Articles by Harry Curtis
Supreme Court furlough ruling may be ‘a necessity’
Arguments about how furlough ought to be treated in the context of Covid-related business interruption claims could soon be heading to the Court of Appeal and even the Supreme Court, a lawyer has predicted.
Catherine Dixon to leave Allianz next month
Allianz Commercial chief underwriting officer Catherine Dixon is set to leave the insurer in February, Insurance Post can reveal.
Revolut hits back at Allianz lawsuit citing service level failures
Revolut has hit back at a £10.4m lawsuit filed against it by Allianz, denying it breached contractual obligations and alleging the insurer fell short of minimum claims service levels.
Cyber Monitoring Centre appoints former NCSC head Ciaran Martin
Ciaran Martin, who ran the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre from its inception until 2020, has been appointed as chair of the newly-launched Cyber Monitoring Centre’s technical committee.
Concern over workplace and political risks rises in the UK ahead of global trends
UK risk professionals are more likely to see the shortage of skilled workers, political risks and risks associated with new technologies as pressing concerns than their global peers, according to the Allianz Risk Barometer.
Q&A: Pete Allchorne, Forum of Insurance Lawyers
Pete Allchorne, president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers and partner at DAC Beachcroft, talks to Insurance Post about the big developments in the legal sphere this year.
Court of Appeal dismisses Covid BI appeals from Allianz and Various Eateries
The Court of Appeal has dismissed cases pleaded by restaurant operator Various Eateries and its insurer Allianz as to how Covid-related business interruption losses ought to be aggregated.
Arch reports a shift in broker mindset on e-trading
Commercial lines brokers’ attitudes towards e-trading shifted in 2023, according to Arch’s UK regional distribution boss.
AI-driven false information tops short-term risks ranking
Artificial intelligence-driven misinformation and disinformation has topped the World Economic Forum’s list of short-term risks, while environmental risks continue to dominate the long-term picture.
R&Q shareholders narrowly approve Accredited sale
R&Q shareholders have approved the proposed $465m (£365.6m) sale of Accredited to Onex by a margin of 55.2% to 44.8%.
Dilley departs Intact for Bridgehaven
Fronting insurer Bridgehaven has appointed Paul Dilley as its chief underwriting officer.
Growing cyber insurers look to ILS market for catastrophe loss protection
Issuance of cyber catastrophe bonds took off in Q4 of 2023, with four carriers securing more than $400m of coverage – more than five times what the capital markets had provided prior to the quarter.
Zurich ‘on the defence’ in shifting commercial lines market
Frank Streidl, UK head of commercial insurance at Zurich, has said the insurer has had to “go on the defence” as competitors look to reshape and retool their commercial lines businesses.
Insurers at risk of £1.6bn bill following £386k QBE payout
A loss assessor has suggested an additional £1.6bn may be up for grabs for businesses that have received Covid-19-related business interruption payouts.
R&Q co-founder Alan Quilter retires
R&Q has confirmed the retirement of co-founder Alan Quilter from the company’s board of directors and from the role of group head of program management.
Sedgwick sees strong demand for seconded claims handlers
Secondees from Sedgwick’s Resource Solutions division have racked up more than 4000 days working in insurer claims handling departments since its launch in November last year, director Adam Baylis has said.
Marsh predicts cyber rates will fall in H1 2024
Marsh expects to see the price of cyber insurance decrease over the first half of next year, noting that its clients have already seen rate decreases in 2023.
Allianz sees off university appeal over WW2 bomb damage
The University of Exeter has lost its appeal against Allianz’s application of a war exclusion to damage caused by a Second World War bomb that was detonated in 2021.
R&Q eyes growing legacy market as Onex sale vote approaches
R&Q has said it is in advanced talks for three deals that would boost its reserves under management by $100m.
State National eyes five programmes for first year in UK
Markel programme services subsidiary State National is aiming to have “four or five” programmes up and running by the end of its first year of trading in the UK, Markel International’s Simon Wilson has said.
Lloyd’s delays launch of Blueprint Two’s second phase
Lloyd’s and Velonetic have delayed the launch of the second phase of Blueprint Two until April 2025 – six months after the previous go-live date of October 2024.
Zurich warns of US-style litigation developments in Europe
Zurich has warned that, as a result of incoming EU regulation, Europe could soon become more of a litigation environment, akin to that which exists in the US.
Pool Re’s treaty reinsurance plans present SME cover opportunity
Proposals to make Pool Re a treaty reinsurer could lead to a greater proportion of UK SMEs taking out terrorism cover, senior industry figures have said.9
Lloyd’s D&O book expected to shrink
Directors’ and officers’ insurance is set to contract as a class of business at Lloyd’s next year, as the market keeps up its strong messaging on what it expects of underwriters.