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Analysis

Industry challenges highlighted as IAG resets

26 July 2021

IAG jumped out the gates early to deliver preliminary full-year financial results last week and in doing so has offered a window into some of the issues that the industry is dealing with as insurance affordability and availability concerns show few signs of easing...

The post-pandemic world: 'scales tipped' in industry’s favour

19 July 2021

The coronavirus is proving to be a formidable foe to crush. More than a year into the public health crisis, the world is still struggling to hold the virus at bay as more infectious variants emerge, seeding new waves of transmissions...

Eradicating groupthink

12 July 2021

Before the collapse of 158-year old banker Lehman Brothers in 2008 and the subprime loans fiasco, diversity and inclusion wasn’t top of the agenda in financial services...

New code sets up insurance for a post-Hayne landscape

05 July 2021

In an exercise that took longer than usual to complete because of the COVID disruption, Australia’s insurers finally have a new code of practice in place – one that has been comprehensively updated and rewritten to provide for much-improved consumer protections in the post-Hayne royal commission landscape...

The industry survives another barrage from MPs

28 June 2021

Friday’s hearing of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics – a body which has previously demonstrated a sketchy understanding of how the insurance industry works – started with an announcement from committee Chair Tim Wilson that he and Insurance Council CEO Andrew Hall are "personal friends"...

Starting gun fired on cyclone pool design discussions

07 June 2021

After a decade of governments spinning their wheels on the idea of a cyclone reinsurance pool, Treasury now has to speed ahead with its foot to the floor in turning the concept into reality within an expected one-year timeframe...

When it comes to disaster pools, how good is Queensland?

10 May 2021

After years of insurers fighting against a reinsurance pool for cyclone-prone northern Australia and various inquiries showing little enthusiasm Prime Minister Scott Morrison has embraced the idea in an outcome reflecting the impacts of recent catastrophes and the power of politics...

Cyber takes top spot as cause of sleepless nights

26 April 2021

As some insurers take the “nuclear” option and stop writing Directors’ & Officers’ business entirely, a new survey finds cyber attacks have jumped to be the top concern for executives both locally and offshore for the first time...

Insurtech trends: using data to create dynamic insurance

19 April 2021

Like the prolonged soft insurance market cycle, the macro-economic cycle was an extended one and it took the largest recession since the Great Depression, triggered by a global pandemic, to bring the economy down...

Fighting on many fronts: BI test case battles widen

12 April 2021

An increasing number of business interruption legal issues are before the courts as insurers and policyholders continue to wrangle over exclusion wordings and whether cover has been provided for the COVID-19 pandemic...

Suez Canal crisis: mega ships equal mega claims

29 March 2021

The logjam in the Suez Canal is threatening to escalate into a complex and large-scale claims event for the insurance industry globally, as fears over the extreme risk posed by a new generation of mega ships are realised...

Reinsurance pool: is Government preparing to dive in?

15 March 2021

Rumours are swirling that there might be a significant announcement on insurance in northern Australia in the upcoming Federal Budget, and some are predicting it’ll involve a reinsurance pool...

‘This is not over’: leaders urge industry to prioritise gender equity

08 March 2021

Naming its incoming Australia and Pacific CEO Sue Houghton recently, QBE described the insurance trailblazer as “known for her sound judgment, resilience and adaptability, as well as for cultivating talent, fostering diverse and inclusive teams and driving performance”...