What are the big stories hitting the headlines this week?

Direct Line / Churchill

Restructure
LAS Claims Management chairman Howard Posner has stepped down and co-founder Tim Walker will retire after a company shake-up. The business will be split into three divisions: operations, business development and corporate services.

Role
Ross Howard will replace Bill Eyre as the global leader of Towers Watson, after 14 years in the role. Eyre will take up a new position focused on client and market relationship development.

Building
WR Berkley plans to build a new 40-floor HQ in the City of London. KPF architect Kohn Pedersen Fox has designed the building, expected to be 165m high.

Comparison
Churchill, Privilege and Sainsbury’s Bank-branded insurance products are now available on price comparison website Comparethemarket. The move follows an agreement reached between the site and Direct Line Group, which owns the Churchill and Privilege brands.

COR
UK home insurers posted a collective combined ratio of 89% in 2011, a 10-point improvement on 2010, according to Deloitte.

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