Skip to main content

Throwback Thursday: Maxwell takes stake in insurer

Throwback Thursday

Insurance Post’s Throwback Thursday steps back in time to December 1985 to remind you what was going on this week in insurance history when publisher Robert Maxwell bought a stake in an insurer.

12 December 1985: Maxwell buys stake in insurer

Robert Maxwell, publisher of Mirror Group Newspapers, bought a 5% stake in Britannia Arrow for £10.2m.

Maxwell said he bought the stake at the request of Britannia chairman Geoffrey Rippon to “help the company’s defence against an unwanted bid”.

Maxwell died in 1991 after falling overboard into the Atlantic Ocean from his yacht, named Lady Ghislaine after his daughter.

His death triggered the collapse of his publishing empire as banks called in loans.

Rippon, a Conservative MP, died in 1997.

Britannia Arrow was a business that was renamed Invesco MIM in 1990, and then Amvescap after merging with Aim Investments.

In 2007, the company reverted to the Invesco name. 

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@postonline.co.uk or view our subscription options here: https://subscriptions.postonline.co.uk/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@postonline.co.uk to find out more.

Q&A: Sharon Bishop, PremFina

Sharon Bishop, CEO of PremFina, explains how the business has scaled from helping 15 brokers in 2021 to more than 200 today, leveraged technology to stay ahead of regulation, and set its sights on becoming the UK’s leading premium finance provider.

Tesco Law and the insurer legal services revolution that never was

Content Director's View: More than a decade ago many insurers could not wait to seize the opportunities afforded by a change in the law that allowed them to set up their own legal services arms. Jonathan Swift reflects on what happened next - and the prospect of a one-stop-shop claims provider in the future.

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have an Insurance Post account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here