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Health and Case Management Limited (HCML) has launched a LASPO-compliant medico-legal reporting service which will provide totally independent medical assessments in personal injury cases.

The company claims the system, which utilises a panel of independent medical experts provided by React Medical, will speed recovery times, allow for a more flexible treatment process and greatly reduce the administrative burden on referring customers.

Once instructed, HCML’s dedicated physiotherapist team perform an initial assessment to determine whether immediate treatment is required, while an online portal facilitates simultaneous instruction of a medico-legal report.

If it is deemed the injured party would benefit from professional case management, HCML’s separate and extensive case management capability can be instructed at the appropriate time.

Keith Bushnell, chief executive of HCML, said the new service would ensure a stepped-care, evidence-based and cohesive approach to rehabilitation, and enhance the injured party’s journey:

“When it comes to personal injury cases, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our system allows us to do what is best for the specific individual while providing value to the referring party.

“Early intervention is absolutely vital to help the client return to their pre-accident state as quickly as possible, and clients should not be left waiting if immediate treatment is determined to be the best approach.”

He added: “With fixed legal fees for low-end claims being significantly cut, it is important that clients are still given the best possible care pathway and helped to return to work, and that solicitors deal with these types of cases quickly and efficiently while decreasing the administrative burden.”

Dr David Pearce, medical director at React Medical said the partnership would provide greater transparency for all parties:

“The fact that the medical expert panel is entirely removed from the rehabilitation process means that reporting remains objective, and puts a firewall in place to ensure clinical rigour and accuracy.”

The partnership marks a watershed for HCML which has posted its maiden annual profit in 2011/12, driven by a 20 per cent increase in fee revenue.

Bushnell said a focus on innovation and delivering value-based solutions has been behind the firm’s recent success:

“This company has always been focused around clinical rigour, but our recent attention has been on giving a great service to match that.

“To achieve this we’ve better aligned ourselves with our customers’ commercial objectives, invested in IT infrastructure and made greater use of our top-class advisory board.

“We’ve recruited 24 new case managers since March 2012 to service increased volumes of immediate medical assessment work (IMA) for musculoskeletal injuries and we predict further growth in 2013.”

“IMA volumes doubled to more than 19,000 cases in 2012 compared to 2011.”

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Insurance fraudsters are increasingly using motor trade road risks policies to ensure their vehicles appear on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) while avoiding paying the appropriate premium for their risk.  The warning comes from DNA Insurance Services (DNA), the niche motor broker, which has seen a significant increase in false policy applications over the past six months.

Alf Costa, a director of DNA said: We have noticed an emerging trend where unscrupulous characters are looking to take out motor trade road risks policies to avoid paying the correct premium for their correct risk profile. The frequency has certainly also increased in-line with escalating car insurance rates.”

To counter the problem DNA has implemented new internal procedures that verify whether clients looking to purchase a road risks policy are actually bonafide traders.  To secure cover they now need to provide proof of their trading activity and identity.

Mr Costa continued:  “The impact of this worrying trend is two-fold.  Firstly it can render the driver’s insurance policy null and void leading to the full range of issues created by a lack of cover when a claim arises.  Secondly, it can have a serious negative effect on the profitability of a brokers’ book of business and the overall account of the supporting insurer.

“While all brokers need to pro-actively vet their own clients for potential issues, this is yet another form of motor insurance fraud that can only be addressed through the vigilance of the market as a whole.”

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Recent medical reports have confirmed the growing body of evidence that taking a daily low-dose of aspirin reduces cancer mortality, in addition to its known benefits for cardiovascular health. Experts believe around 15% of current cancer deaths could be prevented by daily aspirin use with benefits beginning as early as three years into treatment. Conventional cancer treatments are expensive and new treatments typically require a lengthy approval process. By contrast, aspirin is inexpensive and readily available and has the potential for rapid uptake.

Based on these new findings, RMS modeled several potential scenarios of daily aspirin uptake which revealed that a typical 65 year-old male could see a 12-month increase in life expectancy and a 40% increase in the chance of living to 100, depending on a variety of lifestyle factors.

Analyzing the impact of this life expectancy increase on the average pension scheme, RMS’ modeling shows that liabilities for U.K. males could rise by 0.7% within 20 years. This increase is equivalent to the rise that would occur from the complete eradication of smoking within a generation, and the impact is roughly equal to the average annual life expectancy increase from all drivers of mortality improvement over the past 50 years. Current liabilities for the public and private pensions industries across North America and Europe depend significantly on estimation techniques, but the effect across the more than $13 trillion liabilities could amount to more than $100 billion.

“There are many factors that currently drive high rates of mortality improvement,” said Dr. Andrew Coburn, senior vice president of RMS LifeRisks. “But a rapid increase in pensioners taking daily aspirin could trigger one of the most significant new expectancy changes that we have seen in years.”

The benefit of aspirin for an individual depends on a variety of factors such as smoking, family history, and the potential for negative side effects. The level of impact will also vary across different countries, with various degrees of cancer prevalence and different proportions of people already taking daily aspirin for heart risks.  However, this rise in life expectancy is likely to be a phenomenon across all the various Western pension markets and perhaps beyond. The increase in aspirin uptake could have an even more profound impact on deferred annuity portfolios, because younger people are more likely to benefit from aspirin treatment.

RMS has released a detailed whitepaper on ‘The Impact of Daily Aspirin Intake on Pension Liabilities’ which is available at rms.com/LifeRisks. Scenarios to help pension risk management professionals assess the potential impact of daily aspirin uptake on their own pension portfolios are being released on the RMS LifeRisks platform.

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The Steering Committee of the EU-U.S. Insurance Dialogue Project to increase mutual understanding and enhance cooperation met in Basel, Switzerland on 21 March 2013 and agreed on a high level work plan from 2013 to 2017.

The parties achieved agreement on a prioritization of objectives and a schedule for the implementation of the initiatives previously agreed upon by the Steering Committee and described in the “Way Forward Document” (December 2012).

As part of the five-year plan, an agreement was reached to move forward in 2013 with particular focus on those initiatives relating to professional secrecy/ confidentiality and reinsurance and collateral requirements, as well as to begin work on some other initiatives pertaining to solvency and capital requirements, group supervision and on-site examination practices.

The Steering Committee anticipates a public forum in late 2013 to report on the year’s achievements, to launch collaborative work on supervisory colleges and to give stakeholders an opportunity to share their thoughts on best practices and experiences regarding supervisory cooperation and coordination.

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SSP has appointed Gary Glennard as Head of Client Programme Delivery for Europe. Glennard will take on responsibility for the delivery of the European portfolio of SSP insurance company and MGA projects and is tasked with continuously improving the way these are delivered.

In this new role, Glennard will report to Paul Webb, Head of Delivery for SSP’s insurer division.

Paul Webb said: “Gary is a great addition to our team and I am very pleased to welcome someone of his experience and calibre to SSP. His experience in strategic planning and implementation, organisational change and operational delivery, made him a natural choice. SSP has ambitious plans and we’re confident that he’ll be a valuable asset in driving the organisation forward and helping us evolve the way we serve our customers.”

Glennard brings 35 years of business change, IT change, and IT service delivery experience to SSP, garnered during a long and successful career.

Prior to joining SSP Glennard spent 34 years at Lloyds Banking Group and during that time his roles included COO for IT Service Delivery, Test Director for the LloydsTSB and HBOS Integration Programme and Director of the Group IT transformation programme for the millennium. Most recently, he was responsible for the implementation of a new automated cash management system at RBS for the UK and Ireland.

He commented: “I’m delighted to join SSP and am looking forward to putting my experience of programme delivery and working within global organisations to good use. I’ll be looking at all aspects of our various programmes to understand how we can get even better at what we currently do.”

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Following the successful expansion of its management liability division, specialist lines underwriting agency, CFC, launched ExecSurance R&T. 

ExecSurance R&T is designed to protect directors, officers and committee members that sit on the boards of residents and tenants associations against the broad range of personal liability exposures they face. Rather than simply adapting an existing D&O policy, CFC has provided full entity cover  for  the  association  and  does  not  limit  this  to wrongful  acts  of  the  individuals  managing  the  company. In addition, CFC has also removed the bodily injury, property damage and failure to maintain insurance exclusions all too frequently applied to this type of insurance.

Senior Management Liability Underwriter, Kate Lyes, comments: “Directors, officers and committee members that sit on the board of their residents and tenants association or management company are making key decisions on the running and maintenance of the buildings. These individuals, many volunteers, are leaving themselves personally exposed in an environment where the legal landscape is ever-changing and increasingly more litigious and complex.”

“ExecSurance R&T delivers a broad range of cover to protect these volunteers against the number of potentially unlimited liabilities they are exposed to.  In addition to offering comprehensive cover for the management team against wrongful acts in the performance of their duties or the running of the residents and tenants association, ExecSurance R&T also indemnifies  the organisation itself and therefore the sinking fund built up by residents and tenants over the years for the benefit of their property. ExecSurance R&T also helps to protect the association from civil, criminal or regulatory claims.”

In line with CFC’s full suite of products, ExecSurance R&T is a modular policy allowing brokers and their clients to pick and choose their basket of covers. Key features include:

Comprehensive individual cover

Association cover not tied to wrongful acts of individuals

Loss of documents cover

Court attendance cover

Loss mitigation cover

Reputation and brand cover

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Two staff at GAB Robins have become the first individuals to pass the nationally-recognised CILA Diploma in insurance claims handling.

David Scott, a Claims Technician based in GAB Robins’ Service Centre in Brighton and Niall Metcalfe, one of the first members of the organisation’s Graduate Development Programme and now an Executive Property Adjuster based in Manchester are the first to successfully complete the UK Ofqual-accredited diploma course and be awarded the designation Dip CILA.

Mike Odell, Head of Training and Development at GAB Robins, said: “David and Niall have shown great commitment to their personal and professional skills development and we are all very proud of their achievement in the Dip CILA qualification.

“We continue to support CILA’s drive for excellence within the profession as an important part of our on-going investment in the development of our people. Providing staff with the opportunity to secure relevant professional qualifications is at the heart of our commitment. We are already supporting a number of other staff from across the business to achieve the Dip CILA qualification.”

Malcolm Hyde, Executive Director of CILA, said: “We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to David and Niall on their success. The diploma was developed to support our efforts to raise standards and provide a clear pathway to create tomorrow’s chartered adjusters.”

The Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Insurance Claims Handling was designed by the CILA, in partnership with Pearson VUE (the world’s leading computer-based testing and assessment business) and Pearson Work Based Learning. The qualification requires candidates to take four courses, each taking around 30-40 hours of personal study, and complete the first of the CILA Associate papers, C1.

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    Premium income for the insurance industry in the Asia-Pacific region will double by 2020 according to a study published by Munich Re’s Economic Research Department. With more than €1 trillion, nearly half of the estimated additional global primary insurance premiums will be generated in Asia-Pacific until 2020 (worldwide €2.2 trillion). The contribution from “emerging Asia” – markets such as China or India – to this figure will be nearly 70% (about €670bn).

    Five of the expected global top-ten primary-insurance growth markets will be in the Asia-Pacific region, both in property/casualty (P/C) and in life. Munich Re expects China to be the country with the highest increase of primary insurance premiums worldwide until 2020 (additional €425bn), followed by the United States (additional €350bn) and Japan (additional €157bn).

    Emerging Asia

    In emerging Asia, P/C primary insurance premiums currently grow on average by 11% annually. This is twice as high as the second-placed region, Eastern Europe. Michael Menhart, Chief Economist at Munich Re, says: “China, India and Indonesia will be the top-three growth countries in P/C, with average growth of above 12% over the forecast period (2012-2020) in China and India, and almost 10% in Indonesia.” This means Indonesia’s P/C primary insurance volume will more than double in size from almost €3bn in 2012 to €7.3bn in 2020. Average growth rates of other emerging countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand range between 6% and 8%. This is driven by increasing risk awareness and a growing middle class. Rising consumer savings are fuelling demand for life and health insurance, changing regulations and greater consumer protection will increase demand for motor and liability insurance, while large infrastructure investments will boost the demand for industrial insurance.

    Despite these substantial premium growth expectations, emerging Asia will continue to be severely underinsured, especially against natural catastrophes.

    Threat of natural disasters

    The long-term statistics from Munich Re’s GeoRisksResearch show how vulnerable Asia-Pacific is, especially regarding natural catastrophes: since 1980, 40% of all natural catastrophes worldwide took place in Asia-Pacific, 45% of all economic losses, but only 18% of all insured losses. By way of comparison, the share of insured losses in North America amounted to 64%. Also, over 50% of all fatalities from natural catastrophes occurred in Asia-Pacific.

    Weather-related catastrophes have tripled over the past 30 years in the region, and this trend is likely to continue. With an increase in population, higher value concentration in exposed areas and climate change, affecting the weather pattern, the loss potential is increasing. As insurance density is not expected to rise at the same pace, this will leave the region with a growing uninsured disaster-loss bill.

    Need for sustainable and comprehensive solutions

    Ludger Arnoldussen, Munich Re Board member responsible for Asia-Pacific: “Loss mitigation measures are cost-effective instruments for protecting communities on a sustainable basis. Analysing and reducing risk – and offering adequate insurance against it – helps to considerably reduce the human and financial impact of natural disasters.” He added: “Closing the existing gap of insurance coverage is a very powerful instrument in supporting long-term growth. At the same time, effective catastrophe-risk financing solutions need to be introduced by governments.”

    Long-term mitigation strategies include decisions on where to build, improve building codes, or extend infrastructure such as dams, but also on where to increase incentives to prevent non- or under-insurance in the private and commercial sector. The insurance industry needs to improve its risk assessment in the region, taking into account the fast development that creates new peak exposures and hot-spot locations, and can have an impact on worldwide supply chains. Munich Re developed the RiskMapper to assist its clients in tracking and analysing these exposures.

    Triggered by the severe natural disasters that hit the region over the past three years, and by growing risk exposure in emerging Asia, some governments are already searching for more efficient disaster-risk management solutions. Instead of compensating disaster losses through emergency one-off disaster levies or tax financing, more forward-looking approaches that include risk reduction, prevention and insurance are possible alternatives. There is an increasing awareness that these disasters have to be addressed in a joint effort by stakeholders from the public and private sectors. Besides offering traditional reinsurance and insurance, Munich Re assists its partners in the region to develop disaster-risk insurance schemes that protect a country’s development achievements and sustain its future growth.

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    Prospects appear to be improving for Saudi Arabia’s insurance industry, says Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services in the report: “Insurance In Saudi Arabia In 2013: Grounds for Guarded Optimism Over Earnings”

    “We are guardedly optimistic regarding insurance earnings in 2013 and beyond, partly because the principal regulator, SAMA, has been actively encouraging participants to price cover at a rate that will enable them to make a profit, and this is expected to lead to more realistic pricing,” said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst David Anthony.

    Furthermore, government infrastructure spending is boosting the level of insurable activity. S&P’s preliminary calculations, based on the insurers’ still unaudited accounts, indicate that premium volumes across the sector rose by about 12% in 2012, to approximately Saudi Arabian riyal (SAR) 20.6 billion ($5.6 billion). A similar rate of growth in 2013 is expected.

    The rating agency also anticipates a resurgence in residential construction, fueled by mortgage loans to individuals, when the 2012 Mortgage Law comes into effect. This should not only help generate increased demand for house and contents cover, but also should open up a whole new segment of insurance activity as banks require their mortgage borrowers to take out term life protection.

    Last year, a third of the Kingdom’s insurers reported negligible or negative earnings, with competition the strongest in the medical and motor lines of business, which together represent some 80% of the total premium available to Saudi Arabia insurers. Based on S&P’s preliminary statistical analysis of reported, unaudited results for 2012, the consolidated insurance sector appears to have made a moderate underwriting profit in 2012. The average net combined ratio (post reinsurance claims and expenses to net earned premium) for the sector stands at approximately 97% (2011: 99%). Lower combined ratios indicate better profitability. A combined ratio of greater than 100% signifies an underwriting loss. S&P anticipates that net combined ratios will strengthen toward an average of 95% in 2013 and successive years, as growing business volumes dilute fixed costs and as pricing on medical and motor improves.

    Saudi Arabia’s insurance sector has over 30 players, but the three largest companies wrote 54% of the total gross premium across the consolidated insurance sector in 2012. These companies–Tawuniya/The Company for Cooperative Insurance, Mediterranean & Gulf Cooperative Insurance and Reinsurance Co. (Medgulf), and BUPA Arabia–enjoyed market shares of 27%, 16%, and 11%, respectively. They also generated most of the earnings reported by the sector.

    “We consider some degree of consolidation to be almost inevitable in the longer term,” said Mr. Anthony.

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    The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the World Bank have signed an operational Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on developing the insurance sector.

    This Memorandum will enable both organizations to collaborate on promoting a risk-based regulatory and supervisory framework in insurance, as well as the identification of systemic risk and the promotion of consumer protection. The agreement also covers cooperation on activities, such as seminars, providing speakers for events as well as the exchange of knowledge, technical papers and best practices.

    The MoU does not foresee the exchange of confidential information. Both EIOPA and the World Bank are to treat confidential information according to their internal requirements and rules on Professional Secrecy and Confidentiality.

    Michel Noel, Manager of Non-Bank Financial Institutions at the World Bank, said: “The World Bank is pleased to collaborate with EIOPA in promoting global risk-based supervision in insurance, strengthening the insurance regulatory and supervisory architecture for achieving sustainable development in the insurance sector, while fostering policyholders’ protection.  It is our desire that this collaboration will enhance the support from the international community towards these efforts.”

    Carlos Montalvo, Executive Director of EIOPA, indicated: “EIOPA strongly believes that a global business as Insurance demands global solutions, and that in a business built on risk, all parties, but most important consumers, will strongly benefit from risk based supervision and regulation. To work together with the World Bank towards this aim will be not only a privilege, but also a much needed step in the right, global, direction”.

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    Fitch Ratings has affirmed Coface group’s major insurance entities, Compagnie Francaise d’Assurance pour le Commerce Exterieur and Coface North America Insurance Company’s Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings at ‘AA-‘. The agency has also affirmed Compagnie Francaise d’Assurance pour le Commerce Exterieur’s Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘A+’. The Outlooks on all ratings are Stable. Compagnie Francaise d’Assurance pour le Commerce Exterieur’s Short-term IFS rating has been affirmed at ‘F1+’. COFACE SA (formerly Coface Holding SAS)’s Long-term IDR has been affirmed at ‘A’ and Short-term IDR at ‘F1’. A full list of rating actions is at the end of this release.

    KEY RATING DRIVERS

    The affirmations reflect Fitch’s positive view on Coface’s leading market position in credit insurance, its very strong solvency, its improving earnings and its conservative investment policy.

    Fitch views the capital base of the group’s main operating entity as strong, as reflected in a regulatory solvency ratio of 6.8 times the minimum required in 2012. This was supported by a solid underwriting performance, reflected in Fitch’s calculated net combined ratio of 93.6% for the group in 2012, although this slightly deteriorated compared with 89.1% posted in 2011. Nevertheless, the group reported a EUR129m net profit in 2012 representing an increase of 82% yoy (2011: EUR71m).

    The group’s total financial commitments ratio fell to 1.2x in 2012 from 2.4x in 2011 (2010: 3.3x). The debt is mostly used to fund the group’s factoring operations. Although this indicator is high relative to Fitch’s guidelines for the rating category, the agency considers COFACE SA’s credit quality to be strong with good access to external financing as shown by its EUR250m commercial paper issuance in November 2012.

    Fitch views Coface’s strategic importance to its parent company, Natixis (IDR: ‘A+’/Negative), as limited. Given Natixis’ weaker financial profile, Fitch believes that the ability of Natixis to support Coface would be constrained. Overall, Fitch views Natixis’ ownership of Coface as neutral to Coface’s ratings.

    RATING SENSITIVITIES

    Although unlikely in the short to medium term, factors that could trigger a rating upgrade include a new and financially stronger shareholding structure in which Coface’s strategic importance increases at the same time as the group’s standalone financial profile remains strong.

    The ratings could be downgraded if Natixis’ credit quality deteriorates to the extent that capital is extracted from Coface to support Natixis, or if Coface’s standalone profile deteriorates as a result of increased insolvencies leading to a combined ratio above 100% and a material fall from current capital levels over a sustained period.

    The rating actions are as follows:

    Compagnie Francaise d’Assurance pour le Commerce Exterieur: IFS affirmed at ‘AA-‘; Outlook Stable Long-term IDR affirmed at ‘A+’; Outlook Stable Short-term IFS affirmed at ‘F1+’

    COFACE SA (formerly Coface Holding SAS): Long-term IDR affirmed at ‘A’; Outlook Stable Short-term IDR affirmed at ‘F1’ Commercial Paper affirmed at ‘F1’

    Coface North America Insurance Company: IFS affirmed at ‘AA-‘; Outlook Stable

    Coface Finanz GmbH: Long-term IDR affirmed at ‘A+’; Outlook Stable

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    The British Property Federation called for urgent action to boost investment in the built environment after new research revealed that Government’s tax on empty property was draining more than £1bn a year from businesses.

    The BPF called for relief from empty rates to be extended to allow businesses to bring vacant shops, offices and factories back in to use in next week’s Budget, as figures showed that local authorities collected £1.1bn in empty property rates in 2011/12 – up from £970m the year before.

    Today marks the first time that industry has been able to ascertain the cost of the empty rates tax. Despite the dire impact of empty rates (see notes below), Government has never attempted to quantify its impact on the economy, or the way in which it distorts investment decisions.

    The Chancellor announced in last year’s Autumn Statement that he would introduce limited relief for new development. While welcome, the BPF said that this would have an extremely limited impact on construction and growth, and would do nothing to help bring vacant property back in to use.

    BPF Chief Executive Liz Peace said: “As well as distorting investment decisions and causing hardship to already struggling businesses, we can now see that empty rates are draining more than £1bn a year from those holding unproductive property – money that could be saved to support jobs or re-invested to bring these properties back into use. While welcome, Government’s intention to increase empty rate relief for new development is only a small step in the right direction.  In particular, relief should also be available to support a more flexible range of risky but valuable activities including refurbishment and conversion.

    “These figures reinforce a picture of ever-increasing costs to developers, at a point in the economic cycle when Government should be doing everything it can to remove barriers to development and investment in the built environment.  The growing tax burden is making positive, growth-enabling development and investment decisions even harder in what are already challenging economic conditions.”

    The data was revealed through an investigation by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, and reported today by Estates Gazette.

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    Clements Worldwide is pleased to announce the launch of its Dubai operation, the first on-the-ground location in the MENA region. With offices currently in Washington D.C. and London, Clements extends its global presence with the addition of an office in Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC).

    The new sales office will expand Clements’ MENA client base and extend the delivery of commercial cover, such as the sought-after WorldAuto international fleet program. Likewise, Clements’ globally-recognized Specialty Risk insurance products, such as coverage against Political Violence and Kidnap & Ransom, are ideal for the growing number of global corporations, security companies, NGOs and even international schools operating in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Andy Grimes, the newly appointed director of Clements Dubai, brings extensive first-hand experience in the region’s insurance market to the company’s newest operation. He comments, “The MENA region is one of Clements’ largest markets as far as our client base is concerned. Customers in this region face constantly-evolving risks, and we aim to deliver customized solutions to these unique challenges. The new Dubai office will therefore enable us to better service our existing and expanding client base as well as elevate our organizational profile on a global scale.”

    Mr. Grimes will report directly to Dan Tuman, Clements’ senior vice president, who reinforces the potential of the Dubai operation:  “This expansion is critical to our global strategy, and while we’ve been successful in the Middle East and North Africa region for decades, there still exists an enormous amount of untapped potential. I look forward to working closely with Andy and to our continued growth in 2013 as we continue to provide protection to our valued customers in this important part of the world.”

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    Anyone claiming whiplash injury should be required to undergo examination by an accredited medical expert under proposals to curb the UK’s whiplash epidemic published today (13 March) by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

    Everyday 1,500 people claim whiplash injury, with the total number of claimants a year now able to fill Old Trafford more than seven times over. Reported whiplash has risen by nearly a quarter in the last four years, despite the number of road accidents falling. Whiplash claims cost £2 billion a year, adding an extra £90 a year to the average motor insurance premium.

    It has been estimated1. that 70% of road accident personal injury claims are for whiplash in the UK, compared to 47% in Germany, 32% in Spain and only 3% in France, earning the UK the unwanted reputation as Whiplash Capital of Europe.

    Under the ABI’s proposals:

    – Medical assessment of whiplash claims would be carried out by an accredited medical expert. They would need to show their financial independence from claimant solicitors, take into account the circumstances of the collision rather than the claimant’s reported symptoms, and undergo training in latest diagnosis techniques. Accreditation would be carried out by a Board made up of Government, judiciary, claimant interest groups, compensators and medical experts. The Board would develop the accreditation process and standardised whiplash medical reports, and arrange for the claimant to be examined.
    – The Small Claims Track Threshold would rise from £1,000 to £5,000 for all road traffic personal injury claims. This is a simple, speedy and cost-effective way of settling smaller claims.
    – There would be a laid down prescribed level of damage awards for whiplash, at a level set independently.
    – Any claimant whose whiplash claim is in part exaggerated or made up should automatically have their entire claim dismissed.

    James Dalton, the ABI’s Assistant Director of Motor and Liability, said:

    “We believe our proposals offer the best cure for the UK’s whiplash epidemic. Insurers want to make it simpler and quicker for genuine whiplash claimants to get fair compensation. But whiplash is notoriously difficult to diagnose, which means that for too many people it has become the fraud of choice.

    “Our proposals will ensure better medical assessment of whiplash claims, offer a quick, simple way of paying genuine claims; provide certainty for claimants and compensators, and deter fraud that ends up being paid for through higher motor insurance premiums.”

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    The banks’ retreat from UK property lending has made the role of institutional investors and public-private partnerships vital to the recovery of the sector, a MIPIM event will hear today.

    With banks struggling with £285bn of commercial property debt – an estimated £48bn of which in breach of financial covenant or in default – only 5 per cent of the £11.3bn of new lending to the property industry in 2012 went to commercial development.

    To fill the void many in the industry are backing institutional investment – such as pension, life and insurance funds – and public-private partnerships akin to the Manchester ‘earn back model’, where the city can ‘earn back’ some of the extra national tax revenue generated in the area.

    Bill Hughes, Managing Director of Legal & General Property and Junior Vice President of the British Property Federation, said:  “Against the challenging wider economic background, there is a sea change going on in the ownership structure of property.  The built environment – the very urban fabric which allows our economy and society to develop over the long term – is, and always has been, a long term asset class best suited to those who are willing to invest for the future and do not rely on access to debt or short term liquidity.

    “In light of the growing finance deficit, driven by Government and traditional banks’ part withdrawal from this area, it is therefore left to institutional investors, such as life, insurance and pension funds, to step in to fill the gap.  Therefore, those with long term capital to invest and the necessary property skills to protect these investments from depreciating over their life cycle, have a far greater role to play.  This should not only lead to a growing emphasis on public-private partnerships but also a continued rebalance of roles within funding models, which will help bring about much needed regeneration and vital investment in our social infrastructure.”

    With funding models changing, there are also fears too much is being expected of the planning system in the pursuit of economic growth. Marnix Elsenaar, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard, said: “A real problem for the planning system is that the government expects so much of it.  It’s held up as a major brake on the development industry and the knight in shining armour that’s going to lead us back to growth.  The message seems to be: if only planning can be quicker and simpler, all will be well.

    “Unfortunately, it’s only a part of the story – without finance and occupier demand, no number of planning consents will result in things getting built.  The report card for the government’s reforms is mixed.  Localism has added new layers of policy and procedures with the advent of neighbourhood plans and some schemes have got bogged down in judicial reviews relating to such orders before a planning application has even gone in.  In the plus column, the NPPF is having a positive impact particularly for the housing sector.

    “But the real challenge remains to improve relationships between developers and local authorities and to create a positive, pro-sustainable development culture.  This means shifting the debate from rule changes to skills, resources and culture.”

    Steven Norris, Chairman of Soho Estates, added: “While there is some evidence that money is easier to come by for buyers and developers alike this year, the truth is the government is a long way from seeing the residential sector as an engine of growth.  They could look to improving a still sclerotic planning system for a start.”

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    MDS Group, the Iberian, Latin American and African insurance broker, has appointed Tiago Mora as a director of its recently formed fully owned subsidiary MDS Africa.

    MDS Africa is led by Ana Cristina Borges and was launched in 2012 to target insurance and risk consulting clients based in the continent.

    Mr Mora, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the group’s risk engineering company, Herco, joined MDS in 2007 and has been instrumental in the development of the African business. He has a deep knowledge of the local culture and insurance markets and a strong risk engineering and property insurance expertise.

    Mr Mora earned a degree in engineering machinery with a specialty in safety engineering. He has extensive experience in risk analysis, traditional and alternative risk transfer including captives, complex claims management and is a highly respected expert in the insurance and reinsurance industries.

    José Manuel Fonseca, President and Chief Executive Officer of MDS Group said: “The development of MDS Africa is a very exciting step for our business.  The strengthening of this new team through Tiago’s appointment reinforces our strong commitment to the continent and ambitions to become market leaders as we are already in Portugal and Brazil.”

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    Premium Credit Limited has appointed Michael Phillips as Head of Major Accounts and Insurer Relationships.

    Michael has over 25 years experience in the UK insurance market and immediately prior to joining Premium Credit he was head of business development for Aviva. In this role Michael led the business development function for strategic partnerships across the Aviva composite model, securing new long-term affinity partnerships.

    Prior to Aviva Michael worked for: Met Life as European distribution director;

    AIG Life as national sales director; and Zurich Group as area sales director.

    Michael’s joining directly supports Premium Credit’s growth intentions as he is experienced in building start-up sales organisations and business transformation strategies. His expertise in leading tenders, securing long term affinity partnerships and strategic account management are all also relevant.

    Simon Moran, Chief Marketing Officer at Premium Credit said: “Michael not only brings a wealth of expertise and experience to Premium Credit but his skills compliments those of the existing team extremely well. All of which will be highly relevant to our efforts to scale the business and leverage our capabilities into new markets.

    “Following the purchase of Premium Credit by GTCR in November, we have had a very positive response from the marketplace. We are very ambitious and I believe the sales team will play a fundamental role in driving the business forward. With Michael’s appointment, the sales team is now complete.”

    The Premium Credit sales team, reporting to Simon Moran, is now as follows:

    – Alan Atkins – Head of Retail Brokers

    – Cristian Jackson – Head of Regional Brokers & Networks

    – Michael Phillips – Head of Major Accounts and Insurer Relationships

    – David Pipe – Head of Marketing

    – Ger Shannon  – Managing Director, Ireland

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    David Bonehill, claims and risk services director at Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Claims Faculty board of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

    Outgoing Claims Faculty chair, Tony Emms, remains on the board but has made the decision that having brought the Claims Faculty a long way during his two year tenure it is time to allow fresh eyes to the role. Tony has also recently been appointed as chair of the Thatcham board.

    David has over 25 years’ experience in insurance claims having worked for CU, CGU and Aviva before joining Chubb as UK/Ireland property claims manager. In 2006 he joined the Ecclesiastical group where he has responsibility for leading the claims and risk services functions, setting strategy and philosophy in partnership with key stakeholders, with the aim of delivering unsurpassed levels of customer service and technical standards in support of group business objectives.

    Commenting on his appointment, David said: “The role of Board Chairman is central to driving forward the work of the Claims Faculty. It provides members with a wide range of tailored, market-relevant information and services designed to support personal career development needs. I feel honoured to be taking up this position and congratulate Tony on all that he achieved during his tenure. I am delighted that Tony will remain on the Board and with his help and that of the other Board members look forward to continuing to take the CII Claims Faculty from strength to strength.”

    Ant Gould, director of faculties at the CII, added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tony for all of the hard work and commitment he has put in during his time as chairman of the Claims Faculty board.

    “David brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role of chair that will help the board continue delivering the highest quality, tailored knowledge, insight and business intelligence to today’s Claims professional. It is a pleasure to welcome David to the position of chair and wish him every success going forward.”

    The full members of the CII’s Claims Faculty board are as follows:

    Chair: David Bonehill, ACII, claims and risk services director, Ecclesiastical UK
    Tony Emms, ACII Chartered insurer, chief claims officer. Zurich UK
    Martin Ashfield, ACII, head of commercial property claims, Axa Insurance
    Lynn Day, function leader, General Insurance Operations, Co-Operative Insurance
    Benedict Burke, ACII, senior vice president, Crawford
    Graham Hughes ACII, head of commercial claims, RSA
    Stephen Roberts Dip CII, director, Riverstone Insurance
    David Frost FCII, director tech & large loss, Direct Line Group
    Richard Pilkington ACII, senior supply manager, NFU Mutual
    Jeremy Trott, ACII, claims operations manager, director, Allianz Insurance
    Malcolm Hyde, FCII, executive director, Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters

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    Andrew Jones has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Miller (Asia Pacific) Ltd with effect from April 2013. He will be responsible for providing services to all Thomas Miller’s managed Clubs in the region, particularly the UK P&I, the TT, the UK Defence, and ITIC.

    Andrew brings more than twenty years experience of P&I management and claims experience to the Hong Kong team.  A law graduate, he joined Thomas Miller’s London office in 1991 specialising in handling personal injury and other people claims, taking the leadership of the UK P&I Club’s specialist people claims syndicate in 1999. In 2004, Andrew was appointed Operations Director for P&I in Europe and subsequently Chief Operating Officer of Thomas Miller P&I Ltd in 2007.

    Based in Hong Kong with John Morris, Chairman of Thomas Miller Asia-Pacific, Andrew will oversee and direct the work of the other Thomas Miller offices in the region: Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Sydney.

    Looking forward to joining Thomas Miller’s strategic regional hub in Hong Kong, Andrew Jones says: “Thomas Miller’s ability to provide maritime insurance knowledge and response locally in Asia is unmatched.  In particular, our liability claims team is the strongest in the region with skills and experience gained at sea, in commerce and in the law.

    “I am looking forward to helping our regional network of offices in delivering the sophisticated skills and expertise that keep our Members trading safely, whether they are locally based or trading into the region.”

    Hugo Wynn-Williams, Chairman of Thomas Miller, says: “Andrew has proven himself a key member of the P&I senior management team and will be a great asset to our Asian business as we continue to develop the services we provide to the region.”

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    QuestGates has strengthened its major loss team with the appointment of Allan Hunter ACII ACILA.

    Allan joins the business following a stint in New Zealand where he handled multi-million pound losses following the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011. Prior to this, Allan spent 14 years at Cunningham Lindsey managing a caseload of the larger and more complex commercial claims.

    QuestGates has considerably enhanced its major loss capability both in terms of coverage and skill base over recent months. Allan’s appointment follows on from two additions to the team at the end of last year, with Graham Hay ACII FCILA and Bob Mockridge ACII FCILA joining in Scotland and the North West respectively.

    Paul Thomas, Major Loss Director at QuestGates, comments: “We are delighted to have secured the services of Allan. He has an excellent reputation with insurers and brokers, particularly in the Midlands where he will be based. His breadth of experience, market credibility and appetite to help develop our major loss reputation is significant. His appointment combined with those of Graham and Bob means that our capability in this sector has been enhanced across a number of key strategic geographic areas.”

    Ross MacPherson, Property Director at QuestGates, adds: “This development dovetails nicely with several recent business wins in the major loss sector comprising panel appointments and corporate, broker and housing association nominations. This new business spans both commercial and household sectors, the latter being as a direct result of Advantage – our bespoke household major loss service.”

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