Kwik Fit Insurance enjoyed a good night at the UK Broker Awards, winning the Investment in People award. The award represents a recognition of strong investment in people and resources within the UK general insurance market by brokers and intermediaries. The award success comes after the firm was ranked 17th in the Sunday Times 100 [...]
Groupama Insurances has announced that Rosemary Whitfield-Jones is to retire from the firm in October, after almost two decades with Groupama, most recently as company secretary and legal adviser. Whitefield-Jones, who is a well-known and respected and legal professional in the insurance sector, joined the firm in 1990 and has seen many significant changes at [...]
AXA Insurance is joining forces with HSBC, providing insurance products to the bank’s small and medium-sized business customers. Under a 10-year agreement, AXA will begin offering policies to new customers from January of next year and to existing customers at renewal. The range will include property, casualty and motor products, all specially tailored to the [...]
Trade credit insurance claims dropped for the first time in a year during the second quarter, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The total number of claims fell by 39% to 5,661. The ABI said its members believe claims peaked in the first quarter of 2009 and are likely to continue [...]
Women drivers are being ripped off by female-only motor insurers, price comparison site moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. The average premium charged by female-only brands such as Sheila’s Wheels and Diamond is £733, more expensive than many standard providers. “Going down the specialist insurer route may not be the best option,” said Steve Sweeney, moneysupermarket.com head [...]
Rogue drivers getting behind the wheel without insurance are not being deterred because the penalties if they’re caught are too lenient, Direct Line claimed this week. Under new government proposals, motorists caught driving an uninsured vehicle will be fined as little as £50 – less than fine given out to people who overfill their bin, [...]
Letsure has launched a new product aimed the landlord market. Rentsure Complete is a combined reference and Rent Guarantee product, and puts together the firm’s Rent Guarantee insurance with its Comprehensive reference product. Rentsure Complete has been designed to offer the highest level of coverage with the smallest price tag, covers various breaches of tenancy [...]
Commercial broker, JSW Insurance Services, has developed a new website for pest controllers. The Midlands-based SME specialist says it is responding to a gap in the market for those involved with ‘roaches and rats, by launching Verminatorinsurance.co.uk. Managing director, Nathan Walton, says: “JSW’s research has shown that from an independent pest controller’s perspective there are [...]
A group of suspected insurance fraudsters have been rounded up this week in police raids on 13 homes in Nelson, The Lancashire Telegraph reports. According to the newspaper, the gang is suspected of submitting false claims involving home and pet insurance, worth £300,000. Documents, computers and other items, including a car and iron gates, have [...]
City confidence is on the rise, according to a new survey by GRS. The firm polled 5,370 professionals (specialising in the disciplines of risk management, compliance, audit, insurance, tax, and legal) on how secure they felt they were in their jobs in the next 3 months. There was a 2 point rise in August and [...]
Groupama Insurances has launched Optima Liability, created for brokers wishing to reduce costs for their SME clients. Optima Liability has been designed with the challenging operating environment faced by SMEs in mind and provides public and employer’s liability insurance without the additional cost of acquiring property insurance cover. It is particularly well-suited to SMEs with [...]
Swiftcover.com is promoting legally binding relationships by pointing out that car insurance premiums can be cheaper for those who enter matrimony or a civil partnership. The insurer suggests that any savings can therefore offset wedding costs that these days average almost £16,000. For example, a man adding his female spouse could see a premium cut [...]
Confused.com is reminding drivers of the dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs. The price comparison website believes that while drink-driving is widely acknowledged as unacceptable, driving when having taken drugs is not seen in the same light. However, suspected offenders can be subjected to roadside tests in the same way as drink-drivers [...]
UK-based insurer RSA is mulling over acquisitions worth up to £600 million, industry analysts claimed Monday. Analysts at research firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) said RSA is considering “recently emerged opportunities that could be larger than ‘bolt-on’ acquisitions”. Potential investments include “UK marine and specialist commercial lines, Latin American and Canada,” KBW said. RSA [...]
Helphire has lost the referral contracts it held with the AA and Saga, leaving an 11% dent in its turnover. The news came as an added blow to the company after it reported it was hit with £82 million of one-off charges in the six months to 30 June. Despite the gloomy reports, shares in [...]
Willis HRH has announced that its Employee Benefits Practice has formed a partnership with US-based healthcare firm Concentra to provide adaptable, tailored solutions to reduce healthcare costs and enhance the employee health management of Willis client companies. In collaboration with Concentra, Willis HRH is able to benefit from a fresh perspective and offer an improved [...]
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called upon the Government to take action in order to bolster the competitiveness of the United Kingdom. Four out of five insurers believe that unless UK competitiveness is enhanced the country will see a decline in insurance firms based here, and almost two in three senior managers are [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has published details of the complaints received about UK financial institutions, and for the first time has named the insurance companies, banks, and investment firms that feature in its statistics. The figures cover the six months to the end of June 2009 and show the number of complaints received about [...]
