Markets hit by US debt wrangling July 25, 2011 Stocks suffered another difficult day as sovereign debt worries, this time from the US, weighed on markets. The FTSE 100 saw volatile trading with low volumes as investors anxiously watched for signs of a breakthrough between Democrats and Republicans over the US’ national debt ceiling. The parties are at loggerheads and have just days left [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 21, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES FSA FINES WILLIS ARM A RECORD £6.9M The UK arm of Willis, the number three global insurance broker, has been fined a record £6.9m by the City watchdog for anti-bribery and corruption failings related to commissions paid overseas. The fine is the largest meted out by the Financial Services Authority for failings in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 12, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES MANAGERS STRUGGLE TO WOO THE WEALTHY Private banks across the world are still struggling to attract new clients, as the wealthy continue to shun professional investment managers in the wake of the financial crisis, according to a report published today. New money paid into private banks by clients fell nearly 19 per cent [...]
HSBC sells insurance business July 11, 2011 HSBC exited from the UK car insurance market yesterday with the sale of its closed motor insurance book to US firm Syndicate Holding Corp for £68.5m. HSBC Insurance stopped writing new business in 2009. The policies will largely complete within two years but some accident claims have a longer tail, a bank spokesman said. HSBC [...]
Call to end referral fees July 4, 2011 Credit rating agency Moody’s yesterday urged UK motor insurers to follow AXA UK’s lead and stop taking referral fees from car injury claims. Moody’s said it believes AXA’s stance on referral fees was good for the industry and increased pressure on its peers to follow suit. The fees have led to a surge in personal [...]
Businesses must back our campaign June 28, 2011 BRITAIN faces a huge challenge. Innumeracy and financial illiteracy are rife in this country, in an appalling indictment of years of failed educational policies. Tragically, millions of people are unable to grasp fully even the most basic of financial products, such as mortgages or savings accounts. In an era when self-reliance and financial independence are [...]
AXA bans use of referral fees June 28, 2011 AXA UK yesterday banned the practice of accepting referral fees from personal injury lawyers when its customers contacted them after an accident. AXA UK, the subsidiary of the French insurance giant, said it never sold customer details to claims firms but would stop accepting any fees from accident management firms and called for all UK [...]
INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day eight June 28, 2011 Insurance companies have endured an exceptionally costly year so far thanks to a bitter winter in Europe and devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Insured losses in the first quarter alone are at a record level, testing the discipline of firms’ risk management. As the largest insurance hub in Europe, the City’s insurers play [...]
ING puts car leasing business up for sale June 20, 2011 Dutch financial services group ING said it has put its car leasing business up for sale, in a deal Dutch media reported may be worth 4 billion euros (£3.5bn). ING is in the throes of a huge restructuring, forced on it as a condition of its 10-billion-euros state bailout in the 2008 financial crisis. It [...]
Sainsbury’s car insurance tie-up June 5, 2011 SAINSBURY’S Finance is planning to launch a new reward scheme for shoppers, aimed at tapping the car insurance market. The scheme, underwritten by RBS Insurance, will see Sainsbury’s Nectar card users receive a discount of up to 15 per cent on car insurance premiums. Shoppers will also get double loyalty points on purchases in-store for [...]