FSA keeping close watch on Price Comparison websites

Saturday, January 28, 2012 @ 11:01 AM
John

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Lloyds Building granted “Listed” status

Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 03:01 PM
John

The Government has announced that the Lloyd’s building at One Lime Street, London, has been awarded Grade 1 listed status on the advice of English Heritage.

Heritage Minister John Penrose announced the accolade today, crediting the building’s ‘architectural innovation, historic interest and celebrated design’. The Lloyd’s building is the youngest ever to receive graded status.

Grade 1 buildings are considered to be of ‘exceptional interest’ and extremely rare – only 2.5% of the 375,000 buildings listed by English Heritage are classified as Grade 1.

“Lloyd’s was ahead of its time when it approved the building of One Lime Street,” says Richard Ward, Chief Executive of Lloyd’s. “It’s a world famous building that has gone on to embody the world famous Lloyd’s brand.”

The building, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, was designed to meet the Lloyd’s market’s future demands by allowing the underwriting space, ‘the Room’, to expand or contract as required by the market.

“The building is still modern, innovative and unique – it has really stood the test of time just like the market that sits within it,” continues Ward.

“The listing decision will protect it against unsuitable alteration or development whilst retaining its flexibility to adapt with the market’s needs.”

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LLOYD’S: AT THE HEART OF INSURANCE

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 @ 05:11 PM
John

Lloyd’s and the London insurance markets are inextricably linked.

London as a world financial centre has expanded well beyond the Square Mile in the past 20 years. But insurers and brokers have resisted the lure of Canary Wharf – base of many of the world’s biggest banks – and the attractions of Mayfair – home of many of the most powerful hedge funds – to remain firmly situated within sight of Lloyd’s gleaming steel-and-glass building.

John Muir, a Senior Partner and Head of London Markets at Willis, says: “Lloyd’s has always operated from this vicinity: Edward Lloyd’s coffee house back in the 17th century was situated five minutes’ walk from the current building.”

Lloyd’s has always acted as a magnet for lawyers, accountants, loss adjusters and other professionals in what is the global centre of the insurance market. Muir says: “It is this extraordinary concentration of expertise in London that makes it unique.”

Richard Ward, Lloyd’s CEO, agrees: “Many of the best brains in insurance operate in London, around 50,000 of them. Together they represent the largest concentration of insurance knowledge anywhere in the world – a unique mix of underwriting and broking talent with more than 320 years of experience.”

Magnetic attraction
Lloyd’s exerts an enormous attraction on those in the insurance business. For many it is the industry’s spiritual centre. Ralph Van Helden, Lloyd’s Benelux Country Manager, is based in Rotterdam but comes to London at least once a month. “As soon as I step into the Room I feel at home,” he says.

“The Lloyd’s Room, where people can come and trade, provides a centre for the London insurance market,” Van Helden says. “As a result, what is a multi-billion-pound industry is transformed into a village industry, because everyone knows and sees each other every week. It’s what makes Lloyd’s and the London insurance market so unique.”

Muir says: “We have clients visit London from around the world who have never been insured by Lloyd’s but who want to visit it because of its historic and enduring significance to the world insurance industry.”

Ward adds: “Lloyd’s sits at the heart of this tiny space of EC3. Just as London is the financial centre for the world, so are we the insurance market for the entire globe. We cover risks in more territories than the UN has members.”

In the shadow of Lloyd’s
In 1986 when Lloyd’s moved into its new home at 1 Lime Street, the iconic “inside out” building stood out on the city’s skyline. Today, although a number of new skyscrapers are overshadowing its neo-Gothic steel towers Lloyd’s role as the heart of the London insurance market persists.

In 2008, Willis moved into a new 410-foot, 28-storey skyscraper directly opposite the Lloyd’s Building. Aon is set to become the principal tenant of the “Cheese Grater”, the 736-foot office tower due to open in 2014 a stone’s throw from Lloyd’s.

“The fact that both Willis and Aon have chosen to locate so close to the Lloyd’s building, to huddle up to Lloyd’s if you like, is a real vote of confidence,” says Muir.

“It is great to be sited right at the world’s nerve centre for underwriting complex insurance risks,” he adds.

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