So some less urgent cases can qualify for tests. We live in a meritocracy…
Further Corona Advice
I sat in on a virtual roundtable with FCA this afternoon. A somewhat shambolic call which didn’t reveal much. The insurance bit mainly involved Matt Brewis reading out the detail from the website. Key points, such as they were, wereas follows.
- Website will be updated as they have more to say (although it hasn’t yet as far as I can see). So you should keep checking back.
- Also worth following FCA on social media where they will update.
- FCA, Bank of England and HM Treasury are aiming to work together to help consumers and to help firms do the right thing by consumers.
- Insurance firms will need to consider customer need and show flexibility to help them achieve that.
- Insurers should not reject home or motor claims because consumers have understandably changed the use of their vehicle or home to work from home in line with government guidance.
- Health insurers need to consider how they interact with candidates for elective surgery. Also there may be a need to suspend policies as resources are being provided to NHS. This should be communicated early and carefully.
- There was a suggestion from the capital markets people that firms that were struggling to provide regulatory data should store it up and send it when they could – which you could read across as applying to you as well. FCA did emphasise that some guidance was intended to apply across sector.
Other than that, the highlight was that one of the people on the call was called Keith Richards. But not sure it was that one.
That’s alright MA
Attached are notes James took from sitting in on a meeting with LMA Operations Committee yesterday. Some useful information on the approaches Managing Agents are taking, particularly:
- good ideas about helping staff cope with the mental health pressure of remote working;
- interesting comment on the performance of the various video conferencing platforms. We have been using Microsoft Teams and it has thus far proved excellent; and
- a plea to use electronic trading platforms from Submission rather than email. As we have said before in these columns, email trading via Lloyd’s Emergency Trading Protocols is fraught with legal minefields and creates significant potential E&O exposure. PPL, Whitespace etc take all that pain away. You really should try and use one of them for all your placing activity.
We will have a similar discussion at LIIBA Ops Committee at its next meeting and will circulate any notes.
Also attached is a dashboard on the current performance of the various market services for info. This shows things are holding up reasonably given the circumstances. Unlike southeastern railway. I noted from the tele this morning that they had managed, despite three years and multi billion pound investment in a new London Bridge station with expanded capacity to ease congestion; and despite running a vastly reduced service due to the pandemic, to achieve 15 minute delays due to congestion at London Bridge. Genius.
Keeping your signal up
Ofcom has produced guidance on how to get the best from your home broadband. Some sensible advice about not having your router on the floor; download stuff off Netflix when Americans are asleep and avoid using your mobile. Plus the somewhat revelatory suggestion that you shouldn’t use the microwave whilst on a video call. Not something I have often contemplated to be fair, but good to know.
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I’m off to Jeremy Corbyn’s virtual leaving drinks for a Cuba Libre and some vegetables from his allotment.