29 April - 5 May: Groan

Order, order

What the insurance industry really needs: a campaigning MEP. Andrew Dismore, who spearheaded the drive to compensate pleural plaque sufferers when he was a Westminster MP, has been selected to contest a winnable north London seat for Labour at next year’s European Parliament elections.

Bang to rights

Leicester man Hoonan Jaffari netted £36,000 in fraudulent insurance payments after helping set up motor accidents.

Jaffari and seven fellow conspirators have been convicted at Leicester Crown Court for their involvement in the scam.

Hands off

FSA plans to vet financial products before they hit the market could stifle competition and restrict consumer choice, the ABI has warned. It urges the watchdog to take a balanced approach to new products.

Come inside

Nearly half (47%) of adults admit they do not lock their front doors when they’re at home and 13% wait until bedtime to bolt up – leaving them open to opportunistic burglars, according to Ageas.

Taxing issue

FSA regulations are a greater source of competitive disadvantage to insurance brokers than the amount of corporation tax paid by the sector, Biba argues.

Joys of spring

The record first-quarter catastrophe losses do not appear to have turned the market, according to Marsh. The broker’s spring update says rate increases are likely to be limited to loss-affected exposures.