All Markets & Risks articles – Page 2

  • Markets & Risks

    Call us professional?

    2010-08-25T00:00:00Z

    How the insurance sector is viewed by others can depend on the training staff are given. Up to now this has been hit and miss, but more people are attaching importance to quality of education and qualifications, and they are demanding improvements

  • Markets & Risks

    Grappling with Solvency II

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    As compliance efforts step up a gear, many are questioning whether the impending Solvency II regime is just one more headache for insurance companies

  • Markets & Risks

    Buyer’s market

    2010-08-11T00:00:00Z

    Lloyd’s businesses may be below book value and look ripe for the picking, but private equity companies are finding it tough to raise money, while insurers have the cash but are cagey. Even intra-market deals are doubtful, but a benign hurricane season might tip the balance

  • Markets & Risks

    The centre cannot hold

    2010-08-04T00:00:00Z

    ‘Rogue’ lawyers costs insurers millions of pounds each year, pushing the price of solicitors’ PI higher and higher. With Quinn’s UK arm bowing out and the ARP badly in need of reform, we look at the current state of the market and what needs to change to put it right

  • Markets & Risks

    Here for the long haul?

    2010-07-28T00:00:00Z

    Aviva and AXA surprised everybody this year when they announced a return to the corporate risks sector. Leveraging their core strengths and client bases, each insurer has big premiums in its sights. But they must also tackle brokers’ doubts about their long-term ambitions

  • pension fund scheme trustee magazine investment training
    Markets & Risks

    Double trouble

    2010-07-21T00:00:00Z

    The credit crunch killed off Finsure and a host of other premium finance providers, leaving the two dominant players unchallenged. What are the options for brokers and their clients – and will anyone else will enter the fray?

  • Markets & Risks

    Ready to put up rates?

    2010-07-14T00:00:00Z

    Prospects in the sector are poor, or at least that’s the pessimist’s view. But rates are starting to creep up. Slow progress in forcing through rises is due to the squeezed market and greater competition – but increases may come as companies feel the pain

  • Markets & Risks

    A niche is nice for all

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    Creating a product that targets a group of people with similar needs can be beneficial for everybody. Insurance Times talks to industry leaders to find the secrets of what makes a good scheme, and looks at the benefits for companies and customers, and the pitfalls waiting to catch the unwary

  • Markets & Risks

    Strength to be unpopular

    2010-06-16T00:00:00Z

    In the second of our two-part Airmic special, Paul Moore, the man who blew the whistle on HBOS, talks about presenting messages to the board that it may not want to hear. His experience is a lesson to all risk managers

  • Markets & Risks

    Something to declare?

    2010-06-09T00:00:00Z

    Over a third of Airmic members have had a claim rejected in the last year due to non-disclosure. But are these rules weighted too heavily in the insurers’ favour? In the first of a two-part special ahead of its annual conference, chief executive John Hurrell talks about his bid for ...

  • Markets & Risks

    All-weather friends

    2010-06-02T00:00:00Z

    With the collapse of Woolworths and other high street stalwarts, trade credit insurers were accused of pulling away the umbrella as soon as it started to rain. But having paid out record claims of £320m in 2009 alone, the industry is now facing forward with some lessons learned

  • Markets & Risks

    Rich pickings

    2010-05-26T00:00:00Z

    Forget price comparison sites and direct online buying: face-to-face relationships are how business is done in HNW, particularly when it comes to tailoring cover for non-standard niche assets. But while the sector may be booming, it’s not always that profitable

  • Markets & Risks

    The best intentions

    2010-05-19T00:00:00Z

    As a new government puts spending cuts at the top of its agenda, the Jackson Review on litigation costs comes at just the right time. But proposals to ban referral fees and allow off-panel lawyers could run counter to Jackson’s intentions and hit consumer pockets even harder

  • Markets & Risks

    Data loss? We have a policy for that

    2010-05-12T00:00:00Z

    Fines of up to £500,000 are prompting companies to take a fresh look at the security of client details. Brokers must know what cover they can offer

  • Markets & Risks

    Going it alone

    2010-05-05T00:00:00Z

    It can be an uphill struggle to set up your own brokerage at the best of times. And these times couldn’t be worse. For those that want to take on the challenge, they need more than a wing and a prayer, and a rich aunt, to get off the ground. ...

  • Markets & Risks

    A right pickle

    2010-04-28T00:00:00Z

    They may be easy on the eye and stand out from dull skylines, but iconic buildings give insurers major headaches. Take the Gherkin in the City of London for starters. All that bespoke glass – and that’s before the risk of terrorism. We investigate why each needs its own ...

  • Markets & Risks

    Home remedies

    2010-04-21T00:00:00Z

    The series of floods and freezes last year has sent the number and costs of household claims through the roof. Do insurers have any choice but to raise their rates? And if they do, will the clients accept this, or will it pave the way for smaller firms to move ...

  • Markets & Risks

    Feeling the squeeze

    2010-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Predictions of a general spike in rates for PI cover have not been realised. Surveyors and solicitors are suffering as more claims are made against them but, elsewhere, competition means that the market is underwriting for income rather than profit

  • Markets & Risks

    Diary of an acquisition

    2010-04-07T00:00:00Z

    While not at the level of the consolidation glory days, broker acquisitions are definitely picking up. But what is it like putting such a deal together? Speaking from the buyer’s viewpoint, we reveal the seven key stages that CCV undertakes for a smooth purchase

  • Pollution
    Markets & Risks

    Laws of nature

    2010-03-31T00:00:00Z

    The Environmental Liability Directive has been law in the UK since March last year, but many clients – and even some brokers – are still ignorant of its impact. Legislation in this area is only going to increase, so now’s the time to get informed. It might even lead to ...