UK General to withdraw underwriting function from regional network to Leeds office

UK General is to pull back its underwriting capabilities from its regional network and concentrate expertise in its Leeds headquarters in a move which is expected to result in job losses.

The company, the result of a merger between Primary General and Longhawk, said it was in the final stages of a strategic review which could also result in the closure of some of the regional branches but a spokesman for the company said there were no immediate plans to do so.

Michael Warren, UK General chief operating officer, commenting on the centralisation of its underwriting, said: “We know from our research that our brokers need us to provide quotes quickly and efficiently, they require access to our best underwriters and want rapid claims processing, and a centralised operating model will enable us to achieve this.”

Underwriting will be removed from all of Primary’s regional offices in England but the Scotland and Ireland branches will remain “full service propositions”. The spokesman added that 20 jobs would be put at risk as a result of the review but that new roles would be created in the Leeds office. The existing offices in London, Manchester and Birmingham will be staffed by business development managers.

Mr Warren added: “We are fully committed to growing our regional businesses in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, where a local presence is essential.

“The marketplace is crowded, competition intense, and there are new players entering all the time. Brokers tell us that quality underwriting and razor sharp service are, alongside pricing, the major drivers of success; our restructuring plans illustrate our determination to drive continuous improvement in all these areas.”

Mr Warren added that they would review some non-specialist business lines where there was intense competition, such as hotels, motor trade, take-aways, D&O and professional indemnity, and switch the focus to specialist and ‘niche’ lines, such as property owners, commercial combined and tradesmen.

“There will be a small number of people leaving the business as a result of these changes, but we will do our best to make sure that, wherever possible, they exit on a voluntary basis,” he said.

“We are fully focused on completing our restructure by June this year so that we are well positioned for future growth,” he added.