UK
Direct Insurance restructures and rebrands as Aventum ahead of hitting acquisition trail
Direct Insurance Group has restructured, combining its UK and international teams into one group under the brand Aventum.
Admiral comparison site business sale to RVU completes
Admiral’s sale of Penguin Portals, which counts aggregator Confused amongst its offering, to RVU has completed after gaining regulatory approval.
Nuventure to launch personal and commercial lines MGAs within next month
Managing general agent platform Nuventure will launch two MGAs within the next month and aims to develop propositions for the UK terrorism, UK SME directors’ and officers’, and agriculture markets, CEO Andy Colbran has told Post.
Second Close Brothers management reshuffle in under a year as Paul Trail leaves
Close Brothers Premium Finance has re-organised its senior management team again following managing director Paul Trail's decision to step down.
Insurance industry at ease as CII confirms PFS deregistering and credit facility proposals
Insurance experts have adopted a relaxed stance over the Chartered Insurance Institute’s proposals to deregister the Personal Finance Society and take out a bank credit facility.
Briefing: Tracking the Ardonagh Portfolio Solutions and Beazley deal
The recently announced tie-up between Ardonagh Portfolio Solutions and Beazley is most immediately of interest to those with a London Market leaning. However, there are potential future implications for the UK retail market.
FCA contacts 2800 firms about missing SMCR directory data
Experts have warned of the potential for fines and regulatory permissions being removed as the Financial Conduct Authority contacted 2800 firms about their directory persons information after the deadline for submissions passed on 31 March.
Shepherd Compello promotes Steve Hart to chief broking officer
Shepherd Compello has named Steve Hart as chief broking officer, moving up from divisional director for the company’s US-focused property business.
Interview: Sean McGovern, Axa XL
Ahead of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s online conference next month, Axa XL CEO for the UK and Lloyd’s market Sean McGovern, told Post about his plans for growing the business with brokers, the challenges of becoming boss during the…
Analysis: People agenda pushes advice and employee benefits up the list for brokers
Brokers have been urged to expand their offerings with wellbeing and employee benefit propositions as demands from clients shift due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Ex-Purple boss Les Brewin joins Cobra Network
Former managing director of Purple Partnership Les Brewin has joined PIB-owned Cobra Network as a director.
Gallagher’s Simon Collings on market conditions and if - just if - we are seeing positive signs
Times have been tough recently but as new entrants enter certain parts of the market Simon Collings, managing director of national broking and placement at Gallagher, asks if this could be the start of more positive signs across the insurance market?
Swiftcover founder and ex-Axa CIO Potashnick joins Albany Group
Former Swiftcover co-founder Matt Potashnick has joined the board of London-based automated risk, compliance and regulation software specialists Albany Group.
ERS continues commercial push with two hires
ERS has appointed Ciaran Waters as senior underwriter for US catastrophe and Federico Waisman as head of underwriting management.
Axa adds ex-Quote Me Happy and MIB leaders to retail team
Axa has appointed Marco Distefano as managing director for motor and home and Anna Fleming as chief operating officer in its UK retail insurance unit.
Aviva attains Ethical Company Award from The Good Shopping Guide
Aviva has become the first major insurer to gain The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Company Award.
Interview: Keith Richards, CII - Looking back, dialling forward
Chartered Insurance Institute chief membership officer Keith Richards, one of only four people to have led the Personal Finance Society, will be leaving this June after being in charge of the PFS for half of its 16-year existence.
FCA fees update: Key takeaways as regulator to hike fees by 5.2%
The Financial Conduct Authority has published its latest fees update, with a consultation set to run into May.
Q&A: Bart Patrick, Duck Creek
Bart Partick, managing director for Europe at Duck Creek, tells Post about how old treacle-like tech systems are crippling the industry, the problems with updates and the need for insurers to adopt software-as-a-service. Along with assessing the rise of…
Nausicaa Delfas named FOS interim CEO
Nausicaa Delfas will serve as interim CEO and chief ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service, taking over from Caroline Wayman.
CII posts £4.9m loss for 2020
The Chartered Insurance Institute has reported a £4.9m loss for the year ended 31 December 2020 as a drop in income caused by the coronavirus pandemic more than outweighed reduced operational expenditure.
Abu Dhabi invests in Qmetric
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has taken a stake in Policy Expert owner Qmetric in two transactions, Post can reveal.
Q&A: Ant Middle and Adam Beckett, Ageas
Ageas CEO Ant Middle and chief distribution officer Adam Beckett spoke to Post about the insurer’s intention to grow its intermediated personal lines business and plans to invest in what it calls its ‘technical engine room’.
Ghost broking investigations accounting for quarter of IFB cases
The number of ghost broking investigations has doubled since 2016, Stephen Dalton, head of intelligence and investigations at the Insurance Fraud Bureau, told Post.