Building ignorance: politicians fail to grasp insurance (again)
22 July 2019
Politicians love pointing the finger at insurers when the proverbial hits the fan – and the current construction industry crisis is no exception...
Analysis
All set for the fifth festival of diversity and inclusion
15 July 2019
For the past five years Lloyd’s has been at the forefront of promoting diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry, globally and in Australia...
Lessons to be learned: CBL failure puts heat on NZ regulator
08 July 2019
Fallout from the CBL Insurance failure will be felt across the New Zealand industry, with an independent review revealing a cautious regulatory approach failed to quickly get to the bottom of the company’s problems...
Taking stock: a mid-year regulatory round-up
01 July 2019
Memories of last year’s royal commission hearings may already be fading, but there’s no chance Commissioner Kenneth Hayne’s recommendations have been forgotten...
PI pullout chips away at building industry’s foundations
24 June 2019
The thousands of building surveyors, certifiers or construction industry operators who are required by regulation to have professional indemnity (PI) insurance are facing a dilemma that may well force them out of business...
Industry banana skins: digital slip-ups loom large
17 June 2019
Last week diversified insurance provider Insurance House was forced to shut down its online systems for a lengthy period while it dealt with a highly sophisticated malware attack. While no client data was compromised, the company says the episode is a reminder how challenging the cyber threat can be...
The things that make a good insurance CEO
11 June 2019
What makes a successful insurance company chief executive? According to the media pundits and market analysts, extensive insurance experience is at the top of the list…
ACCC’s northern inquiry: treading water and diving down rabbit holes
03 June 2019
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s sprawling inquiry into soaring premiums in the country’s north is yet to really get to grips with the problem, even as it moves towards the business end of its three-year probe…
Why 5G spells danger for insurers
27 May 2019
Swiss Re’s annual analysis of emerging risks with the potential to have major impacts on insurers includes some of the usual suspects – climate change and the state of the global economy among them…
Wobbly lines: the market’s key trouble spots
20 May 2019
Capacity constraints continue to bedevil a number of business classes as insurers try to improve their bottom lines and back out of difficult markets…
Avoiding economic disaster: the true value of insurance
13 May 2019
We see plenty of good news stories showing how insurance companies help get individual homeowners or businesses back on their feet following a natural catastrophe…
Lloyd’s plots a course through troubled waters
06 May 2019
Lloyd’s has faced some home truths and presented a vision for change in its bid for a more prosperous future, after a few years it might rather forget…
Designed to help: AI and the rise of the ‘cobots’
29 April 2019
Artificial intelligence and robotics are changing the world, and the insurance industry had better change with it…
Rise of the ‘secondary’ nat cat threat
15 April 2019
Losses aside, last December’s near $1.2 billion hailstorm in Sydney has a far more chilling message for Australian insurers: better get used to it…
SME survey: brokers confront their trust issues
08 April 2019
Brokers have received some tough feedback in the latest Vero SME Insurance Index, with declining trust levels and small businesses increasingly buying cover from the direct market…
Seeking the final word on consumer advice
01 April 2019
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission report on consumer confusion around general and personal advice is another step towards solving a problem that continues to cause angst…
Is climate change causing slow-motion cyclones?
25 March 2019
Global warming is changing our weather in so many ways – but one of the most concerning is its impact on cyclones…
No holding back: it’s tech time for brokers
18 March 2019
Brokers are set to adopt technological innovation at a faster pace than has so far been experienced so far as the relatively buoyant insurance market provides them with a stronger foundation for investment…
Long road ahead on consumer reforms
11 March 2019
There’s little dispute that standard cover arrangements aren’t much help to consumers trying to choose between policies, but responses to a Treasury discussion paper show that finding a better way forward will not be simple…
Deciphering Hayne’s code with legal teeth
04 March 2019
General insurance was an early adopter of the code-of-practice concept, which basically allowed the industry to set standards and self-regulate…