All Backchat articles – Page 20
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Backchat
Ellis bets a feast on beating Willis
Despite the incessant mud-slinging going on between the networks, Backchat was heartened to discover that the Christmas spirit has, for the moment at least, prevailed.Apart from the commission-wrapped presents winging their way to Broker Network members, chief executive Grant Ellis – evidently shocked to hear of Willis UK boss Brendan ...
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Backchat
Meeting the Apprentice
In its latest Yuletide jaunt, on this occasion with BGL Group, Backchat was delighted to share the floor with none other than Tim Campbell, hallowed winner of the first series of The Apprentice.Campbell was a guest of Frank PR, the agency for Bennett’s. Having survived his two-year stint working for ...
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Backchat
Marketing for piggies
Backchat has been delighted to receive an assortment of Christmas messages from brokers and insurers this month. But the most creative by far came from the Ten Insurance network, which adopted a classic nursery rhyme to sum up the market:“One little piggy went to AXA, two little piggies went to ...
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Backchat
Insuring festive fun
Brokers can face some pretty strange requests, particularly during the festive season,A new survey by premium finance provider RBS Finsure reveals some of the weird and wonderful Christmas requests made to brokers.One policyholder wanted to insure himself when he was delivered in a large box to his girlfriend. He planned ...
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Backchat
Church lead theft claims hit the roof
Criminals are most likely to be found stealing from shops or the elderly. But a new wave of crime has spread across the country, with thieves turning their attention to churches.Congregational & General Insurance has revealed that claims related to church lead theft have risen 86% in the past year ...
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Backchat
Canoe man’s son was a broker
Backchat has learned there is a general insurance industry connection to the puzzle of the ‘missing’ canoe man.The son of John Darwin, who went missing for five years after leaving behind a smashed-up canoe, worked as a broker for Towergate.Anthony was a corporate and commercial broker but he left the ...
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Backchat
Boris Becker serves up for DAS
After years of off-court publicity, tennis superstar Boris Becker is back in the spotlight and once again it’s not for his volleying skills.Becker will become the new face of DAS Legal Expenses in a series of commercials released in Germany.The ad campaign shows the Olympic gold medallist getting himself into ...
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Backchat
No place like home
Backchat was comforted when it received a survey from BUPA International, the world’s largest expat insurer, claiming that nine out of ten expatriates would recommend a life abroad.As the early nights set in, the rain falls and the wind blows, it is reassuring to know that three in every four ...
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Backchat
Protecting your festive identity
Following the news of late, Backchat was relieved to receive a warning letter regarding identity theft, but somewhat amused to find it deposited among a smouldering pile of junk mail.Credit report provider Callcredit has advised against “giving fraudsters an early Christmas present” by failing to protect their identity when shopping ...
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Backchat
Santa told to belt up
Insurers have been accused of many things over the years, but ruining Christmas has not been one of them, until now.The Halesowen and Rowley Regis Rotary Club was given an early dose of festive cheer when its insurer declared that Santa, despite the collision-avoiding properties of his beard, was at ...
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Backchat
Broker sets off on Sahara adventure
Brokers are notorious for taking part in wild activities, and Tim Bell is no different.The Manchester broker, a team leader at Caunce O’Hara, is swapping Salford for the Sahara in a three-week charity car rally to Mali with his dad this month.After a charity parachute jump last year, Bell will ...
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Backchat
It’s Orange for Bridget at the O2
Regular readers will remember that Royal & SunAlliance’s chief executive Bridget McIntyre recently made quite an impression on Arnold Schwarzenegger, but her celebrity encounters don’t stop there.Last week, at what must surely qualify as the press junket of the year, Bridget led a team of swooning female journalists and brokers ...
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Backchat
Make sure your junk is safe
Abbey has gone all David Dickinson and told us to love our junk. According to research done by the home insurer, “the nation is hoarding £50m worth of inherited items and hand-me-downs that they don’t actually like”.An average person owns £9,466 of junk. So, in an age of Cash in ...
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Backchat
High time for landlords
According to an online broker, landlords should be on high alert after receiving a record number of damage claims for rented properties being used as cannabis factories. The broker says claims range from fires caused by lighting systems being used for growing the plants, to floorboards ripped up to make ...
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Backchat
It was game off at FWD’s tables
To Mitre Street for FWD’s annual shindig – this year, gangster themed. Despite the fact that no one, including the hosts, donned their costumes, spirits were lifted (and beers too) by the in-house casino, complete with the old favourite, blackjack.But the dealer’s emphatic declaration that insurance was unavailable, led our ...
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Backchat
Caffeine catastrophe awaits us
It’s official: coffee is potentially harmful.Research by Allianz Engineering, which also brought us “why cement is sticky” and “watch out – it’s a JCB”, has shown that half of the boilers in London’s limitless array of coffee shops are not only hazardous, but could quite literally explode at any moment.That ...
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Backchat
Lloyd’s masters show their art
Backchat was more than a little excited to receive a sneak peek at one of the exhibits from the Lloyd’s Art Group in the mail.The exhibition, which took place from 19 to 21 November in the Old Library, showcased over 100 works from 34 artists, and featured a range of ...
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Backchat
Lloyd’s opens its (toilet) doors
Rumours that levels of run-off are getting out of hand intensified last week after a water main on Lime Street unexpectedly burst.The event wreaked havoc when managing agent Cathedral was forced to unceremoniously evacuate its hallowed premises. Staff at Xchanging also lost water in its building. Luckily the good folks ...
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Backchat
Insurers fear crash claims are too dear
The humble deer is causing insurers a bit of a headache, it seems, hitting them where it hurts – the wallet.Vehicle insurance claims following collisions with deer are costing insurers more than £21m a year, according to Autonational Rescue, the breakdown service.As many as 75,000 deer are struck by cars ...
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Backchat
Hasta la vista Bridget
Since being elected governor of California, the one-time Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has come over all touchy-feely, with a penchant for green issues. Bridget McIntyre, Royal & SunAlliance’s chief executive, has quite a social conscience herself, what with sitting on the government’s financial inclusion taskforce and spearheading the company’s commitment to ...
