This Month
Allianz checks out Crescent’s ClearView; BofA at the wheel
Street Talk’s eagle eyes have spotted a major player lurking in ClearView’s data room.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
How to get a better deal on home insurance
Shopping around, increasing your excess and improved home security can help you get a better deal on home insurance.
- Michelle Bowes
Insurers told to slash prices for households that reduce risks
Steps could include roof replacement, upgrading garage doors, boosting window protection, tying down sheds, and replacing flimsy hollow doors.
- Ronald Mizen, John Kehoe and Paul Smith
- Exclusive
- Funding
Sydney start-up Honey Insurance lands blockbuster $108m US investment
After 305 meetings Honey has closed a huge series A funding round, but it had to head offshore to find the right investors.
- Paul Smith
Home insurance premiums are up 56pc, but insurers are making a loss
Insurers have made no money on home insurance policies in four years, and the industry warns premiums will continue to soar as natural disasters become more frequent.
- Michael Read
March
‘Chose not to disclose’: Greensill Group insurers dispute claims
Lex Greensill emailed an insurance underwriter in 2017 suggesting he “step up”. Years later, that relationship is under the microscope.
- Liam Walsh and Jenny Wiggins
Frantic emails show underwriters’ shock at Greensill Group exposure
The documents, filed in the Federal Court, also reveal Australian regulators were warned nine months before the fast-finance business imploded.
- Liam Walsh and Jenny Wiggins
Greensill Group underwriter suffered ‘breakdowns’ in policy safeguards
The man who signed off on billions of dollars of policies allegedly went around proper process and would receive “dinners, wine bottles” without disclosure.
- Jenny Wiggins and Liam Walsh
- Exclusive
- Insolvency
Greensill Group insurer allegedly asked Lex Greensill for charity donation
The key insurance man for the collapsed finance firm allegedly blamed “hubris” and “intoxication” for signing up policies that blew past his authorised limits.
- Jenny Wiggins and Liam Walsh
PSC Insurance rides sector growth as Goldman fields inbound interest
PSC boss Tony Robinson and his Paul Dwyer-chaired board are seeking a price tag of about $2.3 billion as at least two offshore brokers circle.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
32nd storey deemed ‘flood risk’ in insurance farce
A Melbourne apartment 120m above street level, with no ground storage, was denied contents cover because of a “heightened flood risk”.
- Liam Walsh
‘Radio silence, on hold for hours’: How insurers treat their watchdog
Justin Untersteiner helps run the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. But that didn’t stop him getting “radio silence for months” and being kept “generally on hold for 2½ hours” when he tried to claim.
- Liam Walsh
February
Suncorp pushes big premium increase in bid to grow profit margins
The Brisbane-based group says it has not seen an impact on customer numbers from the increased prices.
- Liam Walsh
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The surprising reason your car insurance isn’t cheaper
Anti-collision technology is supposed to reduce road accidents. Instead, it’s helping to push car insurance premiums through the roof.
- James Thomson
$300m insurance claim goes boom after power station explosion
CS Energy, which maintains it could not have foreseen a power station explosion, says insurers haven’t paid up claims yet. So it’s off to court.
- Liam Walsh
RACQ chief moved out for a week in ‘terrible’ flood ordeal
“I, too, found myself out of my home after the 2022 floods,” David Carter said. Which he did. Briefly.
- Myriam Robin
Insurers on top in spats with customers about flood experts
A federal parliament inquiry is examining how insurers handled claims in the 2022 flooding. There were mea culpas from CEOs on Monday for errors.
- Liam Walsh
- Investigation
- Insolvency
The $7b hangover: How IAG was sucked into Lex Greensill’s vortex
One of Australia’s most expensive corporate fights is in court. But how did the insurer targeted in the cases become entangled?
- Liam Walsh and Jenny Wiggins
January
This is why car insurance costs keep rising
There’s a price to pay for all those safety features when your car gets damaged.
- Keith Naughton
APRA blasts Budget Direct owner about ‘weak’ risk oversight
Auto & General Insurance, the insurer behind Budget Direct, will undertake a probe to find out what went wrong.
- Liam Walsh
