News in brief

HOGG moves to FSA

Ken Hogg has been appointed as insurance sector director for the FSA. Hogg, currently interim chief financial officer at MGM Assurance, will start on 6 July. Hogg will report to Jon Pain, FSA managing director of financial markets. Pain said: “Ken has a wide and extensive experience of the insurance industry with a particularly strong actuarial background. He will be a valuable addition to the FSA senior team and our oversight of the insurance industry.”

Swinton software deal

SSP has tied up a six-year deal to provide Swinton with software support. The technology firm will provide IT solutions for Swinton’s branch network, call centre and web-based operations. The firm will also help Swinton integrate 74 of the branches it acquired from Equity in January. Adrian Hazeldine, Swinton’s IT & business change director said: “Given our scale and continuing growth – both organically and through acquisition – we need to ensure that we have the correct support in place.”

Takaful home cover offer

Arc Legal Assistance will provide household legal expenses cover for Salaam Halal insurance, the Islamic insurance company. Arc’s household legal protection cover has been tailored to comply with the requirements of sharia-compliant insurance or takaful. Cover will include contractual and employment disputes, property problems and personal injury claims, the defence of claims for the sale of private goods and HM Revenue and Customs enquiries.

CII on regulation panel

Alisdair Stewart, the Chartered Insurance Institute’s director of general insurance, is to participate in the regulation panel at the Insurance Times Broking Forum event at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 2 July. The event is to be endorsed by the CII’s chartered broker initiative.

Lockton beats Willis in deal

Lockton International’s Mexico office has won a $5m (£3.3m) account with Nissan’s leased car division from Willis. A source familiar with the deal said it was a “significant win . . . the largest account that anyone won in Lockton in the financial year”. The source added that the account was won within the past three months. It is understood that Fernando Ortega Amieva, president of Lockton operations in Mexico, brokered the deal and that the business has been placed in Mexico. Lockton and Willis refused to comment.

Aon’s Maxted to retire

Larry Maxted, sales and marketing managing director of Aon Global UK, is to retire this year. An Aon spokesman has confirmed that he will retire “some time this year” but would not confirm the date. Maxted was appointed in 2008 as part of a long-term growth strategy, to work with multinationals. He joined Aon from Perkins Slade where he was director since 2003. Before that he held senior roles with Aon and its legacy companies including European development director, UK corporate sales director and director of strategic account development.

AXA Health votes on cuts

Staff at AXA PPP Healthcare have been asked to vote on cutbacks to help the company through the recession. The options were laid out in an email headed “Getting us through the recession”. Options presented to employees included cutting 300 jobs, a 10% staff pay cut and office money-saving schemes. An AXA spokesman said the Kent-based firm was trying to find ways of getting through the “challenging economic climate”. The cutbacks come at a time when the general insurance arm, AXA, has announced plans to axe 560 jobs (see page 14).