The Insurance Industry

Organisation and regulation of the Insurance industry.

Who's Who

Over 800 companies from the UK or European can sell you insurance.

ABI

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) guards the interests of around 400 companies who have between them share 97% of the UK market. ABI.org.uk

Watchdog

The Financial Ombudsman replaced the General Insurance Standards Council (GISC) in Jan 2005.

Its job is to seek out and destroy sharp practices among GISC's 6,500 members. Financial-Ombudsman.org.uk

Brokers

Brokers are go-betweens and specialists who can often negotiate better deals on your behalf than you could normaly get.

By law a broker must find the best travel insurance deal for you. More: Travel insurance brokers

BIBA

The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) is the UK's leading association for insurance brokers. It offers a broker information resource for consumers plus top travel tips. BIBA.org.uk

Loss Adjusters

Claims inspector/handlers - they investigate the value of insurance claims and bad faith claims. They check everything and present the final report to your insurer (holiday travel) together with the all-important settlement figure.

The birth of loss adjusting was after the fire of london.

Loss adjusters may check everything and present the final report to your holiday travel insurer together with the all- important settlement figure. More

Claims Rage

Swear words, lies, the travel insurance industry's got the lot. More

News

Travel insurance to be regulated

BBC 26 June 2007
Travel insurance bundled and sold with flights and holidays (one third of all policies in 2006) will be regulated by the UK's chief financial watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), from 2009.

The criticism is that the cover is expensive and does not adequately cover holiday makers abroad - particularly for medical expences and terrorist attack. It is beleived that regulation will give consumers a better informed choice.