E-Trading
SSP responds to OFT investigation
Software house SSP has responded to the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) investigation of competition concerns surrounding Experian’s Whatif? Private Motor product.
OFT clamps down on insurers accessing pricing information
Seven insurance companies and two IT software and service providers have provisionally agreed to limit the data that they exchange after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) raised competition law concerns.
1 Answer becomes first network to sign up to Powerplace
Personal lines network, 1 Answer, has pushed into the commercial arena by joining Powerplace.
Reportage - Scheme innovation: Creative sparks
Has the financial crisis forced insurers to become more imaginative with new products and schemes or are they following where brokers lead? Louise Phillips investigates the catalyst for recent innovation in the market.
Towergate: SME provision deal 'just the beginning'
Towergate Insurance has claimed its deal with Comparethemarket.com to provide insurance to small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers is "just the beginning" of its online SME strategy.
Insurance Age blog: Bankers, music and brokers
Bankers just don’t get it, but do you? You might think that bankers in Ireland and the history of HMV have little to teach insurance brokers. But I beg to differ.
Viewpoint: Technically speaking
With the success of the iPad and Lloyd's plans to trial the replacement of traditional underwriting slips, Martin Eves asks whether new technology can be incorporated to benefit the insurance industry or if it is more often a case of hype over substance
E-commerce: Powerplace completes '3 As' with Axa addition
Powerplace has secured what it described as the "3 As" after announcing Axa's intention to join its panel of insurers.
E-commerce: Brokers criticised for not carrying out adequate sanction checks
Brokers are grossly underestimating the implications of government guidelines for client screening, according to Open GI.
E-commerce: Failing to enforce 'leaver' processes risks giving access to competitors
Brokers could be leaving their client database wide open to attack from competitors by not implementing effective staff exit strategies, according to industry experts.
E-commerce: Insurers urged not to rush into app development
Insurers have been warned against rushing to create iPhone applications (apps) for basic insurance processes as Aviva became the latest insurer to launch an app.
PB December 2010: News round-up
Apple iPhone apps continue to be all the rage in the insurance industry. Aviva launched MyClaim, a free app enabling policyholders to file a motor insurance claim remotely from their iPhones.
Technology - 2010 retrospective: Software houses moving forward steadily
This year, most of the key players in technology were pleased with steady progress, keeping close to existing clients in a tough economic environment for brokers, writes Andrew Tjaardstra.
Insurance Age blog: Brokers - out of date or keeping it real?
Broking is a rather traditional and conservative market. That's not to say it is backward - far from it.
Axa signs up to Powerplace
Powerplace has finally secured what it describes as the “3 As” after announcing Axa’s intention to join its panel.
Aviva launches iPhone claims application
Aviva has launched a free iPhone application (app) which has been designed to allow policyholders to file a motor insurance claim remotely from their iPhone.
Only one in ten automatically renew car insurance
UK consumers are the most determined to shop around for a good deal on insurance, and the least likely to stay loyal, according to Datamonitor.
News Analysis - Conferences: Prime Minister announces £200m university and enterprise link
This year's Chartered Management Institute and Confederations of Business Industry conferences pulled in the big hitters as business leaders attended to work out how best to plan for the period of austerity ahead.
Technology Viewpoint - Document Processing: Urban myths: the paperless office
Anthony Macciola explodes the notion of the paperless office and lays out what steps insurance brokers can take to handle the ever-increasing amount of paper cluttering their organisations.
SME Aggregators: Digital commercial futures
Edward Murray outlines the difficulties being encountered in establishing a successful aggregator template for small and medium-sized enterprise trade.
Market Watch - Networks: Opening connections
Emmanuel Kenning argues that broker networks are becoming more popular, though managers need to think carefully about the offerings available through them before committing their firms.
E-commerce: Solvency II to make brokers more accountable for data
Brokers with delegated authority may face increasing pressure from insurers to account for the whereabouts of data as the industry prepares to meet Solvency II regulations.
E-commerce: SMEs unconvinced by social networking value
Over half (52%) of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use social media but 27% of these have expressed serious doubts about the value of such sites.
E-commerce: CII group to assess how social media can review claims
The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has created a New Generation Claims Group tasked with investigating how social media can be used to improve the claims process for brokers and their clients.