Legal
Coronavirus to gain notifiable disease status across UK
Businesses disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak may be able to recoup their losses if they have purchased insurance policy extensions indemnifying losses stemming from “notifiable disease”, following updates to public health statutes.
Covéa agrees $9bn deal for Partner Re
Covéa has signed up to buy Bermuda-based global reinsurer Partner Re from the Ferrari-owning Agnelli family for $9bn (£7bn) in cash in a deal scheduled to complete in the fourth quarter of this year.
Blog: Whither next or wither next for Pool Re?
Post senior reporter Emmanuel Kenning asks if Pool Re is facing an existential crisis after the Office for National Statistics’ judgement that the mutual reinsurer should become part of the government.
Pool Re development a 'massive change': Biba
Graeme Trudgill, executive director at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association, has pledged to support Pool Re during consultations about the future of the mutual reinsurer.
ABI flags 'potentially serious implications' as Pool Re classified part of government
The Office for National Statistics has judged that Pool Re should be classified as part of the central government subsector in a surprise move that has raised questions about the future of the mutual reinsurer.
Updated: Tribunal throws out Eldon and Leave EU appeals against ICO
Exclusive: Arron Banks' broker Eldon still faces a data audit and fine after it and Leave EU’s appeals against the Information Commissioner’s Office were thrown out by a tribunal, Post can reveal.
UK insurers warned they could face US-style social inflation
UK insurers could soon see their claims costs increase as a result of social inflation similar to that which is challenging carriers in the US, law firms RPC and Hinshaw and Culbertson have warned.
Q&A: Forum of Insurance Lawyers CEO Laurence Besemer
In 2009 Laurence Besemer became the first CEO of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers, the UK trade body for defendant law firms. A decade into the role he spoke to Jonathan Swift about its commitment to its members, a successful 2019 and why it is definitely…
Law organisations decry MoJ dropping ADR from claims portal
The decision by the Ministry of Justice to remove alternative dispute resolution from the whiplash claims portal has been slammed by law organisations as a broken promise, just not good enough and removing a central plank of the whole process.
Analysis: Little leeway from five month delay to whiplash portal
The Ministry of Justice has addressed a “loophole” meaning children and vulnerable adults will be able to recoup representation costs when the delayed whiplash portal rolls out, but questions linger over its start date, pressure on courts and claimants…
Kennedys spins out inhouse innovation team as stand-alone business
Law firm Kennedys has spun out part of its innovation function as a separate wholly-owned limited company in order to speed up product development and attract staff more suited to its technology/software focus.
Insurance Monitor: Brexit: finding corridors of deviation
In this month's column, David Worsfold, a long-running commentator on the insurance market, explores how the insurance industry could find itself rather lonely in its corridors of deviation after Brexit is finalised, the complexities of Covid-19 for the…
Analysis: Whiplash and insurer demand driving claims sector consolidation
Following Davies' acquisition of Keoghs further consolidation is expected in the claims sector and it could push mid-sized firms out of the picture.
Blog: Six months is a long time in politics
December 2019 was the first anniversary of Royal Assent to the Civil Liability Act 2018 and mid-January 2020 marked six months on from one of David Gauke’s last decisions as Lord Chancellor to set a new personal injury discount rate of -0.25% for England…
Post Claims Awards: Countdown to deadline begins
The final countdown has started for entries for the 2020 Post Claims Awards.
Gallagher and hotel group reach agreement over alleged Heath Lambert 'secret profits'
Gallagher and Bloody Bay, which is locked in a legal battle with Besso, have reached an out of court agreement over alleged “secret profits” taken by a former Heath Lambert and later Besso employee, Post has learned.
This Month: Looking forwards, listening back
Post’s new Motor Mouth Podcast series is proving quite the hit with listeners.
Insurers accused of profiting from limitation law in child abuse cases as review concludes
In the closing statements of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse proceedings insurers were accused of profiting from limitation law and withholding payments even when convictions were made, as survivors urged for changes to the law and a…
MIB uninsured drivers scheme mooted as template for child abuse compensation payouts
A model similar to the Motor Insurers' Bureau's untraced and uninsured drivers payout scheme has been suggested as one way survivors of institutional child sexual abuse could be compensated.
Analysis: Reinsurance hikes add to motor pricing pressure
The UK motor market had the unwanted title of the biggest riser in the annual global reinsurance renewal season this January, adding another reason for intense scrutiny on insurance pricing in the loss-making sector
Ecclesiastical faces fresh allegations of unethical treatment as case of ‘suicide watch’ claimant comes to light
Exclusive: Ecclesiastical’s CEO Mark Hews is being called upon to ‘put his house in order’ after experts have been left shocked and appalled at the ‘unethical’ practice of desktopping an abuse victim on suicide watch labelling it ‘shameful’ and ‘very…
Analysis: Rise of the clones
Insurance clone warnings doubled last year, as fraudsters got creative in their attempts to scam the public. Post investigates the rise of the clones and asks why it is so tough to police these fraudulent firms
Blog: 2020 – a year of tipping points
2020 could prove to be a year of significant risk tipping points for insurers, many of them driven by fast-paced political and cultural change says Simon Laird, global head of insurance at RPC.
MIB chases agreements with France, Poland and Romania as it builds Brexit contingencies
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is continuing efforts to secure agreements with France, Poland and Romania to preserve so-called ‘protection of visitors’ rules that would otherwise fall away if the UK is unable to strike a deal with the European Union by 31…