Articles by Emmanuel Kenning
Insolvency rate improves for SMEs
The health of the UK’s micro and small business community improved in April, according to Experian’s latest Insolvency Index.
Biba welcomes government move on signposting
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) has given its support to the government’s signposting proposals adding it believed they will maximise the likelihood of older customers finding insurance.
Personal injury costs to approach £10bn, report says
Costs faced by the personal injury insurance industry are likely to rise from £8.4bn in 2010 to £9.7bn by 2014 driven by the growth in the number of motor personal injury claims according to a report by Datamonitor.
Insurers issue ash-cloud travel insurance advice
Aviva and Ageas have stated their positions on their travel insurance policies following the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland which has closed parts of the UK airspace.
HomecallPlus enters liquidation
HomecallPlus, supplier of emergency cover for homeowners and landlords, has gone into liquidation with confusion surrounding whether any policies issued in the last six months were backed by an underwriter.
Ageas sees no sign of commercial hardening
Barry Smith, chief executive of Ageas UK, told Insurance Age he had seen no signs of commercial market hardening and indicated that he was not anticipating it happening soon.
Ageas returns to profit despite 104.6% COR
Ageas Insurance has revealed profit before tax of £3.9m for the first quarter of 2011, a £9.2m improvement over the equivalent quarter in 2010.
Aviva makes aggregator u-turn
Aviva has confirmed it intends to return to the aggregator space for private motor with a new, separately branded internet-only offering.
Aviva chief hints that market may finally be hardening
The UK could be seeing the first evidence of market hardening in commercial lines, according to Mark Hodges, chief executive of Aviva UK although he declined to predict whether any increase would hold or how far it would go.
Aviva posts improved COR in first quarter 2011 results
Aviva has revealed a 20% increase in general insurance premiums to over £1bn for the first quarter of 2011 (1Q2010: £913m).
Blanc's restructure sees Gill depart from Axa
Axa Commercial Lines has announced that Dave Gill, the customer delivery director for the commercial intermediary branch network has left the business.
Giles loses £37m
Giles has revealed a loss of £37,113,000 for the financial year ended 31 August 2010 in documents released to Companies House.
Crisis Survivor enters administration owing over £300,000
Crisis Survivor, the risk management and business continuity specialist, has gone into receivership, leaving 38 creditors and debts of £312,599.
Biba 2011: Lloyd’s reveals regional broker expansion aim
Lloyd’s has announced its ambition to rival leading UK insurers in its bid to expand its distribution base.
Biba and IIB confirm merger discussions
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) and the Institute of Insurance Brokers (IIB) have confirmed they are in formal merger discussions with an aim to complete them by the end of the year.
NIG unveils new logo in rebrand
NIG has unveiled a new logo and brand identity following the restructure of its regional business.
Ex-Coverzones boss to lead PowerPlace
Towergate-owned PowerPlace has announced the appointment of Simon Ball as chief executive officer effective 1 June 2011.
Purple appoints Alec Finch as non-executive chairman
Purple Partnership has appointed Alec Finch as non-executive chairman effective from 1 July 2011.
Jon Dye: what have you done for brokers lately?
From expanding Allianz Retail’s motor offering and setting up an online comparison service to trying to out-sing Gio Compario, Jon Dye tells us what he’s been up to.
View from the summit
From recession to combating fraud, the Broker Summit provided much food for thought, writes Emmanuel Kenning
Towergate reports £14m loss
Towergate has announced it halved its group losses in 2010 to £14.2m from £28m in 2009 and reduced net debt over the course of the year by £16.2m to £463.8m.
RSA buys Oak Underwriting
RSA has confirmed the acquisition of Oak Underwriting for an undisclosed sum.
Radical product intervention could stifle choice, warns ABI
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called for a balanced approach by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on product regulation that reflects the diversity of retail financial services markets in the UK.
Job losses at Equity Red Star
Equity Red Star, the UK arm of Insurance Australia Group, is set to make redundancies with up to 185 staff at risk, our sister title Post has revealed.