All articles by Sarah Kennedy
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Supplements
Going green
The eco-friendly motorist is a growing phenomenon and, as Sarah Kennedy explains, many insurance providers are actively seeking ways to meet this new demand.
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Features
Home under fire
New research suggests that the service provided by home insurance price comparison sites is failing customers and lagging some way behind the level of the motor aggregators.
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Features
How to stop the brain drain
Firms are becoming increasingly afraid of losing staff to rivals, but Sarah Kennedy has 10 top tips to stop them leaving.
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Features
A party for two?
The premium finance market is undergoing rapid change, but will the two big players have it all to themselves?
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News
Zurich axes 40 jobs in UK restructure
Forty jobs have been cut at Zurich, with most believed to be redundancies, following a restructuring of the insurer’s business change and IT functions.The company said it was attempting to pursue redep-loyment opportunities for the 40 people affected, but some had been unsuccessful and others had chosen to leave.A spokesman ...
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News
DA Constable sues over premiums
QBE syndicate DA Constable has launched a High Court legal battle to win back payment of almost half-a-million pounds in premiums from a construction group.According to a writ, the syndicate is suing five companies owned by John F Hunt, relating to premium disputes from 2003 to 2006.It is alleged the ...
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News
European Commission tells insurance industry to ‘justify practices or reform’
The European Commission released its final report on the business insurance sector on Tuesday, building on its interim report from January. The report, which prompted furious criticism from Biba, raised concerns over reinsurance and co-insurance practices involving the alignment of premiums. It also highlighted the issue of broker commission transparency, ...
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News
Direct Line targets SMEs in commercial launch
Direct Line is set for a major push into the direct commercial market with the launch of four new products this autumn. The UK’s largest car insurer said the commercial roll-out would be aimed at sole traders and partnerships.Under its umbrella brand Direct Line for Business, the insurer will offer ...
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Online only
AA loses senior management team
Four directors have been replaced by Saga employees as merger is finalized.
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News
Zurich gears up for major SME direct drive
Zurich is set for a major push to sell commercial insurance direct to businesses next year. The insurer has launched its first direct SME product online and plans to roll out a full suite within the next year. It is aiming to grow its SME business sixfold over the next ...
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News
Ellis slams buyers who overpay for brokers
Broker Network chief executive Grant Ellis has hit out at the unrealistically high prices being paid for brokers by consolidators. Ellis said some acquirers were paying over the odds for brokers and demonstrated a lack of rigour when it came to calculating the potential returns. His comments were made as ...
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News
AXA splits broker division in major restructure
Four units created to concentrate personal lines expertise and boost motor business
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News
AA/Saga merger threatens 2,000 jobs
?The £6bn merger of over-50s insurer Saga and the AA will lead to more than 2,000 job losses, the GMB union has warned. The warnings came amid fierce speculation about how the merger, which completed this week, would affect insurers’ trading relationships with the two companies. GMB national officer Paul ...
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News
Internet fraud set to sky-rocket
The internet has become a haven for insurance fraudsters and the crime spree is likely to sky-rocket as more insurers move business online.A survey by fraud specialist Absolute CM found that 75% of motor policy frauds were committed online. And 96% of frauds involving contrived claims were cases where the ...
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News
DNA technology could end frivolous health claims
A new DNA technology, developed by a team of doctors in the US, could totally eliminate frivolous lawsuits against the insurance industry, it has been claimed.The genomics-based technology, developed over two and a half years by the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine, can determine how human cells and their ...
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News
Rein in discounts, says Highway chief
Highway Insurance chief executive Andrew Gibson has warned that market deals with brokers and premium discounts need to be reined in if the motor market is to achieve profitability. The motor specialist this week unveiled its interim results which highlighted challenging market conditions. The company saw pre-tax profits rise ...
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News
FSA won't back down on free guidance for all rules
?The FSA has dismissed criticism from Biba over its new rules for endorsing industry guidance. Biba criticised the FSA for its requirement that the guidance must be freely available to all and not limited to trade body members. The ABI also has called for clarification about how the Financial Ombudsman ...
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News Analysis
Aggregators question RBS turnabout
The emergence of Tesco Compare.com have some calling for fair competition.
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News
Groupama beats broker bidders to buy Lark Group
Groupama has beaten off broker competitors to buy a majority stake in top 50 broker Lark Group for what is believed to be in the region of £47m.The acquisition, which was predicted by Insurance Times in July, follows the purchase of a 60% stake in Bollington Group. Lark, which is ...