Euro brokers feel the heat from direct insurer
Direct insurers continue to take large bites out of insurance sales with more than 40 per cent of motor or household policies purchased online across six European countries – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK.

ClearView makes $561,000 loss
ClearView has made a $561,000 first half loss, mainly due to costs related to CCP Bidco’s takeover of the financial services company. The company, which also provides superannuation and life insurance, announced that it had made a net loss of $561,000 million for the six months to December 31, down from a $12.2 million profit in the previous corresponding period.

Macquarie Life outperforms in satisfaction stakes
Macquarie Life has been awarded a five-star status for overall satisfaction in the Beaton Benchmarks 2012 – Life Insurance Intermediaries Study for the fifth consecutive year, making it the only provider in the Australian insurance market to achieve such a feat. Advisers provided Macquarie Life with an overall satisfaction rating of 82 percent, significantly outperforming the industry average by 5 percent.