Reportage - network impact: The right environment

Networks promise the earth when attempting to get brokers to sign up but do they deliver on service? Jessica Pothering explores different network cultures and asks how to get the most out of membership.

James Russell says he made the decision to join a network four years ago and hasn't looked back. His company is a four-strong niche brokerage based in Leicestershire that focuses on latent defects and environmental warranties. Prior to going their own way and joining the TEn Network, the partners at Building and Land Guarantees worked for a consolidator, covering a wide range of insurance lines from their comfortable offices at a very large and stable firm. "But then we decided we wanted to set