Analysis
Heritage Crafts: The end of an era?
Historical buildings like ITV’s Downton Abbey, are facing an uncertain future as heritage crafts decline. What can be done to preserve our national heritage?
Landlords: Bring on the subs
Plans to stop landlords preventing sub-letting have split opinion, with some insurers predicting a hike in premiums, while others claim the risks could be managed.
Iceberg Basements: What lies beneath
Iceberg basements have made media headlines as the mega-rich create extra room for their luxurious lifestyles. These developments also throw up a unique set of challenges for insurers.
Europe: Brokers in Northern Ireland - challenges & opportunities
Recent M&A activity in Northern Ireland has shaken up the region's insurance industry, bringing the future of high street brokers in the province under the microscope.
Synthetic Biology: The dark side of DNA
For all the good that synthetic biology could do, concerns persist that in the wrong hands, it could also be a potent weapon.
General Election 2015: The ties that bind
Concerns that political influence is for sale refuse to go away. But could the system really be changed to stop MPs having outside business interests?
Horse Racing: The original extreme sport
The headline above was how Channel 4 promoted 2014’s Grand National, and they could well be right, with serious injury a real risk.
Laspo: Is it working?
Claims reforms may have reduced costs and made the process more efficient, but insurers and solicitors agree more needs to be done.
Regional Review: Belfast
For a community that has been forced to overcome more than its fair share of troubles in the last century, members of Belfast’s general insurance market may be forgiven for being cautious with their optimism regarding the future prosperity of the sector…
India's long-awaited opportunity
India’s general insurance sector looks set for a flurry of activity following a long-awaited change in the law allowing foreign companies to increase the stakes they hold in local firms, writes Nicky Burridge.
Europe: How did the Western Sanctions affect the Russian insurance market?
At the end of January the Council of the European Union agreed to extend existing sanctions against Russia. This move comes a year on from the introduction of the first set of sanctions, and now we can estimate its impact on the Russian insurance market.
Legal Update: Exposure and the global threat
Chemical exposure can lead to the onset of disease. David Kidman looks at how this could impact insurers.
Europe: From Bolton to Bermuda
Like double decker buses, Bermuda hadn’t had a hurricane make landfall for 27 years – then experienced two in five days. The phenomenon tested loss adjusters at McLarens to the limit
Care Homes: Crisis in the care home?
With media reports of abuse in care homes, the insurance market has faced numerous challenges – however, is the sector truly getting the best deal from insurers?
Jargon: Beat the bull
Insurers need to make sure their communication is crystal clear and jargon-free, or face the fallout from consumers and regulators.
Loss adjusting: a sea change?
Consolidation has been the buzzword of the insurance industry over the last 12 months and the claims space is no exception, where loss adjusters have been buying, selling and merging at a feverish pace.
Europe: Major Events in the Russian Insurance Market in Q1 2015
Paul Koshik looks back at the first quarter of this year in the Russian insurance market
Digital Literacy: Let’s get digital
It’s good to talk – but it helps if you know what you’re talking about. Insurers need to be confident in their digital innovations or risk losing out to more literate competitors.
Vulnerable Customers: Protecting the vulnerable
A recent Financial Conduct Authority report found that financial companies are not meeting the needs of the more vulnerable customers in society – so what are insurers doing to help combat this?
Celebrity Endorsements: All that glitters
What happens when the actions of a company’s celebrity endorser bring a campaign to its knees?
Insurance Census - Ethnicity: Minority report
In the final part of the Insurance Census, Post looks at ethnic diversity in the insurance industry – and how the sector can improve.
International: Microinsurance: Starting small
How will the new microinsurance incubator launched by the World Economic Forum impact on lower-income communities, and what are other insurers doing to cater for this group?
Museums: Heritage at heart
The UK’s museums are big business, so how do administrators make sure their assets are covered in any eventuality?
Hong Kong's motor malaise
Nicky Burridge investigates why Hong Kong experienced some poor motor underwriting results in 2014.