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Liberty Syndicate Management Ltd (Liberty Syndicates), a member of Liberty Mutual Group, Inc. celebrated the opening of offices in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro at their launch party on Wednesday 21 October 2009. These offices complement Liberty Mutual’s existing Liberty Seguros operations in Sao Paulo and the launch earlier this year of Liberty International Underwriters’ Specialty Lines Division.

Both Liberty Syndicates offices will provide brokers with access to the full range of Treaty and Facultative Reinsurance products, including Property, Contingent Lines and Marine, which will be underwritten by Liberty Syndicates.

The office openings were a very welcome addition according to Marco Castro, Managing Director of Lloyd’s Brazil, who believes it is a real benefit to be on the ground if the opportunities in the Brazilian market are to be realised. He said, ”It’s important to establish a local presence to help inform the market about how Lloyd’s operates and what advantages it has to offer.”

Liberty Syndicates’ CEO Nick Metcalf added, “We think that profitable growth in such a highly dynamic environment can be achieved only by being close to the original risk, by superior risk selection and by having a clear understanding of our customers’ needs.”

The opening of the new offices coincides with the re-launch of Liberty Syndicates’ website www.libertysyndicates.com.   The new website provides enhanced information of Liberty Syndicates’ business globally.

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Mondial Interactive Co., the technology subsidiary of global travel insurance and travel assistance provider Mondial Assistance, has been selected as a demonstrator for The Travel Innovation Summit at The PhoCusWright Conference scheduled for November 17, 2009 in Orlando, FL.

The event spotlights the most innovative applications, technologies and solutions that travel industry market research firm PhoCusWright feels are best positioned to significantly impact the travel industry.

Mondial Interactive earned a place at The Travel Innovation Summit for Travel Insurance 2.0, an innovative new patent-pending platform that maximizes travel insurance revenue per traveler for Mondial Assistance partners.

Bob Dufour, president of Mondial Interactive said: “We are honored to be among those selected to participate in The Travel Innovation Summit. Ancillary revenue has become increasingly important to our travel industry partners. It is our intent to leverage technology and best practice marketing techniques to support our partners and provide consumers with the products and services that most closely meet their needs.”

PhoCusWright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, PhoCusWright fosters smart strategic planning and tactical decision-making. PhoCusWright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving
dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use PhoCusWright research for competitive advantage.

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More than 11 million people in England will be offered it first.

NHS Hospitals will begin vaccinating frontline healthcare workers and their patients who fall into at risk categories against swine flu from today (Wednesday).  The vaccination programme will be rolled out over the next few weeks with GP surgeries receiving deliveries from Monday (26 October).

Around two million frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine. This group is at increased risk of infection and of transmitting that infection to susceptible patients. Protecting these people will help the NHS workforce to remain resilient and able to treat sick patients.

The following at risk groups will be prioritised in the following order (numbers given are approximate and are for England only):

1. People aged over six months and under 65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups (about 5 million people)

2. All pregnant women (about 0.5 million people)

3. Household contacts of people with compromised immune systems e.g. people in regular close contact with patients on treatment for cancer (about 0.5 million people)

4. People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups (about 3.5 million people). This does not include otherwise healthy over 65s, since they appear to have some natural immunity to the virus.

Patients will be contacted by their GPs if they fall into one of the at risk categories.

The GSK vaccine (Pandemrix) will be offered to the vast majority of people. It has been licensed and approved by the European regulators. Most people will  need only one dose of this vaccine for protection.

The Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, said: ‘Our best line of defence against swine flu is the vaccine. I’m very pleased to say that the UK is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating against this virus.

‘The independent committee of experts in the UK has recommended that all those in the at risk groups should be offered the swine flu vaccine. It is also being offered to frontline health and social care workers to protect them and their patients and ensure the NHS is staffed should it come under pressure this winter.’

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer said: ‘This is the first pandemic for which we have had vaccine to protect people. I urge everyone in the priority groups to have the vaccine – it will help prevent people in clinical risk groups from getting swine flu and the complications that may arise from it.

‘It’s important for frontline health and social care workers to have the vaccine. It will help prevent them and their families getting the virus from patients, it will stop them passing the virus onto their patients, it will potentially protect them from mutated strains and it will reduce the disruption to NHS services caused by people being absent due to illness.’

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The Department of Health today is taking forward its commitment to tackling liver disease by recruiting a new National Clinical Director to lead the development of a National Strategy for Liver Disease.

Liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death in England and if action is not taken to combat the disease, it could overtake stroke and coronary heart disease as a cause of death within the next 10-20 years.  The growth in liver disease is largely fuelled by lifestyle factors such as excessive drinking and obesity and could easily be prevented.

The Department will recruit a National Clinical Director in the next few months to develop a strategy to effectively combat Liver Disease and oversee its implementation.

Health Minister Ann Keen said: ‘Liver disease is the only one of the top five causes of death which is continuing to affect more people every year at an increasingly young age.  We know that by identifying people earlier, encouraging people to change their behaviour and making sure the right services are in the right place, we can improve the quality of care and stop the rise in this disease.

‘By appointing a National Clinical Director to oversee the development of a strategy we will ensure that clinical evidence and outcomes for patients are at the heart of our work to improve the quality of services to tackle liver disease.  We will continue to work closely with the NHS and patient groups to make a real difference for patients and for the healthcare staff working in this area.”

Professor Rajiv Jalan, Secretary of the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), said: ‘We welcome this announcement of a National Liver Strategy and hope that its implementation will help to stem the rising burden of liver disease in the UK.

‘We are concerned about the growing impact of liver disease and BASL, together with the British Society for Gastroenterology Liver Section have recently worked together to produce our own set of recommendations in our report ‘A Time To Act: Improving liver health and outcomes in Liver Disease’. We believe these recommendations will provide a solid foundation for the National Liver Strategy and look forward to working with the National Clinical Director and Department of Health to ensure that the strategy delivers the changes that we need.’

The Department of Health recognises the importance of managing lifestyle factors in preventing a number of diseases. That is why we have already launched two major campaigns, Know Your Limits and Change4Life, investing £372m to address obesity and to prevent people becoming obese in the first place.

Liver disease facts:

  • The average age of death from liver disease is 59, compared to 82 for heart disease and 84 for stroke
  • Liver disease is largely preventable and can be treated if diagnosed sufficiently early
  • Obesity is a rising cause of liver disease, with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) a growing concern amongst liver specialists
  • While lifestyle factors such as drinking and obesity are the biggest causes, liver disease can also be caused by viral hepatitis, excessive iron and rare disorders
  • Liver disease currently costs the NHS £460m a year

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After a decade marked by decreases in Hospital Professional Liability claims, the frequency of claims is on the rise and is expected to continue increasing at a one percent annual rate, according to a study released today by Aon Corporation in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management.

The tenth annual Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis examines trends in frequency, severity and overall loss costs related to hospital and physician professional liability. More than 100 health care organizations representing over 1,500 facilities ranging from small community hospitals to large multi-state health care systems provided loss and exposure data for the study.

The study attributes the rise in claims to the downturn in the U.S. economy, changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rules regarding so called “never-events” or events that should never happen in a hospital and changes in public sympathy toward health care providers.

“Worsening economic conditions in 2008 may have influenced individuals to assert claims against hospital systems,” said Erik Johnson, health care practice leader for Aon’s Actuarial and Analytics Practice and author of the analysis. “In 2003 through 2007 public attention was directed on tort reform activity and prohibitive medical malpractice costs for physicians. This coincided with significant reductions in professional liability claims. As public attention shifted to other subjects, the momentum of the reductions dissipated. Recently, the public focus has evolved to discussions regarding waste, inefficiency, and defensive medicine. It remains to be seen how this will influence the frequency of professional liability claims.”

The Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis also found:

  • In 2010, hospital loss costs per occupied bed equivalent, a major part of the total cost of risk, are expected to increase five percent annually to $3,170.
  • Claim severity, including both indemnity and defense costs, continues to increase at a consistent rate and is projected to increase by four percent annually.
  • One out of every four claims and 24 percent of hospital professional liability costs are associated with hospital acquired conditions such as infections and injuries, medication errors, objects left in surgery and pressure ulcers.
  • In 2010, hospitals can expect to incur liability costs of $181.00 per birth in the Obstetrics Unit and $7.20 per visit in the Emergency Department.

According to Aon’s Health Care Industry Report, also released today, the health care industry professional liability market should remain stable for the rest of the year. However, expectations are that market pricing will increase in 2010, in part due to the increase in frequency noted in the Benchmark Analysis.

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    The European Commission should make sure that investment saving products across the EU are uniformly regulated, says the ABI.  Any new rules should prioritise achieving the best outcomes for consumers as a priority.  The ABI has released a Working Document, entitled Packaged Retail Investment Products: New Ways of Thinking, which sets out its initial thoughts.

    A hearing into the issue takes place at the European Commission on 22 October 2009.  This follows the Commission’s Communication on Packaged Retail Investment Products (PRIPs) released in April 2009.  This identified concerns over the lack of a regulatory level playing field for the regulation of retail investment products.  The scope of the PRIPs project has yet to be finalised, but it should cover investment savings products, including unit-linked life insurance policies and with-profits funds.

    The ABI urges the Commission to:

    • put the needs of consumers first when thinking about any new regulatory framework for PRIPs at a European level;
    • recognise the importance of increasing consumers’ savings and encouraging a competitive environment between different product types and manufacturers;
    • focus on the economic purpose of a product, rather than its legal form – equivalent products should have equivalent regulatory treatment;
    • recognise that consumers want, need and deserve a regulatory framework for selling practices that focuses on their needs, treats them fairly, enables them to understand the sales process and ensures that financial advice is not biased by remuneration arrangements with product providers;

    Maggie Craig, the ABI’s Director of Life and Savings, said: “The Commission is right to flag up concerns over the different way investment products are regulated across Europe.  At the ABI, we are already working to improve the clarity with which providers describe their products to customers, to remove remuneration bias from the advice process and to increase the professionalism of advisers.  We call on the Commission to deliver a regulatory framework in Europe that supports us in achieving these goals – this can only benefit consumers across the Single Market.”

    Download the Packaged Retail Investment Products (PRIPs): New Ways of Thinking

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    UK insurance broker and adviser, Heath Lambert, has agreed a strategic relationship with Heritage Insurance Management, the captive insurance division of the Heritage Group, to strengthen its offering to its new and existing clients. As part of this relationship, Heritage will acquire Heath Lambert’s Risk Retention and Captive Management division.

    During the past year, Heath Lambert has recognised an increasing demand for risk retention and captive management services. Following a review, Heath Lambert has determined that its clients’ interests will be best served in resourcing these technical, administrative and geographic demands by working with an equally well respected and independent captive management organisation.

    Alan Pratten, Managing Director of Retail Clients and Development at Heath Lambert said: “This deal is an excellent example of how Heath Lambert is working with its strategic business partners to evolve its client offering.  Working with Heritage allows both parties to maximise their skills, enhance the range of technical, insurance and financial management resources, plus add real value to the international client base. It will provide our clients with an augmented service, safe in the knowledge that service will remain central to Heath Lambert’s captive proposition.”

    Richard Tee, Chief Executive of Heritage Group said: “This acquisition fits with our growth strategy in both Guernsey and Malta and adds to the skills that we can provide clients in the specialist field of captive insurance management.  While this acquisition has no effect on Heritage’s independence, it does add significantly to our blue chip client portfolio and confirms Heritage as one of the largest independent captive managers globally.”

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    Travel insurance can pay for lost luggage and other valuables, as well as accidents or emergency medical bills. Always check what is and isn’t covered.

    Why do I need it?

    If you travel without travel insurance, you run the risk of losing out if things go wrong. With about a third of recorded claims involving medical bills, this is by far the most common travel insurance claim. Other common claims are for lost or stolen baggage, cancellation of flights, lost or stolen money, and travel delay.

    If you are a UK resident you are entitled to free or reduced-cost, State-provided healthcare when visiting a European Union (EU) country as long as you have the necessary European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). In many other countries, outside the EU, healthcare can be very expensive. But you should remember that the EHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance, as it only covers you for when you are ill.

    Most travel insurance plans will cover medical bills for £1m, and often more, as well as pay for an emergency air ambulance to bring you home for treatment in the UK. Travel insurance can also cover you against other mishaps while you’re abroad, from theft to flight delays. Most policies have a standard excess charge which means you agree to pay the first part of any claim, for example the first £50 or £100. If you agree to pay a higher excess you might get a cheaper policy. But beware – some policies charge an excess per clause rather than one overall.

    You could be offered travel insurance by the travel agent where you book your holiday. Or you may find that when booking your flights, the airline has automatically added travel insurance for you. You don’t have to take the insurance offered – you can opt out of it and use your own if you already have it or buy it separately. If you do decide to take the insurance offered, make sure you find out what’s covered and what isn’t by reading the key policy information. Make sure you get one that’s right for you.

    Find out whether your employer offers travel insurance as part of your benefits package. You may have some kind of ‘free’ travel insurance through your credit card or bank. However, check what it covers, as it may only cover certain things and only up to a certain amount.

    What isn’t covered?

    Make sure you read the policy summary to see what is and isn’t covered by the policy – there are bound to be some areas excluded from cover. For example, some policies do not cover scheduled airline failures, civil unrest or terrorist attacks. If you have a policy which doesn’t cover these risks, you can take out separate insurance.

    You won’t usually be covered for medical conditions you already have, or may have to pay extra to get them covered. If you don’t disclose those medical conditions, any claims that you make may be rejected because you didn’t tell the insurance company about them. If relevant, you should also check whether your policy covers cancelling your holiday when a relative or friend falls ill, and whether you need to keep your insurance company informed about ill relatives/friends. Always ask if you’re in doubt. Travelling against a doctor’s advice may also invalidate your insurance cover.

    The number of confirmed cases of swine flu (H1N1) across the world continues to grow. You should check your insurance policy documents carefully to make sure you understand what you are covered for, the level of cover and any limitations that apply. You should also make sure that you have the supporting documentation to make a claim (such as your unique ID number generated by the National Flu Service, together with the label on your anti-flu drugs as proof of diagnosis to validate a travel insurance claim). For more information see the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s swine flu page.

    Top tips

    1. Read the paperwork and ask questions if you don’t understand anything.

    2. Make sure you check what you’re covered or not covered for.

    3. Tell the insurance company if you have any existing medical conditions.

    4. Find out if your employer provides health insurance as part of your benefits package.

    5. Don’t be pressurised to take travel insurance from your travel agent – you don’t have to, and other policies may be more suitable for you.

    related articles :

    EHIC special report – How to get an European Health Insurance Card ?

    Swine flu to be treated no differently from any other illness by travel insurers

    How to avoid getting caught out by hefty airline fines

    Holidaymakers : Ensure to have the right travel insurance cover !

    Do you have the right travel insurance

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    The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for South West England, heavy rain is expected from 1000 Tue 20 Oct to 1500 Tue 20 Oct

    • Outbreaks of heavy rain will spread across Cornwall and West Devon today with rainfall totals of 15 mm or more in three hours, and 25 mm or more in the period.

    The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the latest Environment Agency, Floodline, and Flood Warnings in force. The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads.

    To take action to prevent or protect your home or business against potential flooding you can find all you need to know about flood and natural disaster insurance by clicking here

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    Aviva is to build on its success in the engineering market with the introduction of specialist electronic equipment cover.

    Businesses can now benefit from tailored protection against the many risks that the use of specialist electronic equipment brings within a multitude of markets including telecommunications, media, health, leisure, motor and construction.

    The cover, which excludes computer equipment for which a separate cover is available, provides protection against the loss, or damage, to any electronic equipment that performs processes, monitoring or control functions, or audio or visual activities. This could include recording, storing and broadcasting equipment, general office equipment, manufacturing control or monitoring equipment, security systems or medical scanning and diagnostic equipment.

    Likely claims may include accidental damage to audio visual recording equipment and the loss of data stored thereon, malicious damage to plasma screens, theft of projectors or LCD screens, and the breakdown of medical equipment or machine tools.

    Gary Thom, senior engineering underwriter for Aviva, said: “With continuous advancements in technology, we have introduced a bespoke electronics product to provide specialist markets with robust insurance cover for complex electronic equipment.

    “Electronic equipment can be covered under ‘Machinery’ or ‘Contents’ sum insured on a standard ‘Fire and Perils’ or ‘All Risks’ policy but, when it comes to technical products a business could lose out in the event of a claim if it failed to have adequate cover that fully met its requirements.”

    The comprehensive cover can be extended to include full breakdown, use away from the premises and hiring out of the equipment. Other features include full theft cover without the need for forcible and violent entry, additional equipment up to 25% of the sums insured, cover for anti-theft devices, incompatibility of software or programs, repair investigation costs, temporary repair and virus checking and costs for destroying viruses, as well as cover for electrical waste and electronic equipment disposal.

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    Karsten Crede (aged 41) will be joining the Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) management board, pending the approval of the relevant bodies. AGCS is the industrial arm of the Allianz Group.

    Previously the director of Volkswagen Insurance Services, Crede will be heading up a new automotives division for AGCS which will focus on developing insurance schemes for global automobile manufacturers.

    Motor insurance schemes for international car brands

    Allianz currently provides motor insurance schemes for 25 major international car brands in 27 countries (including in seven Asian countries). More than two million drivers are insured by Allianz Group companies worldwide under such schemes, generating around one billion euros in annual premiums for the Group.

    These partnerships allow car buyers to purchase customized insurance for their new vehicles under their own brand, often with additional coverage provided for their specific make of car, developed and designed by Allianz in association with the car manufacturer. Allianz coordinates such partnerships through its Car Manufacturers’ Center of Competence, set up in Munich in 2006, which provides one global point of contact to Allianz for individual car manufacturers.

    According to A.T.Kearney’s Auto2020 study, global car sales are forecast to grow by 37 percent from 65 million in 2008 to more than 89 million in 2020.

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    Aon Consulting Worldwide, the global human capital consulting organization of Aon Corporation, today announced that Yannick Gagne has joined the firm as senior vice president and leader of the Retirement Practice for offices in Southern California, San Francisco, Hawaii, Denver and the Pacific Northwest.

    Based in Irvine, Calif., Gagne will focus on business development and the delivery of strategic consulting advice. In addition, he will consult on the financial and human resources aspects of retirement programs, including financial risk management.

    With more than a decade of experience, Gagne most recently served as principal at Mercer where he was responsible for financial management, design and administration of retirement programs. Prior to Mercer, Gagne served as a consultant at Hewitt Associates in California and at Normandin Beaudry Consulting Actuaries in Canada. Gagne also lectured at the University of Montreal in Canada.

    Cecil Hemingway, U.S. Retirement Practice Director for Aon Consulting. said: “I am confident Yannick will serve our clients with distinction and successfully lead our colleagues to deliver a broad spectrum of retirement solutions to meet our clients’ needs,”.

    Gagne holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in actuarial science from Laval University in Canada. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and Canadian Institute of Actuaries, a member of the Academy of Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary.

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    AIG $2.15 billion sale of its Taiwan life insurance unitwill result in a loss of around $1.4 billion net of taxes that the company will report in the fourth quarter, AIG said Thursday.

    Earlier this week, AIG announced the sale of its 97.6% stake in Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. to a consortium consisting of Primus Financial Holdings Ltd., the Hong Kong-based financial services firm, and China Strategic Holdings Ltd., the Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed investment company.

    It is AIG’s biggest asset sale yet in its effort to pay off its government bailout.

    Nan Shan is the largest life insurer in Taiwan by total book value and the third largest by premiums.

    Shares of AIG recently traded up 2% to $45.30.

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    Old Mutual plc announces that its UK subsidiary Skandia UK Holdings Limited has completed the sale of the Bankhall Group (consisting of Bankhall Investment Management Limited, IFA Engine Limited, Portfolio Member Services (Holdings) Limited and their respective subsidiaries) to Sesame Group Limited, a subsidiary of Friends Provident plc.

    The transaction is part of Old Mutual’s continuing commitment to streamline its operations. The total gross assets disposed of are £11.8m.

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    Dutch banking and insurance group ING said on Friday it had sold its US reinsurance business to Reinsurance Group of America for an undisclosed amount a day after selling its Asian private banking unit.

    ING finally announced today that it has reached an agreement to transfer its U.S. group reinsurance business, ING Reinsurance U.S., to Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. RGA is a U.S.-based global provider of life reinsurance.

    Tom McInerney, CEO for ING Insurance Americas said: “This transaction fits within ING’s Back to Basics strategy to simplify our structure and focus our U.S. insurance operations on Retirement Services, Life Insurance, and Rollover Annuities,”. “Although ING Reinsurance is not part of ING’s core businesses in the U.S., it is a solid, well-run, and client-focused business that will complement a company that considers reinsurance its core business. We believe that RGA will be an excellent owner of ING Reinsurance.”

    The transaction is structured as a reinsurance agreement between RGA and ING. The disposition of ING Reinsurance U.S. will have a limited positive impact on ING’s 2010 earnings. In addition, the transaction is expected to release nearly EUR 100 million in capital and improve the debt/equity ratio of ING Insurance by around 60 basis points. After the agreement, ING will continue to retain a reinsurance portfolio in the U.S. that has been in run-off since 2002.

    ING Reinsurance U.S. is a leading provider of reinsurance programs for group life, accident, and health insurance companies in the U.S., Guam, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It focuses on medium and large providers of group insurance products and operates primarily out of Minneapolis, Minn.

    This transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2010.

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    After acquiring Basak Sigorta and Basak Emeklilik in 2006 and Güven Sigorta and Güven Hayat in 2008, Groupama continues to expand its operations in Turkey by joining the forces under one brand: Groupama.  Becoming the third largest insurance company, Groupama will continue an ambitious investment plan in its Turkish companies.

    The international insurance group Groupama announces today the launch of “Groupama Sigorta” and “Groupama Emeklilik” in theTurkish market, by merging Başak and Güven insurance companies in order to continue providing the best services to the clients and expand the insurance market with more innovative and competitive solutions in Turkey.

    Jean-Francois Lemoux, International General Manager of Groupama said:“We joined two strong rooted companies’ forces by bringing local and international expertise together. With this merger, our clients will benefit from a strong service offering, an innovative product proposition and the strength of one of the leading international insurance companies which already proved itself to more than 16 million customers all over the world.

    “Turkey, with its growth potential, has a strategic importance for Groupama as it is a role model country within the group. The exciting dynamics of the market in Turkey is encouraging us to realize some of our investment plans for the Turkish insurance market”.

    Groupama will continue providing a competitive range of life and pension, household, liability, agricultural and motor products, specially tailored to the needs of both retail and corporate customers. Groupama is the 2nd life insurer and is ranking n°5 in the non-life market with total revenues of TL 1,072 million (Eur 562 million) at the end of 2008.

    The new group will continue to be close to its 3 million customers with the support of more than 2 000 agents, 900 employees and different partnerships, from which 1 900 TKK agriculture Union partners, all over Turkey.

    With its strong management structure and well established sales-point, the company targets to reach a revenue of 1.5 billion USD and continue to have higher growth rates than the expansion of the insurance market in Turkey over the next 3 years.

    To achieve these ambitious goals, Groupama is launching the new concept ‘Insurance+’ which is expected to be a milestone in the insurance market in Turkey.

    Alain Baudry, Groupama Insurance General Manager said: “Our customers are the core of our business. We are not launching a campaign. We are bringing an innovative and dynamic approach in order to provide maximum satisfaction and a strong commitment to our customers, enabling us to stay closer to them. We strongly believe that ‘Insurance+’ will bring new dimension to insurance services in Turkey.”.

    “Insurance+” will cover car and household insurance services as a start. As an example, for car insurance, after the accident dossier is completed, the payment will be done within 5 days. If this is not the case, until the end of 2009, Groupama will provide a one year free insurance to the customers. For the CASCO; new cars (0 km private cars belonging to individuals only) insured with Groupama will be covered with the new value of the car during 3 years in case of total pert and theft losses.

    The new brand, Groupama, will be supported by a comprehensive campaign which will include advertising, public relations and corporate responsibility programmes.

    The corporate image campaign will start on Thursday, the 15th of October and will include all channels of promotion: TV, print, online, outdoor and unconventional projects – under the tagline: “We are marching with the power of Başak Insurance and Güven Insurance”.

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    AccessiWeb is a quality label that measures disabled people’s access to websites. This label consists of three quality levels (bronze, silver and gold) and is awarded by the Association BrailleNet for a period of two years.

    By meeting the silver label’s 76 criteria, Groupama has become the first French insurer to obtain this honour. The silver level certifies that the site provides a superior level of accessibility – particularly for the disabled. It meets all the navigational recommendations and is designed for users to be assisted by various technologies (braille terminal, screen reader software, speech synthesis, etc.).

    Furthermore, it proves that a site such as Groupama.com, featuring advanced functions for the disabled, can still be user-friendly.

    This label follows that of the gold level obtained by Fondation ‘Groupama pour la Santé’ (Groupama Foundation for Health) in 2006, which was renewed in 2008.

    Once again, Groupama demonstrates its commitment to practising socially responsible values and its adherence to the guiding principles of local presence, responsibility and solidarity that have underpinned the Group for over 100 years.

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      Motorists in Chislehurst in Bromley and Wingate in Cleveland are revealed as the most likely in the UK to claim on their motor insurance for theft from their car or theft of their car, according to data from moneysupermarket.com [1].

      • Motorists in Bromley and Cleveland most likely to claim for car theft

        The research analysed 3.8 million motor insurance quotes made by consumers on its website over the past year (September 2008 – August 2009), revealing motorists in Chislehurst are three times more likely to make a claim on their insurance for theft compared to the UK average [2].

        Unsurprisingly, the research also revealed big cities are affected, with Manchester, Sheffield and Bradford (see table below) featuring in the top 20 for those making a claim for theft on their car insurance Other areas appearing as claim hotspots are Romford and Ilford, which feature in the top 20 postcodes three times each.

        Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: “I am not surprised to see metropolitan areas of the country such as Manchester and Sheffield fall in the top 20 postcodes areas. However what the research does reveal is a broad mix of places across the country are at risk, highlighting the issue that no matter where you live, there is always a chance you could become a victim of theft and motorists should take this risk seriously.

        “Having items stolen from your car is an unpleasant experience, and with so many vehicles now containing expensive gadgets such as sound systems and Sat Navs (often on show), they have become even more of a target for opportunistic thieves. Securing vehicles properly and always ensuring you have locked up and parked in a safe place are the easiest things motorists can do to safeguard their car and the items within it. Likewise, motorists concerned about becoming victims of theft could install an alarm or use a steering wheel lock as a deterrent to thieves. It goes without saying that leaving your possessions, no matter how small, on display in your car makes you an easy target. Whether it’s a Sat Nav or a mobile phone, always make sure you take anything valuable out of your vehicle when you intend to leave it.

        “For those living in areas with a higher risk of theft of, or from their vehicle it is even more important to shop around and look for the best deals available for your car insurance, as premiums in such areas are likely to be much higher. Motorists need to be aware of how they can reduce their premiums to get car insurance cover that is the best value for money.”

        Top Tips for reducing the cost of Car insurance:

        • Keep you car in a safe place such as a garage or driveway where possible
        • A younger driver can make great savings by adding an older driver to their policy
        • Shop around for the best value deal for your circumstances
        • Increase your voluntary excess from £100 to £500 if you can afford to
        • Add a partner
        • Halve your mileage by car-pooling with a colleague

          The 20 UK postcode districts most likely to claim for theft from their car or theft of the actual vehicle

          Postcode District Town Area Percentage*

          BR7

          Chislehurst

          Bromley

          3.82%

          TS28

          Wingate

          Cleveland

          3.72%

          IG4

          Redbridge

          Ilford

          3.39%

          DN7

          Hatfield

          Doncaster

          3.38%

          M3

          Manchester city centre

          Manchester

          3.34%

          BS29

          Banwell

          Somerset

          3.16%

          BD1

          Bradford city centre

          Bradford

          3.16%

          S2

          Arbourthorne

          Sheffield

          3.15%

          NP24

          New Tredegar

          Newport

          3.14%

          RM7

          Romford

          Romford

          3.10%

          IG9

          Buckhurst Hill

          Ilford

          3.08%

          IG8

          Woodford Green

          Ilford

          2.99%

          M4

          Ancoats

          Manchester

          2.95%

          CF34

          Cathays

          Cardiff

          2.95%

          S13

          Handsworth

          Sheffield

          2.95%

          LS15

          Barwick In Elmet & Crossgates

          Leeds

          2.95%

          NR23

          Wells-Next-the-Sea

          Norfolk

          2.94%

          DN8

          Thorne

          Doncaster

          2.86%

          RM11

          Hornchurch

          Romford

          2.85%

          RM13

          Rainham

          Romford

          2.83%

          Results based on 3.8 million motor insurance quotes on moneysupermarket.com for twelve months (September 2008 – August 2009)

          *Percentage related to motorists affected by theft from their car or theft of their car in that postcode district

          0 7

          Young drivers are dangerously influenced by peer pressure when carrying friends as passengers, a leading car insurance provider showed.

          A third of motorists aged 17-21 admitted driving differently when friends were in the car, the poll by a leading car insurance provider revealed.

          More than 20% paid less attention to the road, a quarter took their hands off the wheel and 15% performed illegal manoeuvres, according to the survey.

          Also, 11% of male drivers aged 17-21 and 6% of women motorists of the same age group did not wear seatbelts when in the car with friends.

          Yet nearly all (97%) of the young drivers followed rules of the road more strictly when their parents or grandparents were in the car, while 44% drove more slowly.

          The poll also showed that 39% of women motorists aged 17-21 were not confident of driving on motorways, while 29% were unsure about driving on their own.

          Just 27% of young drivers had paid to have driving lessons and of these, 50% took more than four attempts to pass the test.

          A spokesperson said          : “Young drivers remain the age group with the highest proportion of insurance claims, accidents and fatalities on our roads.

          “According to claims data, injuries increase exponentially in relation to the number of passengers being carried.”

          He went on: “In order to reduce these statistics young drivers and passengers alike need to take personal responsibility for their own actions. This means wearing a seatbelt at all times regardless of who is in the car, driving with fewer passengers and not conforming to peer pressure while behind the wheel.”

          0 2

          Hannover Re has received approval to open a branch in Shanghai for non-life reinsurance. Since May 2008 it has had a branch there writing Chinese life/health reinsurance business. Going forward, both business groups will now be transacted directly from Shanghai. At the beginning of October the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) issued the company an appropriate licence.

          “This stronger presence will enable our clients to access all services from a concentrated source”, Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Wallin explained. “At the same time it gives us an optimal platform for further extending our positioning in China.” China is one of Asia’s largest insurance markets, and Hannover Re expects to grow its premium volume here in the years ahead.

          The General Manager of both branches is Michael Huang, who has been with the company for a number of years in Shanghai. He has long-standing experience in the insurance industry and a superb knowledge of the Chinese market. The business written to date by Hannover Re in China encompasses obligatory and facultative non-life reinsurance across all lines as well as life reinsurance.

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