Company results
Beazley doubles Covid claims hit estimate to $340m
Beazley has increased the estimated cost of coronavirus claims to its first party business, in a move labelled “disappointing” by analysts.
Insurer shares climb despite BI payout predictions
Some of the Insurers involved in the Financial Conduct Authority’s business interruption test case saw share prices increase following the verdict, despite participants being told to pay out for some claims.
Lloyd’s sees underlying underwriting improvement as Covid weighs on H1 result
Lloyd’s posted a £438m loss in the first half of 2020 driven by £2.4bn of Covid-19 claims, which added 18% to its combined operating ratio.
Profit shrinks at Arron Banks’ Somerset Bridge
Pre-tax profit at Arron Banks’ personal lines broker Somerset Bridge Insurance Services fell to £5.04m in 2019, down from £6.54m the previous year.
Top 30 European Insurers 2020: A year of profit
The top 30 European insurers saw growth in non-life premiums in 2019 and overall profit after tax was significantly higher than in 2018. Mathilde Jakobsen, director, analytics, AM Best, explains what the market is facing
Ecclesiastical ducks to £59.7m loss for H1 2020
Insurer Ecclesiastical made a loss before tax of £59.7m for the first half of 2020 as the Covid-19 impact bit.
Zurich UK reports £140m of Covid-19 claims as it posts H1 loss
Zurich’s UK general insurance business faced £140m in Covid-19 related claims across travel, event cancellation and business interruption lines in the first half of 2020.
Admiral facing 'difficult call' on claims frequency and inflation
Admiral has said it faces a “difficult call” with regard to whether or not claims frequency will return to pre-pandemic levels this year, reporting that it saw a 3-4% increase in road accidents last week alone.
Abbey and Autoline merger to create £119m GWP acquisitive firm
The merger of Northern Ireland brokers Abbey Insurance and Autoline Insurance as Abbey Autoline on 1 September will create a £119m gross written premium growth focused firm that has an eye for striking takeover deals, managing director of the newly…
Second quarter performance pushes Ageas UK COR below 100%
Ageas UK has reported a post-tax profit of £22.8m for the first half of 2020 reversing a loss of £2.7m in the first quarter.
Aviva planning aggregator motor roll out after Confused pilot
Aviva is targeting this autumn for the next stage of its move onto aggregators after a trial with Confused, Colm Holmes, Aviva CEO of general insurance, told Post.
Amanda Blanc promises to shake up Aviva
It is abundantly clear that “meaningful change” is needed to unlock Aviva’s potential, according to CEO Amanda Blanc.
Sampo and RMI bid a ‘real vote of confidence’ in UK insurance, says Hastings CFO
The takeover offer from Finnish insurer Sampo and South African financial services firm Rand Merchant Investment holdings is a ‘real vote of confidence’ for UK Insurance, Hastings chief financial officer John Worth told Post as Hastings released its…
Business enquiries down 14% on last year at Allianz
While market conditions are slowly recovering in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown, the volume of new enquiries for commercial policies remain substantially lower than were last year, according to Allianz Insurance.
Direct Line open to acquisitions and partnerships: CFO Tim Harris
Direct Line Group remains open to inorganic growth from acquisitions and partnerships despite the Covid-19 impact, DLG chief financial officer Tim Harris has confirmed.
AIG adds $458m of Covid-19 losses in Q2
AIG reported an underwriting loss of $343m (£262.8m) for general insurance business in the second quarter of 2020.
Further cost-cutting expected at RSA UK
RSA will look to cut further costs in its UK arm, RSA CEO Stephen Hester confirmed as the insurer released it first half results for 2020.
No evidence of reputation hit to business, says Hiscox global retail CEO
Hiscox has not seen a slowdown in business as a result of its high-profile involvement in disputes over coronavirus business interruption claims, the insurer’s global retail CEO Ben Walter told Post.
Hiscox bulks up Covid claims hit estimate as group faces loss
Hiscox swung into a loss for the first half of 2020 as it increased its Covid-19 claims hit estimate.
Aon/Willis combination not ‘good for clients or good for the market’: MMC CEO Dan Glaser
In a half year results call, Marsh and McLennan CEO Dan Glaser aired a “personal” view that the Aon and Willis Towers Watson merger will be negative for clients and the market .
Complete Cover deal saw £108.7m written off
The net liability position of Complete Cover’s ultimate holding company Key Topco improved from a deficit of £93.4m at the end of 2018 to just £1.7m by the end of March 2020 after the takeover by Sun Capital Partners at the start of this year.
Sun Capital injected £7m into Mulsanne as SCR fell below 100%
The new backers of Mulsanne Insurance Company had to invest £7m into the Gibraltar-based underwriter this April to meet solvency capital requirements.
Carter hails 'trampoline bounce back' after lockdown hit H1 volume at Sabre
Motor specialist insurer Sabre was pleased overall with the half-year results as the coronavirus pandemic pushed premiums down 14% to £86.9m, CEO Geoff Carter told Post.
Briefing: Tesla CEO Musk warns incumbents it is building a 'great, major insurance company'. Should they be worried?
On last week’s Q2 briefing call Tesla CEO Elon Musk told insurers he is coming for their actuaries, to help him start an insurance ‘revolution’. But could his obsession with data and math have blinded him as to where the real battle in motor insurance…