Articles by Veronica Cowan
Analysis: Private medical insurance - providing the benefits and managing the risks
As the NHS faces unrelenting pressure to deliver services to patients, this begs the question whether the UK will be able to sustain its funding over the longer term. And while there has been increased reporting of alleged malpractice cases against…
Analysis: 5G ready: Super signal surge
Powerful 5G smart tech devices are expected to be rolled out this year. They are anticipated to overtake 4G in terms of reliability and innovation, as well as increasing data speeds, resulting in faster downloads and increased capability for digital…
Analysis: Reservoir dams - a water-tight insurance risk?
With almost 3000 dams supplying drinking water to towns and cities they are a common feature in the UK countryside. However, when heavy rain in August threatened the integrity of the emergency spillway at Toddbrook Reservoir an emergency evacuation of…
Analysis: Telematics - telling it as it is?
Fabricating a motor insurance claim used to be as simple as arranging for a mate to drive into your car but with today's new technology, Veronica Cowen explains how much harder insurers are making it for the fraudsters.
Analysis: Loss assessors and their terms of business
As insurers are likely to appoint a loss adjuster when acting on a claim, customers making large claims may wish to employ a loss assessor to represent their interests. How well are these relationships currently working?
Analysis: Social media - Insuring influencers
As regulators are spelling out the rules for influencers advertising services and products, insurers and brokers are starting to adapt their policies to these social media personalities making a living out of their online fame.
Analysis: AI's hidden risks
Artificial intelligence will have unexpected consequences, which will raise tricky liability questions and will probably change the nature of claims
Analysis: Insuring musical instruments, striking the right notes
Musical instruments require insurance cover that's in tune with their tumultuous lives.
Risk management: Analysis: Councils: Local challenges
Local government insurance has to deal with emerging risks. How is it adapting as competition increases?
Analysis: Employment claims rising after unfair fees finished
Now the Supreme Court has ruled employment tribunal fees are unlawful, insurers are expecting a flow – but not a flood – of claims
Analysis: Councils: Local challenges
Local government insurance has to deal with emerging risks. How is it adapting as competition increases?
Analysis: Arson: A burning issue
Only a small portion of arson cases are prosecuted, so perhaps it’s time for the insurance industry to take ownership of this issue, as it has with fraud
Analysis: Monitoring medical misdeeds
Surgeon Ian Paterson went to prison in May for carrying out unnecessary cancer operations and this case has highlighted gaps in the insurance coverage of medical malpractice
Claims aggregation: Joined-up thinking
The Supreme Court ruling in AIG has clarified the conditions under which claims can be aggregated, allowing insurers to reduce their exposure, but future cases will remain highly fact-sensitive
Enterprise Act: Paying the price for paying late
With the Enterprise Act coming into force on 4 May, policyholders will now be able to claim damages for late payment of claims. Are insurers ready?
Cyber regulation: Cyber’s new rules
The tightening of data regulation next year could drive demand for cyber cover and, with the reporting of breaches becoming compulsory, it may help underwriters price this new risk ever more accurately
Uninsured driving - the European way
A recent European ruling that means insured motorists will pay repairs for uninsured drivers has caused outrage in the industry. What is the extent of uninsured driving in Europe, how do national differences compare and which policies work?
Europe: Falling foul of the defamation minefield
The availability of defamation cover in the US has driven the market in Europe, but claims are moving from libel to privacy.
Electronic trading: What is good form online?
The growth in online communications makes BT's strapline ‘It's good to talk' seem dated, but anyone who has had to lift a phone to unravel a burgeoning misunderstanding in an email can appreciate its spirit.
Flood claims: Under the weather
One year after Storms Desmond and Eva, schemes are now available to make cover affordable for households and small businesses in areas at risk of flooding. As barriers to resilient repairs persist, the focus is shifting to a more precise mapping of the…
Insurers still open to Calais route for hauliers
Migrant activity on the Calais to Dover route has increased costs for hauliers but its insurance consequences are not clear: some observers are reporting premium rises, which others are denying.
Solicitors' PI: Uncertainty ahead
Most law firms will seek renewal of their professional indemnity insurance this autumn, although an estimated one-third will renew their PII away from 1 October. The announcement that unrated insurer Enterprise has stopped writing new business leaves the…