SME
Towergate wins SME deal with Compare The Market
Towergate Insurance has won a long-term contract with price comparison website Compare The Market to provide insurance to SME customers.
Reid: Bluefin is moving away from 'macho' tag
Bluefin Insurance Services has said that the restructure of its operations, announced this week, is designed to help it develop a national strategy rather than facilitate branch closures.
Fire risks - Non-deliberate: The desire to fight fire
Fire has always been a fierce adversary of both businesses and insurers. A major blaze can cause havoc to both small and large commercial premises, while also leaving a lasting mark on the bottom line of an insurer.
Postbox: SME online has been viable for years
I have to say my firm read with interest your comments about 'SME' online being commercially viable.
Keelan Westall confirms new online distribution manager
Keelan Westall has promoted Amy Flintham to the new position of online distribution manager.
Aviva launches bespoke metals and machinery insurance
Aviva has launched two bespoke policies for those working specifically in metals or machinery and equipment.
Business insolvency rate falls
The rate of insolvency among UK businesses fell 17% year-on-year in October, according to Experian.
Editor's comment: Commercially viable
The news that Iprism has secured private equity backing, which effectively values the business at £50m, is further evidence that the future of online commercial trading has finally reached its 'tipping point'.
Iprism valued at £50m as PE firm takes a stake
Online commercial comparison portal Iprism has attracted private equity backing, in a move that values the business at £50m.
Post Europe View from the Top: Partnership in France
The scale and vibrancy of the insurance market in France is very easy to witness. Since moving to Paris I have seen firsthand the level and diversity of the distribution channels that make France one of, if not the most, sophisticated markets in…
Groupama creates underwriting team in London and the south
Groupama Insurances has created a dedicated new business underwriting team for London and the South, providing commercial brokers in the region with access to underwriters for decisions on open market business.
Commercial property - valuations: Wide of the mark
With recent figures suggesting as many as 77% of buildings are currently underinsured, Rachel Gordon investigates the root causes and potential solutions.
Bluefin puts Elite into run-off
Bluefin is putting its Elite underwriting facility for SME business into run-off.
Besso's Gladstone launch is timed for new wave
Intermediary Besso has revealed it timed the launch of its managing general agent to coincide with a new wave of MGAs in the London market.
View from the top: Bringing back confidence
"Confidence, the massive importance of confidence. Once that's gone and nobody wants to trade with you, there's no way back," observed Tony Lomas a partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and a Lehman Brothers administrator, at the height of the financial…
News analysis - Lord Young report: Sense of anticipation
David Smith gives an insurer's view of Lord Young's report, and finds there is a great deal that the public and private sectors can unite behind.
News analysis - RSA's emerging markets strategy: On the way up
The major UK insurance groups are currently setting out their stalls with regards to emerging markets. Mairi MacDonald met up with RSA's Paul Whittaker and Paul Holmes in Dubai to get the lowdown on its plans for this sector.
Aviva Q3 UK GI premiums exceed £1bn as its tops 1m direct motor customers
Aviva this morning said that general insurance net written premiums were up 12% at £1.05bn when compared to the same quarter last year (3Q09: £937m).
Marsh warns firms over fire brigade strikes
Marsh has warned companies to take extra precautions to protect their businesses during planned industrial action on 5-7 November by the UK’s Fire Brigade Union.
Exclusive content now available on Post Europe
Post Europe’s weekly update is now live with a look at anticompetitive practices in the Ukraine insurance market, as well as a View from the Top opinion on how Spanish SMEs are waking up to the need for D&O cover.
Post Europe View from the Top: The impact of the financial crisis on the Spanish D&O insurance sector
The financial crisis and the resulting economic complications in Spain have caused a sharp increase in the number of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies taken out.
Novae teams up with Lloyd's broker to launch new MGA Gladstone
Lloyd's broker Besso Group has launched a managing general agent named Gladstone Underwriting, to provide an online commercial underwriting facility.
Niche business in favour as Banga expands role
Brit's new head of UK distribution Vivek Banga has revealed the insurer will aim to write more niche business as it looks to expand its UK broker footprint.
Interview - Andrew Mckee: Planning for the next stage
Having taken over at Lloyd's insurer Mitsui, Andrew McKee talks to Jonathan Swift about his plans to move the company on, a decade after it launched.