We are delighted to announce that Laura Cooke has joined the Eastleigh office as as our latest trainee Insurance Consultant.
Laura appointment follows our continued growth and she will be working closely with the team in Hampshire to develop new business for the branch. She has already taken on the self appointed role as ‘Travel Specialist’.
Laura has a history working within customer services so understands the importance of delivering excellent service, professionalism, caring attitude and dedication.
Laura lives locally in Eastleigh and enjoys shopping, eating out and watching movies. She loves all types of music and has a passion for Egyptology thanks to her mum Mandy!
Laura’s arrival is a major boost for Eastleigh. A huge welcome from us all!
Our high net worth clients tend to own expensive homes and drive up to them in the likes of a Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley or top of the range Mercedes Benz. Quite rightly, their requirements as far as insuring such possessions can be somewhat specialist that is why we have teamed up with Aqua Insurance who operates in this niche marketplace.
They are renowned for providing an outstanding, flexible, bespoke service to their clientele many of whom no doubt feature on stage, film and in sports arenas around the world. Their staff have a keen interest in the likes of high-performance cars and this comes across when dealing with them. Their claims department ensure that damaged vehicles are repaired to exacting standards with great attention to detail.
High value homes frequently incorporate unusual features and architecture and are filled with expensive furnishings. Aqua Insurance work closely with clients to ensure suitable insurance cover is put in place to provide the client with peace of mind knowing that their most valuable asset is securely covered against numerous risks.
We are proud to be associated with Aqua Insurance and know that we can rely on them to provide our customers with home or car insurance policies that will meet their needs in every way.
Further information can be found on their website www.aquaunderwriting.com where you can also take the opportunity to watch their interesting videos about these insurance products.
We pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers a range of insurance products to meet both their personal and business needs. To help achieve this we have teamed up with a variety of underwriters to provide not only insurance cover for things like cars, homes and commercial insurance but also cover for some niche businesses.
For instance, we have clients who are antique dealers, run courier businesses and some that operate cafes. These all require bespoke insurance products to cater for their specific needs.
We are pleased to say that we have been able to partner with Policyfast that provides competitive insurance cover to meet a range of personal and business needs through some of the major insurers in the UK. Policyfast was set up on the 30th September 2005 so have many years experience. They are well known in the industry for their high level of customer service and speed of delivery by being able to arrange cover online.
Their range of insurance products includes cover for: –
Antique dealers, business cars, cafes, caravan, commercial combined, commercial vehicle, courier, fleet, goods in transit, haulage, homeworkers, public liability, minibus, motorhome, office, professional indemnity, property owners, pubs, wine bars, restaurants, takeaways, trucks, taxi liability and unoccupied property owners.
We look forward to a long lasting and effective relationship with Policyfast for the benefit of not only our two businesses but also our valued customers.
You can find out more about Policyfast by visiting their website at: – www.policyfast.co.uk
Over the last couple of years you may have read about the fraudulent sale of insurance policies by unscrupulous insurance advisers. These individuals are often referred to as ghost brokers and usually arrange car insurance policies for a lower premium than legitimate companies charge through the likes of small advertisements and websites.
Such people, who fortunately are in the minority, tarnish the insurance industry’s otherwise good reputation. We thought it a good idea to highlight this type of fraud so that you, hopefully, do not fall foul of it. Far better to be forewarned than be faced with the problems it could present.
In December last year, the Insurance Fraud Bureau was, apparently, investigating an increasing number of ghost broker cases and, in 2012, fraudsters benefited to the tune of £500,000 in this way.
How are car insurance policies sold in a fraudulent way by ghost brokers?
Well, there are two ways this happens: –
1. A fake insurance policy is produced that has a perfectly legitimate insurance company’s details on it such as the logo and then it is sold to a client who is, in the first instance, none the wiser of the fraud.
2. False information is provided to purchase a genuine policy from a real insurance company. The policy details are changed in some way prior to being sold to a client.
What are the implications of being sold a fraudulent car insurance policy?
Unfortunately, there are several including: –
1. You will not be able to make a claim should you be involved in a road traffic accident and could be held responsible for third party injury/damage amounting to millions of pounds.
2. You will need to arrange a legitimate policy involving further expense.
3. You could be taken to court for driving without insurance.
How do you find out if the policy you have been sold is fraudulent?
Unfortunately, it tends to be either when you come to make a claim on the policy only to discover that you have no cover in place and have lost your premium(s) or when a police car pulls you over to notify you that you have no insurance according to the information that they have access to.
How can you avoid coming into contact with a ghost broker?
Prior to purchasing a car insurance policy you could check the Financial Services Register to make sure that the adviser you are dealing with is on it. All brokers will have an FCA number and this can then in turn be checked on the motor insurance database at www.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do
Think twice before buying a policy in places like newsagents, clubs, pubs and on social networking websites.
What should you do if you think you may have been sold a fraudulent car insurance policy?
Every motor vehicle that is insured in the UK has a record of the insurance policy for it placed on the Motor Insurance Database of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau so you could check that database. If you find that your car is not listed then, unfortunately, it will not be correctly insured. Just because it is listed does not mean to say that it is a legitimate policy so you should contact the insurance company to check everything is in order including the personal details they hold.
Notify the police if you suspect that you have been sold a fraudulent car insurance policy by a ghost broker as well as the Insurance Fraud Bureau Cheatline on 0800 422 0421.
If you are driving around in something a little different to a family saloon car then you will need specialist insurance. Markerstudy can usually accommodate most drivers’ needs and provide suitable niche motor cover together with an outstanding level of service.
So, if you are looking to insure a Japanese or American import, classic car, motorhome, kit car, high value/high performance car, live in a higher rated postcode, have an unusual occupation or wish to insure a taxi or driving school car, Markerstudy can meet your needs by providing a competitive, tailor-made motor insurance policy.
That is why AIB Insurance has teamed up with them.
Markerstudy Group, that is based in Kent and was established in 2001 employ in the region of 3,000 staff. Within the group there are numerous companies including Markerstudy Insurance Company Limited, Zenith Insurance PLC, TCW Group and Auto Windscreens to name but four. They came 11th in the Sunday Times “100 Best Companies to Work For 2014” which does not surprise us here at AIB Insurance as their staff come across most favourably in our dealings with them.
We have a number of high net worth clients who are the proud owners of some delightfully expensive properties and executive cars. Their requirements when it comes to insuring such things can sometimes, quite rightly, be demanding thus requiring the attention of a specialist insurer.
We are pleased to be able to inform you that we have added Home and Legacy Insurance Services Ltd to our panel of insurers as they focus their attention on providing insurance for such individuals and have built up an outstanding reputation for their service levels. Let us tell you a little bit more about them.
Home and Legacy was set up back in 1995 so have been operating for almost twenty years and are a subsidiary of Allianz Holdings PLC. They specialize in providing insurance cover for home, landlords, travel and building works.
So, whether you are looking to insure your country mansion in the Cotswolds together with valuable works of art and antique furniture, a 3-bedroomed penthouse overlooking the River Thames in the centre of London you can be assured that you will be in good hands with Home and Legacy.
In some cases, such as with properties of a high value, they will even arrange a free risk management survey of the home covering the likes of fire protection, exposure to storm and flood and security. In the unfortunate event of you having to make a claim, they appoint a dedicated claims handler and endeavor to settle most claims within a day of receipt of all the paperwork
Here at AIB Insurance we are extremely proud to be associated with them and our clients speak highly of the company.
It will not come as a surprise to hear that the owner of a classic car will purchase his or her pride and joy for one or more reasons. It could be as a financial investment keeping it under lock and key in a garage never to see the light of day until it is finally sold for a considerable profit. It may be as a restoration project to return the vehicle to its former glory to then venture out in it on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with “the other half” touring the quiet British country lanes.
However, what is pleasing to note, is that more and more people are bringing their vehicles to classic car rallies to put them on display. This means that such cars are being seen by an increasing number of members of the public. As a result, this may encourage others to get the classic car “bug” and purchase one.
In the main, such rallies tend to be organized by classic car owners’ clubs and take place once or twice a year. Well, you will be interested and pleased to read that we have heard of a council being heavily involved in organizing such rallies in their locality.
The council in question is Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and is to be congratulated for arranging regular rallies of classic cars in the town. These events are to take place at certain parts of the seafront where the cars will be on display for the community to look at. In fact, 20 owners of pre-1970 classic cars will also be able to pop into a restaurant on the seafront and tuck into a breakfast for free.
So, if you fancy showing off your classic car on certain Sunday mornings and enjoy a delightful breakfast why not contact Lisa Ferne on 01702 215119 who is the council’s strategic events manager for further information and register for one of the rallies. Be sure to book your place early so that you are not disappointed.
The dates of the rallies are Sunday March 30, April 27, May 25, June 22 and September 28.
AIB are delighted to announce introducing well-respected motor insurer KGM to our existing motor insurance panel.
As a specialist provider of UK motor insurance niche products KGM are one of the UK’s leading specialist motor insurers with well over 50 years’ experience in providing cover to the niche motor sector and will assist AIB with our clients performance cars, exotic, imported, classic and motorhomes insurance needs.
KGM are committed to providing a personal, flexible and tailored service to all their business partners. This comes from their wealth of industry experience and a real broker understanding and AIB are delighted to welcome KGM on board.
Let’s hope our partnership is both fruitful, mutually beneficial for clients, AIB and KGM.
So who are KGM Insurance?
KGM Motor Insurance is a brand name for business written by Syndicate 260 which is managed by Lloyd’s 10th largest managing agency, Canopius Managing Agents Limited, part of the Canopius Group. Canopius is the global specialty lines platform of NKSJ Group, an A+ rated company with $90bn total assets and one of the top three Japanese insurers. Canopius underwrites a diversified portfolio of specialty lines business from its operations at Lloyd’s and around the world. It has achieved significant growth over the last ten years through a mix of organic expansion and acquisition and is one of the top 10 insurers in the Lloyd’s insurance market, writing premiums in excess of £1 billion.
AIB are pleased to announce that Alpha Underwriting has been included in our panel of insurers.
Since June 2010, they have been providing accident, travel and health insurance in what is a very competitive marketplace. They specialise in covering both personal and corporate clients for accident and travel insurance as well as insurance for general practitioners towards the cost of them obtaining locum cover should a member of staff suffer sickness or an accident.
They have built up an excellent reputation for the level of service they provide to brokers like us. They are able to respond positively to urgent requests for cover from our discerning clients when necessary.
They will provide our clients that have a keen interest in the likes of extreme and unusual sports such as mountain trekkers, sky divers, hang gliders, hang gliders, paragliders and airsports with travel and accident insurance geared specifically to meet their needs thus providing our clients with complete peace of mind. They can also provide such cover for those of our many customers who enjoy the more traditional beach holiday in some far-off exotic country.
We do not doubt that our partnership with Alpha Underwriting will continue to grow and prove beneficial for our respective companies as well as our valued clients.
AIB are delighted to announce teaming up with 1Answer BrokerDrive to assist with our IT requirements provided through Cheshire Datasystems Limited.
1Answer Network was set up around 2006 by Paul Muir who has had his own insurance brokerage business for many years servicing both personal and commercial clients. The network is now made up of over 100 brokers.
1 Answer Network provides an extensive range of products and services through various insurers and other partners to its network members as well as IT support through their software partner known as CDL – Cheshire Data who also provide full in house training. The amount of support available to high street insurance brokers is dependent upon the level of membership they hold.
Here at AIB Insurance, we have found the IT support invaluable. It has certainly helped us to grow our brokerage business and not only is of benefit to ourselves but our customers as well.
There are various products available across the motor, household and commercial sectors. These include such things as: –
Motor – Roadside Vehicle Assistance, Classic, Taxi and Kit Car Breakdown, Windscreen Protection, Personal Accident and Tools in Transit Insurance.
Household – Home Emergency, Keycare Policy and Family Legal Expenses Insurance.
Commercial – Commercial Legal Expenses Insurance, Landlords Emergency and Commercial Loss Recovery Insurance.
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