R&SA goes east for good health
R&SA goes east for good health
Goodhealth has appointed Royal & Sunalliance (R&SA) as the insurance provider for its Middle Eastern healthcare business.
All existing business will transfer from the renewal date and new policies will be insured with R&SA and handled by local offices.
This arrangement replaces Goodhealth's Norwich Union facility and is part of its strategy to deliver localised sales, servicing and claims support at key locations.
The healthcare brand, part of the Primary Group, also has offices in London, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Net connection
Specialist insurance and risk management group Criterion and information technology giant IBM will launch a new internet initiative in August.
It means policies will be issued and managed direct by Criterion's corporate customers through a process management system, using IBM's Websphere software platform.
Criterion business systems manager Nick Foard said: “It will enable our partners to connect seamlessly via the web to Criterion's back-end systems to issue policies, manage insurance data and service their clients and policyholders.”
Repair tips in circulation
The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) has launched a learning programme for its members called Tips.
The programme was developed by a working party consisting of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands in 1998 and has just been joined by the UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and France.
The programme has already resulted in more than 2,000 repair tips being circulated around the industry.
VBRA director general Ron Nicholson said the programme was available on CD-Rom.
New name for Firstcity
Independent Lloyd's broker Firstcity has announced its seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth, with brokerage income for the year ended May 31, 2001, up 30% to £16.23m.
Pre-tax profit grew from 43% to £3.76m.
The company also unveiled its change of name from Firstcity Insurance Brokers to the Firstcity Partnership.
Commenting on the new name, Firstcity's managing partner Tim Watkins said: “Our new name recognises that, although placing the insurable risks of clients remains at the core of what we do, insurance broking no longer encompasses all that we do.”
Lloyd's will meet claims
Customers of collapsed travel insurer The Management Company are to have their claims met in full by Lloyd's of London.
The Management Company was put into liquidation in May, after concerns it was issuing policies bearing the Lloyd's name without authority.
Lloyd's initially agreed to offer emergency health cover in May 2001 for anyone travelling on one of the affected policies and has already paid out £300,000. It is now advising affected policyholders to re-submit outstanding claims and to contact their broker or travel agent.
It is thought up to 150,000 people may have bought policies from The Management Company.
Director of regulation at Lloyd's, David Gittings, said the legal complexities and the number of parties involved made a rapid resolution unlikely. He said: “With thousands of people due to travel in the next few weeks, we have decided to step in now to meet all valid claims.”
Lloyd's has contacted all scheme administrators involved in the sale of disputed policies and all travel agents through the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and instructed them not to accept any new business under the affected schemes. It has also confirmed that 96% of its travel policies will be unaffected by this matter.
