The event was organized at the Grosvenor House Hotel in the capital, hosted by comedian Patrick Kielty and graced by corporate attendees in multiples of 100. This year’s occasion was marked by an emphasis on the long-term care.

• The best private medical insurance group award, also the chief award of the night, was picked up by Aviva UK Health.
• Aviva UK Health also won the equivalent group award.
• The private medical insurance award by National Friendly  PruHealth.
• The individual critical illness award  PruProtect for a second year running.
• The Intermediary of the year award  ElderCare Solutions.
• The Best protection intermediary award  CBK Colchester.
• The Best international PMI provider award  IMG Europe (thus breaking Bupa’s 9 year record)
• The Best Healthcare Trust Intermediary  Health Lambert Consulting
• The Best use of Dental benefits by an Intermediary  Alexander Forbes Healthcare

The night stood as a tribute to the industry’s resistance to a turbulent year marked by uncertainties and doubts.

Up till now, it is applicable to any road vehicle that is 3 years old or over. If such a vehicle does not have the MOT Certificate, then it is not allowed to be legally driven on the road.

This certificate can only be given by a qualified mechanic. It pertains to the safety of your vehicle. This refers to not just the protection of people who possess the vehicle. It also ensures the safety of others on the road, in the event that they are affected by a faulty car.

The list of items covered in the MOT are the efficiency of the lights on your car, the steering, the suspension, the strength of the brakes, the validity of the tyre treads (over 1.6mm), effectiveness of the seatbelts , the mirrors, unbroken windows, Registration Plate and VIN number , exhaust system and acceptable emission levels.

Getting a MOT certificate to ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy is needed to avoid prosecution. Along with that, a three year or over car cannot be taxed without an up to date MOT certificate. This, however, does not make the vehicle free from regular maintenance.

The ideal time to renew your certificate is about a month before it expires. This will not have an impact your annual expiry date. If you don’t feel secure about this, then check out the front of the pass certificate to know the earliest date to MOT your vehicle.

In the event your MOT certificate gets lost or defaced, apply for a duplicate from any MoT testing station. For this, you need to submit the vehicle registration mark along with the original MOT test number or document reference number. Look for these on the registration certificate (VFC). The duplicate certificate will cost at the most £10.

Towers Watson, a professional service firm has recently conducted a study on the UK personal motor market. On the basis of this report, they have inferred that the UK motor market will not make any profit till at least 2015. The reasons behind this unprofitability are a thirty percent hike in the cost of fraudulent claims, low investment income of the insurers and claims inflation. Along with this, the concern has also found that there is an excessive dependency on pricing in the ever- increasing cut-throat market.

The list of modifications proposed by BIBA in the eight point plan includes:

• The UK government must bring in Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE).
• Guide people, especially young and irregular drivers, to a suitable broker where they can avail competitive cover.
• Adjust comparison sites to the acceptable standard.
• Reassess Pass Plus.
• Lord Justice Jackson’s report on the civil litigation costs needs to be taken into account.
• Postpone the increase to insurance premium tax.
• Make driving license records easy to obtain.

Graeme Trudgill, BIBA’s head of corporate affairs, has stated that, “We think the key priorities for the Government should be to introduce Continuous Insurance Enforcement, implement changes to reduce the cost of bodily injury claims and importantly signpost customers to a source of help.”

The plan was given in writing to the Government’s Transport Select Committee by BIBA.

Homeowners will be educated on their rights pertaining to the properties they hold. Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, has released an online guide today for all those who hold property in the UK. The rights and responsibilities are clearly defined to all owners who need to get their guests evicted from their homes.

The Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), a whopping 20,000 unlawful tenants exist currently in the UK. Barking and Camberwell have recently witnessed it two serious cases this year alone.

A week ago, Chris Hune, Secretary of energy and climate change has revealed the Green Deal. This will assist landlords in improvising the efficiency of energy resources at their properties.

AXA Insurance is a French- based provider of home cover in Great Britain. It is one of the biggest providers of insurance in the UK. The outfit has been keeping an eye on the data for the past couple of years. Their research statistics has shown that the week of Halloween and Bonfire Night are customarily the time when people are bound to get harmed and accounts for the highest number of claims received accounts.

In light of the findings, Amanda Edwards of AXA Home Insurance has commented that, “Any sort of damage caused to another person’s property is a criminal offence and while insurance can pick up the cost, it can’t deal with the emotional trauma.  If property is damaged, customers’ should check their policy wordings.  AXA home insurance has a home assistance package where tradesmen can visit the property within hours to make it secure”

In addition, she gave UK home owners this piece of recommendation: “Keep your eyes and ears open for potential trouble and if trick or treaters come calling a friendly approach always helps.  If you do see people behaving badly, call the police.”

Their data has also shown that over the past two years, the median rate of damage to property is around £700 during the last week of October.

Malicious damage claims are defined as those in which the damage done was the result of a planned attack rather than through accident or negligence. The most common ones are damage to fences, letterboxes, egging of windows etc.

This expansion into the international market by Qatarlyst has seen the numbers of member served rise to over 330. This elevates Qatarlyst membership by over 600% and doubles its headcount to over 45.

Commenting on the strategic acquisition, James Sutherland, CEO of Qatarlyst, stated that, “This acquisition is a good strategic fit both technologically and geographically for Qatarlyst giving us access to the key London and international markets. Our ambition is to become the single e-platform that supports existing distribution channels and markets with the next generation support tool for placement, claims and accounting workflows between counterparties.”

This capture of the UK market will give a big boost to the QFC’s aspiration of being the preeminent center for reinsurance in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region. The deal renders Qatarlyst significant connections to similar global markets such as Zurich and Bermuda, along with the London Market Exchange. It also bolsters Qatarlyst’s endeavor to conquer other local markets such as South East Asia.

RI3K (Reinsurance and Insurance for the 3rd Millennium) supplies an international ‘Platform as a Service’ which replaces the paper-based procedures that support the transactions of all types and classes of large commercial insurance and facultative and treaty reinsurance. This helps global based buyers, brokers and carriers to cut deals in a faster, cheaper and more effective manner. The outfit has an estimated $ 8 billion–plus premium traded since the beginning of trading.

This negligence is in spite of the onset of the winter period in the UK. Because of the harsh climate, traditionally home insurance claims often peak during this time of the year. However this is not proving to be the case this year, with two-fifths of people saying that they do not have the financial means to take on home insurance payments. In addition, those who have policies in hand are underinsured by an average of £4,650.

While a majority (68%) are shunning home insurance due to lack of finances, 22% of people simply do not see home insurance as a necessity. The study also revealed that 18% believe that they don’t possess anything that is worth insuring. On the other hand, 16% of people claim that they still have to get round to taking out insurance and around 15% are not interested in insurance since it is not a legal requirement.

According to Lee Mooney, Head of Home Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, “At the moment everyone is, understandably, looking to save money. However, a worryingly high percentage of population does not have home insurances and are leaving themselves open to much greater risks and expenditure in the long run.”

The study is one of initiatives of Co-operative Insurance and housing and homelessness charity Shelter, who have formed a partnership to combat the issue. The duo is attempting to raise money to help out families in the UK to maintain a decent house over their head. As part of this program, £5 goes to Shelter for every Home Insurance policy that is bought.

Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Shelter, stated that, “Through this partnership we hope that not only will people have the peace of mind that their own home is safe and secure, they can also make a huge difference to thousands of people in real housing need.”

Why is it essential for car drivers to seek out the best possible price for insurance payouts? Well, the bigger the insurance payout is, the more you end up paying on your premium. This is because compensation payments are relatively high, accounting for 50 % of the total costs of claims in Northern Ireland.

The survey also disclosed that payments to the claimants’ solicitors and barristers added up to £1million each year. In the view of the Association of British Insurers, the excessively high legal cost in Northren Ireland is due the fact that road accidents are excluded from claims court.

Greater London has the second highest median car insurance rate in the UK, followed by the North West and the West Midlands. The top cities to insure a car across the UK is Newry, Londonderry, Armagh, London, Belfast, Illford, Liverpool and Lisburn.

Reasons attributed for 5 Northern Ireland cities claiming places in the “Top Ten” are consumer inertia, higher premium costs and a lack of competition in the market. The report also advised NI motorists to do more homework on their car insurance and look around for the best deal prior to purchase. This will enable Northern Ireland car drivers to save as much £260. It will help in lowering the prices and bring insurance costs in Northern Ireland on par with those in the rest of Britain.

The report was published by the Consumer Council. Based on the briefing given earlier by the research bureau, the Committee for Finance and Personnel consented to commission additional research on the cost of insurance in the UK.

The Managing Director of Frogmore Property Company, Paul White spoke of the impending boom saying that along with property rates, tracker mortgage transaction rates could also soar high in London’s near future wherein the market scene is anticipated to be quite strong.

He also spoke of the weight of inclination towards London homes being generated by both UK-based and global investors while highlighting that the current trend of home hunting in the capital is likely to continue despite the threats of the ongoing recession. Mr. White described the property market scene in London as a ‘winner going forward’.

This retrospection was a result of Knight Frank’s recent revelation concerning increase of 15% in rentals for luxury homes in London since June 2009.

Home Improvements that ADD value:

• Remodeling your bathroom and corresponding utilities: Your budget - €1,000 to €15,000
• Remodeling your kitchen: Your Budget – €1,000 to 20,000
• Loft alterations or additions: Your Budget – €10,000 to €40,000
• Additional extensions or improvisations – €10,000 to €30,000
• Complete Renovation: Your Budget - €100 to €5,000

If you fall in that slot of UK dwellers that believe in absolute personal touch when it comes to home improvements, adding value will be a smooth walk through. Improvisations or embellishments that guarantee the highest Returns on your investment are:

• Complete painting or renovation – 220%  ROI
• Attaching garage – 124% ROI
• Bathroom renovations – 116%ROI
• Kitchen renovations – 101% ROI

Home Improvements that DETRACT value:

• Installation of cheap make-do laminate flooring
• Installation of plastic PVC windows

• Eliminating fireplaces
• Swimming Pools

The modification you choose to put to action must complement your lifestyle, your general environment and housing complex directives. For example: Do not insert a swimming pool into your dwelling on impractical grounds. It can pose to be a major value detractor. Lastly, understand the significance of the word ‘improvements’ in home improvements.