Six people were arrested in Cork yesterday by gardaí investigating a motor insurance injury claims scam.

Motor insurers have been warned that they will be denied access to the details of penalty points unless they reduce premiums for more careful drivers.

Changes to insurance rules come into force today which will make it more expensive for women drivers.

Insurance representatives have agreed to question firms over claims that the cost of cover for homes is being hiked up or denied because properties are being assessed mainly according to their location.

The head of the Irish Insurance Federation has urged the Central Bank to investigate “churning” in the life assurance industry.

TDs will today meet with the Chief Executive of the Irish Insurance Federation, Michael Kemp, in an effort to find out why many insurance companies have stopped offering full home or business insurance cover.

Gardaí should be given powers to check the mobile phone records of motorists involved in fatal accidents to see if they were on the phone at the time of the crash.

An Oireachtas committee is set to grill the insurance industry on flood cover ahead of a major EU report which is expected to recommend that flood-risk properties be insured.

Building, supply, mortgage and insurance firms at fault for pyrite-damaged homes have until the end of September to come up with solutions to the €450m crisis.

Rumblings of insurance companies playing hardball with householders and businesses affected by the recent floods are beginning to emerge just a few short weeks after the event.

With rumblings of insurance companies playing hardball, the situation in Cork City and county is as follows:

Rumblings of insurance companies playing hardball with householders and businesses affected by the recent floods are beginning to emerge just a few short weeks after the event.

Uninsured business-owners in Cork are appealing for help this morning following widespread flooding in the county yesterday.

THE Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) yesterday announced the estimated total insured cost of last October’s floods at €127 million.

Some €127m worth of insurance claims have been registered as a result of last October's floods in the east of the country.

THE lobby group fighting for flood-ravaged communities is to press the Government to take on the insurance industry and help flood victims get cover.

WE all face into an uncertain future.

Insurance-holders facing the introduction of a 2% levy on their policies could be hit with the new measures within the next few weeks.

HOMEOWNERS looking to renew their home insurance should brace themselves for rises in premiums of up to 15% by the end of the year, the Irish Brokers Association warned yesterday.

CASH-STRAPPED consumers are facing another financial hit to their pocket with news that the cost of home insurance has risen by an average of 6% since April.

THE National Transport Authority is aiming to succeed where several private initiatives have failed by launching a website designed to encourage more people to engage in car pooling.

THE Insurance Institute of Ireland is hosting a Networking and CPD lecture event next Tuesday in the Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay, Cork city, from 8–9am.

Dublin: Newly-elected president of the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) Gerry Hassett has called on the Government to provide clarity around pensions policy and address the looming pensions crisis which will be the next big fiscal challenge for the country.

The €1.9bn levy on private pension pots has been branded a tax on jobs and savings.

THE Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) wants greater clarification from the Central Bank over claims that the majority of insurance firms are failing to comply with the consumer protection code.

NO insurance firms are fully complying with the consumer protection code, according to findings from the Central Bank.

HIKES in household premiums are on the cards after insurance companies paid out more than €220 million in claims related to last December’s cold snap.

HIKES in household premiums are on the cards after insurance companies paid out more than €220 million in claims related to last December’s cold snap.

THERE has been a surge in the number of cases of possible insurance fraud following tip-offs to the country’s main insurance fraud hotline.

AS a society we are paying a huge price for turning a blind eye to very many practices that bordered on the dishonest.

THE insurance industry has predicted insurance costs will rise for female motorists and male pension policies following a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice that setting insurance prices on the basis of gender is discriminatory.

Insurance industry representatives said today that they are disappointed with a European ruling on gender, and may appeal.

INSURERS are restricting the number of homes they are offering flood cover to as the industry paid out in Europe €1 billion in the last 14 months on weather-related incidents.

HOME insurance premiums could rise again in 2011 following the adverse weather conditions experienced in the last 12 months.

LAST year’s cold snap led to the biggest ever insurance bill for a single weather event in Ireland, with a massive €297 million being paid out by insurers during the period.

Authorities warned tonight of flooding risks in coastal areas with high tides, gales and heavy rain forecast this weekend.

INSURANCE costs have soared by a quarter in the last three years with home cover alone increasing by 40%.

REPORTS from members of the public to a confidential hotline dedicated to preventing insurance fraud have sky-rocketed since the start of the recession.

Premium insurance hikes could be on the way following claims for the devastating impact of floods and the freezing temperatures of last winter.

HOMEOWNERS could face premium hikes after insurance companies announced record pay-outs due to the devastating impact of floods and freezing temperatures last winter.

AN independent investigation into how the insurance industry has treated victims of last November’s floods crisis must take place to ensure those affected are not left unprotected this winter.

VICTIMS of the late 2009 floods’ crisis are set to use an independent report they have commissioned as a “precursor” to a multi-million euro law suit against the state.

THE Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) has insisted the industry is not responsible for the delays faced by policy holders who have yet to be compensated for flood damage caused eight months ago.