Fire
Listed insurtech market cap surpasses $22bn; motor start-up Adiona plans to take on 'outdated' incumbents; Dale Partners gets Lloyd's green light; and Zurich unveils £750m MGA capacity deal
For the record: Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches, investments and strategic moves of the week.
Blog: Cladding claims – ongoing challenges post-Grenfell
Brawdia managing director Philip Barmby considers the increasing complexity of cladding claims post-Grenfell.
Insurers urge government to revise height-based remit of proposed building safety regulator
Insurers have repeated their calls for the scope of the proposed building safety regulator to be broadened after the government pushed ahead with proposals that met with criticism last year.
Sri Lanka ship fire: Marine experts call for cargo rule tightening and end to port 'pushing'
Marine insurance experts have warned tighter regulation and scrutiny is needed to mitigate events such as the X-Press Pearl container ship fire off Sri Lanka.
Aviva faces leaseholder ire over mounting fire safety concerns
Aviva has drawn anger from leaseholders in residential properties owned by an investment fund over the management of fire safety issues.
Biba Conference Special: Returning to a new normal - supporting commercial clients and brokers in the post-Covid world
The Covid-19 pandemic changed the business landscape in the UK practically overnight. Jon Walker, CEO of Axa Commercial in the UK, and Elie Hanna, chief distribution officer for UK and Lloyd’s at Axa XL, discuss how insurers should be working to support…
Zurich argues fraud allegations ‘mischaracterise’ its role in defective Swansea housing development
Zurich has denied that it acted fraudulently in connection to inspections it undertook of a defective development in Swansea, saying the checks were carried out for the purpose of deciding whether to insure the building against future faults and not to…
Insurance Post TV: Is there an end in sight for the insurance cladding ‘crisis’? Plus interviews with Abacai and Zego
Today Insurance Post launches its new ‘magazine-style’ television show, which aims to get under the skin of some of the best read stories and articles that have appeared in print or online recently.
Insurer results directory 2020
Updated: Post tracks the 2020 insurer results season including gross written premium and combined operating ratio - detailing the impact of UK business interruption, weather, motor, home, non-business interruption Covid-19 claims, as well as mergers and…
PI Analysis: Construction sector locked out by high rising premiums
Many companies in the construction sector are struggling to obtain professional indemnity insurance cover, with the Grenfell Tower fire and the building safety crisis key drivers of premium hardening and exclusions.
Spotlight: Sustainability - Driving down carbon emissions in the construction industry
In 2021, the conversation around climate change has evolved at pace. As a major contributor to carbon emissions the construction industry has a key role to play in driving down carbon emissions – could the use of timber solutions help achieve this?…
Helping leaseholders caught up in the cladding crisis in insurance sector's 'reputational interests', says Shadow Economic Secretary
The insurance industry should work to help leaseholders affected by the cladding crisis in order to service not only the national interest but its reputational interests, attendees at the Association of British Insurers’ annual conference have heard.
Allianz BI claims came from broker wordings says CEO Jon Dye as insurer reveals 2020 results
Allianz was hit by £175m of UK Covid-19 business interruption claims in 2020, net of reinsurance, the insurer has said, as LV confirmed 300 redundancies from its Legal & General integration.
Blog: Wildfires and the rising risk of ‘cascading’ natural disasters
Hélène Galy, managing director of Willis Towers Watson’s Willis Research Network, considers the growing threat of cascading risks.
Engineers carrying out cladding assessments will be able to avail of state-backed PI cover
The government has committed to a state-backed indemnity scheme for fire safety engineers who are unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance, as it announced an additional £3.5bn in funding for the removal of cladding from buildings 18m in height…
Inside Out: I am a broker and a leaseholder – insurers and FCA must push for cladding crisis solution
Post invites industry insiders affected by key issues they believe insurance is getting ‘inside out’ to share their perspective and state their case for change. Here a broker talks about how leaseholders are getting a rough deal.
Zurich offers free counselling to claimants
Zurich is to offer policyholders that make a claim free counselling sessions, following a nine-month pilot last year.
Committee calls for government PI scheme for fire risk assessors
The government faces calls to act as an insurer of last resort for fire safety engineers’ professional indemnity insurance.
ABI refutes suggestions insurers may be ‘profiteering’ in wake of cladding scandal
Following criticism from television personality Jeremy Clarkson and minister Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, the Association of British Insurers told Post it refutes suggestions its members may be “profiteering” from the cladding and fire safety scandal.
Property developer rejects Axa counterclaim in fire damage case
Property investor Aubrey Weis and his company Elcombe have denied Axa’s counterclaim and the issues set out in the provider’s defence document in the ongoing legal dispute over a £1.7m claim.
Blog: Practical completion – No such thing as load-bearing paint
Clark Gardiner, Ensurance senior underwriter, considers how Covid-19 has muddied the waters where it comes to practical completion in construction.
Trade Voice: ABI’s James Dalton on the opportunities to reset the GI dial in 2021
James Dalton, director of general insurance policy at the Association of British Insurers, previews a packed 2021 agenda that could shape the future of the industry for years to come as it emerges from Covid-19’s long shadow.
CPC flags Lockton admissions in ongoing court case
Combined Property Control has reported that it will rely on admissions made by Lockton as it replied to the broker’s defence document submitted to the High Court in their ongoing legal dispute.
Axa blames Lockton errors in defence to property developer's fire claim
Axa has blamed Lockton for issuing an incorrect certificate as the insurer estimated its liability for the damage portion of a property claim at £541,000 rather than the £1.7m being sought by property investor Aubrey Weis in a High Court action.