XL Re has announced the appointment of Philippe Rochaix as the new president and chief operating officer of XL Re Latin America Ltd. Rochaix, whose appointment is effective from 1 October, is presently general manager and senior VP of XL Re Europe Limited’s French Branch. During the transition period he will collaborate closely with the incumbent, Stephen Outerbridge, who is moving to take on new responsibilities within the firm’s Reinsurance... 

Global risk and reinsurance specialist Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC has announced the appointment of Franck Pinette to the post of chief executive officer of European Life Reinsurance operations. Pinette, whose appointment is effective from 1 December, will be based in Paris and report directly to Nick Frankland, chief executive officer of European Operations. He was formerly managing director of the Worldwide Life Reinsurance unit at PartnerRe,... 

PartnerRe Ltd. has announced the appointment of Dean Graham as the firm’s new head of Life. Graham, whose appointment is effective from today, will assume responsibilities for all of PartnerRe’s Life operations. He succeeds Franck Pinette, who departed from PartnerRe to pursue other opportunities, and will report directly to Marvin Pestcoe, a member of PartnerRe executive management. Graham brings extensive experience to his new position,... 

Lee Grainger has been named by broker-only insurer MMA as the firm’s new regional development manager for South Wales and Gloucestershire. Grainger previously worked for AXA Insurance as a key account executive, and in his new role will be directly accountable to UK Business Development Manager Claire Ephgrave. He brings more than a decade of experience in the sector to MMA, the majority of which was spent as a key account executive  Read More →

Deceitful motorists can expect short shrift from car insurer swiftcover.com, which is now to review the histories of applicants for motor insurance automatically. The insurer has estimated that 10% of applicants may not tell the whole truth, and that they are more likely to make claims, particularly of a fraudulent nature, than the 90% of honest applicants. In addition, 60% of the dishonest applicants will not renew with swiftcover.com, preferring... 

Eurobase Insurance Solutions has enhanced its insurance team with the appointment of Stuart Pembery as the firm’s new sales director. The firm will benefit from the extensive experience Pembery has accumulated during his career, which spans a quarter of a century. During his lengthy time in the insurance sector he has held a wide range of positions and worked for Xchanging, Faraday, Virgin Media and CMG. Pembery has expressed his delight... 

LV=, the mutual insurance, retirement and investment group, has reported its interim results for the first six months of 2010. The firm saw gross written premiums increase by 37% from £397.5m to £546.4m, with broker business rising by 56% to exceed £300m. During the same period last year the firm recorded a 92% rise in gross written premiums, a huge gain that has been both kept and improved upon this year. LV=’s combined ratio improved,... 

Open GI has announced that it has filled the newly created role of head of Customer Service with the appointment of Michele Munn. Munn brings extensive experience to the new position, having worked in the industry for over a decade and a half, and formerly worked for Open GI as head of Insurer Relations. As head of Customer Service she will lead a team of 45, and assume responsibility for Customer Support, Training, Consultancy, Software Release... 

New research from the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) suggests that brokers are having to fight harder to get claims paid, with the body blaming stricter policy interpretations and insurers’ anti-fraud systems for the struggle. Sixty-seven per cent of BIBA members questioned said they had to get tough with insurers on behalf of customers, and 93% reported regularly negotiating uplifts of up to 20% on settlements. The findings... 

The AA has named fraud as a major contributor to a 31% increase in car insurance premiums, over the past 12 months. According to the motoring organisation, the typical cost of fully comprehensive cover currently stands at £704, premiums having risen at their fastest rate since records began 16 years ago. Furthermore, premiums for younger drivers are rising at an above average rate, with those aged under 30 having to accommodate an 11.5% hike the... 

LV= car insurance has commissioned research indicating that 4.2 million motorists who do not wear glasses admit that their vision is imperfect, and 1.1 million drivers who have glasses or contact lenses for driving so not always wear them. The most common reason, reported by more than half, for not wearing glasses was simply forgetfulness, with 32% stating they do not need them, despite medical advice. Twenty-three percent who do not have glasses... 

Marsh has announced the appointment of Ann Collins to the newly created post of client services director for the Isle of Man. She previously worked for Aon, in Douglas, for six years, when she was an MD tasked with leadership of Aon’s Isle of Man broking team. She brings extensive experience to Marsh, and has worked in the insurance sector for more than three decades  Read More →

Deloitte is reminding insurers that there are only four months left before the UK’s standard rate of insurance premium tax (IPT) increases to 6%. The accountancy firm suggests that preparations should already be underway, given this is the first rate change for 11 years. According to the company’s indirect tax director, David Fownes: “There is a risk of reporting errors if key transition requirements are not addressed and resolved.”... 

AXA Insurance has announced the appointment of Waseem Malik as the firm’s new finance director. In his new role Malik will acquire a seat on the AXA Insurance Executive Committee and assume responsibility for the group’s strategy and finance. His primary duty will be to ensure that the firm’s finance function continues to support the development of the business in an ever-changing operating environment. He first joined AXA Insurance... 

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has imposed a lifetime ban on David Marriott, a former chief executive of two insurance intermediaries: Target Underwriting Ltd and Professional Insurance Select Ltd. Mr Marriott failed to segregate and protect money from clients’ insurance premiums and used client money to support the day-to-day finances at both failing firms. He also used client money to give himself and his staff bonuses and salary increases,...