Commercial
Freedom sells broking arm to top 100 broker to focus on MGA business
Niche motor specialist One Sure Insurance has acquired fellow Top 100 UK broker Freedom Brokers, Insurance Age can reveal.
Peach grows appetite in hairdressing scheme expansion with Starpeak
Peach has extended its backing for Starpeak’s hairdressing insurance offering to include property cover.
Dickson Group buys Northern Ireland broker
Dickson Group has made its first purchase of 2025 snapping up DTM Insurance Brokers based in Holywood, Northern Ireland.
New MGA to target recruitment companies
Acies MGU has created a new managing general agent, Acies Specialist Schemes, launching with an offering for recruitment companies.
Aspect grows product range again with liability offer
Managing general agent Aspect has broadened its product range with liability cover now being offered alongside property risk underwriting.
Interview: Keith Hector, Covéa
Keith Hector, commercial lines director at Covéa, looks to make e-trade limits more flexible, highlights “buoyant” schemes business, and teases new products as he targets £200m GWP in 2025.
British businesses embracing AI – QBE
More than 9 in 10 UK businesses (95%) are now using artificial intelligence or looking into it, according to research by QBE.
The stats: Q1 2025 sees commercial rates flattening, as experts predict market softening
Property owners and fleet premiums continue to rise but at a slower pace, while combined liability rates dip into negative figures in Q1 2025, according to the Acturis Commercial Broking Index. Ida Axling reports.
Rokstone launches international casualty division
Managing general agent Rokstone has launched an international casualty division, recruiting again from Convex to lead the new offering.
National brokers lead the way on climate guidance with regional firms lagging
Two-thirds of regional and provincial brokers do not provide any climate-related guidance to clients, according to research by Ecclesiastical, while the same amount (65%) of national brokers do so, Insurance Age can reveal.
Cotty eyes Bristol becoming Thomas Carroll’s largest region
Gareth Cotty, group chief commercial officer at Thomas Carroll, details the agility in being independent, opportunities for the Bristol office to become its largest region, and notes further buys and office expansions are not off the table.
Motor MGA faces uncertain future after Accredited does not renew binder
CPD Underwriting Solutions has become one of the latest motor MGAs to face an uncertain future due to the withdrawal of capacity.
Leicester-based broker strikes first acquisition
GOAT Insurance has purchased the full book of business from IGG Insurance, marking its first buy.
Superscript partners with Toolstation
Digital insurance broker Superscript has teamed up with Toolstation, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies, to deliver the retailer’s customers access to a new insurance offering.
Zurich appoints youngest ever regional head
Georgina Davis has been appointed head of regional market for the Midlands, South West and Wales at Zurich, succeeding Stephen Davis who is leaving for a new role at another business.
Axa bosses Walker and Zweibrucker on growing with brokers in commercial and retail
The commercial and retail divisions of Axa Insurance in the UK are growing, the respective CEOs have confirmed, outlining plans to expand with brokers over the rest of the year and beyond.
Analysis: Is the era of offshore capacity over, or is it poised for a comeback?
High profile casualties such as Gibraltar-based Enterprise Insurance Company (2016), and Danish providers Alpha (2018) and Gefion (2021) meant offshore capacity came under scrutiny at the end of the last decade. Today there appears to be less noise about…
2025 UK Broker Awards open for entries, and it’s simpler than ever to get involved
The 2025 UK Broker Awards are open for entries, with a new process that makes it simpler for firms to put themselves forward to be in with a chance of winning.
Aviva’s Yabantu: Consistency of strategy needed in mid-market
Michael Yabantu, head of mid-market at Aviva, highlights the need for consistency in mid-market underwriting strategy, and shares how the insurer is improving response times and refreshing products.
QBE’s Fitzgerald on doubling in the regions, and what comes next
In the past three years, QBE has doubled its gross written premium in the regions and is not taking its “foot off the growth”, UK regions director Andy Fitzgerald tells Insurance Age, promising consistency for brokers.
Acrisure valued at $32bn in $2.1bn funding raise
US broking giant and Top 100 UK broker Acrisure has secured a $2.1bn (£1.57bn) capital raise in a funding round led by Bain Capital.
Zurich CEO Jaksic hails speed of broker service as key in softening market
The need for speed when it comes to broker service has been exacerbated in the softening commercial market, according to Zurich UK CEO Drazen Jaksic.
Peach grows in 2024 as NPAI moves back into profit
Peach, a trading style of NPA Insurance, grew net premiums by 70% in 2024 as it ceded less business to reinsurance.
33% of startup and scaleup businesses hit by cyber-attacks – Superscript
Some 54% of firms, ranging from those in seed stage to those IPO-ready, have worries about cyber-security and data risks, according to research by Superscript.