Blog Archives

Apr 30 2014

The evolving landscape of Management Liability Insurance

A recent uptick in the severity and frequency of Management Liability Insurance claims has resulted in some significant industry-wide changes to these policies. Many insurers are looking to increase premiums and deductibles, while restricting cover and limiting their exposures. Not only will these changes impact new policies, they are even being applied on renewal, altering cover that may have been in place for a significant length of time.

The most notable and business-critical change is insurance companies’ growing reluctance to include cover for securities claims, which is particularly important for start-up companies and those that require ongoing cash injections.

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Apr 23 2014

Does your IT Liability Insurance provide the right protection?

Information Technology Liability Insurance is essential for any IT organisation or company, providing a unique combination of Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public & Products Liability cover. However, the host of products available makes it difficult to determine which policy will meet the needs of your organisation and provide you with the right level of protection.

The key is to simply ask the right questions in order to determine which policy is right for you.

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Jan 21 2014

Global Clinical Trial Insurance

Designing an insurance program for a global clinical trial is an exceptionally complex task. Exposure to experimental products presents a multitude of risks for all stakeholders, be they institutions, investigators, contract research organisations (CROs), sponsors, ethics committees (ECs) / institutional review boards and/or trial participants themselves.

Unfortunately, risks are unavoidable in any clinical trial. Even with comprehensive preclinical research and high-quality study design, conduct and monitoring, risks such as bodily injury to participants and/or financial and reputation risk to trial stakeholders (through legal proceedings and judgments) are a possibility. However, these risks can be mitigated or transferred through a well-designed insurance program.

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Nov 28 2013

PI Insurance for freelancers

With flexibility, power and a greater potential for earning, freelancing is a highly appealing career choice. It gives individuals greater responsibility and ownership, as well as allowing for sole business decision making.

However, like any job, there are always less positive elements that one must consider. Job security and stress comes to mind for most, yet risks that can be mitigated by implementing an insurance program are often overlooked.

When a freelance consultant offers a specific service or specialist expertise, they owe a duty of care to those relying on them for that particular advice or job. Dissatisfied clients or those claiming to have suffered a loss on account of the freelance work could hold the individual financially liable.

To safeguard both a freelance business, as well as the freelancer’s personal assets, it’s crucial to secure Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance, which offers protection against client claims.

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Sep 25 2013

Professional Indemnity Insurance: The Basics

There is a common misconception that Professional Indemnity Insurance policies are standard and provide similar coverage. Unfortunately they are not; they must be carefully selected or tailored to suit your individual needs.

Large companies often have a better understanding of their exposures and policy differences and are aware that not all policies are the same. More often it’s the little guy that faces challenges. So where do you start? Do you go online or approach a broker and get two or three quotes and do you go with the expensive option? With a basic understanding of how these policies can vary and what to look out for you would be in a better position to know which product and provider is best for you.

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Aug 05 2013

Untangling Cyber Liability Insurance

As we delve deeper into the digital age, cyber risks are an increasingly important consideration for risks managers and company boards.

Previously, it was widely assumed cyber risks only existed for companies selling online. Nowadays, with a more onerous and volatile regulatory landscape (particularly the ever-changing privacy laws), more sophisticated hackers and changes in our use of technology, the impact of a data breach could have a severe impact on all companies; selling online or not. All firms now need to identify and assess their potential cyber exposures and develop strategic ways to manage these, which could include a cyber-insurance policy.

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Jul 02 2013

Biotech Insurance: Property

Biotechnology companies and organisations display distinctive features and, from an insurance perspective, uncommon risks. Quite apart from liability risks associated with the testing of investigational drugs, biotech companies are faced with some unique exposures that could delay development, and possibly, the achievement of milestones. Such delays could hamper the ability of the company to raise additional funds and therefore its ability to continue as a going concern.

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Jun 17 2013

Directors and Officers Insurance: Additional Endorsements

All Directors and Officers Insurance (D&O) policies contain a number of standard exclusions. These standard exclusions often vary from one insurer to the next, however, insurers may also include additional specific endorsements to a contract which can alter the cover provided by the standard policy.

It’s important for decision makers to carefully review any additional endorsements and resulting coverage alteration to the standard policy.

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Jun 03 2013

Directors and Officers Liability: Limit Structure

Directors and Officers Liability (D&O) policies are complex and can be confusing for any executive, even for those with an understanding of how this type of cover works. Determining how to structure the policy can be a difficult process, with many factors influencing decisions. The right limit to purchase is highly subjective and varies greatly from one board of directors to another.

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