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Article Archives: from "Paid £4.5 million for NOT playing football - welcome to the Premier League ...", to "UK Insurance Premiums to rise ... to fund Celebrity Holidays?". †
Paid £4.5 million for NOT playing football - welcome to the Premier League ... - 05.12.08
"Nothing new there" you're probably thinking after watching Darren Bent's abysmal attempt at a header for Tottenham last weekend. It's not uncommon to watch Premier League football players being paid millions yet they can't even score sitters from a yard out.
The difference being that Derren Bent ge ... [Metasearch: Paid £4.5 million for NOT playing football - welcome to the Premier League ...]
Cheaper Insurance? Only if you promise not to cancel the policy - 06.12.08
In a recent survey of car insurance companies we were surprised to find a wide range of costs and fees which are enforced should anyone wish to cancel the policy mid-term. Individual insurers will refund some of your premium payment based on how long you have had the policy out for, though this is not always p ... [Metasearch: Hidden Insurance Policy Cancellation Fees]
Tainted Meat public health scares aren't a farmers only worry - 07.12.08
We have reported in several articles how modern farming is far from its portrayal in 19th Century literature: an idyllic pastime with slow but sure income. In fact, UK farmers now face incredibly large and broad risks, a few of which we detail below.
Animal Pandemics
... [Metasearch: Farm Insurance]
Cancelling an Insurance Policy early could cost dearly [Press Release] - 08.12.08
After receiving several reports from angry customers about their insurer's cancellation charges, (some in excess of £140), www.noclaimsdiscount.co.uk researched some of the major insurers to find out what these charges were based on and why consumers were seemingly unaware of them prior to purchasing the polic ... [Metasearch: Cancelling an Insurance Policy early could cost dearly]
In debt? How about Arson? [Insurance Fraud Failures Part 1] - 09.12.08
It seems like a brilliant idea at the time. As in a Hollywood film, you set fire to your home or murder the spouse, pocket the insurance payout and run off to the tropics to lie on a beach and sip margaritas. You may be looking for an easy way out of your money worries or unhappy marriage. In fact, this often ... [Metasearch: Insurance Fraud Failures Part 1: In debt? How about Arson?]
In debt? How about Killing your Partner? [Insurance Fraud Failures Part 2] - 09.12.08
Sometimes, of course the perpetrator is less of a desperate opportunist and more of a calculated, cold-blooded manipulator. In 1998 Korean-born Jong Rhee was jailed for life for killing his wife in a cottage fire in a bid to pocket £250,000 life insurance. The life insurance cover on his wife, Natalie, was inc ... [Metasearch: Insurance Fraud Failures Part 2: In debt? How about Killing your Partner?]
Compensation to be paid by UK Government for Terrorist attacks on holidaymakers overseas - 14.12.08
In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, a new system of compensation for UK citizens caught up in terrorist attacks whilst abroad is being drawn up. London law firm Lovells, who are "acting as an independent facilitator" between the British government and the ten largest insurers in the country "to ... [Metasearch: We pay for it here, we pay for it there, we pay for it ... everywhere!]
Climate change insurance given to developing countries ... what about us? - 16.12.08
Britain is in trouble. Anyone who hasn't felt it is probably partly responsible for it. So why, in our hour of need, are we still pumping millions abroad to help the "less fortunate" with problems that we are facing right here? Following our reports of policyholders facing flooding excesses running into thousa ... [Metasearch: Climate change & insurance]
Brits understand road safety the best, but ignore it the most - 22.12.08
A new report says Brits are the most safety conscious in Europe when it comes to driving. About 92% of us considered using a mobile phone without a hands-free kit to be dangerous, compared to just 85% of other European drivers. In addition, while 92% of British motorists viewed drink driving as unacceptable, ... [Metasearch: Brits are know-it-alls]
Despite Soaring Insurance Premiums, Young Men Are Still Buying Fast Cars - 23.12.08
Just in case you were ever in any doubt, new research says young drivers - particularly male ones - are into fast, powerful cars. Even more worryingly, the trend shows no sign of slowing down, in spite of skyrocketing premiums and the refusal of some insurers to even quote for young drivers.
Gocomp ... [Metasearch: Young Men Speeding Straight into High Premiums]
"Can you really cope with a stock market collapse?" - FSA Stress Test is Stressing Insurers - 23.12.08
Doomsday scenarios the Financial Services Authority is forcing financial services businesses to run to prove they can weather the recession are stressing insurance companies.
Insurance companies feel the business tests are too tough and unrealistic and are really a disguised look at their assets by ... [Metasearch: Too little too late from the FSA?]
What credit crunch? Swinton insurance buying and hiring - 26.12.08
Insurance Australia Group's (IAG) foray into the English market seems to be over following the swift disposal of the broking arm of Equity Insurance and the management buyout of its insurance groups Hastings Direct and Advantage. The sell off follows poor results in the UK market for IAG and a global net loss ... [Metasearch: Shouldn't you be insured with a company that isn't struggling?]
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC): Worth cancelling that £10 Travel Insurance for? - 27.12.08
The Guardian recently gave an implicit endorsement to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), suggesting it could provide valuable coverage to Britons going abroad.
Yet curiously enough, in its recent Support Guide, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) noted that it is vitally important for ... [Metasearch: EHIC Cards Don't Guarantee the Quality of Health Care Abroad]
Could the Japanese or Saudis really buy Manchester United, Newcastle United, West Ham and more during this credit crunch? - 27.12.08
The credit crunch doesn't seem to be much of a concern to the multi-million pound earning football players of the premier leagues in the UK. When you're getting £20 million a year, the cost of a loaf of bread isn't something that keeps you up at night.
Or is it? Much of those millions come from spon ... [Metasearch: Finance sponsors of Premier League clubs in trouble]
"Crash for cash" insurance fraud being tackled but stronger punishments needed - 28.12.08
Following a detailed fraud investigation by Merseyside police's crime operations unit, 33 defendants attended Liverpool Crown Court in December, charged with conspiracy to defraud Allianz Insurance by staging fictitious traffic accidents during 2005.
Working together with the Insurance Fraud ... [Metasearch: That accident you had might not have been an "accident"]
Could your insurance be invalid because you didn't change your spark plugs last month? - 29.12.08
Are you covered under your car insurance as long as your engine is running well? Not necessarily. Insurers are interested in more than just what's under your bonnet when they insure you. The entire vehicle, from tyre to rear-view mirrors, should be safe to drive.
For example, we checked the insuran ... [Metasearch: Car Maintenance vs Insurance Cop-outs]
Top 10 Cheapest Cars to Insure - 30.12.08
With the credit crunch tightening its grip, its not surprising that more people than ever are abandoning new cars and opting for second-hand models that are cheaper to run. Increasingly canny motorists are scouting around for second-hand bargains, rather than shiny new cars that depreciate in value the moment ... [Metasearch: Top 10 Cheapest Cars to Insure]
Is Bruce Willis good looking enough to make people forget? - 30.12.08
Insurer Aviva is launching one of the most expensive advertising campaigns ever to promote the demolition of the Norwich Union brand. The campaign is set to cost a staggering £9 million.
Among those featured are Walter Bruce Willis - better known to you and me as simply Bruce Willis.
Vin ... [Metasearch: Aviva distracting people from Norwich Union closure with celebrity faces]
We need zero-tolerance to uninsured drivers - 31.12.08
What do you think will happen to a country where insurance premiums can be OVER £2000, but fines for being uninsured are UNDER £200?
According to the Motor Insurer's Bureau, uninsured drivers kill around 200 people every year on Britain's roads, and injure hundreds more. The sheer scale of th ... [Metasearch: Why are some honest policyholders happy to pay for others mistakes?]
Insurers say you need it while solicitors are queueing up to help you sue for buying it - 01.01.09
As we've written before, some consumer groups such as Which? have been unremittingly hostile toward PPI, saying it is "unnecessarily expensive" and that customers are often "bamboozled" into buying it. Media reports have often suggested that some people mistakenly think that refusing to take out PPI may prejud ... [Metasearch: Payment Protection Insurance: Love it, hate it or need it?]
GreenRoad Scheme Going from Strength to Strength with 25% off insurance for young drivers from Admiral - 01.01.09
A driving scheme that rewards teen motorists with generous car insurance discounts for improving their road behaviour is about to step up a gear.
Admiral Insurance and technology company GreenRoad have partnered to give youngsters up to 25% off their insurance if they install a GreenRoad black box i ... [Metasearch: Admiral Insurance for Young Drivers]
2 Young 2 Die released - 01.01.09
Chests pierced by pieces of metal ... limbs ripped off ... body parts strewn across the road ... these are just some of the accident site details highlighted in a new road safety campaign aimed at the UK's young drivers. The Co-operative Insurance has joined forces with "http://www.brake.org.uk" target ... [Metasearch: Co-operative Insurance & Brake take responsibility for young people]
Will RAC's new eco-friendly vehicle changes stop them getting to motorists quickly? - 02.01.09
Following Aviva's sale of RAC Auto Windscreens, the RAC has announced it is to strengthen its eco-friendly credentials by trialling two hybrid vehicles. It will be the first recovery service in the UK to do so, and if the trial successfully cuts fuel consumption and carbon emissions the changes could be rolled ... [Metasearch: As companies get greener, will customers suffer?]
By the time we sort out Asbestos Compensation, won't most of the claimants have died? - 04.01.09
"When the sun was shining, you could see it floating in the air like silver flakes. But we never thought it was dangerous or anything like that."
So said 79-year-old Richard Robson from Newcastle in a recent newspaper interview. Robson worked as a boilermaker in Wallsend's Swan Hunter shipya ... [Metasearch: Or is that the point?]
Solicitors, not victims, the biggest winners in the compensation claims industry - 05.01.09
Few doubt the importance of being able to claim compensation if you are injured because of someone else's negligence or lack of due care. But it's worth bearing in mind who normally benefits in the process.
Essentially, the "no-fee" in the no-fee, no risk system means that you do not have to pay yo ... [Metasearch: "Compensation Culture" damage outweighed by solicitor's fees]
Tighter Control on Travel Agents selling Travel Insurance - 05.01.09
Tough new rules to stop rogue travel agents misleadingly selling insurance to holidaymakers have come in to force.
Travel insurance advisers must now give holidaymakers 'best advice' about insurance that meets their requirements.
Everyone selling travel insurance must have clearance to do so from t ... [Metasearch: Sainsburys Travel Insurance Details Consumer Concerns]
Did the "compensation culture" push up insurance premiums? 12 years on from the predictions ... - 06.01.09
While personal injury solicitors are going from strength to strength, we're told insurers are busy putting up your premiums. But is there really such a direct connection between the two?
It's been twelve years since the "no win, no fee" system was introduced in an effort to improve people's access t ... [Metasearch: "Compensation culture will destroy Britain!" - 1996 ... So did it?]
As robberies involving guns increase, will insurers raise premiums or remove cover? - 07.01.09
In countries with high levels of gun ownership and gun crime, such as South Africa or the United States, insurers have a great deal of data to use in their risk models. This in turn can be incorporated into policy coverage.
Though gun crime is on a dramatically smaller scale in the UK, there are di ... [Metasearch: As robberies involving guns increase, will insurers raise premiums or remove cover?]
Gun Crime is the Hot Topic: Should it be? - 08.01.09
Do the headlines below really represent Britain today?
"Burned corpse found on Motorway" -- SkyNews
"Police officer stabbed to Death" -- ITN
"Violent Crime Underestimated" -- The Independent
We omitted tabloid media headlines, which would have ... [Metasearch: Media war for viewers dictating government focus?]
Does anyone know Chantel Hunter? - 08.01.09
Chantel Hunter of Ballymena may not be a very important person in most of our readers lives ... but she's very important to us right now because she has been drawn the first winner of our Free Insurance Giveaway!
We had an eight week run up to our first draw to allow people to enter their names -- s ... [Metasearch: ... who are these people that fail to claim prizes?]
Wii won't to hurt you ... honest - 10.01.09
Honestly, we thought it was a bit of PR media buzz on a slow news day when this topic crossed our desk. Turns out we were wrong.
Doctors and fitness expert are warning you can turn your home in to a house of pain with a Nintendo Wii. The top selling games console is blamed for clocking up millions ... [Metasearch: Nintendo's Wii not as good for you as first thought]
Third Party, Fire and Theft Car Insurance - what are the chances of fire? - 11.01.09
The Road Traffic Act 1988 states that a car user must be insured by a member of the Motor Insurers Bureau. Third Party Only (TPO) cover is an acceptable bare minimum. As the name suggests, Third Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT/TFT) offers the same minimal coverage but with the value of the car being covered in the ... [Metasearch: Third Party, Fire and Theft Car Insurance]
Brits leave thousands of pounds lying on their driveways for thieves - 12.01.09
Is the weather getting too bad or are Brits getting too soft when the headlines start to read:
"Thieves steal car in driveway whilst engine warms up"
You wouldn't leave £8,000 on your driveway on a cold morning whilst you go inside and have a coffee ... would you? However, many of you see ... [Metasearch: The crime that comes with a getaway car included!]
Woolworths is gone - who's next? Credit insurers abandon businesses in time of need - 13.01.09
Trade credit in Britain alone is on the order of billions of pounds, reaching well into the trillions globally. During boom times, credit insurers earn easy profits, since few firms default. Yet, during recessions, some insurers may be tempted to creep out of their responsibilities to avoid payouts.
... [Metasearch: Insurers pull out before claims can be made]
Brits have stiff upper lips, but very weak necks - Whiplash Compensation on the Rise - 13.01.09
According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) claims for whiplash have soared by 25% over the past five years with 1,200 people now claiming for the neck injury each and every day.
Although not the most dramatic of injuries, whiplash can be extremely painful. It can also last for days, week ... [Metasearch: Insurers whiplashed by soaring personal injury claims]
Being single is bad for your health and wealth - no really! - 15.01.09
Married? Sick of it? Well, don't be. Like a bad tasting medicine it's good for you.
Forget the illusion of a carefree life if you're single - the reality is you pay more living costs than couples, have less chances to save tax and die younger as well.
At a time when Government population ... [Metasearch: The reason Al Bundy never left?]
Plenty of interest, but no buyers for RBS - 16.01.09
Vultures are circling and ready to pick the carcass of fallen banking and insurance giant Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
RBS was ranked seventh in the league table of world banks with a stock market value of £75 billion two years ago. Now, RBS has dropped out of the premier league and is valued at ... [Metasearch: Churchill Dog Becoming an Unwanted Pet]
NHS pays out £165million to compensation claims solicitors, not victims, in 07/08 - 17.01.09
Are you aware of the extent to which compensation claims affect your wallet? Such is generally the case with an estimated £66 pounds of your car insurance premium going to whiplash compensation payouts alone! However, the NHS is funded by taxes so it's mistakes cost the UK taxpayer directly, not through some f ... [Metasearch: Millions of taxpayers pounds paid to victims of NHS errors]
NHS Pregnancy services being cut again - can you get private cover? - 17.01.09
As the numbers of midwives and obstetricians in our hospitals are reduced -- and as insurers are unwilling to pick up the tab for the false economy causing the gap -- the NHS Litigation Authority will be increasingly called upon to fill the void and subsequently re-direct budgets to pay out compensation instea ... [Metasearch: Bupa, AXA, Pru Health and Aviva (Norwich Union) Health Insurance on Pregnancy]
Was the compensation system set up to help victims or create more jobs in the UK? - 19.01.09
Legal firms have drawn intense criticism over recent years as they are seen to pursue frivolous claims through the courts - resulting in higher liability insurance premiums across the board. This was highlighted when the sick miners fund, set up 1997 to compensate miners for illnesses sustained during their ti ... [Metasearch: Was the compensation system set up to help victims or create more jobs in the UK?]
Scottish Government to work with insurers to keep flood-risk areas insured - 18.02.09
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has joined forces with the Scottish Government to help people at risk of flooding. Both parties have put their names to a Statement of Principles on the Provision of Flood Insurance with the aim of keeping flood insurance "as affordable and widely available as possi ... [Metasearch: Scottish Government to work with insurers to keep flood-risk areas insured]
Piracy Insurance: how are these numerous hostage situations affecting UK insurance? - 19.01.09
Despite the hundreds of articles crossing our desk regarding piracy problems and the insurers having to pay out ransom money, we have never reported on it as we failed to see how it would impact UK insurance buyers. After a further hundred or so piracy news bulletins shot past our eyes we've caved to curiosity ... [Metasearch: Piracy Insurance: how are these numerous hostage situations affecting UK insurance?]
Home Insurance: Your CDs are insured, but not your iTunes? - 20.01.09
The battle for your digital download cash has highlighted that many home insurances policies don't cover replacing music you may have bought online.
With digital sales overtaking CDs, the market is set to go ballistic as the big boys like Tesco and Amazon move in to take a share of the market from A ... [Metasearch: Home Insurance: Your CDs are insured, but not your iTunes?]
If you fire thousands of people, then pay millions to celebs, how well can your rebranding go? - 20.01.09
It only seems right that Norwich Union, one of our leading financial institutions, should help out the pension funds of the elderly. Of course, giving £9 million to a handful of aging entertainers seems a bit excessive.
Bruce Willis, Ringo Starr, Elle McPherson, Alice Cooper and Dame Edna are ... [Metasearch: If you fire thousands of people, then pay millions to celebs, how well can your rebranding go?]
When the going gets tough, insurance companies run for the hills - 21.01.09
Trade credit in Britain is worth billions of pounds, reaching well into the trillions globally. During boom times, credit insurers earn easy profits, since few firms default on their payments. But now during recession, it seems, credit insurers are creeping out of their responsibilities to avoid possible payou ... [Metasearch: Woolworths, JJB, DSGI (PC World/Currys) - all deemed "too risky"]
£66 of your car insurance premium goes straight to whiplash victims - 21.01.09
Insurance companies want the government to crack down on solicitors who are one of the driving forces behind a £2 billion industry claiming compensation for whiplash injuries following motor accidents.
Britain has become the whiplash capital of Europe, with an average 1,200 claims a day.
... [Metasearch: £66 of your car insurance premium goes straight to whiplash victims]
Where can you get Third Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT) insurance these days? - 22.01.09
Third Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT) used to be fairly common - especially in my early days when everyone drove old bangers and new cars were for those with disposable income only!
Now, as budgets tighten, the demand for this low-cost cover has escalated -- but the majority of insurers appear to be u ... [Metasearch: Where can you get Third Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT) insurance these days?]
Unfair for the fairer sex? - 23.01.09
What's left unsaid is often more important than the words you hear - and this is nicely shown by 'gender rating', a practice that insurance companies use to charge men and women different charges for the same cover.
In the US, the city of San Francisco is threatening to take the state of California ... [Metasearch: Unfair for the fairer sex?]
Farming is the UK's most dangerous job - 24.01.09
Working a farm is one of the most dangerous jobs in Britain. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in the past year 42 people died on farms.
Although only 1% of the working population - about 442,000 people - works in agriculture, the sector is responsible for more than 15% of deaths ... [Metasearch: Farming is the UK's most dangerous job]
20% of new drivers crash in the first year, bad driving kills more young people than drugs or guns - 17.02.09
So you finally passed your driving test ... only to crash on the way home from the test centre. If it's any consolation you're not alone. A staggering one in five of new drivers are involved in an accident within 12 months of getting their licence.
Nor are these harmless 'teething problems' or mino ... [Metasearch: 20% of new drivers crash in the first year, bad driving kills more young people than drugs or guns]
Installed Sat Nav? Your car insurance could be invalid - 26.01.09
Pimping your ride - sadly, another american export phrase that has stuck - is becoming more and more popular, with 15% of those surveyed by Tesco last year having made changes to their vehicles. The insurer said the popularity of car enthusiast magazines, TV programmes like Pimp My Ride UK and the now extensiv ... [Metasearch: Car modifiers could be invalidating insurance]
UK Crime Statistics: Where does your town rank? - 26.01.09
Police and insurance companies have released statistics revealing the UK's crime hotspots.
The worst crime hotspot is London, which tops the list for damage and theft to cars, motorcycles and cycles - but creeps in second for burglary with Nottingham taking the top honour in that depar ... [Metasearch: What's being stolen where?]
NoClaimsDiscount.co.uk's 1st Free Insurance Winner Announced - 29.01.09
www.NoClaimsDiscount.co.uk provides thousands of consumers and industry professionals with insurance related news all year long. Now, they are helping out their readership during this tough financial period by planning a string of free insurance giveaways.
Those looking to be in with a chance can en ... [Metasearch: NoClaimsDiscount.co.uk's 1st Free Insurance Winner Announced]
Compensation payouts totally imbalanced when left to the courts - 29.01.09
Quantum's no solace for a lot of people who are chasing compensation for personal injury or damage to their property. In legal term's 'quantum' is the value of the compensation claim. This can come, for example, from costs of replacing or repairing your property, medical expenses or loss of income after the in ... [Metasearch: Slap on the wrists from a padded glove]
Kit Kat is the new Wonderbra - 30.01.09
It's a sad fact but true, men enjoy looking at women, it doesn't matter what they are doing at the time - if there is a woman available to be looked at, then she will be looked at. Women may or may not approve but it doesn't make any difference because that's what men do. Find me a study that says otherwise.
... [Metasearch: Every time there's an accident, an Ad Man gets his wings]
Sometimes the courts do get it right - 31.01.09
"The quality of mercy is not strained." -- Shakespeare
We guess the Bard never took on an insurer, though, because he'd certainly never find any there. As we've written many times here, ignore the friendly smiles of the salesperson or cute mascot: policies are set in stone, and if there is a ... [Metasearch: Some judges not of limited mind]
Sharia compliant insurance now appearing on comparison websites - 10.02.09
Whilst all financial products are covered by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Sharia financial products also have to conform to the strict religious guidelines set out in the Qur'an, known as Fiqh-al-Muamalat or Islamic Rules of Transaction.
Sharia prohibits charging Interest (Riba) on money ... [Metasearch: MoneySupermarket.com/Religion?]
Insurers showing heavy losses in the credit crunch - 23.02.09
A number of UK insurers have suffered extensive losses over the course of 2008. Shares in British life insurers have been under increasing pressure, due to concerns that the economic slump could crimp their sales and reduce the value of their investment portfolios, eroding their capital bases and potentially f ... [Metasearch: Insurers showing heavy losses in the credit crunch]
"Extended Warranty? No thanks, it's covered by my home insurance" - Really? - 03.02.09
We buy it - it breaks. We replace it with a better model ... it breaks. And so on and so forth, at least that was the general pattern until the introduction of [drum roll] ... the extended warranty!
Why did that feel like an anti-climax? Maybe because with each trip to the shops, we are now hunted ... [Metasearch: Extended warranties not as dodgy as you think]
UK Insurance Premiums to rise ... to fund Celebrity Holidays? - 03.02.09
We have recently been perplexed by what appears to be a unique strategy among some insurers. Although we have a few MBAs on our staff, none of them recall the dons back at university talking about it, so perhaps it's something entirely new. An outline is below for the curious.
Step One: S ... [Metasearch: As thousands lose their jobs, Bruce Willis shares £9m with other celebs]
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