Commercial
Brown & Brown buys Edinburgh-based MGA
Brown & Brown Europe has bought niche construction sector property and complex liability programmes specialist Premier Commercial.
Granite to roll out broker portals and enhanced trading platform
Acorn’s Granite Underwriting will launch broker portals in the next few months as one part of an ongoing group investment in technology with Acturis-owned ICE, Insurance Age can reveal.
Aviva launches enhanced CCI offering, creating dedicated team
Aviva has made enhancements to its digital commercial combined insurance (CCI) proposition, in response to broker feedback that it can be challenging to place more complex risks online.
In Depth: How can brokers access capacity for specialist and non-standard risks?
Brokers continue to face challenges placing non-standard specialist risks that sit outside the core appetite of many mainstream insurers. Edward Murray explores how MGAs might be able to help these intermediaries grow their books by giving them capacity…
McCarron Coates appoints first AR
Leeds-based McCarron Coates has added its first appointed representative with start-up broker Kentaro but flagged it has no plans to build an AR network.
Hazelton Mountford targets hitting £20m GWP milestone in two years
Established in 2008, Hazelton Mountford is aiming to hit £20m gross written premium in the next two years through organic growth, Gordon Hazelton, group managing director, told Insurance Age.
Beazley posts record profit as premium tops $6bn
Beazley has reported insurance written premiums jumped 10% to $6.16bn (£4.84bn) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Allianz planning new regional broker office in 2025, says Holmes
Allianz has plans for a new branch in 2025, UK CEO Colm Holmes told Insurance Age, as he highlighted the provider’s commitment to regional underwriting.
Insurers and brokers must develop services to help customers understand risks – Neil Galjaard
A panel at the Association of British Insurers annual conference explained SMEs and mid-corporate businesses need education on risk management, with insurers and brokers playing a key role.
Eaton Gate first MGA live on imarket
Managing general agent Eaton Gate has joined imarket and will be deploying its first product, tradespeople, through imarket to the Bravo Digital Trader platform in March.
Allianz UK boosts GWP in 2024 as operating profit up 52%
Allianz UK has reported a 5.5% rise in total business volume last year to £4.66bn with profit surging ahead.
Pen Underwriting extends cover for recruitment agencies
Pen Underwriting has expanded and enhanced its specialist insurance proposition for recruitment agencies, to support clients’ international growth strategies.
Aviva “ruthlessly focused” on being consistent for brokers, says CEO Storah
Aviva grew UK SME business by 12% in 2024 with a more or less 50/50 split between rate and policy count growth, its UK and Ireland general insurance CEO has told Insurance Age.
Biba renews 20-year-old membership agreement
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has renewed its agreement with Premium Credit to provide a premium finance facility to its members.
Hiscox UK reports best growth since 2018 on back of “reinvigorated” distribution strategy
Hiscox has recorded its strongest growth in its UK retail business since in 2018 as the group reported a record pre-tax profit of $685.4m (£540.6m) in its 2024 full year results on written premiums of $4.77bn.
Aviva scores double-digit UK profit and volume growth in 2024
Aviva has posted 16% UK gross written premium growth in 2024, as its combined operating ratio improved to 94.9%.
AUB reports Momentum and Movo deal costs
Sydney-headquartered AUB Group has revealed the costs of snapping up 40% of appointed representatives network Momentum Broker Solutions and 80% of fellow AR offering Movo Group last year, and promised more deals to come.
Polaris eyeing up £500m GWP milestone for imarket in 2025, confirms Banga
“I don’t want to tempt fate, but on current trajectory, we should be getting close [to £500m GWP] by the end of 2025,” Polaris managing director Vivek Banga told Insurance Age.
Another double-digit jump for Polaris’s imarket takes premiums to £449m in 2024
Insurance premiums placed through digital trading platform imarket rose 15% to £449m in 2024 as Polaris built on surges in recent years.
Gallagher names ex-Giles boss Lyons specialty CEO as Turner departs
Gallagher has appointed Sarah Lyons, currently CEO of its Australia and Asia business, as CEO of the London-based specialty division, succeeding Jonathan Turner.
MGAA’s Mike Keating sees opportunity to ramp up support material on claims
Mike Keating, CEO of the Managing General Agents’ Association, sees an opportunity to ramp up guidance on claims, while also highlighting the “extremely buoyant” MGA market.
RSA testing “the art of the possible” on turnaround times
RSA is piloting how quickly it can turn around “fairly straightforward risks” in its national trading centre in Manchester, commercial managing director Sonya Bryson told Insurance Age.
QBE hails “excellent” International COR of 88.7%
QBE International grew gross written premium by 11% to $9.84bn (£7.78bn) last year as the combined operating ratio improved.
US consolidator completes first overseas deal with UK MGA buy
Bishop Street Underwriters has completed its acquisition of Landmark Underwriting, a specialty-focused managing general agent based in London.