Fiat’s 500L gets a rugged makeover July 29, 2013 With its practical appearance and off-road promise, the 500L Trekking is a town car that likes to get dirty The Mini Countryman doesn’t look much like the Mini hatchback, but customers don’t seem to mind. Mini’s SUV crossover is selling very well in the UK, appealing to a family market that wants something practical, with [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 26 July 2013 July 25, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Berkshire Hathaway derided for deal Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has been branded “foolish” by an insurance executive for blindly following underwriting decisions taken by Lloyd’s of London rivals. An unusual deal that Berkshire has struck with the insurance broker Aon is likely to “end in tears”, warned Richard Brindle, founder and chief executive [...]
Clive Cowdery enters the States with $600m life insurance deal July 18, 2013 INSURANCE tycoon Clive Cowdery yesterday revealed his $600m (£395m) purchase of Lincoln Benefit Life from financial services group Allstate. The deal represents Cowdery’s entrance into the US market after a decade of shaking up the industry in Britain. A swathe of insurers have put life businesses up for sale in the face of low returns, [...]
Emergency service July 18, 2013 Robin Swithinbank reports on a new version of a satellite-linked watch that could save your life IN 2003 a pair of British explorers, Steve Brooks and Quentin Smith, were forced to ditch in the Antarctic after a failed attempt to become the first pilots to fly a helicopter to the North and South Poles. After [...]
The ultimate risk-taker eyes growth February 24, 2013 Zurich’s boss tells James Waterson how car insurance can pay if there are no crashes MARTIN Senn seems unusually enthusiastic about the impending destruction of a large part of his business. But the mild-mannered chief executive of Zurich is excited about what a world without car crashes would mean for his company’s motor insurance operations. [...]
Now team is fixed, let’s sort Twickenham transport February 24, 2013 ENGLISH rugby is undeniably on the right tracks. The management team has a clear set of objectives, and the team under Chris Robshaw have an admirable team ethic that eschews ego for the greater good. They beat France comprehensively in the end, helped by the odd refereeing aberration and more than the odd bizarre French [...]
Pothole insurance claims double February 11, 2013 The number of insurance claims for pothole-related damage to cars on Britain’s roads more than doubled in January compared with the same month last year, according to broker AA Insurance. The company estimates 1,000 UK cars were seriously damaged by potholes during the month and blames deteriorating roads following a period of heavy rain, flooding, snow [...]
Car insurance cost dips yet effect of gender ruling still to be felt January 29, 2013 THE COST of a comprehensive car insurance policy fell to an average of £789 in December – the lowest level since October 2011 – according to figures released today by the AA. However the company warned that the 2.9 per cent decline over the last three months of 2012 does not tell the full story [...]
Cameron’s decision to call a referendum is absolutely right January 23, 2013 GOOD on David Cameron. He has finally listened to public opinion and agreed to seek a better, renegotiated EU membership deal for the UK. Nobody born after 1957 in the UK has ever had a chance to say what they think of an organisation that controls more of UK public policy than ever before. Of [...]
Would leaving the European Union be a positive move for businesses in Britain? January 17, 2013 YES Robert Hiscox The EU is a slow-moving caravan, forced to move at the speed of its slowest member. It imposes job-destroying, one-size-fits-all regulations and policies, in a centralised manner. But to prosper, companies (and countries) need policy flexibility, which the EU does not offer. Unfortunately, we have little democratic capacity to overturn bad EU laws. [...]