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Feature: Will the growth in AI consumer advice help or hinder insurance brokers? Writer: Rosie Simms Contact details: rosie.simms@infopro-digital.com Deadline: 4th September Wordcount: 1,500 words As artificial intelligence continues to lead many industry discussions, Insurance Age will explore how consumers may receive and act on hallucinated AI insurance buying advice; and how it could impact relationships with brokers. The feature will examine the regulatory landscape around AI and what needs to be done. It will also question if it is better for consumers to be misinformed but engaged in the insurance buying process ahead of speaking with brokers. In June 2026 Accenture cautioned brokers that artificial intelligence has already started to reshape how people research, compare and manage home and motor insurance. As part of its global research covering more than 25,000 consumers across 16 countries, Accenture found generative AI platforms have already overtaken price comparison sites as a research source among millennials and gen Z. In the report, Talk to My AI Agent, 37% of respondents said gen AI had already encouraged them to consider insurers they weren’t previously thinking about. In March the Financial Conduct Authority said the regulator is taking an adaptive and positive approach to regulating AI, and promised no new rules regarding the tech. A number of insurers have already launched apps through ChatGPT including MoneySuperMarketl Simply Business, Aviva and Ripe. Supermind reported $67.4bn of global business losses from AI hallucinations in 2024. Feature: How can MGAs maintain an ‘agility advantage’ when it comes to personal lines pricing? Contact details: vicki@insightfullydone.com Deadline 24th July Word count: 1,200 words The managing general agent [MGAs] sector is often characterized by its entrepreneurial spirit and ability to move quicker than more traditional competitors in the insurer space. Especially in the cut-throat world of personal lines. However, as fleet footed and innovation driven as MGAs are, they are still often hamstrung by the same hurdles as rivals when it comes to making sure rates are competitive and adjusted to reflect changes in risk appetite, the latest data and market conditions in real - or near real time. Not least because failure to do so leaves them open to losing business and/or suffering poor conversion rates on quotes. With that in mind, this article aims to canvas opinion among personal lines MGAs about how they are managing to oversee profitable growth and the importance of providing brokers with the most seamless, integrated full-cycle EDI trading and policy fulfilment they can. It will also look at how personal lines MGAs are reducing manual handling and enriching data to give both capacity providers and customers the best results and purchasing/renewal/MTA experience possible. In addition, the piece will ask MGAs about how they stay on top of management information covering areas like quote volumes, average premiums and conversion rates, to give them – and their insurers - the clearest visibility into distribution performance. And how that feeds into real or near real time rating decisions. Finally, the article will assess what MGAs will require from partners including capacity provider and technology vendors to maintain an edge in the personal lines market, especially given there is unlikely to be a let up in regulatory scrutiny or competition any time soon. Feature: Regional Review – Essex Writer: Rosie Simms Contact details: rosie.simms@infopro-digital.com Deadline: 28th July Wordcount: 1,500 words The feature will explore how brokers are finding recruitment in Essex, insurer service and presence, and the level of broker competition. It will also look at how optimistic brokers are about growth and profitability in Essex, along with the main challenges, and what is the mix of business in the area. Being just a stones throw away from London, it will discuss if being next to a big city is helpful or a hindrance. The article will focus on emerging product areas, for example of the 20 Biba Accredited Cyber Insurance Brokers, two are based in Essex. There have been multiple acquisitions in Essex over the last couple of years. In January Inflexion, a European mid-market private equity firm, launched the broker platform looking to deploy £200m in M&A investment over the next four to five years, beginning with acquiring Chelmsford-based Ascend Broking Group. Ascend Insurance Holdings received FCA authorisation in April and entered the UK market looking to provide an “alternative solution” to regional insurance brokers. The Broker Investment Group has been strengthening its presence in Essex over the past few years acquiring Romford-based KSL Thomas & Co and Callaway & Sons Insurance Consultants in Chelmsford. In May this year Adler Fairways completed the acquisition of the insurance broking arm of W B Baxter, based in Essex. In the past year, Insurance Age has done a number of regional reviews including: Birmingham, the Channel Islands, Cardiff, and Edinburgh.
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