Brokers make progress despite headwinds
17 March 2014
Brokers are improving profitability through strong client relationships and efficiency improvements, defying a subdued economic environment, increased competition and modest…
Analysis
Lloyd’s moves with the times
10 March 2014
2014 is already proving to be a big year for Lloyd’s of London. With new CEO Inga Beale installed and a new claims service launched, the 325-year-old market has given assurances it can adapt to the challenges posed by a reinsurance sector that is being flooded with new capital…
Time to walk the walk on internal shake-ups
03 March 2014
For years insurers have been talking about the work they are doing internally to slash costs and sell more business to current customers…
Reinsurance rates take a dip as capital pool swells
24 February 2014
Australian reinsurance rates are on the decline, with the flood of global reinsurance capital that has weakened international rates flowing on into this year’s renewals…
The new insurers’ code: no revolution, just evolution
17 February 2014
The latest version of the General Insurance Code of Practice – the fourth since 2006 – appears to have achieved a balance between the interests of insurers and consumers…
Storm clouds on the insurance horizon
10 February 2014
Times are changing for the insurance market in Australia…
The year ahead: plain sailing in perilous waters
03 February 2014
The Australian and New Zealand insurance industries can look forward to a profitable year, despite an increasingly complex global risk landscape that has made holistic risk management strategies essential…
Neal’s line-drawing will become a picture of recovery
16 December 2013
QBE CEO John Neal says the writedown of the group’s North American operations draws a line under the past – but can he convince investors?…
Wesfarmers and the fine art of speculation
09 December 2013
Reporting market speculation is part and parcel of a journalist’s work, but it’s an activity fraught with hazard. The lines bordering opinion and conjecture are very thin…
Asia poses problems as well as opportunities
02 December 2013
The insurance industry thinks of Asia as the next frontier for growth, with demand rising. But the picture isn’t as glowing as it may seem…
Big Data, sluggish response
25 November 2013
Over the past few years major companies around the world have been exploring the opportunities presented by so-called Big Data. Collecting as much publicly available information as possible…
The race to keep pace with emerging markets
18 November 2013
Countries with low insurance penetration are forecast to post the fastest economic growth globally in the next few decades, and the challenge for the insurance industry will be to develop products and risk management that meets their needs…
Reinsurance capital: old habits die hard
11 November 2013
The influx of alternative capital has become a focal point for the reinsurance industry – and that’s no surprise given its potential impact…
North Queensland strata cover: signs of hope?
04 November 2013
The cost of insuring strata properties in northern Queensland has started to fall after huge rises in 2011 and last year, but cover is still expensive and hard to obtain…
‘Fair and reasonable’ is hard to make consistent
28 October 2013
When the Financial Ombudsman Service was established in 1991 as the Claims Review Panel, the issue of what exactly “fair and reasonable in the circumstances” meant raised considerable angst…
The year of the buyer
21 October 2013
This year may be a good one for insurance buyers as increasing competition and capital keep a lid on commercial premiums, according to an Aon Australia report…
Steadfast or Austbrokers? A rough guide
14 October 2013
An interesting feature of the National Insurance Brokers Association Convention in Melbourne this week is the presence of three broking groups in the exhibition hall, each there for the sole purpose…
D&O: diligence optional?
07 October 2013
Directors’ and officers’ cover gives company executives and board members crucial protection – but might it also encourage reckless behaviour and hinder efforts to improve workplace safety…
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
30 September 2013
Rising premiums and fewer catastrophes helped Australian general insurance industry earnings grow 61% last financial year – but rising profits have also lured new market entrants and again…
CROs – the chiefs of grief
23 September 2013
Occasionally, a regulator makes a proposal that manages to unite an entire sector of the financial services industry in opposition…