A perception exists that household claims lag behind motor claims in terms of innovation and new entrants are challenging the traditional loss adjusting model. Stephanie Denton examines the impact of this on the market.
Editor's comment: A country divided?
Who knows whether it is because the Conservatives are back in power — albeit in a coalition government — but it appears that individuals in the general insurance sector are suddenly talking up a North-South divide again.
RSA hunts for new UK personal lines MD
RSA is on the lookout for a new managing director of UK personal lines, following the appointment of Mike Holliday-Williams as CEO of RSA Scandinavia.
Allianz on track to eclipse £30m target
Allianz Commercial is expanding its cross-border insurance offering as part of a relaunch of its UK mid-corporate operation.
Post Magazine – 02 December 2010
The latest issue of Post magazine is now available to subscribers as a digital and interactive e-book.
Towergate reacts to deputy CEO Blanc's departure to Axa
Towergate has responded to the news that Amanda Blanc is leaving the company to join Axa.
Towergate deputy CEO Blanc returns to Axa as commercial boss
Axa UK has confirmed Amanda Blanc will return to the firm as CEO of its commercial lines business which includes its distribution arm, Bluefin Insurance.
Ageas MD Cliff slams 20-40% dual pricing differences
Mark Cliff, Ageas managing director, has criticised the market practice of dual pricing on new and renewal business and the “Christmas sales” where “slabs of increased commissions are introduced to bring in business”.