Commercial
Gallagher boosts education practice with FE Protect purchase
Gallagher has struck its first UK deal of the year – buying Liverpool-based FE Protect, which specialises in the education sector with a particular focus on further education.
Zurich UK launches climate change resilience services
Following the launch of Zurich’s Global Climate Change Resilience Services, Zurich UK is making the full range of services available to its domestic customers and it will also be available through brokers.
In depth: How to reduce underinsurance through effective risk management
Underinsurance continues to be a massive problem. Martin Friel looks at how risk management could help brokers combat this growing trend with benefits for all.
Close Brothers premium finance drops 2%
Close Brothers has revealed a 2% fall in its premium finance book to £990.1m in its latest set of results.
Profits down two-thirds at Sabre in 2022
Sabre Insurance has reported a 66.5% drop in profit after tax to £10.1m for 2022, as the combined operating ratio deteriorated to 96% from 79.4% in 2021.
SRG buys Consort Insurance
Specialist Risk Group has bought mid-market commercial broker, Consort Insurance, subject to regulatory approval.
In depth: Why resilience is key to an holistic risk management solution
While overseeing risk continues to be part of the insurance conversation, Martin Friel discovers there is a greater understanding that protecting a business is less about focusing on particular incidents – and more about its resiliency as a whole.
JMG buys HGV and motor trade specialist New Era
JMG Group has bought former appointed representative, Stoke-on-Trent-based HGV and motor specialist New Era for an undisclosed sum.
Commercial grows at Direct Line as group falls to £45m loss
Direct Line grew commercial business across NIG and its own direct brands by 14.7% in 2022 to £749.3m of gross written premium.
The stats: The only way is up - Q4’s commercial premiums continue to rise
Businesses are yet again facing more costly cover with the Acturis Commercial Broking Index revealing increases across the board, reports Rachel Gordon.
Allianz reveals global plan to bring mid and large corporate under one model
Allianz Group has unveiled Allianz Commercial featuring an integrated approach for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and mid-sized country-based accounts.
Meet the MGA: Qlaims
Now its fourth year of trading, Qlaims CEO Liz Latter outlines her mission to make loss recovery insurance a mainstream product and for her MGA to be the “go to” provider for customer facing claims solutions
Nirvana completes MBO from Castel
Nirvana Risk Partners, a division of Castel Underwriting Agencies, has completed a management buyout from the club-style MGA formation platform.
Rocketing commercial premiums piles pressure on SMEs
Recent figures from Acturis show that commercial insurers are continuing to increase the cost of cover across a range of core sectors.
Opinion: Limited or unreliable information can lead to underinsurance
Brokers need to work with policyholders to push for better quality and more frequent surveys to combat underinsurance, argues Paul Mayer, valuations manager at Sedgwick.
Lloyd’s hails underwriting performance as COR drops to 91.9% in 2022
Lloyd’s has labelled its underwriting performance in 2022 as good as any in recent memory with “more than expected” improvement.
Hiscox “on the front foot” with brokers, says CEO Aki Hussain
Group CEO of Hiscox, Aki Hussain, has forecast further UK commercial growth, and a return to expansion in personal lines at the insurer in 2023.
Hiscox posts UK commercial growth for 2022
Hiscox has reported $778m (£657.8m) of gross written premium in the UK for 2022, as the wider group delivered its best underwriting performance since 2015.
McClarrons adds marine specialist Soak Insure as AR
North Yorkshire-based McClarrons Insurance Brokers has expanded into the marine market, taking on specialist Soak Insure as an appointed representative.
Turnover down but profit up at Open GI for 2022
Open GI has posted a fall in revenue for the third year in a row in its results for the year ended 31 May 2022.
Polaris’s imarket hits new high with £322m premium in 2022
The number of policies traded on imarket, which connects broker software platforms to insurer systems for the placement of commercial lines, hit a record 497,883 in 2022, Polaris has revealed.
Howden to become broking powerhouse in the North after Reich buy
Reich will add bolt-on acquisitions, becoming the Northern hub for Howden’s expansion into the region, according to Aston Lark CEO Peter Blanc.
Beazley posts 14% GWP growth as profits nearly halve in 2022
Beazley has reported gross written premiums of $5.27bn (£4.4bn) for 2022, up by 14% on the year before.
Howden confirms Reich takeover
Howden has confirmed Insurance Age’s exclusive story that it has bought Reich Insurance Group.