Post magazine - 19 April 2012

This week Post senior reporter Amy Ellis explores the European growth potential for the price comparison model beyond the UK's shores, after Admiral announced on Monday that it had sold its Italian aggregator.

Expert opinion appears divided as to whether Admiral's decision is more telling of the insurer's own re-focus on the UK or a sign of wider potential issues that early movers of the model may be experiencing on the Continent.

In other news, Post reporter Chinwe Akomah follows up on recent announcements of schemes specialist hires, with several senior staff poached in recent weeks, and finds out just how aggressive the battle for the best broker schemes is becoming.

Elsewhere, Post reporter Callum Brodie takes an in-depth look at Zurich's Supreme Court challenge this week to bring third-party injury claims into line with first-party contract law.

Success would mean that fraudsters are no longer able to benefit financially from any ‘genuine' part of their claim, after their part in the exaggeration of the claim and thus perpetration of fraud has been uncovered.

Not only could a finding in Zurich's favour result in annual savings of £100m for insurers, but the inability to profit at all from exaggeration and fabrication should serve as an effective deterrent.

Feature articles not to be missed this week include a detailed look at the current sales challenges facing travel insurers, still suffering the ramifications of bad press after the infamous 2010 ash cloud incident, and an assessment of whether the heightened levels of private equity investment being seen in insurance firms are here to stay or more a medium-term flirtation indicative of the economic climate.

Enjoy the read!

Lynn Rouse, editor, Post.

Read the 19 April edition of Post.