Motor
Direct Commercial rolls out larger commercial vehicles product on Acturis
Direct Commercial has launched Haul In One Truck IHP on the Acturis platform, extending the availability of its Haul In One proposition to include larger commercial vehicles and staking a claim for an industry first.
Premium finance costs ease ahead of FCA report
The cost of home and motor premium finance has fallen in the past six months, according to research by Pearson Ham.
Biba 2025 Countdown: Granite’s Alistair Rose
Alistair Rose, managing director of Granite Underwriting, talks up the merchandise on its stand, recommends Manchester Art Gallery as a calm place to reflect on the Biba buzz, and highlights an emergency snack stash as essential to get through the two…
Interview: Sue Coffey, Covéa
With no distractions and a clear strategy centred on five core products, Covéa personal lines director Sue Coffey tells Jonathan Swift the insurer is keen to grow its share of the regional broking market, by sticking to what it is good at.
UK commercial rates falling faster – Marsh
The pace of UK commercial insurance rates dropping quickened in the first quarter of the year, outstripping the global fall.
Brokers see growth opportunities in non-standard property
Brokers have ranked unoccupied homes as top of the key growth areas list in a Prestige Underwriting survey on the non-standard market.
Policy Expert has “clear focus” on UK with plans to double the business
Personal lines specialist Policy Expert is targeting organic growth in the UK, with plans to double the business in the next three to five years, according to CEO Steve Hardy.
Marshmallow raises $90m to grow product offering and international expansion
Fintech Marshmallow has raised $90m (£68m) of funding, a mixture of equity and debt, from Portage, BlackRock and Columbia Lake Partners to grow the business’ product offering and support plans for international expansion.
Ageas CEO Middle reassures brokers after Esure deal
Ageas will keep its focus on growing with brokers, CEO Ant Middle committed, as the Esure takeover creates a “balanced” portfolio with 50% of business still through the broking channel.
Brown & Brown buys SME broker
Brown & Brown (Europe) has bought Irvine Commercial Insurance Brokers in its third deal of the year.
Ageas claims ‘number three’ UK personal lines position with £1.3bn Esure deal
Ageas has reached an agreement with Bain Capital to acquire Esure to create what it claims is the third largest UK personal lines player.
Axa committed to regional PL market – intermediary director Matt Field
Matt Field, director of intermediary at Axa retail, has told Insurance Age the insurer is “committed” to the regional intermediary market, and is focusing on sustainable growth.
Saga unveils broking and underwriting results ahead of Ageas deal completion
Saga’s insurance broking arm reported a total earned underlying profit before tax of £14.4m in 2024 (2023: £39.8m) in its final full year results before it completes a new distribution partnership with Ageas.
Aviva reports 18% increase in ghost broking frauds in 2024
Aviva detected an 18% increase in ghost-brokered policies and linked an additional 8,600 cases to open investigations into known ghost broking cases in 2024.
Acorn boosts GWP by over 40% in 2024
Merseyside-based Acorn Group has reported gross written premiums soared 41% to record £742m in the financial year ending 31 December 2024.
PwC highlights pressure on motor, home and specialty insurance from Trump’s tariffs
PwC has warned of higher claims costs, particularly in motor and home, leading to pressure on premium rates due to the US placing new tariffs on its global trading partners.
FOS expects motor insurance complaints to stay high in 2025/26
The Financial Ombudsman Service has flagged it expects complaints about motor insurance to remain high in 2025/26 due to the higher cost of, and supply challenges around, parts and labour.
Brown & Brown acquires firm from fellow top 100 UK broker
Brown & Brown has purchased commercial motor insurance specialist BCM Acquisitions, trading as 1st UK Broking.
Meet the MGA: MX Underwriting
Ian Cook, managing director at MX Underwriting, explains why he believes MGAs are not suffering a capacity crunch, and outlines plans to write in excess of £200m GWP in 2025 and add to MX’s product range and capability.
Deal-linked Esure swings back to profit
Motor and home insurer Esure, previously touted as takeover target for Ageas, Allianz and Aviva, moved back into the black in 2024 with a £57.7m post tax profit reversing a loss of £60.1m the year before.
RSA cutting up to 250 jobs in Peterborough following personal lines exit
RSA has put 250 jobs at risk in its Peterborough office over the next two years, following the insurer’s decision to exit the personal insurance market first announced in December 2023.
Interview: Mike Bottle, managing director of the Arch Insurance UK regional division
After a decade of transformation, multi-award-winning Arch is very much open for business with brokers and ready for more profitable growth across its regional network, hub and digital offerings, boss Mike Bottle tells Insurance Age.
Which? calls out ongoing “hefty” premium finance charges
Consumer champions Which? have branded premium finance rates currently being charged by many insurers as “difficult to justify”, especially with car insurance where it found a third of rates are above 25%.
Ageas CEO Middle on elevating onto the podium with broker growth
Ageas has its strongest pipeline of opportunities with brokers ever as it targets growing to be a podium player, CEO Ant Middle told Insurance Age.