The stories making the headlines this week

Investment

Esure founder Peter Wood has met investment bankers to prepare for a listing next year. Wood, who owns a 55% stake in Esure with the rest taken by private equity house Tosca Penta Investment, is keen to float Esure for about £2bn in the second half of 2012.

Acquisition

Private equity firm Thomas H Lee Partners (THL) has agreed to buy insurance software house Sword Insurance for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is expected to close next month.

Worry

The biggest risk facing the insurance industry is the raft of new national and international regulation, according to the CSFI/PricewaterhouseCoopers Insurance Banana Skins survey. The survey questioned almost 500 practitioners about their concerns – and regulation was a top concern.

Plan

Biba has backed the government’s signposting proposals to help older customers find insurance. The proposals are outlined in a recently published consultation paper outlining the government’s plan to end age discrimination in the provision of goods and services.