Lewisham Council has sent letters to more than 600 past and present staff warning them of their potential exposure to asbestos at the council's Capital Hill offices.

The H ...

Lewisham asbestos
Lewisham Council has sent letters to more than 600 past and present staff warning them of their potential exposure to asbestos at the council's Capital Hill offices.

The Health & Safety Executive has investigated a room at the offices, where 40 staff still work.

It is believed asbestos debris was discovered in the office ceiling.

Lloyd's A rating
Standard & Poor's (S&P) has affirmed Lloyd's A financial strength rating and removed it from CreditWatch.

The rating has been under review since 20 September 2001.

Benchmark scheme
Lloyd's and the London Market Insurance Brokers' Committee (LMBC) have created a benchmarking programme for the London Market.

The scheme will allow insurers and brokers to understand how their performance compares with others across a broad range of measures.

REL Consultancy Group has been appointed as benchmarking managers for a two-year period. The programme will be overseen by the London Market Standards Committee (LMSC).

Indie investigation
The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) is still far from completing its investigation into the collapse of Independent Insurance.

Last October the ICA's joint disciplinary scheme said the investigation would be completed in mid-2002.

The scheme's executive counsel Christopher Dickson said the investigation was still in its early stages.

He said the ICA had not set a completion date.

CIIG strikes deal
The Creditors of Independent Insurance Group (CIIG) has not lodged its group litigation order yet because it is to strike a deal with Independent Insurance's liquidators, the group's lawyer has said.

Stephen Alexander of Class Law said the

CIIG was close to making deal on the exchange of information with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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