Data and Rankings
Quarterly weather related claims top £200m for first time – ABI
The Association of British Insurers has found claims for weather-related damage to people’s homes and possessions has hit £226m for the first time ever between January and April.
FCA finds ineffective monitoring of outcomes for vulnerable customers
The Financial Conduct Authority has reported ineffective outcomes-monitoring for vulnerable customers by financial services firms, with some businesses lacking clarity on what good looks like, and failing to have clear measurements.
Social media ghost broking frauds doubled in 2024
Action Fraud received 179 reports of social media car insurance scams in 2024, double as many as the year before.
Open GI parent reports loss in run-up to Ares investment
OM Bidco, Open GI’s parent company, has reported a loss after tax of £30.13m for the year to 31 May 2024, the final full financial year before Ares Management’s takeover and an improvement on a loss of £38.48m in 2023.
Insurer service improves but claims and consistency causes challenges – Gracechurch
Specialist insurance research consultancy Gracechurch has reported a nine-point uplift in the market average net promoter score of insurer service over the past six months.
Howden: SMEs remain underserved by cyber insurance market
Cyber attacks have cost UK businesses £44bn over the last five years, according to Howden, with the broker adding SMEs remain underserved in terms of insurance protection.
Broker stress levels hit six-year high
Two in five brokers have reported stress levels as high or very high, the record since Ecclesiastical’s annual Broker Wellbeing Survey was launched in 2019.
Flood Re sees record claims of £241.6m
Flood Re’s gross claims jumped to £241.6m in the past financial year from £45.9m in 2023.
Motor premiums increase by just 1% in Q1 – ABI
Motor premiums rose by just 1% in the first quarter of 2024, however the average claim paid increased by 8% according to the Association of British Insurers.
Law firm closures due to lack of PI slows down
A total of 34 law firms closed due to lack of professional indemnity insurance in 2022/23 up to the end of October, the lowest level since 2018/19.
Beazley’s profit before tax soars 115%
Beazley has reported its profit before tax leapt to $1.25bn (£984m) in 2023, a 115% increase on the year before.
Zurich UK grows in P&C but operating profit flat in 2023
Zurich UK has reported a 9% rise in property and casualty gross written premiums to £3.72bn for 2023.
Car insurance premiums surge 58% in a year
According to research by WTW and Confused, car insurance premiums have soared to a record high with a 58% rise in 2023.
Ecclesiastical urges brokers to highlight risks heritage clients face
Research by Ecclesiastical has found 90% of heritage clients experienced a crime in the past 12 months with graffiti and anti-social behaviour worsening.
Women make up less than 7% of CEOs in insurance sector
Women make up less than 7% of CEOs in the UK insurance industry (29 out of 431), according to research by specialist employment law firm GQ Littler.
FOS to drop levy to £70m from £106m
The Financial Ombudsman Service is consulting on lowering its levy by £36m for the 2024/25 financial year to £70m, as it projected reducing income by £51m.
EY: 2022 was worst year on record for UK home insurer profitability
The UK home insurance market faced the worst performing year on record in 2022 with a loss-making net combined ratio of 122%, according to EY’s annual UK Home Results Analysis.
Financial uncertainty ranked as the biggest concern for UK businesses, according to Marsh
Companies across the UK are the most concerned about the impact of financial uncertainty (34%) over the next year, knocking people-related risks (31%) off the top spot, according to the 2023 Marsh UK Business Risk Report.
Regulation and heavy workloads causing rising broker stress, survey finds
According to the latest Broker Wellbeing Survey, published to coincide with World Mental Health Day, almost four out of five brokers have felt stressed at work in the past year.
Top 100 UK Insurance Brokers 2023: Analysis
What have been some of the most significant themes in the UK broker market over the past 12 months? John Needham and Will Lanyon from PKF Littlejohn, explore the impact of some of the main macroeconomic developments on industry trends such as M&A…
The stats: Q3 - Feeling the squeeze as commercial continues to climb
Recent figures for Q3 from Acturis show policyholders remain under intense pressure as premiums rise across all business classes, reports Rachel Gordon