Allianz Legal Protection (ALP) has formed a business partnership with specialist clinical negligence claims management company, 5R1 Claims. 5R1 provides a tailored advice and guidance service to patients who may have grounds for a complaint about their healthcare treatment. Under the arrangement, ALP becomes the preferred provider of after-the-event (ATE) insurance to the firm’s panel [...]
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) is currently recruiting for a lead fraud analyst, two fraud analysts, an operations controller, a desk-top investigator, an intelligence officer, an intelligence researcher and a customer relationship manager. Details of the roles have yet to appear on the IFB’s website but potential applicants can immediately register an interest by submitting [...]
Charities insurer, Ecclesiastical, has appointed Nigel Gray as its new group risk and actuarial director and chief risk officer. A qualified actuary with 20 years’ experience, Mr Gray joins from MGM Advantage, where he was chief actuary and chief investment officer. Prior to this, he held senior positions with Lloyds of London, LV=, Assurant Solutions, [...]
XL Insurance has expanded its product recall capability with the appointment of new underwriters in New York and London. The move follows increasing demand for food and beverage product contamination cover, especially for North American companies. John Turner joins in New York as product recall manager for North America, bringing with him more than 20 [...]
Broker Network and Countrywide have reported “extraordinary” levels of new membership enquiries resulting in a record 19 members joining the network so far in 2011. The expansion brings an additional £40 million of annualised gross written premium to the group, which has announced two appointments in support of growth. Andrew Mirfin has been appointed head [...]
Bridle Insurance has announced its first acquisition of the year, as it takes over city of London Insurance broker Harrington Adams. Bridle beat off stiff competition to secure the acquisition, which is a specialist at providing city of London City employees with insurance for their cars and homes. Darren Nangle, Bridle’s head of personal lines, [...]
Groupama Insurances has bolstered its Customer Proposition Team to provide its brokers with improved product and service innovation. The team is joined by Joy Boden, who was formerly a commercial schemes underwriter with Groupama, as customer proposition manager. Linsey Scott leaves behind Bollington, where she handled motor trade risks, to join the firm as customer [...]
Towergate has ramped up its growth plans with the appointment of Stephen Hinbest as head of acquisitions, the group having recently established a £90 million acquisition fund on the back of a long-term refinancing deal. The intermediary says the appointment is in response to the increasing number of brokers in discussion with the firm, regarding [...]
The Government has published plans for making it unlawful to unfairly discriminate against someone because of their age, when providing goods and services. Under the proposals, insurance companies will still be allowed to use age when assessing risk and deciding prices. However, legislation expected to take effect in April 2012 will mean firms have to [...]
Crawford & Company has announced that it has established an office in Panama City and appointed Miguel Stempel as manager of operations within Panama. Stempel takes on responsibility for Crawford’s claims operations in the country, collaborating with Crawford Global Technical Services, the firm’s adjusting unit for complex, high-end losses, and fostering new business for the [...]
Willis Re has announced the appointment of Atish Suri as a divisional director in Dubai. Suri will be tasked with servicing the reinsurance broker’s business in Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Oman, in collaboration with Willis Re’s London reinsurance team. Suri, whose appointment is made with immediate effect, is based in [...]
Hardy Underwriting Bermuda saw pre-tax profit plummet to £10 million in 2010 (2009: £20.1 million), following an “unprecedented level of international natural catastrophes”. The specialist insurer and reinsurer recorded gross written premium of £279.4 million, up from £242 million in 2009. Commenting the drop in earnings, chief executive, Barbara Merry, said: “The geographic distribution of [...]
The Lloyd’s Market Association’s (LMA) Energy Claims Group has presented revamped “Terms of Engagement for Energy Loss Adjusters” at this year’s Lillehammer Energy Claims Conference. Aimed at improving the servicing of energy claims within the London market, the new terms should bring increased transparency to the claims process and enhance the potential for more efficient [...]
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) has announced that customers of Welcome Financial Services Limited (WFSL) may be entitled to receive compensation in relation to advice on, or the arranging of, payment protection insurance (PPI) by the firm on or after 14th January 2005. The doorstep lender, which is part of the Cattles group, has [...]
Defendant insurance law specialist, Plexus Law, has boosted its capability for police and public sector work with the recruitment of a new team to its Manchester office. Andrew Steel is joining as a partner from BLG Claims, along with assistant solicitor, Jennifer Lees. Both act on behalf of a number of police authorities and certain [...]
Global business property insurer FM Global has reported its 2010 financial results, which saw the policyholder surplus rise 16% to a record US$7.3bn. The record result is attributed to a combination of robust underwriting and a solid investment performance. Gross premium in force was up marginally (by 2%) to US$4.8bn, and the firm made an [...]
Open GI, the leading systems provider, has announced the appointment of Adele Clarkson to the post of Marketing and PR manager. Clarkson brings extensive experience to the position and has spent more than two decades working in business-to-business IT software services across a number of sectors. Previously, she worked for Cap Gemini and there focused [...]
Swiss Re has issued a preliminary estimate, based on present information, that the 22 February earthquake that struck New Zealand will cause the firm US$800m of losses (pre-tax and net of retrocession). The total cost of the earthquake for the insurance sector is thought to come to between US$6bn and US$12bn. Christchurch was struck by [...]
Amlin plc has reported its preliminary financial results for the year ended 31 December 2010. The firm has stated it achieved pre-tax profits of £259.2m, approximately half the £509.1m made during the previous year. The decline in profits has been largely attributed to earthquakes in Chile and New Zealand, which have cost the firm £203.6m. [...]
