Insurance Regulation in 2012: Finding Solutions to the “British Dilemma”

11 Jan 2012: Financial Secretary Mark Hoban MP summarises the UK Treasury's latest work in insurance regulation, including the UK regulatory reforms, Solvency II, and response to the European Court's gender ruling. He the UK's dominance in the global insurance markets both retail and wholesale which cannot be underestimated, and any regulatory reforms must be reflective of the unique issues in this sector.

Retaining today’s knowledge for tomorrow: Capturing the knowledge of retirees

12 Dec 2011: Knowledge loss can be an unintended consequence of retirements and can prove costly for firms. Adele Wilter of Capita Consulting provides a short guide on how best to capture this knowledge and prevent a brain drain.

Anthony Hurndall: Dealing with Disputed Claims: Is Jackson the Answer, or a Reminder of the Need for a New Approach?

29 Nov 2011: Amidst all the commentary on the Jackson reforms, Anthony Hurndall describes an alternative model that avoids the aggressive adversarial approach of litigation whilst actually bringing about workable results. At a time when insurers are looking for cost effective and proportionate approaches to settling claims disputes, what is proposed here might just be the fresh approach that is needed.

Ian Canham: Road to Ruin, Next Exit? Insurance Reflections on Corporate Governance and Risk Management

24 Nov 2011: assesses the implications of a report published earlier this year by Cass Business School in association with AIRMIC and Lockton. In this thinkpiece, Ian Canham (partner in risk solutions at Lockton) provides his personal views towards the this study and draws observations and conclusions for the future of corporate governance in the real world.

Otto Thoresen: A Ten-Point Plan for Improving Reputation and Customer Experience in Insurance

15 July 2011: Chief Executive of the ABI, Otto Thoresen sets out his initial thoughts on the challenge posed by the pressing issue of reputation and service to customers of the insurance industry. In this Thinkpiece, based on a speech delivered at the ABI Biennial Conference, in July, he calls on insurers to act now if the industry is to fulfil its potential and play a central role in the future of the UK economy.

Ron Wheatcroft and Stephen Bale: Too Big to Ignore: Protection & Perception Gaps

29 January 2010: Ron Wheatcroft and Stephen Bale of Swiss Re take a closer look at the long-term insurance market with a particular emphasis on protection insurance, drawing from a large consumer research project. They call the life insurance industry to engage with consumers, govenment and employers in a concerted effort to close the protection and perception gaps.

Colin Challen: What are the chances for success in Copenhagen?

26 October 2009: After a long year of detailed negotiations preparing for the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, Colin Challen MP gives an honest assessment of where we stand. He outlines three risks which could threaten the success of any agreement in Copenhagen, and calls for a coherent framework to help us meet the targets we so desperately need to agree.

Richard Jones, John Smith and Brid Meaney: Solvency II: Enabling Transformation Through Regulation

8 October 2009: Solvency II legislation which will take effect in October 2012 will implement a fundamental change to the current European insurance solvency framework and each insurer should decide now what Solvency II means for them. This Thinkpiece, written by Richard Jones, John Smith and Brid Meaney of IBM, outlines the key decisions that need to be made now to design the appropriate Solvency II programme. Insurers need to understand the drivers that could influence both the scale of investment and the value to be derived from their Solvency II Programmes.

To read IBM’s full paper upon which this Thinkpiece is based, entitled Solvency II: Enabling Transformation Through Regulation, please click here.

Elizabeth Truss and Nick Bosanquet: “Nudging” you to make the “right” choices

“Risky Business” Series No.3

18 September 2009: One of the top reads in Whitehall and Westminster last year was the book by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein that described how to “nudge” customers towards making “better” choices on complex subjects. In this third article in our series on insurance and risk, Elizabeth Truss and Nick Bosanquet of the thinktank Reform provide their own view on nudge theory and the insurance industry, exploring its potential rewards as well as risks.

Jonathan Swift : Risky Business and the Politics of Risk - Is the Insurance Industry Promoting Itself?

“Risky Business” Series No.2

14 September 2009:  insurers are feeling the recessionary pinch in the form of a capital squeeze and a hardening market, yet they can still benefit from escaping the contagion in the global recession. However wider financial services regulatory reforms loom, and the current effort is to stem this tide on the industry. In this second in our “Risky Business” series, Jonathan Swift, editor of Post Magazine, explores this current situation, particularly the implications of the Insurance Industry Working Group report.

Andy Haste: Risky Business: Insurance and Society

“Risky Business” Series No.1

Trevor Maynard: Pandemics – be prepared

19 March 2009: Trevor Maynard, manager of emerging risks at Lloyd’s, examines the issue of pandemics and the insurance industry. His paper he shows that the risk of a pandemic is ever present, despite the decline in media interest, and that contingency and business continuity planning is vital. He points out the potential consequences of a pandemic and highlights the need for businesses, insurers in particular, to be prepared for all eventualities.

Raffaello Pantucci: Responding to the terrorist threat – implications for firms and insurers

20 January 2009: Raffaello Pantucci, research associate at the global security think tank the International Institute of Strategic Studies, analyses some of the recent developments in international terrorism, examines the risks facing UK firms both at home and abroad, and considers what the insurance industry could do to encourage firms to better prepare and manage these risks .

Elizabeth Truss & Nick Bosanquet: Personal Capability and Risk

10 December 2008: Elizabeth Truss and Nick Bosanquet from the think tank Reform take a timely look at factors shaping the public’s ability to take financial risk decisions, and in so doing argue that the very government regulation that is supposed to protect consumers might actually be quietly harming their ability to assess risk.

Chris Bath : Time served: unlocking insurance to help reintegrate offenders into society

10 November 2008: Chris Bath of the reformed offender charity UNLOCK argues that the insurance industry is failing reformed offenders by preventing them access to their products. In this paper Bath puts forward what he believes to be workable solutions that will benefit all parties.

Drs. Henry Stott and Stian Reimers - Psychology and bridging the insurance gap

01 August 2008: The UK insurance gap is growing, and Drs Henry Stott and Stian Reimers argue the way forward for modern insurance is to provide peace of mind through a better understanding of consumer psychology.

Ann Rossiter – Worker safety net

9 July 2008: Ann Rossiter of the leading think tank the Social Market Foundation proposes a radical social security system that addresses the protection gap and employment insecurity suffered by UK workers. This paper summarises a detailed research project undertaken recently by the SMF and sponsored by global insurer Genworth Financial.

Hugh Price – Personal injury reforms

05 June 2008: Experienced claims lawyer Hugh Price examines the new and potentially radical rules now being proposed by the Government for the personal injury compensation system.