Steadfast and Austbrokers: much the same, but growing different
31 August 2015
When Steadfast listed in 2013 the general expectation was the broker group would follow the very successful “owner-driver” model of arch-rival Austbrokers…
Analysis
Northern Australia premiums: how much will this cost taxpayers?
24 August 2015
The Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce interim report, released by the Federal Government last week, doesn’t say anything we didn’t already know or couldn’t figure out for ourselves…
Cyber risks: mind the gap
17 August 2015
Everyone agrees data breaches and cyber attacks are on the increase, and that the size of potential losses is vast. Why then is take-up of cyber insurance still so low?…
The newspaper analyst: a cautionary tale
10 August 2015
“Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers” is true enough. So is the comment by the British poet Alexander Pope in his Essay on Criticism: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”…
Profit outlook: after extra time, the penalties begin
03 August 2015
Tougher conditions for the Australian general insurance industry have been predicted for some time, but now it appears the peak profitability party really is over…
A retro solution to the ever-present threat of cyclones
27 July 2015
There’s no doubt that one cyclone-prone corner of Australia generates more than a few headwinds for the insurance industry…
Headwinds are blowing, but insurers hold their course
20 July 2015
The challenges facing Australia’s general insurers are stacking up – but it’s nothing they can’t handle, according to Standard & Poor’s…
Flood mapping: the data keeps flowing
13 July 2015
And now for a good news story…
The M&A game: big, bigger, best
06 July 2015
Mergers and acquisitions are the name of the game in international insurance at present, with the $US28.3 billion Ace-Chubb merger announced on Wednesday the biggest so far. But it’s almost certainly not the last significant merger this year…
War in the strata sphere
29 June 2015
As Australia’s strata housing market gears up for huge growth in the next two decades, a price war has broken out among insurers fighting for a piece of the action, with strata cover premiums falling 20-30%…
IAG and Buffett: ‘The first step in the dance’
22 June 2015
Warren Buffett’s first big investment in an Australian company – IAG – has both the insurance industry and the equity market agog: just what is the old campaigner up to?…
An outsource of concern
15 June 2015
The industry is on notice to improve its oversight of delegated authorities, after a stinging critique by the UK regulator…
Stamp duty: old arguments, new hope
09 June 2015
“There is a compelling case for abolishing stamp duty on insurance"…
Caught in a terrorism turf war
01 June 2015
The West must face up to an increased terrorism threat as rival organisations Islamic State and Al-Qaeda compete for domination of the global jihadist movement, a new report warns…
More threats on the radar
25 May 2015
From drones in the sky to ageing infrastructure on the ground, the world is full of risks, and the insurance industry has an opportunity to cover them all, according to Swiss Re…
An exercise in pragmatism, not politics
18 May 2015
Northern Australia is a vast area that conservative politicians have long seen as a potential El Dorado for the nation. What the Liberal Party calls the “last frontier” for development is already home to massive resources projects that lead the world in supplying iron ore and liquefied natural gas…
Disaster mitigation: a challenge to insurers
11 May 2015
The Productivity Commission sees a major role for the insurance industry in making the country better prepared for natural disasters – and not just by paying claims…
Brokers caught napping in the classroom
04 May 2015
It is rare for a conference speech to be discussed long after it was delivered, let alone set in motion the impetus for radical change…
A rallying cry for brokers
27 April 2015
Suncorp Commercial Insurance CEO Anthony Day has challenged brokers to “go on the attack” in the face of technological change and greater competition…
Professional education is the key to brokers’ future
20 April 2015
Broker education and the best way to deliver it is a much-debated issue that isn’t going to go away. If it’s not addressed and some serious blockages cleared, brokers will be the losers…