Weblog

September started with a bang for insurance watchers – and the news that Bridget McIntyre’s reign at RSA had ended was, predictably, the most read story of the week.

McIntyre’s departure will fuel speculation that RSA could be the subject of a takeover bid and all eyes will be on her successor, Adrian Brown.

Industry observers are also waiting to find out who will be the next chief executive to leave a major insurer. At number five in the most read ranks was All change at RSA, an exclusive Insurancetimes.co.uk analysis.

As the summer lull came to an end, brokers were busy too. Chris Giles continued his apparently neverending shopping spree. The online analysis, It’s all about Giles, was one of the best read of all time and hit number two in the most read chart. Meanwhile, over at Venture Preference, Stuart Reid was unveiling the long-awaited rebrand of the businesses that make up AXA’s broker arm, now christened Bluefin.

Elsewhere in cyberspace, the financial ombudsman’s criticisms of the FSA in relation to payment protection insurance were widely reported. According to Times Online: “The ombudsman says it is currently handling more than 500 complaints a week about the controversial insurance – making it the single biggest issue of complaint for consumers.”

For our cousins in reinsurance, the big news was in Monte Carlo, where the industry gathered for its annual Rendez-Vous – meetings held before the annual renewals season, where deals are initiated and rates are the talk of the town. Insurancetimes.co.uk’s sister website, Globalreinsurance.co.uk, was there in force, bringing the news to the UK industry as it happened. See page 10 for a round up.