Michael Glackin

  • Claims

    The thick red line

    2011-02-02T00:00:00

    Redlining (refusing to cover customers in a certain postcode) makes insurers unpopular with customers, but does it damage business for brokers? We discover that in fact it can offer an opportunity to add value if you can find the right insurer

  • In Business

    Best of Brokers: When size matters

    2010-10-20T00:00:00

    Small independent brokers continue to be responsible for an important chunk of large insurers’ work streams. So what do the big names do in return for those brokers’ loyalty?

  • In Business

    Best of Brokers: Siren call of e-sales

    2010-10-13T00:00:00

    Business clients have largely resisted the tempting prices of the aggregators for all but their most straightforward needs. But as technology becomes more sophisticated, the savings might lure more SMEs away from their brokers

  • Claims & Liabilities

    A record £13.7m in compensation following a motor claim - could you be next?

    2010-09-28T17:04:00

    Will the wider UK lump sum discount rate drop to Guernsey levels? The industry remains alert to ripples from the Channel Islands

  • Analysis

    The future of SME: will e-trading eat away at insurer and broker revenues?

    2010-09-22T01:30:00

    SME customers are increasingly being drawn to buying insurance online. But while aggregators are trying hard to win commercial customers, brokers and insurers argue that the e-trading model can't meet SME customers' complex needs

  • Markets & Risks

    An uphill struggle

    2010-09-15T00:00:00

    Insurers in the personal motor sector are at last realising that survival depends on being able to charge customers more – there’s simply no other option left. Insurance Times looks at how rising bodily injury claims, aggregators and claims farming have affected the industry’s sustainability

  • Markets & Risks

    The centre cannot hold

    2010-08-04T00:00:00

    ‘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

  • pension fund scheme trustee magazine investment training
    Markets & Risks

    Double trouble

    2010-07-21T00:00:00

    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?

  • Supplements

    Slowly does it

    2010-07-21T00:00:00

    Technology hitches have left commercial insurance lagging behind in the race towards online trading. So what will prompt brokers to move to these platforms for their business clients? We talk to three very different broker businesses to find out

  • Supplements

    Let’s get personal

    2010-07-21T00:00:00

    About half of the UK’s insurance business now passes through one of 100 aggregator portals. But while it may suit customers in search of ever-lower premiums, many brokers are concerned about long-term damage to the industry

  • Markets & Risks

    Ready to put up rates?

    2010-07-14T00:00:00

    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

  • time pension fund scheme trustee magazine investment training
    Supplements

    Feeling the squeeze

    2010-06-23T00:00:00

    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

    All-weather friends

    2010-06-02T00:00:00

    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

    2010-05-26T00:00:00

    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

    2010-05-19T00:00:00

    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

  • Supplements

    Flood warning

    2010-05-12T00:00:00

    Last year it was Cumbria; three years ago Yorkshire, the Midlands and Oxfordshire. With repair bills at more than £3bn, what is being done to make properties more resilient to future disasters?

  • Markets & Risks

    Data loss? We have a policy for that

    2010-05-12T00:00:00

    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

    Feeling the squeeze

    2010-04-14T00:00:00

    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

  • Pollution
    Markets & Risks

    Laws of nature

    2010-03-31T00:00:00

    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 ...

  • Markets & Risks

    Heal the world

    2010-03-03T00:00:00

    As the world fights recession, expat healthcare has shown high levels of immunity, due to its total market spread. But the sector is changing as compulsory local health cover in specific countries rises and brokers get creative with tailor-made policies

More by Michael Glackin