In Brief

Save money – use the experts
Insurers waste money by using jobbing builders to repair damaged houses rather than skilled fitted furniture experts, says Joel Johnson, managing director of Decodors. He warns that insurers often file a number of various claims under the general heading of 'buildings'. This means they are unaware how much they are spending on fitted furniture claims. Builders, who are unable to distinguish between a Poggenpohl kitchen and ten-year-old DIY-supplied units often make unrealistic quotes, he warns.

When will it be wet, wet, wet?
A new handbook for estimating the frequency of floods, for any site in the UK, was launched by Government minister Elliot Morley this month. Building on the existing and internationally respected Flood Studies Report, the scientists who devised the handbook have developed more insight into river basins, with the use of digital map data and new advanced statistical techniques. Morley, the MAFF Fisheries and Countryside minister, is the Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for flood and coastal defence issues.

Anything you can do, ICON do
Loss adjusters Crawford has improved ICON – its consultancy and outsourcing service for insurers and brokers. The service has been enhanced to offer a more comprehensive range of solutions for tackling fraud, leakage and claims overload. And it has been designed to resolve straightforward claims after the first call.

NFU bitten by dog claims
NFU MutuaL reports a worrying increase in the number of sheep killed by dogs in 1999, up 8.5% from 1998 to 24,000. The estimated cost to the farmers is thought to be anything above £2m a year. And Royal & SunAlliance research says thieves are now targeting gardens.