Referral fees
TSC risks missing the point about motor insurance pricing
The Association of British insurers has responded to the results of a Young Marmalade survey which revealed that 96% of young drivers feel priced off the road by high insurance premiums.
96% of young drivers priced off the road
A survey by Young Marmalade ahead of today’s Transport Select Committee hearing with Jack Straw, found that 96% of young drivers feel they have been priced off the road by high insurance premiums.
CS2 Lawyers re-brands in honour of company director
A leading campaigner behind the recent government ban on referral fees has seen the personal injury law firm where he is director named after him.
Straw to meet broker groups to discuss referral fees issue
Brokerbility has secured a meeting with Labour MP for Blackburn Jack Straw, pictured, next month in a bid to give him an industry perspective on referral fees.
Expert analysis - aggregators: Mixing things up
Softening motor rates, more movement between best-price brands and augmented ancillary income emerge as aggregator themes
News analysis: Insurance industry feels the shockwaves of the economic meltdown
It has been hard to escape the doom and gloom of the volatile stock market and wider economic woes over the past week.
Looking back - 1991: Hitting the hot hatches
On 26 September 1991, Post reported a tale familiar to today’s law-abiding general public: soaring motor insurance premiums. Current year-on-year rises cited are in the region of 30% to 40%, but the figures from 20 years ago suggested hikes of up to 74%…
Law firm mergers: Transforming the legal landscape
Insurer demands for scale and scope plus the emergence of Alternative Business Structures are fuelling the fires of law firm consolidation.
View from the top: Time for action
Insurers must fight to protect their fundamental purpose faced with the threat of external interventions, says Barry Smith, CEO, Ageas UK.
Top 100 UK insurers supplement: Steadying the ship
After a tough 2009, the top insurers have managed to maintain GWP levels in 2010 but snapping at their heels are a few new entrants doing their best to prove there is still money to be made in general insurance.
Top 100 UK insurers supplement: Referral fees roundtable: The hot potato
With barely a day going by without another opinion voiced on the adverse effects of referral fees, our panel of industry experts debated their contribution to cost inflation and the bigger issues*
Top 100 UK insurers supplement - AM Commentary: An uphill struggle
With earnings down, falling reserves and diminishing returns on investments, the tough times continue for UK non-life insurers.
Ai Claims profits up 38%
Motor claims management firm, Ai Claims, has reported a profit after tax of £2.7m in the year to 30 June 2011 - up 38% on the £1.9m it made the previous financial year.
No panic over end of referral fees
Andrew Morton, head of affinity solutions at Manchester law firm Pannone, said the announcement by the Ministry of Justice banning referral fees in personal injury cases does not mean a complete loss of revenue from legal work for insurers.
Expert opinion: A missed opportunity
MP for Blackburn Jack Straw's proposed bill will have no effect on fraud or premiums, says Philip Dicken, strategic partnersip director, New Law.
View from the top: Sleepwalking to a fleet nightmare
New business discounts, cross subsidising and top-line chasing remain rife, says Laurent Matras, managing director, Groupama Insurances.
Whiplash - Britain: The European whiplash capital
With its proportion of whiplash claims far outstripping any other European nation, what must the UK do to curb this cause of claims inflation?
Comment - Civil litigation: You’re part of the problem
When the insurance industry launches a campaign to reform our “broken civil litigation system” it predictably wheels out dodgy statistics – including that complete nonsense of a report from Frontier Economics again — and dubious ‘facts’. It conveniently…
Social media: Hashing out hashtags
Has the insurance industry finally mastered the art of social networking?
MoJ to split referral ban enforcement role between industry regulators
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed the government’s proposed ban on referral fees is likely not to be centrally administered, but instead enforced by a collection of disparate regulatory authorities.
Editor's comment: The devil is in the detail
Just when consensus was building across the insurance industry that banning referral fees alone will not cure the UK civil litigation system of all its perceived ills, reduce car insurance premiums, or single-handedly wipe out personal injury claims…
Explosion in whiplash claims highlights the need to tackle cause not symptoms
Last week’s Claims Club meeting saw a heated debate on referral fees, a call for members to lobby against the EU tax review and heavy criticism of the SRA
Jack Straw outlines his Bill to crack down on referral fees
Jack Straw’s motion to crack down on referral fees has passed the latest hurdle in the House of Commons following a Ten Minute Rule Motion.
UK Government bans referral fees
The UK government has decided today that it will ban referral fees as part of its commitment to curb the compensation culture.