Use the links below to find out answers to frequently asked questions about Crystal:
Who can use Crystal?
Crystal is free for everyone to use. However, some of the information in Crystal has been restricted to members of the Lloyd's market only. If you are a member of the Lloyd's market you are eligible to
register for access this secured content.
Are there any technical requirements to use Crystal?
Crystal has been optimised for use with Internet Explorer on a computer with JavaScript enabled and running a screen resolution of 1024 wide - the height of the screen will increase depending on the height of your screen. Crystal will work without JavaScript enabled but functionality such as the expand and collapse of the categories on the search screen will not be available.
To use the interactive map you will need to have Flash 8 or above installed on your computer. If you do not have Flash installed you can download it from the
Adobe website
If you are experiencing technical problems using Crystal and your computer meets with the technical requirements above, please email usersupport@lloyds.com
Why is it called Crystal?
Crystal was chosen because it is a name that conveys the benefits of the tool. Crystal enables you to cut the data lots of different ways and makes Lloyd's global trading information crystal clear!
What's the difference between the country and category view?
On the search results screen for Crystal you can view your results by country or category. Using the country view groups the information by country, so that everything to do with a country appears directly underneath it. The category view reverses the grouping so that the information is grouped under the category it belongs to. This view is most useful when you want to compare a piece of information across a number of countries, eg finding out about Lloyd's authorisation in France, Germany and Belgium.
What is the key information for?
The key information tab contains details that Lloyd's brokers and underwriters should consider before accepting any risk in the countries chosen in the search. The information has been chosen to give them an overview of Lloyd's ability to trade in the countries you have chosen in your search. Information highlighted includes whether Lloyd's can trade in a country, whether or not sanctions are in place, what defines a risk for that country, how to approach writing a global policy and Quality Assurance check information.
What has happened to the country premium tax pages on lloyds.com?
All of the premium tax information previously found on the country pages in lloyds.com has now been incorporated into Crystal. Crystal significantly improves the way tax information is displayed and allows the user to search by class of business as well as country. To find out about tax requirements in a specific country you should create a tailored search and select the classes of business you are interested in from the Tax category. Most tax information is available to all users and will remain unsecured.
The lloyds.com pages covering UK VAT, US Federal Excise Tax, tax news and other Lloyd's specific tax information remain unchanged and can be found in the Taxation section on lloyds.com.
What is the difference between a tailored search and a quick search?
A tailored search enables you create your own search criteria by selecting from the list of categories and sub-categories available on the search screen. Quick searches are pre-defined searches that have been created by Lloyd's to provide quick access to frequently requested searches such as quick reference guides.
Where have the quick reference guides and country manuals gone?
All the information previously contained in the quick reference guides and country manual pdfs has been added into Crystal. Quick reference guides and country manuals can be accessed by running the relevant 'Quick search' on the search page.
How do I save my search criteria for next time?
Once you have run a search click on the icon . You will be taken to the 'Saved searches' screen where you can give your search a name and a description before saving it. Once saved the name, description and link will be added to the page, this page will only display your saved searches to you. There is no limit to the number of searches that you can save and they will not be removed from Crystal unless you decide to delete them.
Note: Saved searches functionality is only available to registered users of Crystal. If you don't currently have access to the 'Saved searches' functionality and would like access you can register as a user of Crystal here.
Can I save a copy of my search results?
You can easily save a copy of your search criteria for next time by using the 'Saved searches' functionality available from the results screen of any search (see question above). Using this functionality means you are always looking at the most up-to-date version of the information. At the moment there is no easy way to make a copy of the information in your search results and this is an enhancement that we are currently looking in to.
For the more technically astute there is the option to save the page as a txt file, this will remove all formatting from the information but will give you the information in a document format. To save as txt do the following:
- Run your search and on the search results screen make sure you are viewing the results by country.
- Click on 'File' in your browser toolbar and then 'Save as'.
- You will be presented with a save box. In this box select the location where you want to save your search results, give the file a name and using the dropdown labelled 'Save as type' select the option to save as a 'Text File (*txt)'.
- You have now saved a copy of the information visible on the results screen as a text file.
Note: this will only save the information visible on your screen. If you want to save a copy of the whole report (including information not visible in the current screen) click the 'print report icon'<<insert picture of icon>>. This will open a print box and behind that a window containing the full report. Close the 'Print' box and using screen behind follow steps 1-3 above.
Why can't I save my searches?
Saved searches functionality is only available to registered users of Crystal. If you don't currently have access to the 'Saved searches' functionality and would like access you can register as a user of Crystal here.
How do I know when a piece of information was last updated?
Every piece of information in Crystal is given a last updated date. In addition, information that is new or has been updated in the last 20 days is indicated by the save icon
If you come across any information that you believe is out-of-date or incorrect please email LITA@lloyds.com who will look into this for you.
I'm having trouble logging into Crystal, who can I contact?
If you're having trouble logging into Crystal please check the following:
- are you using the right password? If you have forgotten your password you can request to get your password reset here
- are you using the right username? - your username is the email address you used to register for your lloyds.com/Crystal account
- are you a registered Crystal user? To access functionality like 'Saved searches' you will need to register as a Crystal user, you can register here.
If you continue to experience problems logging into Crystal please email usersupport@lloyds.com.
Why can't I see some of the search results?
You might be trying to view information that has been secured. Some of the information in Crystal has been restricted to members of the Lloyd's market only. If you are a member of the Lloyd's market you are eligible to register for access to this secured content.
