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Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on personal injuries claims: going to court is rarely worth it
The message about the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB) is clearly not getting through to the public in general and insurance customers in particular. Established in 2004 to provide a lower cost route for settling personal injury insurance claims, nearly all cases must now be submitted to the board. Overall, it resolves one in two claims. The other fifty per cent of claims – where either side rejects the IRB settlement proposal – are resolved by litigation, which usually takes the form of an out of court settlement. The enduring popularity of the legal route for resolving motor insurance injury claims is hard to fathom, given that court awards and IRB awards are based on the same guidelines and the average value of awards made across both channels is the same. However, the litigation route takes three years longer and legal costs are on average 24 times higher. It is hard to see how the continued use of the litigation channel benefits the injured party. Why wait three years for the same result? The higher fees that are incurred – for little apparent benefit to the client in most cases – may be paid by the insurance company, but the wider pool of insurance customers ultimately foot the bill in the form of higher premiums. The presumption is that the bulk of IRB settlements are rejected by a claimant on the advice that they may do better by going down the litigation route. READ MORE The Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct places no specific requirement on solicitors to talk through the pros and cons of rejecting an IRB settlement and going down the litigation route with their clients. There are general guidelines about client relationships which if adhered to in the spirit intended should suffice. It perhaps asks too much of any profession to expect its members to turn down work. The time may have come when a different approach is needed to ensure that claimants are fully aware that, in the round, the benefits of rejecting an IRB settlement and taking your insurer to court are at best marginal.
Times of Oman
09-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Nirmala Sitharaman reviews banking sector preparedness amidst tension at borders
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday convened a high-level meeting with the Managing Directors and CEOs of Public and Private sector banks and insurance companies amidst emerging security concerns arising from tensions at the western border. Senior officials from the Department of Financial Services (Ministry of Finance), CERT-In, RBI, IRDAI and NPCI attended the meeting, which focused on reviewing the banking sector's operational and cybersecurity preparedness, including digital public-facing applications such as internet banking and UPI, as per a statement from the Ministry of Finance. The Managing Directors and CEOs of all the Banks and Insurance Companies apprised the Union Finance Minister about the measures they are undertaking, given the ongoing tensions at the border. Bank MDs and CEOs informed that cybersecurity measures have been reinforced throughout the banking system. Anti-DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) systems have been implemented by banks to protect against massive cyber-attacks. To guarantee institutional readiness, mock drills have been held encompassing cybersecurity and disaster recovery scenarios at the highest levels. They apprised that phishing attempts are being actively watched, and staff members have received several internal alerts to increase awareness. Bank officials stated that their Security Operations Centre (SOC) and Network Operations Centres are fully operational and on high alert. These centres are coordinating closely with CERT-In and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), facilitating real-time data sharing and threat monitoring. During the meeting, the Finance Minister stressed the critical role of the banking and financial sector in ensuring economic stability during heightened geopolitical tensions and challenging times. She directed all banks to remain fully alert and prepared to deal with any eventuality or crisis, ensuring uninterrupted access to banking and financial services for citizens and businesses across the country, especially in border areas. She remarked that banking services, both physical and digital, must function without disruption and glitches. The Union Finance Minister remarked that emergency protocols should be updated and tested to handle any arising contingencies. The Finance Minister expressed deep concern about the safety of bank employees and their families working at branches around the border areas. She directed banks to ensure their adequate safety by effectively coordinating with the security agencies. She asked Banks to ensure that citizens and businesses do not suffer under any circumstances, and priority must be given to seamless cash availability at ATMs, uninterrupted UPI and internet banking services, and continued access to essential banking facilities. Nirmala Sitharaman directed banks to conduct regular audits of their cybersecurity systems and data centres and ensure that all digital and core banking infrastructure is fully firewalled and monitored round the clock to prevent breaches or any hostile cyber activity. The FM instructed banks to designate two dedicated senior officials identified at the headquarters, one for reporting all cyber-related matters and the other to ensure operational matters, including the functioning of bank branches and the availability of cash in ATMs. Both dedicated officers should report any incident to CERT-In / relevant agencies and DFS on a real-time basis. In this regard, Banks were also asked to coordinate in real time with the Reserve Bank of India, CERT-In and relevant Government agencies to ensure robust and agile information exchange and response. The Finance Minister also directed insurance companies to ensure timely claim settlements and uninterrupted customer service. The Finance Minister mentioned that the Sponsor Banks should ensure that RRBs are well-supported during these times and hand-hold them for any issues that they are facing.
