Commercial
Interview: Huw Evans, ABI director general
The industry faces heavy scrutiny from regulators and the government over pricing practices and personal injury reform, all while reeling from the prospect of a looming Brexit. Huw Evans, Association of British Insurers director general, spoke to Jen…
Top 30 European Insurers 2019: Insurers see 4.4% growth
Gross written premium reported by the 30 largest European insurers in 2018 was 4.4% higher than the aggregated figure for the previous year but those writing significant business outside of the eurozone have seen foreign exchange rate movements having an…
Aviva appoints Erica Arnold as COO
Aviva has appointed Erica Arnold as chief operating officer, a role which will replace the group chief operations and IT officer currently held by Nick Amin.
Finch group completes its biggest acquisition to date
Finch group has completed the acquisition of Bridle Insurance, bringing £10m in gross written premium to the company.
Aston Lark's Peter Blanc on rethinking terrorism insurance
Non-damage business interruption terrorism insurance became available through Pool Re recently. And while Aston Lark's CEO Peter Blanc believes this is good he argues that once again the insurance profession has managed to make the whole topic pretty…
Crawford names Clive Nicholls successor
Crawford has appointed Lisa Bartlett as president for the UK & Ireland business, as Clive Nicholls steps down.
Brightside vows further investment into MGA Kitsune
Brightside will further invest to grow its managing general agent Kitsune this year, as the number of wholesale brokers with agencies reached 13.
McCafferty welcomes ‘considerable improvement’ at Brightside despite £10.3m loss
Brightside made a loss before tax of £10.3m for the year ended December 2018, but CEO Brendan McCafferty expressed confidence the business was improving.
Insurance Museum team look to raise £3m for pop up site in Leadenhall
The team behind the proposed Insurance Museum in EC3 have received backing from the City of London Corporation, as it moves from feasibility study to raising funds to set up a temporary pop up site.
RSA raises £350m but ‘not for a specific transaction’
RSA is raising £350m through a senior notes offering, which it intends to use for “general corporate purposes”.
Das UK returns to profitability
Legal expenses insurer Das UK returned to profitability last year, recording a combined ratio below 100% for the first time since 2014.
Roundtable: Opening up new insurance opportunities using IoT
The Internet of Things continues to offer insurers considerable opportunities in terms of maximising existing data to better understand customers and enter new markets previously considered unprofitable. With this in mind, Post, in association with…
Aston Lark buys first Manchester broker
Aston Lark has bought Manchester-based commercial lines broker Buckland Harvester.
Spotlight: SME market: SMEs and cyber risk - a ticking time bomb
SMEs are a prime target for cyber criminals because they are believed to have limited resources and employ less technically aware employees than larger enterprises. Despite this, these businesses, their insurance providers and brokers are not assessing…
Spotlight: SME market: Where do the biggest opportunities lie for brokers in the SME market?
There seems to be a significant number of drivers for change in the SME market, which begs the question how the relationship between brokers and these clients will change. Edward Murray looks at the opportunities available for intermediaries to remain as…
This week: Winners and lasers
Nothing says team building quite like stumbling around a dark maze, falling headfirst into mirrors and haphazardly shooting lasers at your colleagues. Or so the democratic vote we held a few weeks earlier decreed.
Loss adjuster Graham High Group promotes Austin Snelgrove to MD role
Specialist loss adjuster The Graham High Group has announced that its managing director - who founded the business in January 1995 - is to step aside and become executive chairman.
Blog: Business interruption and maximum indemnity period – how long should it be?
Business interruption insurance policies are designed to return companies to the position they were in before a loss. While that sounds quite simple, there are wide-ranging and complex factors that can undermine the effectiveness of a BI policy – and…
Blog: Whaley Bridge throws spotlight on non-damage business interruption cover
This month’s dam breach at Whaley Bridge brought a small community to a standstill, with many businesses unable to trade for a full week due to the enforced evacuation of the town and its surroundings writes Sarah Baker, head of business interruption, UK…
BoE governor Carney warns insurers over climate change
The Governor of the Bank of England has described climate as a “big, big issue” for general insurers and reinsurers.
Private equity firm takes majority stake in Avid
A majority stake in managing general agent Avid has been sold to Beech Tree Private Equity.
This week: Think! tech drive
With 50 years of drink driving campaigns drunk driving is shunned by society, but with technology taking over our lives it might be time for a distracted driving campaign to make using hands-free mobile devices on the move as frowned upon.
Blog: Unrated insurers - the risks for UK brokers
Over the years European Union rules on the free movement of capital have had many beneficial effects for the UK economy. However, according to Ashwin Mistry, chairman of Brokerbility, this has also allowed insurers with lower solvency than would be…
QBE International posts loss following £51m Ogden hit
QBE has reported a one-off hit of $62m (£51m) as a result of the change in the Ogden rate in its first half results, without which it would have broken even.