Canopius appoints new CEO

14-12-2011

Tagged Under : Canopius, Canopius Appoints

Specialist (re)insurance underwriting firm Canopius Group Limited has announced the appointment of Inga Beale as group chief executive officer.

Beale, whose appointment is made with effect from 3 January 2012, will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Watson, who is to become executive chairman.

Jim Giordano will retain his position as group chief underwriting officer.

In her new role with the firm Beale will assume responsibility for all of the firms business operations in the UK and overseas, and build upon its present successes.

Watson explained that whilst he and Giordano had overseen the firms operations for the last eight years Canopius had grown to such an extent that a new arrangement was needed.

Watson went on to express his delight at Beales appointment and stated his confidence in her talents and leadership abilities.

Insurance marketing: the sales conversation

07-12-2011

Tagged Under : Insurance, Insurance Marketing

Focus on the biggest priorities the client sets out. Focus on the two or three major points in the policy you’re offering that you think will be most important to the insurance client.

In insurance marketing, the old rule is that 90% of your sale will be based on 10% of the features you offer. Discuss the other parts of the policy as well, but don’t spend too much time on them.

Every time you hit a major point in your presentation, ask the client, “Would you be interested in that?” or “Is that what you were looking for?” You’ll get an idea of what’s important to the customer, so you can continue to focus on that feature. You might even get the client to agree to buy the policy right then and there.

It might also be useful to ask the client to take your place for just a second. If he or she was trying to convince you to try to buy a product he or she really believed in, what would they say? What would he o

Read more…

Tips for Buying a Holiday Home – Part 9

07-12-2011

Tagged Under : Holiday Home, Part

Concluding our series of posts created to help you research the viability of purchasing a given holiday home, part 9 gives you more pointers that you may not have considered. While selecting a good holiday home insurance policy is of great importance, choosing a holiday home that will provide a good income for the future – or will suit your holidaying habits for years to come – warrants a good deal of your time and energy…

Financial stability of the nation

Take some time to research the economic outlook of the country you are proposing investing in. While times are hard for the entirety of the Eurozone, some nations are more at risk than others. And while it is unlikely to be an issue for almost all European countries, make sure you’re aware of any potential conflicts (political, racial, religious or otherwise) before you sign on the dotted line.

Guaranteed rental returns?

Some vendors of holiday properties boast ‘guaranteed rental returns’. Ensure you

Read more…

State Farm Gets 7.8% Homeowners Rate Hike in Louisiana

06-12-2011

Tagged Under : Louisiana, State Farm

Louisiana has allowed its largest insurer of homes to raise its rates by an average 7.8 percent.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. spokeswoman Molly Quirk told The Associated Press that the $32.2 million increase goes into effect with new policies on Feb. 15 and renewal policies on April 1.

The rates will rise depending upon where homeowners live, Quirk said. Although most coastal areas are in for increases, the largest jump will total 19.5 percent in northeastern Louisiana parishes around Monroe. Rapides Parish, including Alexandria, is in for a 13.9 percent hike.

State Farm has about 301,000 policyholders in Louisiana. The company was permitted a 9.9 percent average increase last year and an 8.3 percent increase in 2009 after requesting 13.7 percent.

Insurance companies are not granted rate increases based upon prior losses, such as damage from four major hurricanes that have hit Louisiana in recent years.

Read more…