Ethics and Insurance

I help insurers achieve greater certainty on ethical issues, both present and emerging. I have a reputation for foresight, pragmatism and independent thinking, particularly around data ethics. You can keep in touch with my analysis through my free weekly ‘Ethics and Insurance’ newsletter. Join below

What I do

Insight

I help insurers understand developments in insurance from an ethical perspective and the options open to them. My analysis delivers an extra level of understanding from an independent perspective

Critical Friend

Insurers face some ethical challenges at the moment – I’ve been tracking them for several years. My role as a critical friend helps them to reality check their thinking and turn a situation into a plan.

Horizon Scanning

I’ve been an influential figure in analysing the implications of digital insurance for several years now. Through workshops and research, my ethics radar highlights the problems and opportunities to look out for.

Insurers have a window to improve decisions around mental health

The second strand of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute’s campaign about travel insurance has emerged. Their best practice guide makes sense and insurers should welcome it. At the same time, it is likely to be a step towards a third strand, which will be much more impactful.…

Duncan Minty • 31 Mar 2023

Data Ethics • 5 min read

Avoiding Pitfalls when Developing Data Ethics Principles

As business wakes up to the ethical issues around how they use data and analytics, firms are being urged to develop ethical principles to guide their data ethics initiatives. Yet what counts as an ethical principle? I look at an example of how firms could get off to the wrong start.…

Duncan Minty • 27 Feb 2023

Accountability • 4 min read

Is Insurance prepared for a Consumer Advocate?

Some business sectors in the UK have a consumer advocate appointed by the Government. Should one be appointed for insurance, the impact on the sector could be profound. With the power to pull data from firms and initiate regulatory reviews, transparency could be transformed.…

Duncan Minty • 07 Feb 2023

Fairness • 4 min read

Revolutionising Fairness to Enable Digital Insurance

The digital transformation of insurance will stall unless the “dominant theme of 21st century financial services” is resolved first. That ‘dominant theme’ is fairness. If fairness isn’t addressed, digital investment will be questioned as public confidence in what they experience diminishes.…

Duncan Minty • 27 Jan 2023

Data Ethics • 5 min read

Genetic Testing – Is the Anti-Selection Insurers Fear a Myth?

The UK Government has published a review of its agreement with insurers on the use of genetic testing in insurance. All seems to be in order, so they think. However, the arrangement is far from solid. I look at what needs to be done in the context of recent ethical, legal and social research.…

Duncan Minty • 24 Jan 2023

Discrimination • 4 min read

Data used to back Discrimination Claim against US Insurer

A lawsuit recently filed in a US court shows how consumers are using data to support legal cases of discrimination against insurers in claims and counter fraud. One aim of the plaintiff is to achieve class-action status, so widening its impact considerably. The implications would be significant.…

Duncan Minty • 17 Jan 2023

Underwriting • 4 min read

Are Politicians Ready for Wind Re?

The development by insurers of individualised flood underwriting capabilities lead to negotiations with UK politicians and civil society for a fairer arrangement. The result was Flood Re. Now insurers are developing similar underwriting capabilities for wind risk. What does this point to?…

Duncan Minty • 12 Dec 2022

Data Ethics • 7 min read

A Big Red Flag has been attached to Emotional AI

The UK’s data protection regulator has raised a big red flag over the use of emotional AI. Not only do such systems fail to meet data protection requirements, but they also come with other serious ethical issues. So what does this mean for insurers, and how should they respond?…

Duncan Minty • 08 Nov 2022

Accountability • 4 min read

Is Counter Fraud in Danger of becoming a House of Cards?

Tackling insurance fraud is important. Doing so effectively relies on good intelligence, strong organisation and public support. So how well does the UK market deliver on these three things? Do present arrangements put that delivery at risk?…

Duncan Minty • 31 Oct 2022

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Ethics and Insurance

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