ARAG scores double with its underwriting service

Professional brokers have once again voted ARAG as the best Legal Expenses Team at the Underwriting Service Awards (20 November 2014) at the Royal Garden Hotel in London. From a strong short-list of four providers nominated through a detailed survey, ARAG followed success in the inaugural 2013 award with another outright win this year. They also scored highest out of all 13 winners, across all categories, to scoop for the first time the prestigious “Underwriting Service Awards Team of the year” against strong market competition.

“The awards are a true reflection of opinions that are uppermost in brokers' minds”, comments David Haynes, ARAG Head of Underwriting and Marketing. “Organised by the Incisive Media (publishers of Post Magazine and Insurance Age), they provide an accurate snapshot of how your people are perceived so it is gratifying to know that ARAG is held in such high regard.

“There have only been two opportunities to win and ARAG has triumphed at both. Winning the “Underwriting Service Awards Team of the Year” has really been the icing on the cake, we are thrilled. Receiving both of these awards reinforces our determination to provide something that is distinctly different and definitely better. What's more, this arrives just one week after we won the award for Insurance Provider of the Year at the Personal Injury Awards 2014, the third time in a row for our after-the-event team”.

Now in their fifth year, the Underwriting Service Awards are unique. They are based on large-scale objective input from UK commercial and specialist broking professionals, submitted through the annual Business Insurers Insight Study. Brokers graded the insurers they have worked with during the previous 12 months before verification and analysis of scores determined the winners announced at the awards ceremony on 20 November.

“As we develop our product profile in new areas it was important not to lose focus on our key values of innovation, service and independence so we are delighted that our broker partners have recognised this with their votes once again”, adds Mr Haynes.

Falling foul of employment law no longer 'inevitable'

As the holiday pay row heads for a review and possibly to the Court of Appeal, it's no wonder that many employers regard mistakes and Employment Tribunals as being an inevitable part of business life. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Those holding ARAG commercial legal protection cover benefit from guidance that can steer them through the constantly changing minefield of legislation, legal challenges and appeals that define correct procedures. Advice from ARAG is available online and from telephone helplines, so it's up-to-the-minute-correct and complemented by regular newsletters and e-mail alerts.

“Employment queries are by far the most common problems our teams are asked to assist with”, comments David Haynes, ARAG's Head of Underwriting and Marketing. “Even the most experienced HR professionals know how easy it is to get things wrong and constantly check with us on the latest situation. For smaller employers, with fewer resources, the helplines and on-line guides prove invaluable in day-to-day problem solving. Everyone wins”.

Recent headlines highlighted three similar disputes in a ground-breaking case at the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT); this resolved whether regular overtime, bonus payments or other 'normal' supplements should be included in holiday pay. Yet this is not the full story and a number of grey areas still exist. Voluntary overtime, backdated claims and the 'urgent' government review – let alone that possible Appeal Court application – muddy the waters.

On the face of it, the EAT ruling suggests that UK companies have been interpreting the EU Directive wrongly.  As things stand today employers should be paying supplements and overtime as part of holiday pay. They should also be putting right any underpayments, provided the interval between underpayments is no greater than three months. Any ruling referred to the Court of Appeal could mean that the absolutely definitive decision may be years away. In the meantime, policyholders can check ARAG free advice services for the current position.

Quarterly landlord repossession claims July – September 2014

A landlord possession action starts when a claim is submitted to the courts to repossess a property. The most common reason for repossession is arrears of rent. The court process of possessing a property follows four stages:

·         A claim for a possession being issued by a landlord;

·         An order being made by the County Court.

·         If the defendant fails to leave the property by the date given in the order the order may be enforced by a warrant of possession. This authorises the county court bailiff to evict the tenant. The bailiff then arranges a date to execute the eviction; and,

·         Repossession by a County Court bailiff.  Repossessions may occur without county court bailiffs, through less formal procedures, so the actual number of repossessions is usually greater than the number carried out by county court bailiffs.

The MoJ has today released quarterly mortgage and landlord repossession statistics for the period July to September. There were 40859 claims for repossession in July to September 2014.

There were 11,100 landlord repossessions by county court bailiffs; this is the highest quarterly figure since these statistics were first collated in 2000.

Lesley Attu

Product Development Manager

For information on our Landlords Solution policy http://theragnbone.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/all-leaves-are-brown-and-sky-is-grey.html

To Contact our Sales Team

http://www.arag.co.uk/index.asp?m=93&s=431&t=Meet+the+Sales+Team

Catch us if you can

………… One of our competitors hasn’t done their homework properly and has written to solicitor firms about the value of legal protection for disputes arising from restrictive covenants in employment contracts, giving the impression that such cover is a USP.  We won’t embarrass the firm but suffice to say they’re not quite up to the mark. They must have missed the relaunch of our commercial product range back in April. Just to put the record straight our Absolute, Essential and EPL products all provide cover to pursue or defend actions arising from an alleged breach of a restrictive covenant in an employment contract. You wouldn’t expect anything less from us would you?

Lesley Attu

Product Development Manager

Out and about with Sales

At the end of October, we were delighted to pay a visit to our friends Cornish Mutual at their office in Truro. Our Chief Executive Tony Buss and Product Development Manager, Lesley Attu joined our sales team, Head of Sales Andy Talbot and me on the trip down the M5.

ARAG started dealing with Cornish Mutual at the beginning of 2013 and since then things have rapidly developed so that we now supply all of Cornish Mutual’s ancillary product requirements. We believe the reason for this success is a shared philosophy of excellent customer service and a collaborative spirit which has enabled products to be developed and delivered on time. This trip was an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of the customers’ requirements.

We met at Cornish Mutual’s purpose-built offices and their Managing Director Alan Goddard showed us round and introduced us to some of the team. After this we set off to meet one of Cornish Mutual’s Members a farmer call John Sawle, Cornish Mutual’s local Insurance Inspector Jeff Kincaid kindly showed us round, Jeff has worked for Cornish Mutual for 40 years and John’s farm has been insured with Cornish Mutual for 100 years. This says a lot about the long term approach that the company has to its relationships with Members.

The tour of John’s farm exceeded all expectations. It was a joy to listen to a man at the top of his profession. We were shown round three farm locations and learned about the cereals and use of the land. We were also shown the livestock and were advised of the challenges in keeping them.

We also went to the maintenance shed where we saw the world’s only working steam tractor.

I think we all came away much wiser.

We then adjourned for lunch at the well-known Castaways restaurant in Mylor and returned home after a very enjoyable trip. Thanks to Claire Longman for organising the day and also to Mitch Portman and Paul Mahon for their company.

John Gray

Corporate Account Manager

Legal Ombudsman to hear CMC complaints

The MoJ has considered responses to its May 2014 consultation document “The Legal Ombudsman and complaints about claims management companies”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/369748/legal-ombudsman-and-complaints-about-cmcs-response.pdf

From 28^th January 2015 the Legal Ombudsman will offer consumers a free route of redress if they have a complaint about a regulated claims management company (CMC). The fee structure has been designed to make the scheme wholly self –financing and is based on the turnover figure of the CMCs.  Annual charges are shown below however pro-rata charges will apply for the initial period until 1 April. 

Where the annual turnover of an authorised CMC is £163,636 or less, then the amount payable will be a fixed fee of: Turnover band £	Annual Fee
Up to £24,999.99	From £75 - £250
£25,000 – £74,999.99	£340
£75,000 – £163,636	£540

Where the annual turnover of an authorised CMC exceeds £163,636 businesses shall pay an amount equal to 0.33% of annual turnover up to £1 million, plus 0.22% of annual turnover between

£1 million and £5 million, plus 0.18% of annual turnover above £5 million.

Fees are capped at £40,000.

The MoJ estimates that the Legal Ombudsman scheme will consider 3,000 complaints from consumers a year. The Claims Standards regulator will continue to deal with complaints about unregulated businesses and to investigate misconduct.

Lesley Attu

Product Development Manager