Everyone Needs Someone to Blame ... and where there's blame ...

NCD News: Everyone Needs Someone to Blame ... and where there's blame ... (you know the rest) - 25.11.09

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Everyone Needs Someone to Blame ... and where there's blame ...: >>>> The Metropolitan Police have finally agreed a compensation deal with the family of Jean Charles De Menezes who was mistakenly shot 4 years ago. The amount of compensation the family received has not been disclosed, but the family have said that they are pleased to be able to put the events behind them. De Menezes was shot 7 times after he was mistaken for a terrorist bomber whilst running away from police in the Stockwell underground station.

>>>> A 21 year old man, Robert Uren was on the verge of an RAF career when he broke his neck after diving into a pool during a "Health and Fun Day" at an Air Force Base. He has launched a bid for £6m in compensation. He claims he was encouraged to dive into the shallow pool by the organisers of the relay type race. The MoD and Corporate Leisure both deny negligence and say that Mr Uren dived into the pool awkwardly after slipping on the grass. Mr Uren is now a tetraplegic and can only move his arms slightly. He has been medically discharged from the RAF.

>>>> Lloyds Banking has revealed it will sell its shares at 37p during their rights issue. This represents a discount of almost 60% compared to Mondays share price. They are hoping to raise £13.5bn from the sale. The issue will be a total of 36.5bn shares raising fears that the high number may dilute the value of current shares. Lloyds TSB wants to raise £22.5bn in total to avoid having to take part in the Governments asset insurance scheme.

>>>> Research conducted by Swiftcover.com has found that 18% of those questioned felt that car insurance policies were deliberately confusing and a further 43% felt they didn't fully understand all the terms in their policy. Even more surprising, 9% of drivers thought that comprehensive meant that anyone can drive their car and 25% did not know what voluntary excess meant. In response, Swiftcover have launched an interactive online jargon buster website.

>>>> The Unite Conference for the Financial Sector is to take place this week and top of the agenda is the fact that 50,000 jobs have been lost in the sector in the last year. Unite have said they will be encouraging their members to fight back against the job losses and to challenge the Government regarding the future of the banking and insurance industry. They also expect to debate on the effect on pensions and the high salaries commanded by financial industry bosses.

>>>> Research published by the ABI today has shown that of the 2000 people surveyed, 72% believe that using a mobile phone is likely to cause an accident, 45% think that young male drivers cause accidents and 34% believe that uninsured drivers are to blame the most. 72% would like insurers to be able to check licenses for driving convictions or endorsements. When it came to motorist's main concerns while driving, women worry most about being involved in a staged accident, while men are concerned about vandalism. More women than men worry about being injured while being a passenger than do men. 6 out of 10 motorists are annoyed by the cost of driving, followed by traffic congestion and the condition of the roads.

>>>> Following the recent, and continuing, bad weather in Cumbria and Southern Scotland, the ABI have issued advice to home-owners who may have been affected. They advise that the insurance company should be contacted as soon as possible and to carry any temporary repairs which might be required to prevent further damage. Reimbursement for this work will be offered if receipts are kept. They also advise disinfecting floors and surfaces and leave doors and windows open whenever possible. They also warn people not to redecorate too quickly as walls can take a long time to dry out.

>>>> Esure have been warning car drivers to take care in the heavy rains and floods as well. Head of Risk, Mike Pickard points out that many drivers get themselves into trouble by trying to drive through water and misjudging its depth. Esure also say that water which is contaminated with sewerage will cause huge amounts of damage to a car's interior and the drying out process will often cost more than the car itself. They advise their customers to wait rather than drive through deep water and if entering water keep engine revs high and dry brakes by applying them a few times once out of the water.

>>>> A report released by Allianz in conjunction with WWF, has warned that the world is heading for a "tipping point" in relation to the climate. This could be catastrophic for the financial markets. The report estimates that £15,000bn worth of properties worldwide could be at risk if sea levels were to rise just 50cm by 2050. Large parts of California would also suffer drought conditions. How much people will pay attention to such warnings these days after the climate research centre scandal has not yet been polled.

>>>> The Mail has reported that brokers are receiving 100 requests for specialist marine policies each week due to the increase in pirate activity. Specific policies covering piracy have only been available since August 2008 but were introduced to prevent disputes regarding general policies. †