Hughes Insurance deal raises questions over broker’s independence

Businessman controlled on strings

Purchaser Liberty Mutual to become lead underwriter for the Northern Irish firm

The purchase of Northern Ireland-based broker Hughes Insurance by Liberty Mutual, reported exclusively by Insurance Age, raised some eyebrows last month.

Rumours of an intended sale had been floating around the market for several months, with RSA named as one previous serious contender.

The more surprising element of the deal was the fact that Liberty is to become lead underwriter for the broker.

According to Patrick O’Brien, CEO of Liberty Insurance, the provider will write the “vast majority”

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