Direct Line Group
Review of the Year 2020 – Insurers
Post spoke to insurers to get their thoughts on the highs and lows of 2020
For the record: The week in deals featuring Aviva, Brit, Cazoo, CFC, Co-op Insurance and GRP
Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches and investments of the week
Briefing: Keeping the Admiral ‘freight train’ on track - what lies ahead for CEO Milena Mondini de Focatiis
In Milena Mondini de Focatiis Admiral has its first CEO who was not involved with the launch of the business in 1993.
DLG issues inaugural environment progress reports and 2021 targets
Direct Line Group has become a carbon neutral company and is targeting a net carbon neutral investment portfolio by 2050, the insurer detailed in a pair of documents released at the end of 2020.
False job fraud: The crooks capitalising on Covid unemployment
Under the weight of coronavirus curtailment the UK unemployment rate has hit 4.8%. Crafty criminals are capitalising on unsuspecting job hunters to ‘phish’ personal information and commit insurance fraud.
Briefing: Is RSA's sale to an overseas bidder a sign of the UK’s declining stature as a global insurance player?
With RSA poised to be sold to a consortium of a Danish and Canadian investors, the number of internationally recognised UK-domiciled insurers is set to reduce by one. Post content director Jonathan Swift asks: is it time to dust off plans for the Royal…
Direct Line brands IBM’s work 'materially defective' in £36m legal fight
IBM’s work contained “extensive” and “material” issues in both design and execution that should not have been present at a late stage of development, a Direct Line Group subsidiary has alleged in an ongoing legal spat over an IT contract.
Briefing: The Seven Year Pitch - Why has it taken Stephen Hester so long to sell RSA?
Almost seven years after he took over as group CEO, Stephen Hester looks like he is finally closing in on a sale for RSA. The big question, as Post content director Jonathan Swift asks, is why has it taken so long?
Video: Driving change in insurance and rebuilding trust in the market - both during and after the pandemic
Pre- or post Covid, insurance has been on the cusp of major change for a number of years.
Aon and Direct Line Group discussed how insurance firms can seize the initiative on privacy, cyber risk and operational resilience
What operational challenges have insurance companies faced and how can they ensure optimal cyber resilience for future disruptions?
Aon, Allianz, Aviva, Convex, Direct Line, Gallagher, LV, Marsh, Munich Re and Zurich dicuss the future of work
Last week Insurance Post ran its first Future of Insurance Work event which gathered over 40 insurance executives together to share their thoughts on what seems to unquestionably be the hot topic of 2020.
Blog: How the insurance industry can boost customer engagement
Customer engagement has never been so important in insurance, argues Jasvinder Gakhal, managing director, Direct Line – Business.
Top 100 UK Insurers 2020
The 100 largest UK-regulated insurers reported a combined underwriting profit in 2019, albeit lower than in 2018. Bond yields fell in 2019, however, investment earnings benefited from the strong performance of equity markets. How will the impact of the…
Interview: Penny James, Direct Line Group
Direct Line Group CEO Penny James spoke to Jen Frost about overseeing the business’s transformation programme under coronavirus, the group’s acquisitive appetite and having a healthy curiosity
Government hits out at insurers over grant deductions from BI claims
John Glen MP, economic secretary to HM Treasury, has rebuked insurers deducting government grants from business interruption claims payments and warned of further action.
Analysis: Price comparison websites warned of shrinking demand after dual pricing ban
Next year’s dual pricing ban will force price comparison websites to adapt if they are to stay relevant, experts have warned.
Spotlight: Future of insurance work: transitioning back to the office
When lockdown happened in March some insurers and brokers were better placed than others to continue operating remotely with little or no impact on service. These firms had already been invested heavily in technology to enable more flexible working and…
Briefing: Lloyd's start-up Ki secures $500m of backing, is it a Direct Line to success
Ahead of its first quarter 2021 launch, Lloyd’s of London syndicate Ki has received $500m (£390m) backing from Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Fairfax Financial Holdings.
Direct Line Group completes Brolly buy
Direct Line Group’s deal to buy insurtech Brolly closed last week, Post can reveal.
Analysis: Changing tactics - The strategy behind Aviva's aggregator push
In August, Aviva announced that it was aiming to roll out a motor insurance product under its main brand on price comparison websites this autumn.
Briefing: Do Revolut and Lloyds Bank moves signal a bancassurance renaissance?
The model of banks with in-house general insurance divisions, or bancassurance, has thrived elsewhere in Europe but failed to pick up the pace in the UK. Is this about to change?
Analysis: Returning to the workplace
As the UK government further eases Covid-19 lockdown measures, as pupils across the country return to school, how do insurance companies and employees feeling about returning back to the workplace? Post spoke to some of the leading insurance firms to…
Direct Line told to pay former employee £37,000 for unfair dismissal
Direct Line has been ordered to pay £36,998 to a former employee who claimed they were unfairly dismissed, Post has learned.
Analysis: Ethnicity pay gap reporting - getting the ball rolling
With growing pressure on the government to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay reporting to measure inequality in the workplace, Post investigates what steps the industry is taking to prepare and what is still to do.