Rapidly losing ground

Commercial insurance has traditionally been the most stable element in brokers' portfolios but still faces threats from the directs. Andrew Foxwell writes that small and medium-sized enterprises could vanish before brokers' eyes if they are taken for granted

While large chunks of personal lines have shifted to direct players over the past two decades, commercial insurance has been the most stable element in brokers' portfolios; however, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be seen as most vulnerable to the lure of directs.

It is vital to understand exactly what SMEs want from their brokers, in terms of service, technology and policies.

Without this insight, it could be easy for brokers to become complacent that the commercial good times will