Specialist legal expenses provider ARAG has warned that access to justice will be damaged and frivolous claims will surge due to one way cost-shifting and the abolition of ATE insurance and Success Fee. Business development and marketing director Paul Hurley has said that the have-a-go culture will be encouraged by shifting costs as the client [...]
Thamesbank Insurance Services and Open GI have signed a five year deal which will see the software house double the broker’s IT capacity. The insurer is bolstering its IT capabilities after strong growth during a difficult period for trade in the retail market. Thamesbank specialises in car, home and motorcycle insurance, presently writing over £15m [...]
The tele-interview service Bupa operates for critical illness, income protection and life insurance applicants has been lauded by a survey of more than 800 independent financial advisers. The service, part of Bupa Individual Protection, is confidential and allows customers to ask personal or sensitive questions to the firm’s trained staff. Of those surveyed, nine out [...]
Heath Lambert’s Project Risks team has been appointed insurance advisor for the Forth Replacement Crossing, a Scottish transport scheme costing up to £2.3 billion. The project involves a 2.7km cable-stayed bridge over the Firth of Forth, together with approach roads and the installation of a modern Intelligent Transport System. The broker will be responsible for [...]
Bermuda-based property and casualty insurance and reinsurance specialist Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. has announced the appointment of Kimberly Morgan as practice leader of the firm’s Bermuda Healthcare practice. Morgan is a senior vice president of the firm, and brings to her new post decades of experience. She is a native Bermudan, and prior to working [...]
Motor insurer, Admiral, has announced that its reinsurance agreement with Munich Re for its new car insurance operation in the US (Elephant Insurance) has been extended. Alongside the agreement, Hannover Re will take one-third of the group’s US risk and Admiral will retain the final third. The company has also extended its long-term coinsurance and [...]
LifeSearch is advising consumers to seek premium reductions when health conditions are excluded from their protection insurance. The price comparison website estimates that one or more illnesses are excluded in around 15% of critical illness and income protection applications. In such cases, the extent of the policy is reduced but not necessarily the premium. According [...]
British holidaymakers on alpine getaways are skiing and snowboarding with nearly double the drink-drive limit of alcohol in their bloodstream. Research by More Than Insurance found over half a million Brits have gone skiing the morning after a drinking session with seven units of alcohol still pumping through their body. Nearly three quarters (74%) of [...]
Standard Life has today announced its new executive structure and a pair of new senior appointments. Christian Torkington will become group information and operations director, effective from 1 March of this year. Torkington, who has joined Standard Life from RSA Insurance Group, will be responsible for formulating and enacting technology strategy. Sandy Begbie is to [...]
With 2010 well underway Fortis Insurance has announced it is starting a new recruitment drive, with a view to getting the new recruits in place by the summer. Last October the firm stated its intention to embark upon a campaign to recruit 550 new employees in the Gloucester, Eastleigh and Stoke regions following recent business [...]
Sterling Insurance has announced two new appointments to its commercial new business and development underwriting teams. Nicholas Hartley and Andy Hulme are taking up the posts of senior development underwriter and senior underwriter, respectively. Mr Hartley joins from AIG and will be responsible for the Development Underwriters’ team, whilst also acting as a referral point [...]
Abbey for Intermediaries is alerting mortgage brokers to the fact that they could be losing out on a market potentially worth £30 million in sales commission this year, if they fail to exploit the general insurance market. The lender suggests intermediaries can supplement their business revenues by cross selling insurance products to homeowners, and by [...]
Ocaso is proposing to expand its UK presence by partnering with Open GI to launch two new products by Full Cycle EDI. The Spanish personal lines specialist has been trading in the UK since 1973 and expects its new offerings to be available next month. The firm says its decision to select Open GI was [...]
AXA Insurance has launched AXA Travel extranet, an online portal for brokers. According to the insurer, the new facility is easy to use and allows registered brokers with an imarket login to AXA’s broker website to provide “quality travel insurance from a recognised provider”. Users can then actively manage their clients’ travel portfolios through the [...]
Heath Lambert, the independent insurance broker, has announced the appointment of music specialist John Feaver to bolster the firm’s musical instrument insurance team. Feaver, who joins Heath Lambert from AXA, brings with him over a decade of experience in the sector and during his career has also worked for Allianz. Heath Lambert has the biggest [...]
Insurance is the product most susceptible to switching by consumers, according to new research conducted by Professor Merlin Stone of Oxford Brookes University. Over the last two years some 15m people have switched their motor insurer, with 14m changing home insurance company. A major contributor to the high propensity for switching insurance provider is bad [...]
Jeremy Uzzell has been named by the Jelf Group as the firm’s new account executive in the Cheltenham-based commercial insurance team. He most recently worked for Towergate Insurance, and has held a number of positions with independent brokers in the region. Uzzell’s appointment comes as part of the firm’s strategic goal of achieving greater growth [...]
