UK
Deloitte names UK head of insurance
Andy Masters has been appointed Deloitte UK head of insurance.
Zurich to retrain 3000 UK staff over five years
Zurich’s analysis of its UK workforce has shown that the future impact of technology could mean 270 jobs go unfilled in the next five years if its team is not reskilled.
Vincent Gardner leaves Ethos Broking M&A director role
Vincent Gardner has left the post of group mergers and acquisitions director at Ethos Broking, Post can reveal.
RSA in £7.2bn sale talks
RSA has confirmed it is in takeover talks with Canadian insurer Intact Financial Corporation and Danish provider Tryg about a £7.2bn deal that would split up the business.
FCA issues client money order as it closes Midlands broker
The Financial Conduct Authority has shut down Inspire Insurance Services and ordered the broker to ringfence relevant funds in a string of sweeping instructions.
Brightside to put MGA Kitsune into run-off
Brightside has decided to put car and van managing general agent Kitsune into run-off less than two years after it was launched, CEO Brendan McCafferty has revealed.
Supreme Court BI test case hearing confirmed for November
The Supreme Court will start hearing the appeals of six insurers, the Hiscox Action Group and the Financial Conduct Authority in the ongoing Covid-19 business interruption test case on Monday 16 November, the FCA has confirmed.
Ageas’ Ant Middle on social responsibility
While the pandemic has brought heartache in so many forms, it has also ignited real positivity through the ways people have supported one another like never before, says Ant Middle CEO of Ageas UK.
Analysis: FCA sets sights on broker failures
The Financial Conduct Authority’s Dear CEO letter at the start of September revisited its concerns about insurance intermediaries being at risk of financial failure during the Covid-19 crisis and the need to plan for orderly wind-downs.
Pen Underwriting’s Tom Downey on data quality and the need for collective responsibility
Tom Downey, CEO of Pen Underwriting, sets out why data quality is the key battleground of today that no-one in the insurance industry can afford to lose.
Analysis: Cladding, waking watches and PI - the ongoing fire safety liability battle
Insurers are facing criticism from residents of high rise buildings over insurance costs, waking watch requirements and taking an overly "binary" approach, while professional indemnity insurance access is driving a fire risk assessor crisis.
Insurtech Cytora unveils £2000 travel perk as it switches to permanent home working model
Commerical insurance focused insurtech Cytora has moved to a remote-first set-up for employees including a £2000 annual budget for each member of staff to spend on travel within the UK and around the world.
QBE makes Richard Pryce interim CEO as Pat Regan successor search continues
QBE has appointed Richard Pryce as interim group CEO as it continues the process of finding a replacement for Pat Regan who left abruptly at the start of September after an investigation into “workplace communications”.
Applied targets UK market leadership within five years
Applied Systems has a three to five year strategic plan to take “significant market share” in the UK and Ireland and become the market leader in the software sector, according to Europe CEO Andy Fairchild.
RSA opts against appeal on Marsh wording in BI test case
RSA’s appeal of the High Court business interruption test case ruling only covers two policies, court documents have revealed, and does not include the Marsh/Jelf resilience (RSA4) wording shared by multiple insurers.
Crêperie's High Court BI case against Allianz thrown out by judge
Deputy Judge of the High Court Richard Salter QC has ruled in favour of Allianz in a business interruption and property damage legal dispute decision which he accepted may be “of consequence for other potential claimants” and “something of a footnote” to…
Zurich’s Anita Fernqvist on embedding sustainability in organisational transformation
Anita Fernqvist, chief data officer and director of operations at Zurich UK, argues that advances in and adoption of new technology means reskilling for the future is more important than ever and looks at the opportunities and challenges for insurers.
Analysis: Lockdown legionella threat a public health and liability concern
Specialists across the insurance industry have voiced their concerns about the potential for a build-up of legionella bacteria in buildings left empty over lockdown.
Colin O’Farrell to retire from QBE after 34 years
Colin O’Farrell, chief underwriting officer of insurance for QBE International, will be retiring from the business at the end of this year with deputy CUO Nick Hankin stepping up as interim CUO on 1 January, the provider has announced.
R&Q reveals MGA book growth in 2020
Randall & Quilter grew its managing general agent relationships to 36 by the end of the first half of the year, the firm has revealed.
Creativity and innovative thinking the differentiators, says HDI leader McDonald
The insurance industry needs to work collaboratively to promote the benefit of careers in insurance to boost the range of diverse talent and thinkers in organisations, according to Claire McDonald, UK and Ireland managing director at HDI Global.
Ageas sells Tesco Underwriting stake for at least £125m
Tesco Bank will pay Ageas at least £125m for its 50.1% stake in Tesco Underwriting as it confirmed the deal first revealed by Post last year.
East West Insurance enters administration as tower block fire safety claims mount
The High Court has put structural defects specialist East West Insurance Company, which purchased a portfolio from Zurich in 2018, into administration and appointed Ernst & Young as administrators.
Analysis: More than bricks and mortar
How are major financial centres in the UK likely to be impacted by Covid-19 and will the remote working phenomenon hit office occupancy for the longer term?