Property
Flood Re changes 'arbitrary' claims BPF
Changes to include blocks of three or fewer flats into Flood Re are “arbitrary” and “difficult to understand” according to the British Property Federation.
Interview: Jason Harris: Harris knows the drill
XL’s Jason Harris started his career on the oil rigs of the North Sea before moving into insurance via risk management. He explains the wide scope of his current role and the challenges facing the property and casualty market.
Aviva publishes customer reviews online
Aviva is publishing customer car and home claims service reviews on its website, giving buyers the opportunity to see how others rate the insurer before buying its products.
Allianz agrees asset deal with Italian insurer Unipol Sai
Allianz is to buy part of Italian insurer Unipol Sai Assicurazioni’s property and casualty business in a deal worth up to €440m (£367m).
Axa inks three year Una deal
Axa has joined the strategic insurer panel of independent broker alliance Una in a new three year rolling deal.
C-Suite - Insurer: Flood Re is a PR time bomb
Flood insurance must be all-inclusive, for the sake of both UK homes and the industry’s image.
Ace becomes a chartered insurer in the UK
The Chartered Insurance Institute has awarded chartered insurer status to Ace Group's UK retail property and casualty operations.
Household: On steady ground?
How is the household insurance market coping with the cost of claims from extreme weather events and the aggregator‑induced focus on pricing?
Avantia completes £57m MBO for 'aggressive' growth plans
Online property insurer Avantia has completed a £57m management buy-out backed by private equity firm ECI Partners.
Zurich brand to disappear from comparison sites
Zurich-branded home and motor insurance products will no longer be offered on aggregator sites, the insurer announced today.
L&G under no pressure to raise property rates, claims GI boss
L&G general insurance director Mark Holweger claims his firm’s positive 2013 results has reduced the likelihood of increasing property rates over the coming year.
Carole Nash launches home insurance policy
Carole Nash has launched a home insurance policy for motorcycle owners with provision of secure storage for bikes if a policyholder’s home is rendered uninhabitable through a claim.
Mutual insurer FM global reports 32% income rise
Business property insurer FM Global recorded a 32% increase in its net income to $1.02bn (£611m) for 2013 alongside a 2.7% increase in gross written premium to $5.6bn.
Home emergency: State of Emergency
After facing strong criticism in recent months, key figures in the home emergency insurance market are keen to extol the cover’s virtues. What does the future hold for the under-fire sector?
C-Suite - Insurer: Flooding issue will not drain away
Extreme weather is here to stay – the industry must adopt long-term measures to reduce property damage.
In Series: Data: A smarter approach to flood risk
How can the industry use increasingly sophisticated data to assess flood risk more accurately?
Miller combines P&C specialists into single unit
Broker Miller is combining its property and casualty specialists into one business area headed by Ken MacDonald.
Insurers reject campaign to include previous premiums on renewal letters
Swiftcover is only firm in Which? survey to inform customers of last year’s price.
Masojada urges changes to 'flawed' Flood Re scheme
Hiscox chief executive Bronek Masojada has heaped further criticism on the government’s “flawed” Flood Re scheme following the firm's full year 2013 results.
Which? urges insurers to be transparent on renewal prices
Consumer watchdog Which? has launched a new campaign calling on insurance companies to show last year’s premium alongside renewal quotes.
Ageas profits creep up 3% in a year of rates pressure
Ageas delivered a marginal increase in net profits of £85.2m in 2013 (2012: £82.9m) alongside a combined operating ratio of 98.4% (2012: 99.8%) in a year of underwriting discipline amid pressure on rates.
ICA promotes Queensland building safety study
James Cook University has been asked by the Insurance Council of Australia to design an engineering inspection scheme for apartment and similar buildings known as 'strata-title' properties in North Queensland.
BPF urges MPs to support Water Bill amendments
The British Property Federation is urging politicians to support Water Bill amendments being tabled in the House of Lords that would extend affordable flood insurance to excluded groups.
Household premiums tipped to rise as adverse weather takes hold
Property premiums could be set to rise in 2014 as mounting flood losses begin to take their toll on insurers, according to Deloitte insurance partner James Rakow.