'I must tell my chauffeur to double-check the security of my Bentleys'

Dream on

The first weeks of January are always a good time to reflect on what might happen in the coming year. My pals at Insurance Times tell me that Bluefin chief executive Stuart Reid has clearly given this some thought. “Chelsea to win the league,” Stuart said eagerly when Insurance Times called him for his 2012 predictions.

Sunny is tops

Admiral has bad news for drivers of the Nissan Sunny - aside from the fact they drive a Nissan Sunny. The insurer has found that the Sunny is one of the top three cars stolen in the UK, along with the BMW X6 and Audi RS6. But the good news is that the insurer found that overall car theft is falling. Still, better safe than sorry - I must tell my chauffeur to double-check the security of my fleet of Bentleys.

Knees-up

My old pal Mike Smith tells me he had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year, with only one mishap - a minor knee injury. However, the Ink managing director reassures me that he will definitely be in top shape for his planned Ho Chi Minh trail cycle ride this year.

Cricket, it is

Oval chairman Phillip Hodson is leading a jetset lifestyle at the moment. He is currently enjoying a well-earned break in South Africa. My spies tell me that Phillip, a cricket fan and Marylebone Cricket Club president, will be catching up on his beloved game during his travels. Howzat for a fun-packed holiday!

See if it flies

The high winds that battered the UK recently have caused a headache for many insurers who were hoping for a sedate start to the new year. Some of the resulting claims came from the most unlikely sources, such as eight claims for cars damaged by flying trampolines, according to the AA Insurance.

What holiday?

Those of you in the insurance industry who had a pleasant Christmas break should spare a thought for your colleagues in reinsurance. Around £52bn of premium is renewed on 1 January, and this year the renewal went right up to the wire, with a record amount of business going through in the three working days before Christmas. “It was like a basketball game - so much was about the last two minutes,” recalled Aon Benfield co-chief executive Dominic Christian. So how was Mr Christian’s break then? “Crap Christmas and New Year,” was the blunt evaluation.

Happy times ahead

Working in insurance means being aware of life’s downsides, but Financial Services Compensation Scheme chief executive Mark Neale would be forgiven for thinking that the Insurance Institute of London had over-egged the doom and gloom when drawing up its lunchtime lecture programme for early January. Last Wednesday Neale was given the topic ‘Will the last one out please turn out the lights?’ To put the lid on things, Hyperion has been invited to discuss ‘Death and disgrace’ this week.