Zurich launches protection microsite
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich launches protection microsite
Zurich UK Life has announced the launch of new microsite Zurich4protection.com, following the firm’s recent protection campaign to support advisers and help them grow their business.
The new microsite is dedicated to such protection and aims to offer a single port of call for advisers seeking a complete and professional service to offer to customers.
The microsite [...]
Zurich appoints global head of Corporate Communications
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich appoints global head of Corporate Communications
Zurich Financial Services Group has announced that its new global head of Corporate Communications is to be Pierre Goad.
He joins Zurich from HSBC, where he presently works as head of Corporate Development for the investment banking and asset management divisions.
Earlier in his time at HSBC he held a number of other communications positions in both [...]
Zurich appoints APME CFO
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich appoints APME CFO
Zurich Financial Services Group has announced the appointment of Pascal Perritaz as the new chief financial officer of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME) region.
He has been with the firm for the last 14 years, and has held a number of senior posts within the global corporate business in Europe.
Since 2008 he has worked as [...]
Zurich Global launches Product Safety and Recall proposition
by Gill Montia
Story link: Zurich Global launches Product Safety and Recall proposition
Zurich Global Corporate UK (ZGCUK) has announced the launch of a new Product Safety and Recall proposition.
According to the insurer, the move is in response to increasing customer demand and the offering should compete strongly against the more standardised solutions currently available in the market.
The proposition combines globally compliant insurance protection with a [...]
Zurich promotes critical illness cover for children
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich promotes critical illness cover for children
Zurich UK Life is highlighting the advantages of critical illness cover for children today, which is also International Child Cancer day.
The insurance industry has paid out millions to adults suffering from cancer, yet there is relatively little attention paid to the impact on families with children who suffer the illness.
According to the ONS 2007 saw [...]
Zurich UK Life launches protection plan guide
by Gill Montia
Story link: Zurich UK Life launches protection plan guide
Zurich UK Life has launched a new guide to help advisers explain its protection plans to their customers.
“Here to help at every step” aims to ensure the correct level of cover is provided and that claims are paid out swiftly.
The guide covers application and underwriting processes, emphasising the importance of disclosing accurate personal information [...]
Zurich Global Corporate UK bolsters Marine team
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich Global Corporate UK bolsters Marine team
Zurich Global Corporate UK (ZGCUK) has bolstered its Marine Cargo team with a brace of senior appointments.
Formerly of Allianz, Rod O’Malley and John Gibson join ZGCUK as senior market underwriters and will bring their expertise to Zurich’s Marine Cargo team in London.
O’Malley and Gibson have collective experience of more than six decades in marine insurance [...]
Over-80s refused car insurance
by David Masters
Story link: Over-80s refused car insurance
Motorists over 80 years old are being denied car insurance quotes, according to new research by Age Concern and Help the Aged.
Half of motor insurance companies will not provide car insurance to drivers aged over 80, their investigation found.
A significant number of insurers refused to provide quotes for any driver over the age of 65.
The [...]
Zurich UK Life sees rise in critical illness pay-outs
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich UK Life sees rise in critical illness pay-outs
Zurich UK Life has released figures revealing that the number of critical illness claims paid out has risen by more than a quarter from 2005 to 2009.
The total sum paid out is also up, rising from £58.5m in 2008 to £62.3m for 2009, with cancer, heart attacks and strokes the most common causes for claiming.
The [...]
Abbey enhances Additions home insurance range
by Gill Montia
Story link: Abbey enhances Additions home insurance range
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 way [...]
Zurich warns of motor premium hike
by Gill Montia
Story link: Zurich warns of motor premium hike
Zurich will be increasing its motor insurance premiums in 2010 because of a rise of third party and personal injury claims.
The firm sees the current market as unsustainable and from March could be hiking broker premiums by as much as a fifth.
According to the company’s general insurance chief executive officer, Steve Lewis, inflation and higher [...]
Insurers consider appeal on pleural plaques judgment
by Gill Montia
Story link: Insurers consider appeal on pleural plaques judgment
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has commented on a legal judgment relating to the Damages (Asbestos Related Conditions) (Scotland) Act 2009.
The Act includes pleural plaques as a condition for which compensation is payable in Scotland, but insurers have argued that the plaques, which are areas of fibrosis present on the inner surface of the [...]
Insurers show interest in RBS and Lloyds asset sale
by Gill Montia
Story link: Insurers show interest in RBS and Lloyds asset sale
According to a BBC report, insurers Allianz, Generali and Zurich could show an interest in branch networks to be sold by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group.
Both banks are to receive further huge bailouts from the Government: £33.5 billion for RBS and £5.7 billion for Lloyds, the latter taking the form of [...]
Zurich security breach affects 51,000 customers
by Gill Montia
Story link: Zurich security breach affects 51,000 customers
Zurich Insurance plc has announced that it has written to around 51,000 general insurance customers and other parties in the UK regarding the loss of a back-up data tape in South Africa.
The tape, which also holds details of customers and other parties in South Africa and Botswana, was lost in August 2008 during a [...]
Zurich named Marketer of the Year
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich named Marketer of the Year
Global insurer Zurich Financial Services Group has won the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Marketer of the Year Award.
The award is given to a firm or individual who has combined corporate and environmental responsibility with a direct contribution towards marketing excellence during the course of the last year.
Zurich’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Arun Sinha has [...]
Zurich appoints Operations, Planning and Performance head
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich appoints Operations, Planning and Performance head
Zurich Financial Services Group has announced the appointment of Scott Egan to the post of group head of Operations, Planning and Performance Management, effective from 5 October.
He replaces Stephen Lewis, who has changed roles to become chief executive officer of UK General Insurance and Shared Services.
Egan, who is the presently the chief financial officer of [...]
Zurich appoints Latin America CEO
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Zurich appoints Latin America CEO
Zurich Financial Services Group has named Peter Rebrin as the new chief executive officer for Zurich Latin America.
He first joined the firm a decade ago and in that time has held a range of international and Latin American leadership positions.
For the last two years he has been the chief operating officer for Zurich Latin America.
Rebrin, [...]
Moneyfacts names best pensions providers
by Gill Montia
Story link: Moneyfacts names best pensions providers
Moneyfacts has announced the winners of its 2009 Investment Life and Pensions awards.
AEGON Scottish Equitable was acknowledged as Best Pension Service provider, with Standard Life and Scottish life gaining the category’s highly commended and commended statuses respectively.
Lloyds Banking Group’s Scottish Widows was named Best Personal Pension Provider and AJ Bell Best SIPP Provider.
Scottish Life won [...]
Zurich and CSC negotiate 10-year IT contract
by Gill Montia
Story link: Zurich and CSC negotiate 10-year IT contract
Zurich Financial Services has entered into exclusive talks with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) regarding a potential $2.4 billion IT contract.
According to CSC, the potential 10-year deal would cover managed data centre and IT infrastructure services across Zurich’s European and North American operations, plus data center centralization and server virtualization.
It would take the form of a [...]
Zurich updates critical illness cover
by David Masters
Story link: Zurich updates critical illness cover
Zurich has improved its critical illness cover by reducing premiums for some policy holders and broadening the range of conditions covered.
The insurer, which paid out nearly £60 million in critical illness claims last year, said the policy revamp was “the right thing to do”.
Premiums have been reduced where exclusions apply for cancer or Multiple Sclerosis, [...]
