United Kingdom (UK)
PRA fines Direct Line underwriter £10.6m
The Prudential Regulation Authority has fined UK Insurance Limited, a subsidiary and principal underwriter of Direct Line Group and now part of Aviva, £10.625m for a miscalculation of its Solvency II balance sheet during 2023 and 2024.
Aon leader Kus named new chair of Liiba
Tracy-Lee Kus, CEO of Aon’s global broking centre, has been appointed chair of the London and International Insurance Brokers’ Association succeeding Howden’s Andy Bragoli.
Sabre ‘all in’ on broker support as CEO Carter eyes growth after profit boost in 2025
Sabre is ready to grow with brokers as the provider promised the sector it “can rely on us to provide competitive prices through our part of the market through this year’” CEO Geoff Carter told Insurance Age.
JMG recruits Cunis from Gallagher to lead on private clients
Andrew Cunis has left Gallagher to join JMG Group in May as CEO of private clients, Insurance Age can reveal.
Alps enhances landlord legal expenses and rent protection product
Managing general agent Alps has updated its landlord legal expenses and rent protection product, in a move designed to support landlords as they navigate the implications of the Renters’ Rights Act.
Sabre trims GWP, but boosts profit in 2025
Motor specialist insurer Sabre grew post-tax profits by 5.3% in 2025 and kept its ‘underwriting discipline’ as gross written premium shrank 14.2%.
Wakam enters motorcycle market with Top 100 broker tie-up
Wakam UK has entered the motorcycle insurance market, partnering with specialist intermediary Principal Insurance to bring what it describes as new underwriting capacity into the sector.
Soft market a ‘critical opportunity’ for brokers to tackle underinsurance
Brokers are increasingly seeing their role as pivotal in fixing underinsurance, with 87% agreeing they should proactively address it, up from 80% last year, according to Aviva.
PremFina grows broker network by a third
PremFina has reported it grew its broker network by a third last year citing three “major” partnerships in the final quarter alone as it reached £1.1bn in contracted volumes.
Aviva to keep Direct Line for Business
Aviva, which partially exited direct SME commercial business in 2024, is keeping Direct Line for Business and does not view it as a challenger to brokers, Jason Storah, CEO for UK and Ireland general insurance told Insurance Age.
News analysis: Will NCDs for fleets catch on, and what does the future hold for the CV sector?
Last year, Zurich Insurance announced it was enhancing its SME e-trade fleet offering by accepting no claims discount (NCD) claims history in response to broker demand. Saxon East examines the ramifications of this move – and explores other dynamics…
Open GI parent trims losses in year of Ares deal
Open GI’s parent company, OM Bidco, cut operating and post-tax losses in the year Ares Management bought the business, a filing at Companies House has revealed.
H&H promotes Kally Shane to lead insurance business
Kally Shane has been promoted to head of H&H Insurance Brokers having progressed through the business in increasingly senior roles after joining as a trainee 16 years ago.
John Lewis Money becomes regulated insurance broker
John Lewis Money has become a regulated insurance broker and will go live with a panel including Axa, Prestige Underwriting and Covéa for home insurance in April with car to follow in the summer.
ERS launches ultra-HNW motor offering
ERS has launched Private Client Ultimate, a proposition developed for high-net worth individuals with complex motor risks to provide specialist cover for single vehicles valued at £350,000 and vehicle collections valued at £500,000.
People Moves: 2 – 6 March 2026
Follow the latest personnel moves in insurance.
Chris Knight succeeds Brewis as FCA insurance director
The Financial Conduct Authority has recruited Chris Knight to take on the director of insurance role within its supervision, policy and competition division starting July 2026.
Storah promises brokers more to come as Aviva reaches sub 94% ‘North Star’ COR
Aviva grew gross written premium and policy numbers in a “challenging” SME market, Jason Storah, CEO for UK and Ireland general insurance at Aviva, confirmed to Insurance Age, as he promised further broker focus after its 2025 results.
MGA Lumara adds Draper to lead Midlands offering
Managing general agent Lumara Insurance has appointed Matt Draper as lead underwriter for the Midlands, responsible for the managing general agent’s broker panel in the region.
Aviva posts UK commercial growth as Direct Line boosts GWP to over £9bn
Aviva grew UK commercial premiums by 7% to £3.85bn last year as it improved the combined operating ratio in the line to 93.9% from 95.4%.
Polaris MD Banga on growth with MGAs, AI and initiatives to expand digital trading
“There had been this perception that imarket is only for insurers. It’s great to see four MGAs now actively trading on it,” Polaris managing director Vivek Banga has told Insurance Age.
FCA way off target on insurance new firm authorisation service
New data and goals from the Financial Conduct Authority have revealed the regulator is far behind the target for authorising new insurance firms, with the level of service squarely in the red zone at 81.8%.
imarket premiums tick up in 2025 as Polaris confirms MGA joiners and AI pilot
Digital trading platform imarket handled £454m of premium in 2025 with policies traded rising to just over 547,000, Insurance Age can reveal.
Andrew McGee named Howden Retail chief broking officer
Howden UK and Ireland Retail has appointed Andrew McGee as chief broking officer.