14th February 2012 – ‘PM to vow action on whiplash claims’
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08/02/2012 THEFT OF HEATING OIL AND DIESEL
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09/01/2012 "Keep up to speed with changes in motor fleet"
Insurance Age has teamed up with Brit Insurance in a special three part video to analyse the actions brokers need to take now to deal with the upcoming regime changes in the motor fleet sector.
By September 2013, bus and coach drivers will need to have passed their mandatory Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) while lorry and HGV drivers have an extra year to complete the course.
Brokers can play a key role in raising awareness of the change and making sure clients are compliant, With over 500,000 HGV drivers alone needing to be trained, brokers should look to avoid the headache of a training bottleneck and the worst case scenario of fleet firms being left with untrained drivers.
On the video panel John Davidge. technical consultant, Cardinus Risk Management; Andy Keane, UK motor portfolio manager, Brit Insurance; and Andrew Watson, director, GS Corporate Risk Services, discuss the consequences for a business if drivers have not passed their CPC and look at the current uptake of training and the capacity to meet demand. The experts also look at the benefits of seeking early compliance coupled with how to manage resources between now and the deadline, given drivers need to do 35 hours training each to pass the CPC, You can view the video at www.insuranceage.co.uk/2126975.
19/12/2011
It’s not often you receive good news in these trying times. However we have got some great news to share with you!
First and foremost we would like to thank you very much for your support over the last few years.
Secondly have you ever thought it’d be great to access all your professional services from one place? So have we – so we decided to do something about it!
From now on you can access legal, insurance, financial services, property, tax, accounting and business advice from one place. It’s called PSP. That’s short for the Professional Services Partnership.
All the key areas of professional advice, available on demand, so you get comprehensive help when you need it at a sensible price. View our typical work and areas of expertise for more information at www.pspllp.co.uk.
As it’s an innovative service we thought why not locate ourselves somewhere fitting – hence we have based ourselves in the Innovation Centre in Longbridge! in addition to each of our existing locations.
It is a really exciting place to be with lots of other new and interesting businesses.
About Us
Each member of the PSP team is a well respected specialist in their professional field.
With over 100 years of pooled experience we have collectively seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt! Each of us has established and currently runs their own successful professional services businesses.
So we are not green behind the ears and fully understand what makes businesses tick and how to help make them successful. Over 90% of our business comes from recommendations from existing satisfied clients. We have each recommended each others professional services entirely on merit for years.
We thought that it would be so refreshing to be able to provide both our current and new commercial clients with a single point of reference for switched on, trustworthy, co-ordinated professional advice in all the key areas critical to our clients’ businesses.
Therefore, why not provide a fully joined up commercial service from one vehicle operated in the same modern and efficient way we and our successful clients run their own businesses?
About time someone did so? We entirely agree!
PSP has been created to do just that. We say what we do on the tin. We deliver all of the professional services you will need to revitalise, transform, expand or exit from your business in one switched on, seamless and properly managed way.
We tailor the professional services we provide so that you get no more but no less than you need at the price and within the timescale you expect.
Final bit of good news – do you own or lease out a commercial or rental property? If so then under the current capital allowances regime you could be entitled to offset up to 60% of its value against your taxable income – even retrospectively!
If you are entitled to take advantage of this relief you will need to act quickly. It may be removed by the Government in May next year.
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Nationwide Riots August 2011 - Riot claims reporting lines Following the rioting across the UK we’d just like to reassure you that Aviva’s claims centres of excellence have teams of experts ready to manage any claims arising and we’re working closely with our loss adjusters and suppliers to support our policyholders. If you need any further assistance or clarification please speak to your usual points of contact within the claims centres. If you think you’ll have any clients affected in any way we’d just like to remind you of what’s needed. With this type of claim there are specific time lines to meet for insurers to be reimbursed by the local police authority. The local police authority has a legal responsibility to reimburse anyone sustaining damage to property as the result of a riot under the Riot Damages Act 1886. Any claim under the Act must ‘’be made in writing and received by the local police authority within 14 days of the alleged incident”. Insurers typically include within their Claims Notification Clause to the policy a requirement for any claim for riot and/or civil commotion to be notified to Insurers immediately with full supporting documentation. This needs to be received within seven days of the incident occurring specifically to prevent a recovery action being turned down by the police authority on basis that the action is time barred. Insurers are entitled to recover their outlays under the principle of subrogation. Anyone claiming needs to be aware that they must notify their Insurers immediately of any damage but equally important is that they must be able to quantify and substantiate their losses with potentially both a schedule of loss and statement of truth within a week of the incident occurring. The Act excludes liability for loss or damage to cars left on public highways, goods left in shops for repair and/or consequential losses. Also all claims will be assessed in accordance with common law, which may not correlate directly to the basis of settlement provided for by the insurance contract. Any brokers operating with Delegated Authority claims need to comply with this and not just rely on submission under the bordereau arrangement.
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“Recognition - At last! - 09/02/2011”
We recently received the following from a grateful client. We do try to give ALL of our clients the very best of service but it really is nice to get feedback. Our client wrote the following:-
Ref- Vehicle accident in Scotland
Dear Wayne,
I should like to express my gratitude for your efficiency, reassurance and support following my vehicle accident yesterday in Scotland; it was like having a friend on my shoulder (albeit at the other end of the phone) at what was a very stressful, and hopefully never to be repeated, experience.
I saw the vehicle at Solus, Cumbernauld, today and it is possible that a tyre puncture may have resulted in the loss of control. The staff at Solus, Cumbernauld, were also brilliant and I shall be writing to them in acknowledgement of their role.
Once again Wayne, many thanks,
(Name and Address Supplied)
“Take Precautions to Protect Your Property - 09/02/2011”
Take precautions to protect your property against the windy storms we have recently experienced – see Wayne’s green house below !
“Motor Insurance Database Update - 07/02/2011”
03/12/2010
As you have all no doubt experienced problems during this most recent spell of bad weather, we are very pleased to report out of almost 1000 commercial vehicles we insure on behalf of our customers throughout the U.K., we have received only ten claims notifications which we believe is excellent and a credit to you all.
Congratulations to you and your drivers.
However, as the bad weather is likely to continue for the foreseeable future please ensure you all remain vigilant and careful in these difficult conditions.
Remember “The better claims experience equals lower Insurance premiums”
Lord Sugar calls for action against claims farmers
29 November, 2010
Apprentice host Lord Sugar hits out at "vulture-type" lawyers
Lord Sugar has backed Lord Young's plans to reduce aggressive no-win no-fee advertising in the UK.
During a debate on Lord Young of Graffham's review of health and safety legislation in the House of Lords last week, Lord Sugar stuck the sword into "claims management companies" when discussing the compensation culture.
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He said: "They advertise on TV implying that they can get consumers substantial amounts of money for injuries that they have sustained. To add insult to injury, some of them are simply brokers who sell their inquiries on to solicitors; they are not solicitors themselves. I point out here that National Accident Helpline is not one of those organisations.
"The legal system in this country was one that we could be proud of compared to the ambulance-chasing activities of our cousins in the United States. However, since, I believe, 1999, it has been possible for lawyers here to work on a contingency basis offering a no-win no-fee basis to their clients. While this change had some genuine and positive merit in assisting deserved causes, like all things it has been exploited in most cases to bring derisory claims against companies."
"The issue concerns claims from a certain breed of people, some of whom have had the seed of an idea to make a claim planted in their minds from those terrible adverts that they see on TV. The mechanism, as I am sure your Lordships will know, is that the client becomes somewhat irrelevant in the overall scheme of things. The client is simply a catalyst among the solicitors, the claim management companies and the new breed of litigation insurers. It is the client from whom these people make their money. Once equipped with a client, these people become a massive thorn in the side of companies that have substantial assets or their own indemnity insurance. I do not wish to get into too much detail on what contingency lawyers charge, but it is near to outrageous that they can in some cases get double their normal fee."
He continued: "However, most claims end up being settled by negotiation. Despite knowing that the claim is derisory, companies recognise that to defend it fully will cost a lot and those costs are not recoverable on victory, as the plaintiff usually has no assets. Commercial decisions are made by defending companies that have learnt that fighting on principle is simply bad for the balance sheet.
"The new breed of these-I am sorry to call them this-vulture-type lawyers knows this only too well, as do some insurers. It is almost a licence to print money if you can convince a member of the public to make a claim. I have even heard of members of the public being paid a modest fee of, say, £500 up front if they agree to become a plaintiff.
"Something has to be done about these rogues. The Government should, first, examine what the Advertising Standards Authority can do. I am sure that, if they so desire, they can tighten up the regulations as to what promises can be made and make advertisers issue warnings in the advert to the effect that they are not lawyers and that bringing false claims is an offence. Perhaps, more importantly, there needs to be reform in the law.
"The Law Society needs to clamp down on some of these unethical lawyers and set some examples. Dare I suggest that, if it was ever possible to make those lawyers responsible themselves to pay for abortive costs when they lose a derisory claim, it would, I can assure your Lordships, kill off this industry in one fell swoop?"