All Features articles – Page 21
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FeaturesAny happy returns?
Aviva’s new management team has restored relationships – and business – following the departure of Igal Mayer. They’ve done so well, in fact, that the company is now an acquisition target. But has their success come at the expense of profitability?
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FeaturesInterview: Tim Johnson
The nosedive of the mortgage market and PPI’s public image problem has meant a tough year at Towergate’s Paymentshield. We talk to one of the group’s top-three heirs apparent about rehabilitation and his persistent hankering for deal-making
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FeaturesEnd of the honeymoon
Before the downturn, the attractions for brokers selling their businesses to consolidators were clear. But for some the marriage has lost its convenience, and with restrictive covenants starting to expire and entrepreneurial spirit taking hold once more, the former owners are taking back control
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FeaturesThe axeman cometh
The coalition wants £83bn slashed from the state budget by 2014 – a swingeing 40% cut in some departments. Combine the reduced spending with tax rises, and there is little solace to be found for the insurance industry
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FeaturesUnder the influence
You know well the personalities running the GI operations at the UK’s major insurers, but what about the bigwigs above them? The influence from the top on rates and commissions can be huge, so it pays to know your Hastes from your Hodges
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FeaturesInsurers are not in the charity business, but…
With the ash cloud debacle affecting as far afield as Kenya, the results of the lack of insurance cover in poorer countries are starkly illustrated
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FeaturesFair Fees: Brokers won't pay for banks
The FSA’s latest fees hike has prompted a flood of responses, all with a common theme: ‘Why should we be penalised for PPI compensation?’ Your anger has prompted us to take up the cudgels on your behalf
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FeaturesNavigating out of recession
Is it still grim up North? Or are we seeing more struggling down South? Affecting all regions in the UK, this recession has hit like none before it, dispelling the traditional view of a North-South divide. But if the impact of the financial meltdown has been UK-wide, will the recovery ...
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FeaturesNo World Cup without risk
Lloyd’s estimates that insuring the World Cup totals a whopping £6.2bn, and that doesn’t even include insuring the players themselves. So how does this break down for England and its star players? While you wait for the action to start in South Africa, here’s a taster of the figures involved
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FeaturesHands-on help or cut-rate cover?
Insurance Times created three people – Jim, Molly and Carol – complete with individual profiles, and sought quotes from brokers and insurer websites for a range of policies. The results proved that the web is cheaper, but will they get good service?
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FeaturesBirmingham IT Pack 2010: The right stuff
Young brokers found out about the secrets of leadership and business success at the second IT Pack event of 2010. Speakers included Ruth Badger, runner-up in TV’s The Apprentice, who said that motivating your staff was as much about giving them recognition as paying good money
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FeaturesWill the FSA stay or go?
It’s been a week since the tumult of last Thursday. While the 2010 general election may be interesting fodder for the politicos, the City has been left reeling. Although one thing is for sure: business leaders believe coalition won’t work. And insurers? They’re all wondering about the future of financial ...
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FeaturesBridge over troubled waters
Six months on, Cockermouth is still struggling to recover from the floods that destroyed its businesses and homes. We head back to the scene of devastation and speak to the community brokers and insurers, who learned that being local lads meant giving from your head and your heart. Photos by ...
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FeaturesInterview: Peter Burrows
As his four decades in insurance draws to a close, Brit’s chief executive reflects on how things have changed through the years and his more recent success in pushing the insurer to new heights.We meet the man who takes it one step at a time
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FeaturesLet battle commence
As the UK general election date was finally set, Insurance Times brought together financial services representatives from the three major parties in a special hustings, and put them under the grill on their plans for the industry. Would any be able to win the hearts of the sceptical audience?
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FeaturesBack to the future
Two years may not sound like a long time, but the winds of change are shaping 2012 as a transformational year for the industry. We invite you to see what the future has in store
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FeaturesHandle with care
In a tough economy, it can be tempting to try to keep hold of your clients at any cost. But when they are losing your business more money than they bring in, it’s time to tackle that toxic client
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FeaturesBrendan McManus
As an underwriter-turned-broker, Willis’s UK chief executive is a true convert, eager to promote the sector and relishing its fast pace and client interaction. But behind the enthusiasm is a fierce protectiveness of his business
