Articles by Harry Curtis
Go Compare profits continue to fall
Go Compare parent, Goco Group, saw its pre-tax profits fall 52% year-on-year to £7.6m, as revenues from its core price comparison site also slumped.
Hiscox floats seized ship cover as Iran Gulf tensions threaten premiums
Hiscox has developed a product designed to protect shipping targeted by nation states amid warnings that escalating tensions between Iran and the UK and its allies could lead to higher insurance premiums.
Investment returns drive Beazley half-year profit as it strengthens cat reserves
Beazley saw double-digital premium growth in the first six months of the year, posting a pre-tax profit of $166.4m (£133.9m) largely driven by “exceptional” investment returns.
Axa XL names incoming Europe CUO
Axa XL has appointed Paul-Henri Rastoul as chief underwriting officer of its EU-registered vehicle, XL Insurance Company SE.
Analysis: Mitigating the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace
Over the past two years, awareness of how prevalent sexual harassment is in the workplace has reached perhaps unprecedented heights.
Insurers attack 'misleading and wholly disingenuous' discount rate impact assessment
The impact assessment issued to parliament in relation to Lord Chancellor David Gauke’s decision to set the discount rate at minus 0.25% has been called “misleading and wholly disingenuous” by Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British…
Opponents of diversity 'shouldn’t be working in this marketplace': Miller CEO
Miller CEO Greg Collins has emphasised the need to root out ‘unpleasant and unhelpful views’ in the industry ahead of the fifth year of diversity and inclusion festival, Dive In.
Money Supermarket clone site shut down
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a warning about fraudsters operating a clone of price comparison website Money Supermarket.
B3I appoints John Carolin as CEO
John Carolin has been appointed CEO of B3I. He has held the position on an interim basis since March, succeeding B3I co-founder Paul Meeusen.
Analysis: Industry faces financial blow from discount rate revision
Insurers that have been pricing and reserving using a discount rate of between 0 to 1% may face a short term financial hit, analysts have warned.
Lloyd's modernisation proposals receive positive consultation response
Six proposals to modernise Lloyd’s, including setting up two digital platforms, have received widespread backing from market participants following a 10-week consultation.
Rising Star: Valeria Altavilla, Scheme Serve
An insurtech providing software to the insurance industry is a far cry from qualifying as a lawyer in Italy, but Scheme Serve's Valeria Altavilla isn't looking back.
Dive In festival launches with flash mob at Lloyd's
Event registration has opened for the 2019 Dive In festival, which aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry and will year take place from 24 to 26 September.
US commercial drone insurtech partners with Chaucer in UK expansion
US on-demand commercial drone insurtech Skywatch AI has expanded into the UK, where its policies will be underwritten by specialty reinsurer Chaucer.
Flood Re and Axa propose funding flood-resilient home improvements
Payouts on household flood claims could rise above the cost of damage in order to enable claimants to make their homes more resilient to future incidents, under proposals outlined by Flood Re.
Top 0.2% of firms to pay 61% of next year's FSCS levy
110 financial services firms will pay 61% of the Financial Service Compensation Scheme’s levy in 2019/20, according to indicative numbers published by the compensation fund.
Lloyd's cracks down on silent cyber risk with new mandate
Lloyd’s market participants will soon be required to clearly state whether policies cover cyber-related losses, such as cyber-attacks and loss of data.
MGA recovers 55% of money stolen through email conveyancing fraud
A fraud response initiative set up by managing general agent Pen Underwriting has more than halved the amount of money lost in cases of cyber conveyancing fraud since 2017.
Lloyd's issues e-placement targets as Neal outlines future performance review regime
Lloyd’s has confirmed electronic placement targets for the rest of 2019, mandating syndicates place at least 60% and 70% of risks electronically in the third and fourth quarters respectively.
Lloyd's response to culture concerns 'not enough' says Neal
Lloyd's CEO John Neal has addressed concerns about the workplace culture at Lloyd’s, saying “whatever we’ve done so far, it’s not enough”.
BGC recruits Willis' Smaje to head aerospace brokerage
BGC has appointed Philip Smaje as CEO of its global aviation and space reinsurance brokerage.
Allianz appoints Tom Leonard as London regional manager
Allianz Insurance has appointed Tom Leonard as its London regional manager.
Launching an MGA harder than ever: MGAs and carriers
Setting up a managing general agent is now much harder than at any time previously, according to a survey of over 100 MGAs and insurers conducted by Clyde & Co.
FSCS raised supplementary £14m levy following Alpha collapse
The FSCS was forced to raise a supplementary £14m levy in January to cover the cost of the collapse of Alpha Insurance, according to its annual report.