July
At nearly $2000 a year, TPD insurance in a ‘death spiral’
A financial adviser exodus and rising total and permanent disability insurance premiums mean fewer people have cover.
Stop the mental health blowout, says Labor MP
Paediatrician and MP Mike Freelander says the way society diagnoses mental health is part of the problem behind a huge rise in compensation claims.
Surge in mental health claims spurred by flaws in workers’ compo
Life insurers’ increased mental health claims is partly the result of tightened and unattractive workers’ compensation schemes, say psychologists and actuaries.
Rise in mental health claims a symptom of a bigger malaise
Mental health and insurance providers must fix the system’s entrenched flaws to avoid the worst of the sustainability and affordability crisis ahead.
Millennial mental health claims help push life insurers to $2.2b crisis
Insurers say stress, burnout and bullying – especially among young people – are among the reasons claimants give for being unable to return to the workforce.
June
Bank of America puts local life insurer on the block
NEOS Protect’s owners are said to be looking for a price of more than $200 million.
Mystery buyer scoops up 10pc stake in life insurer NobleOak; taps UBS
The trade represents 9.7 per cent of the company.
April
My husband died at age 37. Here’s how I survived financially
Last-minute changes to super and estate planning allowed Lisa Chew to manage the family finances once her husband was gone.
Insignia, Zurich offload sub-scale super funds to Future Group
The retirement savings fund is run by former GetUp director Simon Sheikh and told its investors the deals would generate more than $6 million in new revenue.
February
Block hungry bankers stay close to Challenger
Challenger’s major shareholder Apollo Management made headlines in September after it dramatically reduced its stake.
December 2024
Japanese giant shows courage with life insurance slam dunk deal
It takes Japanese-type conviction to double down on a challenged market, and pay a big price to do so.
NAB offloads rest of MLC to Nippon, new life insurer Acenda created
MLC Life Insurance will merge with the local subsidiary of Resolution Life to create Acenda, after Nippon Life bought Resolution for $US8.2 billion.
November 2024
AI gets real as big business finds its feet
An era of cautious, low-stakes experimentation is rapidly giving way to tangible changes in how some of Australia’s largest operations run.
September 2024
How to fix the dearth of retirement options
It is clear that Australians need better retirement-income products. Annuities make some sense, yet their uptake is low. But change looks to be on the horizon.
May 2024
Bonza administrators ask for more time to save stranded budget carrier
The airline’s owner, 777 Partners, and its financiers are mired in legal action in Britain and the United States over its aviation assets.
Allens, G+T tapped for $200m AUB Group acquisition raise
Macquarie Capital’s equity desk hit the phones on Wednesday morning, chasing down fresh equity to fund the insurer’s acquisition of Pacific Indemnity.
Why this executive uses generative AI every second hour
Microsoft says workers who use AI can be divided into four camps: sceptics, novices, explorers and power users, who get back more than 30 minutes a day in time saved.
April 2024
Allianz checks out Crescent’s ClearView; BofA at the wheel
Street Talk’s eagle eyes have spotted a major player lurking in ClearView’s data room.
Labor scrambles after accidentally axing insurance commissions
A wording error in financial advice reforms tabled to Parliament last week would have inadvertently banned commissions for insurance brokers.
This Australian executive is taking on a US private investment giant
As chairman of Cromwell Property Group, Paul Weightman saw plenty of corporate jousting. Now the Corinthia Global Management founder is staring down Barings.