Claims Management Regulator issues annual report

The Claims Management Regulator issued 247 warnings, conducted 306 audits, gained five warranted to search premises and seize evidence, cancelled 66 licences and imposed £1.7m worth of fines on four companies in the past year, according to its annual report. One of these fines was imposed on a company that was making cold-calls for noise-induced hearing claims. Some 1,610 authorised claims managers were in operation at the end of March, compared to 1,752 the previous year and 3,213 in 2011. First4Lawyers managing director Qamar Anwar says: “It is clear that legislative changes introduced in the personal injury sector in 2013 are working. We believe it is too early to drive through any further legislation.”