According to sources in the insurance industry, a ban is widely forecasted to begin on European insurance coverage for exports of oil from Iran beginning on July 1,2012, and is threatening to restrict shipments from that country, causing costs to rise for large purchasers such as South Korea and Japan. The European Union created a partial exemption from its embargo last week for some insurance companies that cover Iranian oil, until July. Next month, the ministers in the EU intend to go over whether or not those exemptions will be…
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UK Supreme Court issues ruling on controversial asbestos liability case
The United Kingdom Supreme Court has issued a ruling on a controversial case concerning asbestos in workplaces. The issue arose in 2008, when a number of people came forward to seek reparations after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer connected with inhaling asbestos and other fibrous materials. The country’s appeals courts struggled to determine whether liability lied with employers for exposing workers to dangerous conditions or if liability began when a victim started exhibiting symptoms of illness. Despite the conflict, the High Court ruled in 2008 that…
Read MoreLloyd’s of London reports second largest loss from 2011’s insurance market swing
The insurance market of Lloyd’s of London LOL.UL has reported that it experienced its second largest losses in 2011, following the absorption of record breaking claim costs resulting from the natural catastrophes that included the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as the flooding in Thailand. This statement was made on March 28, as it compared its last year’s loss of £516 million with the profit that it made in 2010, of £2.2 billion. The reported loss included the combined financial performance of the eighty insurance syndicate competitors which…
Read MoreTotal SA natural gas leak births insurance nightmare as the industry tackles yet another man-made environmental disaster
Trouble is brewing in the North Sea where a major natural gas leak is causing problems for Total SA, a multinational oil company. The leak began at one of the companies abandoned platforms, dubbed the “well of hell” by environmentalists. Total is claiming that it will take at least six months to shut off the flow of natural gas due to high pressures within the reservoir beneath the platform. The company now faces serious backlash from the insurance industry for being at the heart of yet another man-made environmental disaster.…
Read MoreEU permits some Iran oil insurance until July 1
The European Union has announced that it will allow some insurance for Iranian oil shipments to be exempt from Europe’s trade embargo on crude, when they are headed to destinations other than Europe, and that it will have made its decision as to whether or not coverage will be permitted after that time, by mid May. The EU foreign ministers formed the exemption and the planned review for it at a Brussels meeting that added it to a set of rules about the implementation of the oil ban from the…
Read MoreReport shows that more insurers are looking to automate their underwriting process
Strategy Meets Action (SMA), a research and consultancy firm serving the insurance industry, has released a new report concerning underwriting practices in the industry. The report, “Underwriting Automation: Insurer Plans and Trends,” notes that insurance companies are making a move to completely automate their underwriting process. The report draws upon data collected by SMA from 144 insurance professionals throughout the industry. This trend may be a result of insurers being unable to meet underwriting goals due to flaws in their systems. Of those participating in the survey, 21% claimed that…
Read MoreNew report identifies online and mobile industry trends in insurance for BRIC countries
A new report has just been released that has provided an in-depth analysis of the adoption of online and mobile commerce strategies by insurance companies in BRIC countries. The report is entitled “Online Strategies of Banking and Insurance Companies in the BRIC Countries”. It provides insight into the latest insurance industry trends in China, India, Brazil, and Russia. What it found was that the industry in those countries are adopting social media as a part of their online and mobile commerce marketing tools. It also looked into the drivers and…
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