Articles by Harry Curtis
QIC cannot intervene in BI test case appeal
During Friday’s business interruption hearing, the court rejected an eleventh hour application by insurer QIC Europe Limited to intervene in the Financial Conduct Authority's test case.
Thatcham aims to tackle assisted driving confusion with scoring system
Confusion around assisted driving systems fuelled in part by carmakers’ marketing must be tackled in order to avert serious road collisions, Thatcham Research has warned as it unveils a new safety scoring system.
Lloyd's insurers launch parametric product to cover SME IT downtime
Lloyd’s has launched a parametric insurance product to cover SME business interruption losses caused by IT disruption or downtime.
FCA and seven insurers file 'precautionary' applications for Supreme Court BI test case appeal
The Financial Conduct Authority and seven out of the eight insurers involved in the regulator’s business interruption test case have filed applications to ‘leapfrog’ an appeal of the High Court judgment handed down earlier this month to the Supreme Court.
Tokyo Olympics a reminder of risk landscape beyond the pandemic, says WTW
The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the need for the organisers of events like the postponed Tokyo Olympics and risk managers in general to give serious consideration to every item in their risk registers, a research team at Willis Towers Watson has…
Industry must look at risks beyond pandemic in tackling non-damage BI challenge
Work to create a vehicle for dealing with catastrophic and systemic risks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic must take into account the full spectrum of risks capable of causing comparable levels of disruption, prominent industry figures said on…
Virgin Atlantic dropped insurance broker due to alleged lack of hard market know-how
Virgin Atlantic switched its insurance broker three weeks before the renewal date of its directors and officers policy out of frustration with poor communication and a lack of faith in brokers’ ability to deal in a hard market, its head of risk said at a…
Climate-related litigation could produce 'grey or black swan event'
Business may not be devoting enough attention to the financial risks associated with climate change-related litigation and business transformation, Axa XL spokespeople told risk managers on Wednesday.
Analysis: One in five D&O buyers witnessing 400% premium increases
One in five UK directors and officers insurance buyers faced rate rises of 400% or more during this year’s renewals, according to Airmic.
Airmic unveils cross-body Resilience Alliance
Airmic has joined with three other professional membership organisations to create the Resilience Alliance in an effort to join up thinking between different disciplines involved in business resilience.
Analysis: Changing tactics - The strategy behind Aviva's aggregator push
In August, Aviva announced that it was aiming to roll out a motor insurance product under its main brand on price comparison websites this autumn.
Lloyd’s sees underlying underwriting improvement as Covid weighs on H1 result
Lloyd’s posted a £438m loss in the first half of 2020 driven by £2.4bn of Covid-19 claims, which added 18% to its combined operating ratio.
One in ten jobs at risk as MIB begins latest cutbacks
One in ten jobs at the Motor Insurers’ Bureau are at risk of being cut, with the organisation citing among other factors the need to minimise costs due to challenges posed by the current economic climate.
Big three ratings agencies united in negative outlook for global reinsurers
Moody’s has revised its outlook for the global reinsurance sector to negative, citing weakened profitability in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing it into line with other ratings agencies.
Munich Re calls for governments to back mandatory BI risk pools
Munich Re has called for government-backed risk pools to be created to insure against the effects of future pandemics.
Munich Re expects 'triple-digit million euro' losses from Beirut blast and recent hurricanes
Munich Re expects its losses from August’s warehouse explosion in Beirut and a trio of recent North Atlantic hurricanes to both reach “low triple-digit million euro” sums.
Tulsi Naidu to depart as Zurich UK CEO
Zurich’s Tulsi Naidu is set leave her role as UK CEO to take up the position of Asia Pacific CEO in Singapore from 1 January 2021.
Hurricane Laura insured loss estimates range from $4bn to $12bn
Early estimates of the insured losses resulting from Hurricane Laura range from $4bn to $12bn, with the damage concentrated in southern Louisiana.
Capsicum to rebrand as Gallagher Re from next month
Capsicum Re is to rebrand as Gallagher Re from 1 October in order to align the business with Gallagher’s retail and insurance broking operations.
Updated: Over one million homes at risk as Hurricane Laura brings ‘unsurvivable’ storm surge to US Gulf Coast
Hurricane Laura, which made landfall in Louisiana early this morning as a category-four storm, has the potential to impact 1.1 million homes worth $265bn in terms of reconstruction cost value, according to Core Logic.
Leisure and hospitality sector faces 'plethora' of employers' liability claims
Businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector have been warned they face “inevitable” employers’ liability claims from employees who contract the coronavirus on the job or are otherwise injured as a result of changes made by businesses post-lockdown.
Interview: Craig Thornton, Lloyds Banking Group and ABI
In June, Craig Thornton, general insurance and protection director at Lloyds Banking Group, was announced as the chair of the Association of British Insurers’ General Insurance Council, replacing Andy Watson as he stood down as CEO of Ageas UK.
Direct Line told to pay former employee £37,000 for unfair dismissal
Direct Line has been ordered to pay £36,998 to a former employee who claimed they were unfairly dismissed, Post has learned.
Analysis: A tale of two mutuals
Eleven days apart in June, two of the UK’s mutual insurers – Police Mutual and LV – made announcements regarding their futures. Their decisions herald challenging times for the mutual model.